Improving Health Care Accessibility and Quality

Improving Health Care Accessibility and Quality

Affordable, quality health care is one of the primary concerns of all Americans. I have worked with my House colleagues as well as with health care providers and institutions, with the ability to improve access and quality of care for all Americans, including those who live here in the Miami Valley.

Health care has become an increased area of focus within the federal government. Over the past year, the House of Representatives has passed several bills to increase the access and quality of care for American families. Medical insurance costs for doctors have skyrocketed, resulting in doctors reducing their ability to see patients. The American Medical Association (AMA) states: "Ohio ranked among the top five states for insurance premium increases in 2002." That has caused some doctors to leave Ohio for states where insurance rates are more affordable.

Medical Liability Reform has become necessary. Therefore, I co-sponsored the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act. With the support of the AMA, the House passed the bill, but the Senate hasn't voted on it yet. The bill creates common sense reforms to lower the costs of medical insurance, giving more doctors more opportunities to provide quality care to their patients.

Another goal has been to increase patient safety and quality of care by decreasing medical errors. I voted for the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (S. 544), which qualifies patient safety work product as confidential. The bill, also supported by the AMA, will allow physicians, and other medical professionals, to come forward and report medical errors confidentially, so hospitals and physicians can take corrective actions without fear of reprisals

Congress has continuously increased funding for health research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 1994 Congress appropriated $13.6 billion for the NIH. In 2006, just 12 years later, that figure has more than doubled to $28.4 billion.

I am proud to bring federal funds to the district for the construction of local state-of-the art health care facilities. For example: I helped secure $1.1 million for the construction of the Cassano Community Health Center facility. I also helped secured $500,000 for Kettering College of Medical Sciences. That federal funding was used for the construction and equipment costs of the first two floors of the new five-story health-sciences building. I was able to help Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH) obtain $700,000 in federal funding specifically for improving its emergency room facilities. The updated CMH emergency room treated nearly 34,000 patients last year, an increase of 11%, while offering more comfortable and modern services for patients.

By fostering the advancement of pediatric medicine we improve the quality of care for children, our most vulnerable patients. As a father of two daughters, I have two daily reminders of how important pediatrics is to all families. For the past two years, I have signed letters advocating against the elimination of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program. I also joined a bipartisan group of 421 of my House colleagues in reauthorizing the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program. This program ensures that children's hospitals across the country will be able to train pediatricians and specialists to take care of sick children.

In one of life's odd coincidences both of my daughters broke their arms when they were 12 years old. They were both treated at Children's Medical Center and by the same nurse, "Nurse Annie," who just happened to be on duty when both girls were brought into the emergency room. She is now their favorite nurse.

I also voted for a resolution supporting efforts to increase childhood cancer awareness, treatment, and research. The resolution states that we will do our best to use federal resources to help the over 2,000 children who are diagnosed with pediatric cancer daily. Amazing discoveries are being made, some right here in Ohio and the Miami Valley. I am excited to help support promising research that hopes to make Americans live longer, healthier lives.

Earlier this year I toured the Dale Stokes Berry Farms and saw firsthand some of the work being done discovering the abilities berries have to inhibit cancer. Therefore, I helped secure $800,000 in funding for an ongoing cancer research project conducted by the Ohio State University's College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Some of the raspberries used in this project will be grown at Dale Stokes' farm.

The Miami Valley has always been a center of innovation and the health care industry here is no exception. Recently, I toured the manufacturing facilities for Alkermes Corporation in Wilmington, Ohio. Alkermes is a great example of how innovation will increase access and quality of care for Americans. Alkermes has developed technology that will allow certain medications to become injectable, once a month, rather than taken several times a day in pill form.

I am proud to have worked with my House colleagues, local health care representatives, researchers, as well as the American Medical Association (AMA) to help provide affordable, accessible, and quality health care for families throughout the Miami Valley. I am pleased to have earned the AMA's support recently and am excited by the potential research developments, some being worked on here in our back yards, which will add to the quality of our lives.

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/columns/8.25.06.shtml