The Inverse U-shaped religion–health connection among Israeli Jews

A growing body of evidence indicates an association between religion and health. However, few have studied the connection between the extent of an individual's religiosity and his health. Analysis of the 2004 Israel National Health Survey was performed. Religiosity was self-identified using five continuous categories, distinctive to Israeli Jews. Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined the relationship between the extent of Religious commitment and several health outcomes. The relationship took the shape of an inverse U function: Israeli Jews in the middle religiously have the worst physical and mental health status on both unadjusted and adjusted bases. Israeli Jews exhibit a non-trivial connection between religiosity and health whereby the most Secular and the most Religious individuals seem to be healthier than individuals in between

Centralized Management of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Long-Term Care Facilities in Israel

Covid-19 was first diagnosed in Israel in late February 2020. During the first month following the outbreak, it became clear that the most severe outcomes were occurring in the Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) and that the fragmented supervision of these facilities was a key weakness in the fight against the pandemic. It was therefore decided to establish the Fathers and Mothers Shield taskforce, which included representatives from all of the relevant government ministries and which would facilitate communication and consultation with the representatives of the LTCFs and with the relevant public sector organizations. We analyse three main policy measures implemented by the taskforce in the effort to mitigate the effects of the pandemic in the LTCFs: an increase in SARS-CoV-2 testing of LTCF residents and employees; the opening of specialized Corona wards in geriatric hospitals and LTCFs; and the regulation of family visits. The introduction of centralized management of the pandemic in the LTCFs achieved a number of important outcomes and is considered to have been highly successful. The share of the LTCFs within total Covid-19 mortality dropped from 45% to 36%, and the load on general hospitals became more manageable. With the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, the taskforce viewed priority vaccination of the LTCF population as its main goal in early 2021

Israel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: tailoring measures for vulnerable cultural minority populations

Every country has vulnerable populations that require special attention from policymakers in their response to a pandemic. This is because those populations may have specific characteristics, culture and behaviours that can accelerate the spread of the virus, and they usually have less access to healthcare, particularly in times of crisis. In order to carry out a comprehensive national intervention plan, policy makers should be sensitive to the needs and lifestyles of these groups, while taking into account structural and cultural gaps. In the context of Israel, the two most prominent and well-defined minority groups are the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and parts of the Arab population. The government was slow to recognize the unique position of these two groups, public pressure eventually led to a response that was tailored to the ultra-Orthodox community and during the month of Ramadan a similar response has been implemented among the Arab community.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel – 202

Public preferences for vaccination campaigns in the COVID-19 endemic phase:insights from the VaxPref database

Objective: Despite widespread perceptions that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is no longer a significant threat, the virus continues to loom, and new variants may require renewed efforts to control its spread. Understanding how individual preferences and attitudes influence vaccination behaviour and policy compliance in light of the endemic phase is crucial in preparation for this scenario. Method: This paper presents descriptive data from a global stated choice survey conducted in 22 countries across 6 different continents between July 2022 and August 2023, and reports the methodological work developed to address the need for comparable data. Results: This study included 50,242 respondents. Findings indicated significant heterogeneity across countries in terms of vaccination status and willingness to accept boosters. Vaccine hesitancy and refusal were driven by lower trust in public health bodies, younger age, and lower educational levels. Refusers and hesitant people reported lower willingness to take risks compared to those fully vaccinated (p&lt;0.05). Lower mental health levels were found for the hesitant cohort (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: Insights from this database can help public health authorities to gain a new understanding of the vaccine hesitancy phenomenon, support them in managing the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase, and favour a new stream of research to maximise behavioural response to vaccination programs in preparation of future pandemics.</p

Public preferences for vaccination campaigns in the COVID-19 endemic phase: insights from the VaxPref database

Objective Despite widespread perceptions that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is no longer a significant threat, the virus continues to loom, and new variants may require renewed efforts to control its spread. Understanding how individual preferences and attitudes influence vaccination behaviour and policy compliance in light of the endemic phase is crucial in preparation for this scenario. Method This paper presents descriptive data from a global stated choice survey conducted in 22 countries across 6 different continents between July 2022 and August 2023, and reports the methodological work developed to address the need for comparable data. Results This study included 50,242 respondents. Findings indicated significant heterogeneity across countries in terms of vaccination status and willingness to accept boosters. Vaccine hesitancy and refusal were driven by lower trust in public health bodies, younger age, and lower educational levels. Refusers and hesitant people reported lower willingness to take risks compared to those fully vaccinated (p<0.05). Lower mental health levels were found for the hesitant cohort (p<0.05). Conclusions Insights from this database can help public health authorities to gain a new understanding of the vaccine hesitancy phenomenon, support them in managing the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase, and favour a new stream of research to maximise behavioural response to vaccination programs in preparation of future pandemics

Modest risk-sharing significantly reduces health plans’ incentives for service distortion

Public payers often use payment mechanisms as a way to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. One source of inefficiency is service distortion (SD) in which health plans over/underprovide services in order to affect the mix of their enrollees. Using Israeli data, we apply a new measure of SD to show that a mixed payment scheme, with a modest level of cost sharing, yields a significant improvement over a pure risk-adjustment scheme. This observation implies that even though mixed systems induce overprovision of some services, their benefits far outweigh their costs

An Algorithm for Improving Hospital Performance Measures: A Department-centered Approach

In recent years, it has become increasingly important to improve efficiency and economic balance in hospitals. The department chairperson (or Chair) contends with a production function consisting of inputs and outcomes, rife with managerial constraints. These constraints can be reduced with proper management by diverting resources and activity. Lack of a proper management algorithm at the department level is a significant impediment to improving operational efficiency in hospitals without significant additional costs. In this work we aimed to develop and implement a management algorithm in a teaching hospital department, in order to improve performances and quality of care. From September 2012 to December 2017 we developed a novel management algorithm for a surgical department and implemented it in the Head and Neck Surgery Department at Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. Changes were made to the organization structure and the concept of service provision. We defined core measures reflecting operative actions and outcomes and identified actions that could affect these measures. Based on our analysis of outcomes we constructed a management intervention process that defines operative actions leading to improved performance. The result was over 400% improvement in the department’s outcome measures including quality, activity, and service. Analysis of data from the Israeli Ministry of Health revealed that the department’s ranking in performance measures and volume improved from no. 14 of 23 departments in Israel in 2011, to no. 1 in 2013, which was sustained through 2014–2016. Improvement in efficiency also translated to economic balance and transformation from deficit to profitability. If this algorithm is implemented in the rest of the system, it is expected to improve the function of the hospital as a whole. Our results have the potential to foster the development of a new organizational culture of measurement and improvement in the hospital, and subsequently in the entire health system

Evaluating the effect of regulatory prohibitions against risk selection by health status on supplemental insurance ownership in Israel

In Israel, supplemental insurance, which covers services not included in the mandatory basic benefits package, is offered by sick funds and regulated by the Ministry of Health. In 1998, policy regulations were set to eliminate barriers that prevented the ill from purchasing supplemental insurance, thereby increasing equality and risk solidarity. In this paper, we examine whether these regulations have indeed changed the extent of ownership and characteristics of policyholders, using data from surveys conducted in 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001. The findings indicate that while there were no significant changes between 1995 and 1997, there was a significant increase in ownership among those with poor health status after the new regulations came into effect. We conclude that administrative regulations can influence the structure of supplemental insurance to achieve desired social values, and discuss additional policy options that are currently under debate in Israel to further promote equality and solidarity in this market by increasing accessibility to low income and other underserved populations.Supplemental insurance Regulation Equality Solidarity Vulnerable populations Health System Reform Israel