All Articles

• Screening mammograms catch second breast cancers early

  More women are surviving longer after having early-stage breast cancer, but they are at risk of developing breast cancer again: a recurrence or a new cancer, in either breast. Annual screening (a.k.a. “surveillance”) mammography has long been standard for these women, but only scant evidence on screening outcomes supported this practice. In the February 23, 2011 Journal of the American Medical Association, the most comprehensive relevant study to date shows yearly mammograms do detect second breast cancers early.
• Team-based approach to patient care shows success in fight against depression with diabetes, heart disease

  In a randomized controlled trial, testing a primary care intervention called TEAMcare, nurses worked with patients and health teams to manage care for depression and physical disease together, using evidence-based guidelines. The result for patients: less depression, and better control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and improved quality of life.
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  Group Health, ITHS launch free health literacy e-course

  Group Health, ITHS launch free health literacy e-course
• Incentives studied to align care, coverage, and wellness

  The effectiveness of Total Health, a unique benefits program for Group Health Cooperative employees, is the subject of a four-year study that the federal Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently funded. It’s part of a trend to integrate care, insurance, and wellness programs and base them on research findings. The goal is to help people stay healthier and control health care costs.
• A healthy menu: Group Health approaches to weight-loss and obesity research

  Nearly one in three Americans are obese and the condition doubled among American adults from 1980 to 2000, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
• Is combined treatment key?

  Most U.S. health care costs go to caring for the 133 million Americans with chronic conditions. Almost half have at least two chronic illnesses. One of those chronic illnesses is often depression, which can hinder a person’s ability to manage everything.
• Medical home pays off, improving primary care and cutting cost at 2 years

  In a two-year evaluation at Group Health Cooperative, transforming primary care into a “patient-centered medical home” model paid off. The evaluation compared the medical home prototype to GH's other medical centers, showing that the quality of care was higher, patients reported having better experiences, and clinicians said they felt less “burned out.”