On July 19, 2006 the British Columbia Transplant Society and the Kidney Foundation of Canada announced the launch of this first-of-its-kind pilot project in which up to $5,500 in financial assistance is provided to living organ donors for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
A June 2008 Canadian Medical Association journal article noted that the 36-month pilot project has given a total of $154,000 to 145 donors and potential donors. In April 2008, both Ontario and Manitoba announced the creation of similar programs in those provinces. B.C.'s program has resulted in acceleration of the transplantation process, as donors no longer need to delay their surgeries for financial reasons.
H. Krueger & Associates Inc. is pleased to have provided the background research and financial analysis for this program.
Diabetes is a common and serious chronic condition. If not well-managed, significant multi-system complications often arise, resulting in increased health care utilization and poor health outcomes. There is considerable evidence that people with diagnosed diabetes are not receiving recommended care. This is the first study to examine the relationship between long-term adherence to recommended care and health care utilization. Patients with higher long-term adherence used an increased level of physician resources but a lower level of acute care resources. The utilization difference related to adherence was particularly noticeable in older adults with higher levels of morbidity, resulting in both less frequent hospitalizations and, when they were hospitalized, shorter lengths of stay in hospital. The findings of this study indicate that improving long-term adherence may result in the avoidance of $4 in acute care costs for every additional $1 spent on physician costs.
The current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine includes a book review of The Health Impact of Smoking & Obesity and What To Do About It.
The reviewer, David Williamson, notes that “the authors…are scrupulous in their assessments of the magnitude of risk factors and the effectiveness of interventions. Their discussion of the ongoing disagreements over the impact on health of moderate levels of excess weight (i.e., "overweight") is one of the most balanced and informed that I have seen…Unlike authors who estimate the costs of obesity without estimating the costs of interventions to reduce obesity, Krueger and his colleagues provide detailed empirical information on intervention costs...” The New England Journal of Medicine is published weekly by the Massachusetts Medical Society and is regarded as one of the leading medical journals in the world.
In July of 2005, H. Krueger & Associates Inc. created a five-year business plan for Dr. Larry Goldenberg analyzing the cost-effectiveness of initiating a robot-assisted laparoscopy program in Vancouver Coastal Health. The plan concluded that a high-precision surgical robot, such as the da Vinci Robot, would be worth the high initial expenses because of its unique overall benefits. The da Vinci robot allows surgeons to operate inside difficult areas of the body such as the pelvis and chest, using smaller incisions and resulting in greater accuracy in procedures where meticulous precision is required. The surgical benefits to the patient are less blood loss, less pain and trauma, faster recoveries and shorter hospital stays.
The robot will be arriving at VGH later this year mainly due to generous private donations from Jack Poole and Jim Pattison. Jack Poole, the chairman of Vanoc, is a prostate cancer survivor himself and agreed to donate $3 million towards the initial costs of the surgical robot on the amusing condition that the robot be named “Jack”. A $1.5 million donation from Jim Pattison along with smaller private donations and some fundraising will round out the $6 million required to bring “Jack” to VGH.
After it’s delivery in September, VGH will be the third hospital in the country to have such a robot. H. Krueger & Associates Inc. is pleased to have been an integral part in this advancement of BC’s medical endeavours.
Despite significant progress due to public health campaigns and other policy efforts, smoking continues to be a serious health threat throughout the world. In addition, sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, and obesity continue to be major causes of chronic disease. The Health Impact of Smoking and Obesity and What to Do About It synthesizes a vast quantity of recent data on the benefits and cost-effectiveness of both clinical and public health interventions in addressing the risk factors of smoking and obesity.
A large proportion of chronic disease is preventable. The Health Impact of Smoking and Obesity and What to Do About It provides solid evidence and practical advice to health care planners, decision-makers, and frontline providers alike. The volume discusses various approaches to measuring disease burden and setting health care targets, and provides a summary of interventions of proven effectiveness. Taking into account the vital lessons learned from the experience of tobacco control over forty years, and focusing on the current state of the evidence for obesity control, the study stresses the importance of comprehensive strategies that deal with both individual behaviour changes and the need to encourage social contexts that enhance health choices and lifestyles.
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On July 18, 2006, a public announcement was made that Health Canada had approved the release of Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Certain types of HPV are known to be the cause of 90% of genital warts cases and 70% of cervical cancer cases; Gardasil is expected to prevent infection by the most critical types (HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18). Health Canada has approved the use of the drug for vaccinating young women aged 9 to 26. Women are the critical targets of the vaccine, because of the pandemic of cervical cancer. The FDA approved the drug a month earlier for the US market.
In 2006, H. Krueger & Associates produced a report for the BC Cancer Agency that addressed important issues related to the potential use of an HPV vaccine in BC. Some of the considerations were,
- How many cancers and other diseases might be prevented by such a program?
- Should an immunization program be implemented in BC?
- If so, should it be targeted to specific groups or be implemented population wide?
- Would an HPV immunization program in BC be cost-effective?
On March 23, 2006, BC Minister of Health George Abbott announced that the BC Healthy Living Alliance (BCHLA) would receive a $25.2 million grant in order to pursue the objectives and recommendations outlined in The Winning Legacy report.
H. Krueger & Associates Inc. was contracted by the BCHLA to work on a series of reports culminating in The Winning Legacy.
The Winning Legacy – A Plan for Improving the Health of British Columbians by 2010 addressed the encouraging fact that the majority of the chronic disease burden is preventable. This can be accomplished by concentrating on four associated risk factors: physical inactivity, poor dietary habits, tobacco use and obesity. The plan offered 27 recommendations to achieve the following targets by 2010:
- 9 out of 10 British Columbians will not smoke
- 7 out of 10 British Columbians will eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits a day
- 7 out of 10 British Columbians will be physically active
- 7 out of 10 British Columbians will be at a healthy weight
H. Krueger & Associates Inc. will continue to support the BCHLA as it moves this vital plan forward to create a winning legacy in the province before and after the 2010 Olympics.
Click here to view the reports.
On December 12, 2005, the provincial and federal governments announced the establishment of evidence-based wait times benchmarks for 5 priority areas: cancer treatment, cardiac care, sight restoration, joint replacements and diagnostic imaging.
Under the benchmarks, which are based on research and clinical evidence, provinces and territories will strive to provide:
- Radiation therapy to treat cancer within four weeks of patients being ready to treat;
- Hip fracture fixation within 48 hours;
- Hip replacements within 26 weeks;
- Knee replacements within 26 weeks;
- Surgery to remove cataracts within 16 weeks for patients who are at high risk;
- Breast cancer screening for women aged 50 to 69 every two years; and
- Cervical cancer screening for women aged 18 to 69 every three years after two normal tests.
- Level I patients within 2 weeks;
- Level II patients with 6 weeks; and
- Level III patients within 26 weeks.
Three documents produced by H. Krueger & Associates Inc. were used in establishing the benchmarks for hip and knee replacement surgery.
Click here to view the report.
The Vancouver Sun, March 24 2005, Page B6
In April of 2004, H. Krueger & Associates Inc. produced a major report for the Arthritis Society - BC and Yukon Division and the BC Orthopaedic Association, identifying the need for additional hip and knee replacement surgeries in British Columbia. This report, together with the concerted efforts of many advocates and health care providers, helped to secure $16.7 million in new funding for hip and knee replacements in British Columbia.
According to the Arthritis Society
"the $16.7-million provincial government funding to health authorities to reduce long orthopaedic surgery waiting lists has had a "remarkable" effect, boosting patient cases across the province by 38 per cent, and in some regions by as much as 68 per cent."
Our company is pleased to have played a role in this very positive development in health care.
Click here to view the report.
Karger has published The Prevention of Second Primary Cancers
Expanded Screening Program for B.C. Newborns
The Benefits of Investing in Appropriate Diabetes Care
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The Health Impact of Smoking and Obesity and What to Do about It
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