IU GERIATRICS electronic news for March 2004

The IU Geriatrics Program and the IU Center for Aging Research call your attention to the Annals of Internal Medicine's December 16, 2003, " Update in Geriatric Medicine." Congratulations to the IMPACT Study which was recognized as one of the most influential geriatric research papers in 2003. Update author Rosanne Leipzig, MD, PhD, noted, "It was a good year for geriatrics, with development of more and more evidence for treatments that are changing standards of geriatric care."

Indiana University was one of 5 U.S. study sites that participated in IMPACT--Improving Mood: Providing Access To Collaborative Treatment for late life depression. Local faculty and staff personnel included Site PI Chris Callahan, MD; Amna Buttar, MD, MS; Steven Counsell, MD; Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc; Kurt Kroenke, MD; Christopher Steinmetz, MD; Jeanne Dickens, MD; Cora Hartwell, RN, MSN, ANP; Bridget Fultz, MA; and Tim Stump, MS.

AWARDS

Investigators affiliated with the VA HSR&D have recently been awarded VA Stroke QUERI funding for 3 years to support efforts to improve the quality of stroke care in the VA. The $1.1 million award will be led by Dr. Linda Williams (Clinical Coordinator) and Dr. Teresa Damush (Implementation Research Coordinator). They will partner with Dr. Pamela Duncan (Research Coordinator) at the Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center in Gainesville Florida to direct the Stroke QUERI.

QUERI is the nationally-recognized Quality Enhancement Research Initiative developed by VA HSR&D to more quickly translate research into practice in high volume, high impact conditions within the VA. Initial Stroke QUERI foci include efforts to evaluate variation in care and implement best practices in post-stroke depression detection and management, anticoagulation for patients with atrial fibrillation, and adoption of VA post-stroke rehabilitation guidelines. Congratuations to the Stroke QUERI Team!

PUBLICATIONS

Damush TM, Smith DM, Perkins AJ, Dexter PR, Smith F. Risk factors for nonelective hospitalization in frail and older adult, inner-city outpatients. Gerontologist. 2004 Feb;44(1):68-75.

Subramanian U, Fihn SD, Weinberger M, Plue L, Smith FE, Udris EM, McDonell MB, Eckert GJ, Temkit M, Zhou XH, Chen L, Tierney WM. A controlled trial of adding symptom data in computer-based care suggestions for managing patients with chronic heart failure. Am J Med. 2004 Mar 15;116(6):375-84.

Watson LC, Lewis CL, Kistler CE, Amick HR, Boustani M. Can we trust depression screening instruments in healthy 'old-old' adults? Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2004; 19:278-85.

Murray MD, Harris LE, Overhage JM, Zhou X-H, Eckert G, Smith FE, Nienaber Buchanan N, Wolinsky F, McDonald CJ, Tierney WM. Failure of computerized treatment suggestions to improve health outcomes of outpatients with uncomplicated hypertension: results of a randomized controlled triali. Pharmacotherapy. 2004; 24(3):324-37.

PRESENTATIONS

Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, presented "The Aging Process" at the 17th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry held February 21-24, 2004, in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Hendrie is a past president of the association.

Greg Gramelspacher, MD, presented "Medicare Reform: Did Congress and the President Write a Good Prescription?" on March 3, 2004 at St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville, IN and at Methodist Hospital in Henderson, KY. These grand rounds presentations reviewed current Medicare benefits and provided details of the Medicare Prescription, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. Attendees discussed specific details of the Act as it pertains to their patients and practices and debated the pros and cons of this legislation.

Usha Subramanian, MD, MS, presented the poster "Development of a Casemix Adjustment Model for VA CHF Patients" at the HSR&D 2004 National Meeting March 9-11 in Washington, DC. The meeting theme was "Meeting the Changing Needs of Veterans: The Quality/Cost Equation."

Chris Callahan, MD, presented "The Use of Feeding Tubes in Older Adults" at the St. Vincent Institute on Aging 15th Annual Geriatric Conference held at the Ritz Charles in Indianapolis on March 17, 2004. The day-long conference featured 15 speakers with an audience of 300 health care workers.

Teresa Damush, PhD, presented a poster, "Osteoporosis health-related quality of life and functional performance among older women," at the Society of Behavioral Medicine's 25th Anniversary Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions held March 24-27 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Jackie Sullivan, RN, MSN, GNP has accepted the nomination by the National Gerontological Nurses Association to join the Editorial Board of Geriatric Nursing, the official journal of the NGNA. As an authoritative and comprehensive source for clinical information and management advice relating to the care of older adults, the journal's peer-reviewed articles report the latest developments in the management of acute and chronic disorders, providing practical advice on home and hospice care, managed care, advance directives, staff development and management, infection control, and client/caregiver education.

Colleen McHorney, PhD, attended and was a discussant at the Eighth Conference on Health Survey Research Methods, an invitation-only biannual conference, held in Atlanta February 20-23, 2004. The conference continued the series that began in 1975 to discuss new, innovative survey research methods that improve the quality of health survey data.

Steve Counsell, MD, Kathy Frank, RN, DNS, and Melanie Pumphrey, MHA hosted a GRACE Site Visit with leaders from Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County including Patty Hebenstreit, Chief of Staff, Dan Sellers, Chief Financial Officer, and Brian Carney, Special Assistant on March 15, 2004. The visitors learned about the GRACE model and how the program could be applied to low-income seniors and Indiana's aged, blind and disabled Medicaid beneficiaries. Participating GRACE team personnel included social worker Meredith Wingrove.

Amna Buttar, MD, MS, reviewed Geriatric Education Center (GEC) grants for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services March 23-25. The grants are awarded to support the development of collaborative arrangements involving several health professions schools and health care facilities. The GECs facilitate training of health professional faculty, students, and practitioners in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention of disease, disability, and other health problems of the elderly.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The March 31st IU Geriatrics Conference features Fred Unverzagt, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, and director of neuropsychology, Center for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders. He will present "Mild Cognitive Impairment and Neuropsychiatric Testing," in Wishard T2008 A&B from 7:30-8:30am.

Join us at the next Aging Research Work in Progress, April 6, 8:30-9:30am, to critique posters your colleagues will display at annual meetings of national organizations such as the Society of General Internal Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society. Please note this WIP will meet in the Regenstrief Institute 5th floor classroom.

The April 7th IU Geriatrics Conference features Asok Antony, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology. His presentation, "Anemia in Geriatrics: An Update," will be in Wishard T2008 A&B from 7:30-8:30am.

David A. Haber, PhD, will present "Health Contracts with Sedentary Older Adults", Tuesday, April 27, 8:30 - 9:30am, in the Regenstrief Institute 6th floor boardroom. Dr. Haber is the John and Janice Fisher Distinguished Professor of Wellness and is Associate Director of the Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology at Ball State University.