Bullying Info and Facts

Defining Bullying Behavior

What is bullying? At first glance, it might appear that this behavior is easy to define. A common image of bullying might be of a physically intimidating boy beating up a smaller classmate or of one child shoving another inside a hallway locker. While that is still considered bullying, it's important to know that bullying behaviors can be much more complex and varied than historical stereotypes.

For example, while some bullying is physical and easy to recognize, bullying can also occur quietly and covertly, through gossip or on a smart phone or the internet, causing emotional damage.

As a starting point, there are elements that are included in most definitions of bullying. Although definitions vary from source to source, most agree that an act is defined as bullying when:

• The behavior hurts, humiliates, or harms another person physically or emotionally.
• Those targeted by the behavior have difficulty stopping the action directed at them, and struggle to defend themselves.
• There is also a real or perceived “imbalance of power,” which is described as when the student with the bullying behavior has more “power,” either physically, socially, or emotionally, such as a higher social status, or is physically larger or emotionally intimidating.
• Repetitive behavior; however, bullying can occur in a single incident if that incident is either very severe or arises from a pattern of behavior.

Many definitions also include:

• The types of Bullying: The behavior can be overt and direct, with physical behaviors, such as fighting, hitting or name calling, or it can be covert, with emotional-social interactions, such as gossiping or leaving someone out on purpose. Bullying can also happen in-person, online or through smart phones and texts.
• Intent of the part of the student with bullying behavior: “It is intentional, meaning the act is done willfully, knowingly, and with deliberation to hurt or harm,” but there is some controversy with this statement as some assert that not all bullying behavior is done with intent or that the individual bullying realizes that their behavior is hurting another individual.
• Distinction about amount and duration: Many definitions indicate that the bullying is “repeated,” but the reality is that bullying can be circumstantial or chronic. It might be the result of a single situation, such as being the new student at school, or it might be behavior that has been directed at the individual for a long period of time.
• The implications for all students: It is also important to note that bullying is not just about the implications for those targeted by the behaviors, but that the behavior can impact all students in the school, including those who witness the behavior and those that engage in the behavior.
• Additional factors: these can include; the differentiation between bullying and harassment, enumeration of protected classes, statements around the use of technology, how the behavior impacts educational performance and the physical locations that would fall under the jurisdiction of school sanctions.

Students often describe bullying as when “someone makes you feel less about who you are as a person.”

Source: National Bullying Center

Physicians Urged to Become ’Political Advocates’ for Patients

Physicians Urged to Become ’Political Advocates’ for Patients

Proposed HIX Rules Would Alter PPACA

Proposed HIX Rules Would Alter PPACA

CMS is seeking to overturn any state law that prevents
federal consumer advisers "from carrying out Federally mandated duties or
from otherwise meeting Federal standards that apply to them, or if a
non-Federal requirement would make it impossible for an Exchange to implement
those consumer assistance programs consistent with the Federal statutes and
regulations governing those programs…The CMS says federal officials recognize
health plans face several risk factors in the 2015 plan year including:
additional administrative costs, risk pool effects and uncertainty in the 2015
benefit year related to state renewal of non-ACA compliant plans; the time it
will take to fully assess the risk profile of 2014 enrollees given the
six-month initial open enrollment period; protracted phase-outs of high-risk
pools; and the scheduled decline in reinsurance program payments. 

Healthcare CFOs Sing Reform Blues

Healthcare CFOs Sing Reform Blues

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is designed, in part, to provide more patients with health insurance through expanded Medicaid eligibility and the introduction of government-run health insurance exchanges that will allow low-income individuals to purchase medical coverage at a subsidized rate.

The goals include improving access to care for this segment of the population and reducing the amount of uncompensated care provided by the nation's hospitals. While this sounds good on paper, many hospital finance administrators are not convinced that the PPACA will benefit providers and are instead bracing to take a hit to the revenue cycle.

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/FIN-294282/Healthcare-CFOs-Sing-Reform-Blues?goback=%2Egde_132131_member_259115839

Ready for a Crisis, and Ready to Flex

Ready for a Crisis, and Ready to Flex

Do hospitals that treat more low-income, ethnically diverse patients with multiple comorbidities have a tougher time getting good patient experience scores than other hospitals, as some organizations contend?

And if so, should those hospitals merit an adjustment for socioeconomic status or payer mix, especially when millions in value-based purchasing incentive pay is now at stake?

Safety-net advocacy groups say the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys should be adjusted for race, ethnicity, income, and health literacy as well as insurance status because HCAHPS misses a measure of hospital cultural competence.

But to date, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has disagreed, arguing that existing adjustments—such as for age, education, and the patient's primary language—are adequate.

As Hospital Hiring Slips, Robot Workers Lurk

As Hospital Hiring Slips, Robot Workers Lurk

he government's healthcare cost reduction focus is having an effect on jobs:

• Ambulatory care services (making up for hospitals' slowdown in job creation) created 15,300 additional jobs, more than 12% increase since last month.
• Outpatient care services grew almost four times as quickly in May than April, creating 3,500 additional jobs.
• Physician's offices created 13% less jobs.
• Home health care services stayed approximately the same since April.
• Nursing and residential care services also slowed down, by 52% since last month. 
• Healthcare as a whole added 11,000 additional jobs from April to May.

Why medications cause more adverse effects is seniors

The main reason for this is, as we grow older our major organs such liver and kidney function less efficiently. The liver is the major organ for metabolism and kidney is major organ for excretion of drugs from our body. While, other organs being the lungs and skin, and colon through feces. The physicians need to be careful in prescribing the medications, and it would be better if the peak level in the blood and the organs metabolizing and excreting the medications are not the same if possible. At least the timing of medication should be such that two drugs have the same possible side-effect and the same organ of metabolism be prescribed at different timings of the day. Most physicians are not very proficient in deciding these factors. The ObamaCare EHR has the drug-drug interaction and drug-allergy space, which is very helpful. The Stage 2 EHR would also include Data Analytics and Clinical Support so these physicians would be prevented from defaulting the system.