Outstanding contribution to pediatric anesthesiology: An interview with Dr. Robert H. Friesen.

Dr. Robert H. Friesen, (1946-) Professor of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, has played a pivotal and pioneering role in the development of pediatric and congenital cardiac anesthesiology. His transformative research included the study of the hemodynamic effects of inhalational and intravenous anesthetic agents in the newborn and the effects of anesthetic agents on pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with pulmonary hypertension. As a model clinician-scientist, educator, and administrator, he changed the practice of pediatric anesthesia and shaped the careers of hundreds of physicians-in-training, imbuing them with his core values of honesty, integrity, and responsibility. Based on a series of interviews with Dr. Friesen, this article reviews a career that advanced pediatric and congenital cardiac anesthesia during the formative years of the specialties.

A Model for Developing Comprehensive Initiatives to Improve the Health of the Worksite: The WorkWell KS Strategic Framework.

Background: Worksite wellness programs that target individual employees, rather than worksites, have demonstrated limited long-term success. The purpose of this overview was to describe the theoretical basis for implementing an effective worksite wellness initiative, WorkWell Kansas (WorkWell KS). WorkWell KS is not a traditional worksite wellness initiative, as its goal is to create healthy worksites, rather than target workers. Methods: The WorkWell KS Strategic Framework is based on academic research that identified successful worksite wellness elements that produce sustainably healthy worksites. The curricula were built around the 3-4-80: three modifiable behaviors (tobacco use, poor access to nutritious foods and beverages, and physical inactivity) contribute to at least four chronic diseases (heart disease, type II diabetes, lung disease, and some cancers), which in turn contribute to approximately 80% of the premature deaths in the United States. Findings: To properly address these modifiable behaviors, the WorkWell KS Strategic Framework was developed to guide worksites to first build a solid worksite wellness foundation, which consists of five elements: the wellness committee, exercising leadership, communications, incentives, and data. Once built, worksites are then encouraged to employ a socio-ecological approach to developing a comprehensive, multi-strategy (information, program, benefit design, policy, and environment) intervention, focusing on one health behavior at a time. Conclusions/Application to Practice: The goal of WorkWell KS was to create healthy worksites, which creates environments for employees to practice these healthy behaviors. Worksite wellness committees, occupational health professionals, and others interested in altering health behaviors at worksites have an opportunity to reframe their approach using this framework.

Workforce Policies and their Influence on School-Based Oral Health Programs: A synthesis of four case studies.

Purpose: Childhood caries disproportionately effects children who are poor, live in low-income rural and urban areas, and come from racial and ethnic minority groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of public policy related to dental hygienists' level of supervision and policy uptake at the state level on the organization, delivery, and financing of school-based oral health programs (SBOHP).Methods: A multiple case study methodology was used to compare SBOHPs in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Interviews were conducted with an administrator, dental hygienist, and dentist at each Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that operated a SBOHP. Mixed methods were used to conduct and analyze interviews, examine supporting documents, and to report descriptive details. Analytic categories were used to examine the various facets of the organizational structures, delivery processes, financing and billing, and operations.Results: Five themes revealing differences between two states emerged; historical development of SBOHPs, the structure of SBOHPs, staffing and professional relationships, finance and billing, and capacity of school-based oral health network.Conclusion: Dental hygienists' supervision requirements play a critical role in school-aged children's access to oral health services and the capacity of SBOHPs. The variations in the degree of practice autonomy accorded to dental hygienists under the Missouri and Kansas dental practice acts resulted in different oral health delivery models. Greater autonomy for dental hygienists is essential for realizing the promise of dental public health.

The Kansas Health Education Training Center: caring for the underserved.

The State of Kansas was awarded Health Education Training Centers (HETC) DHHS/HRSA, BrHPr Federal funds for the first time in 2002 through 2005. The three-year grant award was under the leadership of the Nurse-Midwifery Education faculty of the University of Kansas (KU) School of Nursing. Federal objectives included: 1. To facilitate interdisciplinary clinical training for health professions students from nursing, medicine, and allied health at targeted underserved communities. 2. To deliver culturally appropriate health care information to underprivileged populations at targeted underserved communities. 3. To conduct continuing education activities for community health workers and health professionals serving vulnerable urban and rural populations. 4. To recruit and mentor high school students from disadvantaged populations to pursue health professions. This three-year state-wide program addressed access to quality health care for underprivileged and underserved populations in select communities to improve health status, through community-based care that is culturally competent, multidisciplinary, sensitive to needs of special populations and augmented by health professions students. This article provides a review of two selected community-based interventions in Sedgwick and Wyandotte counties (addressing BrHPr federal objectives one and two) implemented to enhance care for immigrant pregnant women and underserved patients diagnosed with diabetes, respectively. Also included is a review of literature related to the efficacy and utilization of community based health workers (CHWs) in caring for vulnerable populations.

Enactment of mandatory pharmacy technician certification in Kansas.

PURPOSE: The successful enactment of mandatory pharmacy technician certification in Kansas is described. METHODS: In 2004, Kansas began requiring registration of all pharmacy technicians with the state board of pharmacy. Registration identified individuals working as pharmacy technicians but did not require any specific education or certification. In September 2012, the Kansas Board of Pharmacy created a task force of key stakeholders including pharmacists from multiple areas of practice, the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy, organizational leaders from the Kansas Council of Health-System Pharmacists (KCHP) and Kansas Pharmacists Association, and professional lobbyists. The goals of this task force were to research practices of technician certification in other states and to make recommendations to the state board of pharmacy on how Kansas could accomplish mandatory technician certification. RESULTS: The task force outlined the steps needed to achieve legislation that could be supported by the members. These topics included the creation of a technician trainee category, grandfathering certain technicians who had been practicing for a designated period of time, state board-approved exemptions, training requirements, age and education requirements, continuing-education requirements, and pharmacist:technician ratio. The recommendations were finalized at the August 2013 Kansas Pharmacy Summit, and the proposed legislation was introduced and passed during the 2014 legislative session. KCHP members learned many valuable lessons about advocacy and the legislative process with this initiative, including building relationships, working with legislators, and working with other professional organizations. CONCLUSION: The formation of a task force led to the successful passage of a bill granting the Kansas Board of Pharmacy the authority to issue regulations regarding mandatory pharmacy technician certification.

Community-based curricula: new issues to address.

Although the issues that may arise when developing and implementing a community-based curriculum may seem overwhelming, such issues should not deter programs from continuing their efforts in that direction. Rarely is a new curriculum perfect. Most come with their inherent problems and issues, and community-based curricula are no exception. Nursing education is being presented with a challenge to design curricula that allows nursing to make a difference in patient outcomes in every setting. As nursing educators we need to welcome that challenge.

Vertical restraints among hospitals, physicians and health insurers that raise rivals' costs. A case study of Reazin v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc. and Ocean State Physicians Health Plan, Inc. v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Two recent district court opinions consider whether affiliations among hospitals, doctors and health insurers--through contract or ownership--violate the antitrust laws. This Article applies a raising rivals' costs framework to the facts of those cases in order to assess whether the practices at issue were unreasonable.

Kansas nursing occupational projection 1995-2005.

The Kansas State Department of Human Resources recently released a study of occupational employment throughout the state. The data was compiled using staffing pattern employment from the 1992, 1993 and 1994 occupational employment statistics program survey of industries, along with base year 1993 average annual employment for Kansas industries. Projected demand for occupational employment is significantly affected by the projected employment for industries.

Shaping up.

EMS administrators across the country are turning couch potatoes into lean, mean rescuing machines. Is your squad physically fit?

ERISA preemption. St. Francis Medical Center v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.

ERISA preempts hospital's state law action challenging insurer's rule banning health plan participants from assigning their benefit claims to health care providers who had not signed contracts with insurer.