April 18, 2007

1. NPA in the News: Physician Prescribing Privacy in Maine

NPA members are supporting a data-mining bill before the Maine legislature: LD 838, An Act Protecting the Confidentiality of Prescription Information. Read a strong editorial about the issue published in the April 13th issue of the Kennebec Journal.

2. NPA Blogs!

Check out recent posts on the NPA Blog. Have something to say about the state of medicine today? Sign on-- and forward the link to others....

3. Member Benefits: The Medical Letter

The Medical Letter is offering its two most popular publications at discounted rates to members of the NPA. The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics is a peer-reviewed biweekly publication which provides unbiased critical evaluation of new drugs; appraisal of new drugs for effectiveness, toxicity and cost; and discussion of possible alternatives. Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter is an unbiased, independent, peer-reviewed monthly publication that provides the latest information on drugs for treating the major indications; recommendations for first-choice and alternative drugs; comparative assessments of the drugs' effectiveness, safety and cost; and charts and tables for easy reference. Check out all our great benefits. And read about the NPA and the Medical Letter in a recent article in The Journal News.

4. Issue Update: Combating the Global Health Worker Shortage

The global shortage of health care workers is felt most acutely in the developing world. Sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of the AIDS crisis, faces a shortfall of approximately 1.5 million health workers.[1] The burden of developing country debt, among other factors, has lowered the priority given to the health sector in many countries. As a result, many poor countries face weak health sector infrastructure and poor or absent training programs for health professionals. In addition to starting with a shortage of trained health care providers, poor, AIDS-burdened countries face the added challenge of losing doctors and nurses to wealthier nations.[2]

The NPA has joined a diverse coalition of global health advocates to change this deadly situation. The NPA is playing an integral part in crafting and supporting legislation that will provide U.S. funds and technical assistance to work with poor countries to develop and implement comprehensive health workforce strategies. Currently, we are working with Senators Durbin (D-IL), Coleman (R-MN), and Feingold (D-WI) who are sponsoring the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 (see Sen. Durbin's press release). We are also working with several offices of the House of Representatives to sponsor a companion bill. The legislation, if passed, will support nations of Sub-Saharan Africa to train and retain their health providers and help create a sustainable, healthy society.

As an organization of health care providers committed to attaining accessible and equitable health care for all, the NPA recognizes that health disparities are in part created by harmful policies. Jen Cohn, co-chair of the NPA policy committee states, "Partners in Health, MSF and others have shown that quality health care can exist in the most resource-poor environments. Whether millions of people live or die as a direct result of poor healthcare systems is now a matter of political will." The NPA is proud to be a partner in the fight to reduce the global health workforce crisis. For more information on how to get involved, email jen.cohn@npalliance.net.

[1] World Health Organization, World Health Report 2006: Working Together for Health (2006), at 8, 12-13.

[2] World Health Organization, The Global Shortage of Healthcare Workers and its Impact. Apr 2006 (19 Oct 2006)

5. Recruit and Renew!

The phrase says it all. Every new and sustaining member strengthens our mission. Please continue to help spread the word about the National Physicians Alliance. (The tell-a-friend link below makes it easy.) To renew your membership, click here. And everyone please update your member information; this member profile is an easy opportunity to help us learn about your particular interests.