Under its multistate Capacity Assistance Program to strengthen government-sponsored health insurance schemes in the country. ACCESS Health is set to support the adoption of standard treatment guidelines (STGs) in the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana in the state of Gujarat. In partnership with the State Health Protection Society, Government of Gujarat, and Centre for Global Development, ACCESS Health has commenced facilitating the adoption and adherence to STGs for all health benefits packages under the scheme. The focus of the initiative is to assist the state in encouraging all relevant stakeholders to strategize and implement the guidelines smoothly and eventually promote standardization of care. The program has prioritized the most utilized health benefit specialties and reviewed corresponding reference guidelines. This has led to the customization and adaptation of standards for 42 procedures offered by the PMJAY program in three specialties; Cardiology, Ear Nose and Throat, and Neonatology. Over the next few months, the focus is to create awareness through consultative meetings and orientation of network providers, government officials and to support and strategize the process of implementing the guidelines.
ACCESS Health partners with CARE India to improve pandemic preparedness of secondary care hospitals
ACCESS Health International has partnered with CARE India to strengthen the pandemic response of India's health systems in wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership seeks to build upon the existing COVID relief service offerings of each organization and enhance community pandemic surveillance. CARE India is currently operating new COVID care centres in partnership with the respective state governments, supporting existing facilities through HRH augmentation and infrastructure support, streamlining procurement of equipment and consumables, and developing community pandemic surveillance. ACCESS Health India is known for their success in strengthening the quality of care at secondary care hospitals in both the public and private sector across several states. Under the partnership, they will share access to different tools and modules for assessing and improving the quality of care at secondary care facilities. They will also provide training and support to CARE team members on how to adapt these methods.
How The Pandemic Is Fueling Eating Disorders In Young People
"I just needed more control" Anne, a college student from Massachusetts, took a deep breath as she recounted her experiences with disordered eating during the pandemic. Anne had been aware of her struggles with food for much of her life, but it wasn't until the pandemic hit that she started to feel completely out of control, "... I was acutely aware that I wasn't moving (exercising) as much... I needed to compensate." While she has since been able to receive treatment for her eating disorder, Anne's case represents a surge of young people who have struggled with new or relapsed eating disorders since the beginning of the pandemic. Many of these young people are still struggling without access to treatment. During the first 12 months of Covid-19, the number of hospital admissions among adolescents with eating disorders at the University of Michigan Medical School has more than doubled. According to an analysis of medical record data from 80 hospitals, there has been a 25% increase in the number of adolescent eating disorder patients since March 2020. Over the course of the pandemic, the National Eating Disorder Association helpline has reported a huge 40% increase in call volume. Isolation, lack of structure, and heightened anxiety are three possible triggers for the increase in eating disorders. While the majority of the population faced all three as the world entered lockdown, Anne describes the unique pressures that young adults and adolescents faced on social media, "there was a general discourse on social media about not gaining weight during Covid or focusing on getting fit during Covid. So many people were equating self-improvement with weight loss or changing eating habits and it really affected me." Dr. Jillian Lampert, the Chief Strategy Officer at a treatment center called the Emily Program, is unsurprised by the impact of social media on young people, "given the isolation that Covid brought, all of the messages on social media platforms were one of the main interactions that people had with the world... we've seen a huge influx in the need for care." Despite the demonstrated need for eating disorder care, it has become clear that telehealth models used during the pandemic are no substitute for in-person treatment. In a survey of eating disorder patients, 74% of participants who had transitioned from in-person treatment to telehealth during the pandemic found that telehealth was less effective than their in-person treatment, "It became so easy to hide... all that my treatment team could see was my face so I would throw away certain parts of my meal or go to the bathroom immediately after the session." Anne says. Telehealth has addressed geographical barriers to care, yet significant financial barriers to eating disorder treatment still exist, indicating that there may be an even greater number of adolescents suffering from eating disorders that are unaccounted for by treatment center or hospital statistics. The average cost for in-patient eating disorder treatment in 2016 was $19,400 and lasted approximately 14 days. Many insurance companies will provide some form of financial support, but sometimes insurance only provides coverage for outpatient or short-term mental health treatment. Dr. Lampert notes that a lack of proper insurance coverage is one of the greatest barriers to people receiving care for their eating disorders, "Right now, if you have diabetes-another nutrition related illness, you'll have coverage to see a dietician... if you have an eating disorder, you won't. It really makes no sense to not have nutrition related coverage for a nutrition related illness... When insurance doesn't cover people's healthcare, they tend not to get the care they need." The financial barriers to eating disorder treatment are especially relevant as recent studies have demonstrated that food insecurity, which predominantly affects low-income households of color, can be a significant indicator for eating pathology. In a review of studies that examined the relationship between disordered eating habits and food insecurity among adults, it was found that food insecurity was associated with binge eating, weight controlling behaviors, and bulimia. While it is an emerging area of research, this relationship is significant within the context of the pandemic where food insecurity more than doubled in households with children and adolescents. Dr. Christine Peat, a psychologist and professor in the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, has seen the effects of food insecurity in her own patients, "Patients have come to me and said listen, I grew up in a food insecure household and it almost set me up for this pattern where at the beginning of the month when we had our SNAP benefits I might just eat everything in sight because I wasn't sure when we were going to have food again... when those benefits were low, they were then forced into restrictive eating patterns." Because of this relationship, individuals from low-income, food-insecure households are especially at risk for eating disorders but are less likely to have access to treatment, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Covid-19 has exposed a huge number of mental health trends and disparities that exist in our current healthcare system. As the prevalence of adolescent eating disorders continues to rise, it is up to us to recognize these faults in our treatment systems and to rally for policy changes and insurance models that can support the growing mental healthcare needs that are being demonstrated across the nation. If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder; you can call the toll-free, confidential NEDA Helpline, Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 1-800-931-2237.
ACCESS Health Southeast Asia moderates panel on growing HealthTech Market
On June 23, 2021, Dr. Monica Mittal, Innovation Lead for ACCESS Health Southeast Asia moderated a panel on the growing HealthTech market. In Southeast Asia, healthcare expenditure is on the rise, with expectations that by 2025, total healthcare spending could increase to USD 740 billion from the current USD 425 billion. The panel discussed the rise of innovative health solutions in Southeast Asia, explore the potential for corporate-startup collaborations, and how we can build strong partnerships to maximize innovation and adoption of health technologies in the region. Please click here to view the webinar.
ACCESS Southeast Asia presents a panel on HealthTech Startup Founder experiences
On August 6, 2021, Adrienne Mendenhall, Director of Business Development, ACCESS Health International moderated a panel on the journey from corporate to Healthtech startups. The webinar was co-presented by SGInnovate and ACCESS Health International. There is a common misconception that startup founders are fresh graduates in their early or mid-20s, embarking on a new idea with unencumbered enthusiasm. In reality, the most successful startups are founded by people with established careers and industry experience, who have identified a market opportunity based on that experience. A study showed that for the highest-performing startups, the founder was, on average, 45 years old. In this event, we hear from people who left their corporate careers to join or found startups. Their reasons for leaving a secure, well-paid corporate job are numerous: they want the flexibility to innovate, an opportunity to “wear many hats,” a desire to focus on impact instead of shareholder value, and to join a fast-moving work environment. In return, they bring to startups their industry knowledge, professionalism, networks, and experience. Hear why they left, what they’ve gained, and how startups in the health care sector can attract corporate talent. Please click here to view the webinar.
ACCESS Health China co-organizes seminar on Asia-Pacific cooperation in the biopharmaceutical industry
On July 23, the China Biomedicine Singapore/Southeast Asia Expansion held an online seminar that ACCESS Health China co-organized with the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association and the Economic Development Board of Singapore. This seminar provided insights into the growing opportunities for Chinese biopharmaceutical companies in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. They also explored how Singapore can serve as the starting point for the expansion of Chinese biopharmaceutical companies into ASEAN countries and beyond. As the momentum of the Asia-Pacific cooperation in the biopharmaceutical industry grows, ACCESS Health China hopes that more Chinese biopharmaceutical companies will discover opportunities and connect with domestic industrial resources that ultimately support the growth of their projects into ASEAN regions.
ACCESS Health China to research and write commercial insurance catalog
In July, ACCESS Health China participated in "Standard Setting and Long-term Development of a Commercial Insurance Catalog," a conference held in Shanghai. The event was led by the Insurance Association of China (IAC); the Chinese Medical Information and Big Data Association; and the China Health Culture Association. Leaders from the IAC, Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, and China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce attended the meeting, along with experts, academics, and more than fifty representatives from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The ACCESS Health China research and consulting team will be tasked with writing writing the catalog itself. Dr. Chang Liu, Regional Director of ACCESS Health China, shared the project's overall research design during the meeting, after which experts and representatives from the medical, pharmaceutical and insurance industries participated in a lively discussion on the positioning, principles, and forms of commercial insurance catalogs. The participants discussed all preliminary research content on the subject, formed a series of cross-industry agreements, and drafted the next steps for researching and promoting a commercial insurance catalog. Based on the discussions and agreements that took place during the conferenced, all relevant participants will move forward to the next stage of the research.
Regional Director of ACCESS Health China presents awards at China Health Policy and Management Society (CHPAMS) Symposium
From July 17 to 18, the annual Chinese Health Policy and Management Society's (CHPAMS) 2021 symposium took place virtually. As an institutional member of CHPAMS, Dr. Chang Liu, Regional Director of ACCESS Health China, participated in the event and hosted the awards presentation on the final day. The theme of this year's seminar was continuing health reform and modernizing healthcare governance post-Covid. As an international think tank and consulting organization, ACCESS Health China is committed to public health policy research and the construction of innovative healthcare platforms. We look forward to collaborating with the Chinese Health Policy and Management Society to help reform the Chinese healthcare system and establish a multi-layered medical security system.
ACCESS Health China participates in 2021 Rare Disease Symposium
On July 17, the 2021 Rare Disease Symposium on Collaboration and Communication, organized by the Illness Challenge Foundation and directed by the China Rare Disease Alliance, commenced in Beijing. The theme was: "Healthy China, Where No One is Left Behind.” During the conference, participants gathered to discuss the core issues and potential solutions around rare disease treatment through the lens of "payment innovation, technological innovation, medical service innovation, drug innovation, and patient role innovation.” ACCESS Health China was honored to both sponsor and participate in the conference. Dr. Chang Liu, Regional Director of ACCESS Health China, participated in a roundtable forum titled "How Social Forces Participate in the Establishment of a Multi-layered Medical Security System." Mr. Li Qun, Director of Research and Consulting of ACCESS Health China, delivered the opening remarks for the report, "The Role of Charitable Donations in the Multi-layered Medical Security System for Rare Diseases.” Together with the Illness Challenge Foundation, ACCESS Health China looks forward to continuing research on the role of charitable donations in the multi-layered medical security system, advocating for an increase in focus on rare diseases. Ultimately, ACCESS Health China supports the widening of basic medical insurance to cover populations in need, including those living with rare and life-threatening diseases.
Regional Director of ACCESS Health China delivers speech to insurance industry execs
On July 6, the third session of the Health Insurance Expert Committee of China's Insurance Industry was held in Shanghai. In attendance were Xing Wei, Secretary Chairman of the Insurance Association of China (IAC); Wu Xiangtian, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission Planning Department; Xie Qilin, Deputy Secretary of the China Medical Association; and Zheng Bingwen, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Director of the World Social Security Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Medical and pharmaceutical experts and academics were also present, along with more than 150 representatives of the Professional Health Insurance Committee. Dr. Chang Liu, Regional Director of ACCESS Health China, attended the session and delivered a speech at the meeting. Dr. Liu stated that, "In Singapore, the first product of commercial health insurance for 90 percent of people is a government-backed supplemental insurance, a solution that is supplementary to the social security." Challenges and gaps presently impede communication and collaboration between commercial insurance and pharmaceutical industries in China. Moving forward, we need to promote more streamlined coordination between the two industries to accelerate healthcare reform and enhance healthcare access for populations in need.