AI and Heart Failure Assessments - YAY!
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Heart Failure Assessment Tool Available Now (free)
UVA Health researchers have developed a powerful new risk assessment tool for predicting outcomes in heart failure patients. The researchers have made the tool publicly available for free to clinicians and the researchers have NO financial interest in the model. They built it for the public good. The project was based on one of the winning submissions to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Big Data Analysis Challenge: Creating New Paradigms for Heart Failure Research.
The new tool improves on existing risk assessment tools for heart failure by harnessing the power of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to determine patient-specific risks of developing unfavorable outcomes with heart failure.
More than 6 million Americans already have heart failure, and that number is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. The UVA researchers developed their new model, called CARNA, to improve care for these patients.
The researchers developed their model using anonymized data drawn from thousands of patients enrolled in heart failure clinical trials previously funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Model Improves Assessments
Putting the model to the test, they found it outperformed existing predictors for determining how a broad spectrum of patients would fare in areas such as the need for heart surgery or transplant, the risk of rehospitalization and the risk of death.
Download the Model
The researchers have made their new tool available online for free at https://github.com/jozieLamp/CARNA.
I was a software person for most of my life and I want to tell you that the team in the Computer Science Department who worked on this project did a nice job of presentation of the model at their github link above. The describe the model clearly and provide clear conscise instructions for execution!!
DACA and the ACA
Background
As of December 31, 2023, there were roughly 530,000 active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in the U.S. from close to 200 different countries of birth. These are undocumented persons brought to the US as children.
Over one in four (28%) active DACA recipients reside in California, with another 17% living in Texas, 5% in Illinois, 4% in New York, 4% in Florida, and the remaining 42% distributed in other states across the country. DACA recipients are young, with the majority under age 36, and over half are female. Seven in ten DACA recipients are single, while nearly three in ten are married.
Many People with Limited Healthcare
On May 3, 2024, the Biden Administration published new regulations that will extend eligibility for Marketplace coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Under these regulations, the definition of lawfully present will newly include DACA recipients for the purposes of eligibility to purchase coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces and to receive tax credits to help pay for premiums, or to enroll in Basic Health Program (BHP) coverage in states with those programs. The regulations will become effective November 1, 2024, facilitating enrollment during the 2025 Open Enrollment Period.
Estimates from the administration are that about 100,000 people will be eligible. Prior to these new regulations, DACA recipients were excluded from all federally funded health coverage options, leaving them with the same limited coverage options as undocumented immigrants generally, resulting in high uninsured rates. This new coverage will likely result in improved access to care and financial security for DACA recipients and their families, which could ultimately improve health outcomes.
As a side note for insurance companies - enrolling them will be a plus since this group is typically young and healthy and so claims levels should be low. (KFF)
ACTION
We can send a quick note of thanks to President Biden for making Affordable Care Act Insurance available to DACA recipients. It you care about people it shows.
You can reach the White House here. Or text SIGN PDPGAA to 50409 on your cell phone and RESISTBOT will send this email.
“I just read that DACA recipients can now get Affordable Care Act Health insurance. What a great idea. Thanks for caring about people. It shows!!”
COVID vs Flu Mortality
In case you were wondering which has higher mortality - COVID by 34%. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely to die than those hospitalized with influenza during the fall and winter of 2023-2024, according to an analysis of Veterans Affairs data.
Among over 11,000 patients hospitalized for either illness during this past fall and winter, 5.7% of patients with COVID-19 died within 30 days of admission versus 4.24% of patients with influenza, reported Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, of the VA St. Louis Health Care System, and colleagues. Worth noting that the number of hospitalizations for COVID were far greater than for flu. Also worth noting that last year COVID was 60 times deadlier than flu.
It is still the number 4 killer in the US Get the vaccine!!(Medpage)
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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