Progress is being Made with the Underserved and Uninsured, Study Says.

A landmark study, presented by the Health Disparities Collaborative sanctioned by the Government's Health Resources and Service Administration, found evidence that improvements are occurring in bringing healthcare to the underserved and underinsured populations in the country. The goal of the study was to see if programs implemented by the Collaborative, in conjunction with community based healthcare initiatives were getting those without access to affordable health insurance into lifestyle and preventive treatment programs to aid with chronic conditions.

The study, which tracked 44 public community Health Centers, found improvements in disease prevention, education and treatments for patients living with diabetes and asthma. Dr. Bruce Landon with the Harvard Medical School who authored the study, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine said, “…We were looking for evidence of effectiveness of quality improvement, and this provides evidence that these types of techniques can certainly yield at least moderate improvements for these chronic medical conditions.”  The Community Health Centers in the study have been implemented in an effort to reduce disparities in healthcare due to poverty, physical location and access to affordable medical insurance, and the result of this survey seem to indicate that progress toward that goal is being made.

In the models the Collaboration through a team of experts including physicians and healthcare administrators develop programs and educational materials that are then provided to the community centers for dissemination to the affected communities.  The study looked at programs implemented to treat or prevent the chronic conditions diabetes, arthritis and hypertension. While the results proved negligible in the area of hypertension treatment and prevention, significant improvements were seen in disease management for diabetes and arthritis. Diabetic foot exams increased by over 20%.  With Diabetic neuropathy responsible for over 100,000 lower limb amputations last year, doctors are encouraged by this improvement. The study also showed a 14% increase in those with asthma being prescribed and gaining access to anti-inflammatory prescription medication, even if they did not have medical insurance with a prescription drug benefit.

Experts in the industry agree that studies like these are valuable as healthcare reform is actively being addressed in congress and other political circles right now. Before we decide to overhaul our healthcare system completely, and look at things like universal health insurance, it is important to get an accurate picture of what current programs are and are not working, said the authors of the study.