In the 2008 American presidential race, three issues were uppermost in the minds of voters, the economy, the war in Iraq, and healthcare. In addition, Zakaria (2008) makes a compelling case that all American business organizations are in danger of falling behind those of other countries, not because of our declines, but because the others are improving at a faster rate than we are. This paper addresses possible methods for improving American healthcare organizations using a Systems Approach (Tubbs, 2009; Atwater and Stevens, 2008). Specifically, it addresses proven methods for successfully integrating Leadership Development and Continuous Improvement practices in health care organizations.

Based on the theory of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1980) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1980), mixed-methods research (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998) of a hospital workers’ union and training organization addressed the impact of a custom-designed, group-focused, results-driven professional development model with 130 participants. Employees across many job titles participated. Findings reveal substantial content learning, along with the development of empowerment and voice. The purpose of the research was to determine the ways and the extent that worker voice, satisfaction, attitude, communication, and problem solving improved as workers and managers put into practice knowledge and skills learned through the training (Winchester, 2003). The scope of results includes efficiency and skill improvements and qualitative changes intersecting professional and personal realms

We explored the relationship between income and two oral health outcomes in Brazil, in order to assess the shape of this relationship.

Individual-level data from a national oral health survey were obtained for 22 634 15- to 19-year-old subjects from 330 municipalities. Relationships between income (equivalized household income) and oral health were smoothed using the locally weighted ordinary least squares regression (LOWESS) technique in order to assess the relationship between material circumstances and oral health. We also ranked individuals based on equivalized household income, supplemented by information from total household income, interviewees’ earnings, number of cars in the household and years of education, in order to assess the relationship between social position and oral health.

The relationship between oral health and equivalized household income showed a threshold and, assuming causality, income levels higher than R$850 per month did not improve oral health further. The relationship between oral health and social position was linear. Correlations of oral health with the ranking variable (social position) were stronger than with equivalized household income, regardless of the income level, and did not decrease after controlling for income.

The relation of oral health in teenagers with equivalized household income (material circumstances) showed a threshold, but the relation with a ranking variable (social position) was linear. Maybe differences in oral health between individuals are influenced by both their material circumstances (up to a certain level of income) and their social position in relation to others, i.e. social status (at any income level).

NADP White Paper Demonstrates How Dental Benefits Overcome Consumers’ Number One Concern

DALLAS, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Dental benefits are important to overcoming cost concerns that keep Americans from visiting the dentist, a critical step in maintaining oral health, according to a white paper released today by the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP).

Based on its Consumer Survey of more than 6,000 individuals, NADP discovered lack of insurance is the most common reason for not visiting the dentist — seven times more common than fear. In addition people covered by dental benefits have a more positive perception of their oral and overall health.

The Consumer Survey also revealed that individuals with dental benefits are more likely to receive restorative care to maintain their oral health. They are:

– 52 percent more likely to have had a root canal

– 32 percent more likely to have had crowns

– 18 percent more likely to have cavities filled

As well consumers with dental benefits maintain more of their teeth as they are 30 percent less likely to have a tooth extraction

Conversely, respondents without dental coverage are 16 percent more likely to report receiving no basic or major procedures in the last two years.

Based on findings from the Consumer Survey plus a body of industry research and studies, NADP is releasing a white paper Dental Benefits: A Wise Investment in Your Family’s Health. The white paper explores the prevalence of dental disease in children and adults and the role of dental benefits coverage in maintaining oral health. The paper also provides general information about the cost of dental benefits, reasons to have dental coverage and where to find it.

For a copy of the white paper, visit NADP’s consumer Web site, ineeddentalbenefits.com.

About NADP

The National Association of Dental Plans is a non-profit trade association representing the entire dental benefits industry, including dental HMOs, dental PPOs, discount dental plans and dental indemnity products. NADP’s member dental plans provide dental benefits to approximately 140 million of the 170 million Americans with dental benefits. NADP’s members include major commercial carriers, regional and single-state companies.

15 smart ways to save hundreds this year — maybe thousands — on doctors, dentists, insurance, and drugs

Recently my wife, Dilly, got an estimate for a new pair of prescription sunglasses. As much as we like our optometrist, $400 for basic frames and tinted bifocal lenses just wasn’t in our budget — not with our daughter about to start college. So Dilly headed to Costco, where she paid $209 for similar frames and the same prescription. Costco even threw in a scratch-resistant coating — about a $40 surcharge from our optometrist. Total savings: $231.

[Photograph]: $3,597 Average a person with employer insurance spends on health care
Photographs: Fancy Photography/Veer; LARA ROBBY/STUDIO D (tag).

These days, we’re all feeling squeezed when it comes to health costs — and we’re all looking for ways to save. Certainly, it’s an imperative for the 47 million who have no health insurance at all. But it’s also the case for people like Dilly and me, who are self-employed and buy our own health insurance, as well as for the 159 million Americans who are covered through their employer. This year, the average employee on her company’s group plan will still pay $3,597 in health-care costs, $331 more than in 2007, reports Hewitt Associates, a human resources company. Just over half of that — $1,859 — will go to her share of insurance premiums, with the rest covering deductibles and co-pays for doctor visits, lab tests, and X-rays, as well as prescription drugs and services that are not included in the health plan, such as dental care and eyeglasses. Here are 15 cost-cutters that can put a big chunk of that money back in your wallet.

1 ask for a freebie

If you’re starting a new drug regimen, see if your doctor can give you a sample or a starter kit. That way, you can check whether the medication works for you — and doesn’t cause severe side effects — before you invest in a month’s supply.

2 don’t bypass your doc

Now that many health plans don’t require a referral to see a specialist, it’s tempting to skip the primary-care physician and go right to the dermatologist for a rash or to the orthopedist for a sprained ankle. But you may not need the specialist — or his higher co-pay. “Insurers may charge as much as double [$30 versus $15 for a co-pay] to see a specialist,” says Mila Kofman, superintendent of insurance for Maine.

3 focus on the web

A recent eBay search turned up 2,950 pairs of eyeglass frames, including Dolce & Gabbana ($79.99; retail, $125) and Gucci ($79; retail, $305). Try on frames at an optician’s first, then look for the same or similar ones to buy online. You can also find reading glasses at numerous Internet retailers. Bargains include three pairs of magnifiers for $9.99 at 4readers.com, as well as colorful hand-painted frames for $6.99; peepers.com carries a menagerie of animal-print readers starting at $10.40 per pair. Ordering contacts from an Internet retailer like AC Lens (aclens.com ) can save you up to 30 percent on popular brands. A box of Bausch & Lomb’s Softlens 38, which retails for $20.95, goes for $14.95 in an online four-box order.

4 check out a discount card

Enroll in one of these plans and you get a hefty chunk off on care from participating dentists, doctors, and even hospitals. For example, Vital Savings, a plan from Aetna, offers savings of 50 percent on eye exams and 15 to 50 percent on dental care for a onetime sign-up charge of $15 and a monthly fee of $10.50 for a family. Be careful: The discount-health-card industry has attracted scam artists. Before signing up, try to check out the plan with your state insurance commission (Google the name of your state, followed by “insurance commission”). And if you’re especially attached to your doctors, ask whether they participate in any discount plans.

5 stay covered

If you leave a job, you have the right, by law, to continue participating in your company’s group health plan for up to 18 months. The program (COBRA) is expensive — up to 102 percent of the cost of the policy, all of which you’ll pay yourself. But it’s cheaper than taking out a comparable private policy or than getting sick without insurance. Also, if you stay insured, your next employer can’t deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition, explains Randy Boyle of the National Health Law Program. (Some states limit what employers can do, so check first.)

6 take advantage of kid programs

Even if you can’t swing insurance right now, every state provides health coverage and medical care to infants, children, and teens whose family income falls under certain levels. For information, call 877-543-7669 or visit insurekidsnow.gov.

7 shape up

The simplest way to save money on health care is to stay well. Women who are extremely overweight have annual medical costs that are nearly 70 percent higher than normal-weight women, a study in the American Journal of Health Promotion found. Not fazed? Some employers, including Kellogg and Clarian Health, reward fit employees with reduced insurance premiums or deductibles (or other bonuses), while their less-healthy coworkers continue to pay the full amount. At the Bank of Geneva in Indiana, for example, employees who choose to participate in the plan can earn up to $2,000 a year in supplemental insurance reimbursements.

8 get a pro in your corner

When you’ve just been through a major illness, you may not have the strength to take on the medical establishment by yourself; a medical billing advocate can do it for you, getting you coverage when your insurer says no or reducing an exorbitant doctor or hospital fee. “We know the medical coding and billing guidelines and will intercede on your behalf,” explains Nora Johnson, vice president of education and compliance for Medical Billing Advocates of America, a trade organization. These services charge by the hour ($25 to $75, depending on their location) or take a percentage of what they collect for you, usually between 20 and 35 percent. For more info, check billadvocates.com (and see “Saved $17,336,” page 48).

9 go to dental school

Most have low-cost clinics for the public. Relax (and open wide) — the people wielding the drill are third- and fourth-year students, and they’re supervised. Savings can be considerable: At the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, for example, a cleaning might be $53 to $65, compared to $75 to $90 for a Columbus-area dentist. A typical crown ranges from $450 to $700 at the clinic versus $800 to $1,110 in a private practice. To see if there’s a dental school near you, go to the American Dental Association’s Web site (ada.org) .

10 say bye-bye to brand names

Sure, choosing a generic drug over a brand name can save you lots of money — depending on what you take, you could enjoy a 52 percent cut in the daily cost of your medications, reports the FDA. But now there’s another reason to go generic: Fill your Rx at one of the big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, or Kmart, and you can get a month’s supply for as little as $4 or a 90-day supply for $10 to $15. Costco doesn’t have a monthly plan but does offer major savings. Or join the Walgreens prescription savings club: For a $35 annual fee, families can save significantly on more than 5,000 medications, including many generics available in three-month supplies for $12.

11 sign on for wellness

You may be able to cut health-care premium costs — sometimes by hundreds of dollars — by participating in wellness programs at your job. Almost half of large companies now offer or plan to offer cash rewards or credits toward premiums to employees who meet certain healthy criteria for body mass index, take steps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, or work out regularly.

12 cut your co-pays on drugs

For prescription medications that you take regularly, ask doctors if they can write an Rx for a three-month supply. You’ll make only one co-pay instead of three. And if you don’t have drug coverage, consider ordering a 90-day supply of meds online. Drugstore.com advertises savings up to 75 percent over average retail drugstore prices; on a 90-day supply of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, for example, you’ll save about $20.

13 get the best insurance deal

When it comes time to renew their health coverage, some 60 percent of employees just take the company’s default plan or check the “same as last year” box, reports Hewitt Associates. That can be a costly mistake. If you and your husband are both eligible for health insurance through work, for example, it may be cheaper for one of you to take an individual policy and put the rest of the family on the other company’s plan. Too much math? Your employer may have a Web-based tool to help you figure it out — or you can speak to the staff in human resources.

14 visit your drugstore’s clinic

If you’d have to pay full freight for a doctor’s appointment, or it’s a weekend and using an ER would set you back a chunk per your insurance plan, in-store health centers can be a bargain. Located in many branches of CVS, Target, Wal-Mart, and other retailers, these clinics treat insect bites, minor wounds, ear and sinus infections, and other routine problems. They also administer vaccinations. Fees run about $40 to $65, depending on location and treatment (flu shots are often much less).

15 pay up front

Some doctors are willing to provide a discount to patients who can fork over the whole fee at the time of treatment, research from Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute found. This was particularly true in cases where patients had seen the physician previously and now didn’t have insurance, says Mila Kofman, formerly an associate research professor at the institute. Even hospitals may negotiate a lower rate for uninsured patients who pay right away. The downside, of course, is that you have to cover the entire bill; you can’t go on a payment plan. (This practice may be referred to as “paying in cash,” but it doesn’t literally have to be cash; you can write a check or possibly use a credit card.)

FREE SCREENINGS

VASCULAR DISEASE The Society of Interventional Radiology supports free tests for peripheral arterial disease in September. Info: legsforlife.org.

DEPRESSION Confidential screenings, sponsored in part by Mental Health America, are held at 1,500 hospitals and other sites during October. Info: mentalhealthscreening.org.

MEMORY The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America sponsors an anonymous National Memory Screening Day each November. Info: nationalmemoryscreening.org.

HEART DISEASE Sister to Sister, a foundation devoted to preventing heart disease in women, offers cholesterol and blood pressure tests in at least 19 cities in February. Info: sistertosister.org.

SKIN CANCER Numerous centers have free skin checks, generally in May, many through the American Academy of Dermatology. Info: aad.org; click on “skin cancer information and screenings.”

ASTHMA Screenings, under the auspices of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, are available at more than 250 sites; most take place in May. Info: acaai.org; click on “patient education.”

How They Saved

SAVED $4,944/YR

Annemarie Marek, of Dallas, saw her health-insurance premiums jump to $632 a month. So she switched to a plan with a high deductible, agreed to use doctors in a preferred-provider organization, and joined the Y. New premium: $220 per month.

SAVED $17,336

Tina Goldstein, of Chicago, was billed nearly $36,000 for surgery she’d been told would be half that — the rate changed largely due to insurance issues. So she turned to Medical Recovery Services, which negotiated the bill to under $10,000; even after paying MRS’s fee (in her case, about $8,600), Goldstein came out $17,336 ahead.

SAVED $210/YR

Melinda McGinnis, of Brownsburg, IN, was paying $35 a month for a 10-mg dose of Crestor. Now, through her insurer’s half-tablet program, she buys the 20-mg dose and, with a tool from the drugstore, splits the pills, saving $35 every two months. “It’s a nice dinner out,” she says.

CHEAPER RX

DRUGS NOW (OR SOON) GOING GENERIC

Fosamax For osteoporosis; generic: alendronate sodium

Ambien For insomnia; generic: zolpidem tartrate

Pravachol To lower cholesterol; generic: pravastatin sodium

Prevacid For gastric-reflux disease; generic: lansoprazole

Lamisil For fungal nail infections; generic: terbinafine hydrochloride

Norvasc For high blood pressure; generic: amlodipine besylate

NOW OVER THE COUNTER

Zyrtec For allergies

MiraLAX For constipation

A Freebie That Saved Her Life

As far as Kristin Passath knew, she was in perfect health. The Tampa events planner and mom of two wasn’t overweight, and she exercised regularly. But on a whim, when she was in Miami on business in February 2007, she went to a free health fair sponsored by Sister to Sister. There, she was shocked to learn that her blood pressure was a scary 152/92 — making her a candidate for a stroke or heart attack. “How could that be?” she wondered. “I’m only 36.” Still, Passath delayed checking it out with her doctor. Then, when she learned about the dangers of high blood pressure, she decided to see a cardiologist. He put her on two medications and suggested changes in her diet and workout routine. Today her blood pressure is a healthy 120/78.

SMART SWITCH

Similar Drug, Lower Price

If your brand-name prescription is not available in a less expensive generic form, you might be able to take a comparable drug that is sold generically. Or you may be able to switch to an OTC product. Check with your doctor.

Denver-based Air Methods Corp. has an agreement with Saint Francis Health System and St. John Health System in Tulsa to expand the Tulsa Life Flight air medical program.

Tulsa Life Flight is expanding services offered in eastern Oklahoma with plans for three helicopters within a 50-mile radius of Saint Francis Hospital and St. John Medical Center.

Air Methods will operate a Eurocopter AS350 single-engine aircraft based in Pryor and a BK-117 twin-engine helicopter based in Keefton. A third operating base location is being finalized.

Air Methods will continue to supply the helicopters, pilots and maintenance of the aircraft and now also will provide medical personnel. Air Methods and its subsidiary have worked in partnership with Saint Francis Health System and St. John Health System to operate Tulsa Life Flight as a hospital-based program since 1979.

Credit: Journal Record Staff Report

Family Care, a Discount Medical Plan Organization (DMPO), has been awarded the first multiple product discount medical plan license in the state of California. The Houston-based company represents the only full-service Discount Medical Plan Organization to be recognized with such licensure in California, which ensures quality standards set by the California Department of Managed Health Care.

Family Care’s Knox-Keene license in California will allow Family Care to offer significant medical discounts to Californians for an affordable monthly membership fee.

Family Care offers non-insurance discount medical plans to tens of thousands of households and individuals across the country through a membership card. The Family Care card is linked to a vast provider network of physicians, specialists and pharmacies, which offer non-insurance medical discounts to members.

“For over 26 years, Family Care has provided tens of thousands of households nationwide with cost-effective discount medical programs that comprise a full range of health-related services and the very best in customer service. We are proud of our achievement in obtaining a California Knox-Keene license and look forward to furthering our commitment to innovative healthcare solutions,” said Dr. Mike Rabie, CEO of Family Care. “As a Discount Medical Plan Organization licensed on a national basis, Family Care is strategically positioned during these difficult economic times as a leader in providing affordable, simple-to-use discount medical alternatives for both underinsured and uninsured individuals alike,” he added.

Having obtained a Knox-Keene license in California, Family Care currently is licensed as a Discount Medical Plan Organization in 20 states across the United States that require licensing, with plans for continued growth over the next several years.

About Family Care:

Founded in 1983, Family Care is the nation’s premier discount medical program dedicated to helping its members save on their medical, prescription, vision, dental and chiropractic expenses. Family Care strives to lower medical costs for tens of thousands of members by offering discounts through an extensive provider network. Information on Family Care and its membership programs are contained in its consumer website at www.FamilyCareCard.com.

MedImpact researchers and Health Alliance Medical Plans, a MedImpact client, presented findings from an important new study that evaluates the impact of value-based benefit design (VBBD) on adherence to diabetes medications. Study results show that implementation of a VBBD program that reduced copayment by almost fifty percent for diabetic medications resulted in significantly improved medication adherence (see also <http://www.newsrx.com/library/topics/MedImpact-Healthcare-Systems,-Inc..html> MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc.).

VBBD, also known as value-based insurance design, is a new pharmacy benefit design that defines drug copay on clinical value rather than drug acquisition cost. The rationale behind VBBD is that many important treatments for chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and asthma, are often underused due to cost, leading to undesirable patient outcomes such as an increase in complications and preventable hospitalizations. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of a VBBD on adherence to diabetes medications among a pilot group of Carle Clinic enrollees.

The program reduced copayment for diabetic medications by 47.6 percent and improved the odds of adherence by 73.3 percent. The number of non-adherent patients was reduced by 33.4 percent.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that shows adherence to treatment is higher when there are lower copays,” said Dr. Robert Scully, senior medical director for Health Alliance Medical Plans. “Companies such as Pitney Bowes have reported that improved adherence after introduction of a VBBD for diabetic medications was followed by lower overall claim costs in their diabetic population. Our goal is to prove this in an insured population, and the pilot data we are reporting now is very encouraging.”

The MedImpact study–”The Impact of Formulary Value-Based Insurance Design on Adherence to Diabetes Medications: A Propensity Score Matched Difference in Difference Evaluation”–was presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 14th Annual International Meeting on Tuesday, May 19.

“ISPOR is an innovative, vital organization that supports the science of health economics and the effects of health care interventions on patient well-being,” said Dr. Louis Brunetti, senior vice president and chief medical officer for MedImpact. “The research presented during the annual meeting is translated into valuable information for health care decision-makers and ultimately helps to better allocate scarce health care resources.”

ISPOR represents researchers and practitioners, including pharmacists, physicians, and economists. The research findings benefit all members of the health care continuum, including hospitals, patients and managed care and pharmacy benefit design organization’s personnel, who use the information to make better informed health care decisions. About MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc. Headquartered in San Diego, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc., is the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company that does not sell drugs. Founded in 1989, the company currently serves more than 32 million individuals nationwide. MedImpact clients include Fortune 500 corporations and employers, unions, managed care organizations, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, as well as local, state and federal employee programs. MedImpact bases its success on delivering innovative products and services designed to lower overall client cost while increasing member satisfaction and quality of care. About Health Alliance Medical Plans, Inc. Health Alliance Medical Plans is a leading provider-sponsored health insurer in the Midwest. Owned by Carle Clinic Association, it provides health care coverage to more than 310,000 members in Illinois and Iowa. Health Alliance is named one of ‘America’s Best Health Plans’ in the 2008 U.S. News and World Report and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) rankings of commercial and Medicare health plans. Additionally, in recognition of its exceptional commitment to quality, Health Alliance has maintained the highest accreditation possible from NCQA for its HMO, POS and Medicare HMO plans since 1997.

Keywords: , Health, Pharmaceutical, Other Health, Professional Services, Insurance, Research, Diabetes, Science, Gener, Acquisitions, InsuranceAllergies, Allergy Medicine, Asthma, Chronic Disease, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Pharmaceuticals, MedImpact Healthcare Systems Inc.

The latest nationwide obesity rankings may be another reason for Pennsylvanians to consider more grilled veggies and fewer burgers and hot dogs when they fire up the grill this Fourth of July.

Pennsylvania climbed two notches in the rankings to claim the No. 22 spot in the nation, with 26.7 percent of its adults considered obese. Nationally, obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states and did not decline anywhere, according to the report released Wednesday by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The rankings and accompanying statistics do not break down by county or metropolitan areas. But last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a survey indicating residents in the Lehigh Valley area are more likely to binge-drink, smoke and be obese than people elsewhere in the nation.

The CDC data included not only Lehigh and Northampton counties, but also Carbon County and Warren County, N.J.

“Our future doesn’t look very bright,” said Tina Amato, nutrition and physical activity manager in the Allentown Health Bureau’s chronic disease program.

And while the U.S. has long been bracing for a surge in the government-funded medical program for the elderly as the generation born after World War II starts turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills.

In Pennsylvania, as in every other state, the rate of obesity is higher among the oldest baby boomers, ages 55 to 64, than among seniors 65 and older.

The data translates into a coming jump of obese elderly patients that ranges from 5.2 percent in New York to a high of 16.3 percent in Alabama, the report concluded. The jump in obese seniors in Pennsylvania would be 10.1 percent, with more than 33 percent of the oldest boomers now considered obese.

Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner, notes Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust, a nonprofit public health group. But more recent research instead suggests they live nearly as long but are much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis.

Studies show Medicare, as the program for the elderly is known, spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese.

“We’re showing no more promise with the youth,” Amato said.

When it comes to overweight youth ages 10-17, Pennsylvania ranks 32nd. Lehigh County has the third-highest percentage of overweight and obese children in the state, Amato said, quoting the latest statistics released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The statistics were for children in kindergarten through Grade 6, she said. Almost 20 percent of children in Lehigh County are considered overweight, and more than 21 percent are obese.

“When you combine them, almost half of our youth are overweight or obese,” Amato said. “In both Lehigh and Northampton counties, the overweight youth rates are higher than the state rate.”

In Northampton County, almost 18 percent of K-6 students are considered overweight and about 19 percent are obese, she said.

Amato said Allentown is looking to secure one or more of the $5,000 mini-grants for Pennsylvania schools that want to increase physical activity during the school day with innovative programs. The city recently got an $80,000 grant from the CDC for a campaign to make the city more walkable and bikeable, Amato said.

She hopes people will take advantage of summer and become more active. She said the Fourth of July holiday is a great time for people to go swimming and play volleyball, soccer and other outdoor games.

Food is an important part of socializing, Amato said, but she encouraged people to consider exercising portion control.

“We should take the opportunity to fire up our metabolism too, by being more active,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Ross University School of Medicine is pleased to announce that it has been granted full, four-year accreditation by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM. Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards. Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

“We are extremely pleased that CAAM-HP has determined that full accreditation be granted to our medical program. This accreditation represents Ross’s commitment to providing the highest standard of medical education to all qualified students, which in turn ensures that all patients are provided the care they need. Twenty percent of our students –more than double the U.S. average –are under-represented minorities and nearly two-thirds of our graduates choose primary care,” said Dr. Nancy Perri, vice president of academic affairs at Ross University.

Ross University School of Medicine applied for consideration of accreditation to the CAAM-HP, submitted required documentation, and subsequently underwent an onsite review by members of CAAM-HP as well as members of an ad hoc assessment team in June 2008.

Following this visit, the CAAM-HP site visit team prepared a full report of its findings. The report was then submitted to the CAAM-HP board, which made its decision to fully accredit Ross University’s medical program for the period of 2009 through 2013.

Ross University School of Medicine is also accredited by the Dominica Medical Board and its graduates can obtain licenses in all 50 States, Canada and Puerto Rico. About Ross University School of Medicine Ross University was founded in 1978 and is a provider of medical and veterinary education offering doctor of medicine and doctor of veterinary medicine degree programs. Located in Dominica, West Indies, the School of Medicine places more students into U.S. residencies than any other medical school in the world and has clinical education centers in Miami, FL, Saginaw, MI, and Freeport, Grand Bahama. The School of Veterinary Medicine is located in St. Kitts. Ross University’s administrative offices are located in North Brunswick, NJ. For more information about Ross University, visit www.RossU.edu or call 732.509.4600/877.ROSS.EDU.