There is an abundance of national news headlines regarding the medical field and health policy decisions to catch your attention in recent months. However, there are also important stories happening closer to home regarding patient health and the policies and legislation being implemented to address such concerns. What follows is a brief synopsis of some of the current events happening in the healthcare field right here in Georgia.
1. Maternal Mortality
Several years ago it was reported that Georgia had the highest maternal mortality rate in the country at 28.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011. Maternal mortality is defined as maternal death during pregnancy or within 42 days of the end of the pregnancy. In response, the Georgia General Assembly formed a maternal mortality panel to investigate the matter further and identify areas for improvement. The first report from that investigation has detailed 25 pregnancy-related deaths and 60 pregnancy-associated deaths from 2012 data. Several key elements of the report include: 1) Errors in classification of deaths, suggestion that improved standardization of reporting is needed; 2) African-Americans were represented at a much higher rate in the group; 3) Obesity, chronic medical conditions, and lack of access to care were cited as possible contributing factors in many incidences. The committee will continue to review cases from subsequent years and the Department of Public Health has begun work to improve clinical outcomes and reduce errors in reporting with the data already provided.
2. Cannabis Oil Research
Dr. Yong Park has been leading trials at the Medical College of Georgia regarding the use of cannabis oil in treatment of seizures after approval by the legislature and Governor Nathan Deal late last year. Updated data from the studies will be available in December but preliminary results have shown significant improvement in patients with severe forms of epilepsy, with over 200 families currently qualifying for the medical marijuana registry. The state’s Commission on Medical Cannabis met recently to study the effect of the law and whether it should be expanded to allow growth and distribution of cannabis oil within the state of Georgia. As it stands now, families may be able to possess cannabis oil but the sale of any form of marijuana still remains illegal in the state.
3. Medicaid Expansion
In the June 2012 Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, the provision that required states to expand their Medicaid rolls was deemed unconstitutionally coercive by a majority of the court and the expansion became optional for states. The state of Georgia was one of those states that opted out under Governor Nathan Deal. Some lawmakers, however, are working to introduce legislation to expand Medicaid via the General Assembly next year. Georgia remains among the 5 states with the highest number of uninsured in the nation.
If your curiosity has been piqued by some of these topics, I encourage you to keep reading about the statewide stories that may affect medical students and providers. Applying for and attending the Medical College of Georgia’s Advocacy Day is also a great opportunity to meet with legislators and get a first hand look at how the political process works and how decisions made in the capitol can affect the patients and the medical community throughout the state.
Jaimie Huntly is a fourth year medical student based on the Southeast campus. She is currently applying for residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her interests include health policy, global health, travel, languages, running, and reading.
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