Health Information Technology (Health IT) is designed to store patients' records safely and clearly, to reduce input errors and missing records, and to make communications more efficiently. Concerned with the relatively lower adoption rate among the US hospitals compared to most developed countries, the Bush Administration set up the Office of…

Purpose: Individuals receiving postacute care in skilled nursing facilities often require complex, skilled care provided by licensed nurses. It is believed that a stable set of nursing personnel is more likely to deliver better care. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among licensed nurse retention, turnover, and a 30-day…

Those following recent employment trends have heard about the nursing shortage. A combination of increased demand and impending retirements means 1 million nurses will be needed in hospitals, homes, and medical facilities by 2018. That's good news for job seekers. But it is not just shortages in nursing. Allied health careers, including…

Despite huge growth in hospital technology systems, there remains a dearth of literature examining health care administrator's perceptions of the efficacy of interoperable EHR systems. A qualitative research methodology was used in this multiple-case study to investigate the application of diffusion of innovations theory and the technology…

Purpose: To assess the amount of local rural hospital outpatient department (HOPD) bypass for outpatient procedures. Methods: We analyzed data on colonoscopies and upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed in the state of Florida over the period 1997-2004. Findings: Approximately, 53% of colonoscopy and 45% of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy…

This publication builds on the "Making a Difference Through Strategic Business Partnerships: A Guide for Faith-Based and Community Organizations" guidebook by providing a series of snapshots of partnerships between employers and faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs). FBCOs bring unique assets to the task of assisting…

Purpose: To examine how local health care resources impact travel patterns of patients age 65 and older across the rural urban continuum. Methods: Information on inpatient hospital discharges was drawn from complete 2004 hospital discharge files from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID) for New York,…

For students with disabilities, the opportunity to work in a supportive environment is one that can bring them, and their employers, great rewards. This article describes a program that started more than a decade ago at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, which is giving students just that kind of opportunity through innovative…

Demographic, diagnostic, and service expenditure characteristics of Florida Medicaid enrollees who died by suicide were investigated. Among persons receiving Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), findings indicate the most powerful predictors of suicide were involuntary psychiatric examination, mental health hospitalization, and high…

Context: The recent explosive growth of information technology in hospitals promises to improve hospital and patient outcomes. Financial barriers may cause rural hospitals to lag in adoption of information technology, however, formal studies that examine rural hospital adoption of information technology are lacking. Purpose: To determine the…

Context: The recent explosive growth of information technology in hospitals promises to improve hospital and patient outcomes. Financial barriers may cause rural hospitals to lag in adoption of information technology, however, formal studies that examine rural hospital adoption of information technology are lacking. Purpose: To determine the…

Purpose: We compared inpatient days, nursing home days, and total Medicaid claims for five Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services (HCBS) programs for in-home and assisted living services in Florida. Design and Methods: We studied a single cohort of Medicaid enrollees in Florida aged 60 and older, who were enrolled for the first time in…

A survey was conducted to analyze library facilities and services in 60 Florida state institutions and to make recommendations for improvement. Included in the study are descriptions of the institutions and a report and recommendations for each library. Results of question aires and visits show that institutional library service is inadequate,…

This article describes stressful life events experienced by a multi-shelter sample of 162 homeless adults in the Central Florida area. Participants included homeless single men (n = 54), homeless single women (n = 54), and homeless women with children (n = 54). Subjects were interviewed with a modified version of the List of Threatening…

The "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" ("MMWR") Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data in the weekly "MMWR" are provisional, based on weekly reports to CDC by state health departments. This issue of "MMWR" contains the following studies: (1) Youth Risk Behavior…