Vital Signs: Communication Between Health Professionals and Their Patients About Alcohol Use

From the abstract:

Excessive alcohol use accounted for an estimated 88,000 deaths in the United States each year during 2006–2010, and $224 billion in economic costs in 2006. Since 2004, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended alcohol misuse screening and behavioral counseling (also known as alcohol screening and brief intervention [ASBI]) for adults to address excessive alcohol use; however, little is known about the prevalence of its implementation. ASBI will also be covered by many health insurance plans because of the Affordable Care Act.

CDC analyzed Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from a question added to surveys in 44 states and the District of Columbia (DC) from August 1 to December 31, 2011, about patient-reported communication with a health professional about alcohol. Elements of ASBI are traditionally delivered via conversation. Weighted state-level prevalence estimates of this communication were generated for 166,753 U.S. adults aged ≥18 years by selected demographic characteristics and drinking behaviors.

Source:Center for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

Link to online publication: Vital Signs: Communication Between Health Professionals and Their Patients About Alcohol Use

How Medicaid Expansions and Future Community Health Center Funding Will Shape Capacity to Meet the Nation’s Primary Care Needs

Without Sufficient Support, Community Health Centers Will Drop 1 Million Patients

A new report by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) examines the impact of federal and state policy decisions on community health centers (CHCs) and their ability to continue providing primary care to the nation’s poorest residents. The report, “How Medicaid Expansions and Future Community Health Center Funding Will Shape Capacity to Meet the Nation’s Primary Care Needs,” estimates that under a worst-case scenario, the nation’s health centers would be forced to contract, leaving an estimated 1 million low-income people without access to health care services by the year 2020.

Source: Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS)

Download pdf: How Medicaid Expansions and Future Community Health Center Funding Will Shape Capacity to Meet the Nation’s Primary Care Needs