Voluntary Support Of Education
Since 1957, the Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) annual survey from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has collected data on fundraising outcomes in higher education institutions in the United States. It is regarded as the definitive source of information on philanthropic support of those institutions. Data from the survey are used to estimate total charitable support of all institutions of higher education in the nation, including nonrespondents. Survey respondents must adhere to the Reporting Standards and Management Guidelines, first published jointly with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) in 1982. CASE updated the standards in 1996, 2004, and 2009. According to the VSE survey, voluntary support of higher education institutions in the United States essentially was flat in the fiscal year that, for most institutions, ended June 30, 2020. While support edged down two-tenths of a percent, at $49.50 billion, nearly half, 48.6%, of responding institutions reported that giving rose in 2020. A CASE analysis of institutions that responded for the past four reporting cycles reveals that varying frequencies of rising and falling gift receipts are the norm. Indeed, even an institution that posts lower levels of giving in a particular year may have had a good year. Sometimes a very large gift the previous year results in a percentage decline that is not really a negative event. The report can be obtained here.
National Healthcare Quality And Disparities Report
The National Healthcare Quality And Disparities Report Chartbook On Patient Safety is the product of collaboration among agencies across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is part of a family of documents and tools that support the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR). The NHQDR is an annual document to Congress mandated in the Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-129). The NHQDR provides a comprehensive overview of the quality of health care received by the general U.S. population and disparities in care experienced by different racial and socioeconomic groups. The purpose of the reports is to assess the performance of the U.S. health care system and to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses along three main axes: access to health care, quality of health care, and NHQDR priorities. The reports are based on more than 250 measures of quality and disparities covering a broad array of health care services and settings. Data generally cover 2000 through 2018. The reports are produced with the help of a Federal Interagency Work Group led by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and submitted on behalf of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Chartbooks are organized around six Priority Areas. Patient Safety is one of them. They are interrelated and work to support all priority areas and can support necessary and critical improvements in making care safer. The Chartbook can be obtained here.
50-State Survey Of Telehealth Commercial Insurance Laws
States are stepping up requirements that insurers pay for telehealth at the same rate as in-person services, according to a new report from Foley and Lardner. Four more states required payment parity amid the pandemic last year, bringing the total to 14 states. The law firm argues that without such laws, insurers might set reimbursement rates so low that health providers feel no incentive to adopt telehealth. State-mandated coverage of text messages, images, and other “asynchronous health care” also has grown, with 27 now requiring reimbursement. Telehealth has skyrocketed, driven by patient concerns about contracting the virus during in-person visits to clinics or doctors’ offices. What remains unknown is whether Congress and the Biden Administration will make permanent some of the temporary federal payment policies set for the pandemic once it subsides. The report can be obtained here.
More February 2021 TRENDS Articles
PALIMSEST
Discusses how this term can be viewed metaphorically in considering how topics are updated and revised in successive issues of the newsletter TRENDS. Read More
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN AND COVID-19
Lists how separate components of various congressional bills are combined into overall reconciliation legislation. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Looks at how an incoming new Administration goes about reversing policies established by the previous set of office holders. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Points out some ramifications associated with making it free to attend public institutions, reduce student debt, and control the spread of coronavirus on campus. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Sexual Orientation Disparities In Risk Factors For Adverse COVID-19-Related Outcomes
Instant Death More Common In Absence Of Physical Exercise
Identifying Candidates For Drug Repurposing For SARS-CoV-2
Affordable CRISPR App Reveals Unintended Mutations At Site Of CRISPR Gene Repair Read More
OBTAINABLE RESOURCES
Voluntary Support Of Education
National Healthcare Quality And Disparities Report
50-State Survey Of Telehealth Commercial Insurance Laws Read More
THE PRODOME: DIAGNOSIS, DISADVANTAGE, AND BIOMEDICAL AMBIGUITY
Examines how the prodome as an emerging phase of illness can create problems for patients, their families, and health care institutions. Read More
IMPLICATIONS OF GENETIC TESTING FOR SUICIDE RISK
Pertains to a discussion regarding the possibility that polygenic risk scores eventually may be used regarding suicide death and some concerns once any product is commercialized and marketed directly to consumers. Read More