Reducing Interpersonal Discrimination for Pregnant Job Applicants Seeking Professional Jobs

This study seeks to extend previous research on the experiences of pregnant job applicants from retail settings (see Botsford Morgan, Walker, Hebl, & King, 2013) to entry-level professional jobs. The current research utilized a 2 (expectant status: not pregnant, pregnant) x 4 (counterstereotypic information: control, competence, commitment, flexibility) betweensubjects factorial design to empirically test the relative efficacy of real, practical interventions designed to reduce the interpersonal discrimination (enhanced negativity and reduced positivity) that pregnant women may encounter when applying for entry-level professional jobs. Results reveal that pregnant job applicants experience more positive interactions when presenting information about their competence than when they say nothing. This study extends our understanding of manifestations of bias and its reduction with regard to pregnant workers applying for entry-level professional jobs

Mental Health Outpatient Services and Hospital Readmissions Among Adolescent Patients in Louisiana

Hospital admissions and readmissions among Medicaid patients significantly impact increased healthcare costs for the state of Louisiana and are associated with poor quality of care. The specific research problem under study was the relationships, if any, between mental health outpatient services in Louisiana, either individual therapy or home and community-based services post-hospital discharge, gender of the patient, and age of the adolescent patient with the number of hospital readmissions over 1 year. Secondary quantitative data analysis was performed using the Island Peer Review Organization Annual External Quality Review Technical Report and data from the managed care organization in Louisiana. No significant relationship was found between mental health outpatient services post-hospital discharge, gender of the patient, and age of the adolescent patient with the number of hospital readmissions over 1 year. A multiple regression model was used (age, gender, and service) and the findings were not statistically significant (F [3, 265] = 0.34, p = .80, R2 = .004). A logistic regression model (age, gender, and type of care) was conducted and, again, the findings were not statistically significant (χ2 [3, N = 269] = 1.04, p = .79). Further study is needed to help identify potential social factors contributing to hospital readmissions among adolescent patients receiving mental health outpatient services post-hospital discharge. The findings of this study have potential implications for positive social change because they provide additional information regarding hospital readmissions and mental health services among an infrequently studied population, adolescent Medicaid patients with the goal of reducing costs for the state and delivering positive outcomes for patients

Upcoding Medicare: Is Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Increasing?

Medicare fraud has been the cause of up to $60 billion in overpaid claims in 2015 alone. Upcoding occurs when a healthcare provider has submitted codes for more severe conditions than diagnosed for the patient to receive higher reimbursement. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Medicare and Medicaid fraud to determine the magnitude of upcoding inpatient and outpatient claims throughout reimbursements. The methodology for this study utilized a literature review. The literature review analyzed physician upcoding throughout present on admission infections, diagnostic related group upcoding, emergency department, and clinic upcoding. It was found that upcoding has had an impact on Medicare payments and fraud. Medicare fraud has been reported to be the magnitude of upcoding inpatient and outpatient claims throughout Medicare reimbursements. In addition, fraudulent activity has increased with upcoding for ambulatory inpatient and outpatient charges for patients with Medicare and Medicaid

What Makes Us Human?

poster abstractWhat makes us human? Is it something innate within us, perhaps in our souls, if we even have them? Or are we determined by biology and genetics? It is increasingly clear that we cannot simply reduce humanity to the false dichotomies illustrated in antiquated arguments such as nature vs. nurture. Throughout history, the Cartesian mind-body divide has fueled a schism between understandings of what makes us human. Our infographic dispels these false dichotomies, indicating that humans are shaped myriad elements including genetics, socio-cultural constructs, the environment, and consciousness. This infographic shows the audience some of the greatest thinkers’ philosophies and ideas regarding areas such as human biology, consciousness, and evolution. We explain three prominent thought pathways, their roots, connotations, and interdependencies on a web of human thought, mapping out genetic foundations, theories of consciousness and human nature, and socio-cultural constructs. This web of humanity shows how the many theories of what makes us human coexist and interconnect; further indicating that humanity cannot be reduced to either the biological or the intellectual. What was once viewed as a dichotomy has become an open space for examination of human nature through the many lenses that are required for our complex nature. Perhaps the historic division of science and the humanities has provided the arena for deep thought on all sides. But now, there is a space to bridge the divide, and this bridge shows us that we are niche creators founded in biology and genetics and extant in our socio-cultural constructs. We exist in intentional space unintentionally. We are human, and perpetually evolving to be

The effect of the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid payments in long-term care facilities

Long-term care has been defined as a continuation of medical services, social services, and housing for patients with chronic health conditions, limiting their abilities to partake in everyday activities. In the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted to expand coverage for Medicaid and improve healthcare quality and cost. This qualitative research study aimed to evaluate the impact of the (ACA) on long-term care to determine if it has increased Medicaid payments. The methodology for this study utilized a systematic review complemented by a semi-structured interview. It was found that the ACA has increased Medicaid payments, and the number of uninsured patients has decreased. With the implementation of the ACA, nursing homes and lifelong care facilities have been required through the ACA to meet new requirements that have made it easier to file complaints about the quality of care. This study also suggested a decrease in readmission rates with Medicaid and the ACA in long-term settings. The ACA implementation has increased Medicaid payments and improved the quality of care by decreasing readmissions, ulcers, and falls in long-term care facilities

Reimagining the River: An Outdoor Vision of the Anthropocene and the White River through the Lens of Place

poster abstractIn 2016, the International Union of Geological Sciences will decide whether or not human impact on the Earth constitutes a new geologic epoch – the Anthropocene. If agreed upon, this epoch will acknowledge the effects human agency has upon the stratigraphic record, and the implications of a human-driven world. Reimagining the River takes the global Anthropocene to the City of Indianapolis by creating an outdoor museum of the White River. This museum exhibit will display the past, present, and future of the White River, showcasing the historical narrative of the human-river relationship. Exploring the Anthropocene through the story of the White River will engage the citizens of Indianapolis to develop a sense of ownership for the intertwined state of the River and Indianapolis. The intention of this engagement is to build a community that reimagines what the river was, is, and can become. Reimagining the River will be located on the White River State Park Bridge, and will feature audiovisual elements that relate current scenes surrounding the River to the past. Historical photographs complemented with a brief historical narrative will be juxtaposed with the areas surrounding the installation, framing Indianapolis’ urban environment as the exhibit. The installation will be accessible to all demographics, including children and individuals with disability. The exhibit will also include resources to encourage further audience participation, including podcasts, geocaching, and a website. Ongoing research pathways will be created to encourage the tracking and measurement of audience engagement and understanding of how human agency has affected the White River, its tributaries, and the City of Indianapolis

A Disk Shadow Around the Young Star ASR 41 in NGC 1333

We present images of the young stellar object ASR 41 in the NGC 1333 star forming region at the wavelengths of H_alpha and [SII] and in the I, J, H, and K-bands. ASR 41 has the near-infrared morphology of an edge-on disk object, but appears an order of magnitude larger than typical systems of this kind. We also present detailed models of the scattering and radiative transfer in systems consisting of a young star surrounded by a proto-planetary disk, and the whole system being embedded in either an infalling envelope or a uniform molecular cloud. The best fit to the observed morphology can be achieved with a disk of approx. 200 AU diameter, immersed in a low density cloud. The low cloud density is necessary to stay below the sub-mm flux upper limits and to preserve the shadow cast by the disk via single scattering. The results demonstrate that ASR 41 is probably not inherently different from typical edge-on disk objects, and that its large apparent size is due to the shadow of a much smaller disk being projected into the surrounding dusty molecular material

Modelling the photopolarimetric variability of AA Tau

We present Monte Carlo scattered light models of a warped disc that reproduce the observed photopolarimetric variability of the classical T Tauri star, AA Tauri. For a system inclination of 75° and using an analytic description for a warped inner disc, we find that the shape and amplitude of the photopolarimetric variability are reproduced with a warp that occults the star, located at 0.07 au, amplitude 0.016 au, extending over radial and azimuthal ranges 0.0084 au and 145°. We also show a time sequence of high spatial resolution scattered light images, showing a dark shadow cast by the warp sweeping round the disc. Using a modified smooth particle hydrodynamics code, we find that a stellar dipole magnetic field of strength 5.2 kG, inclined at 30° to the stellar rotation axis can reproduce the required disc warping to explain the photopolarimetric variability of AA Ta

Since The Start Of The Vaccines For Children Program, Uptake Has Increased, And Most Disparities Have Decreased

The Vaccines for Children program is a US government intervention aimed at increasing vaccination uptake by removing financial barriers that may prevent US children from accessing vaccinations. This study examined the impact that this intervention had on race and ethnicity–related and income-related disparities for diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, measles-mumps-rubella, and polio vaccinations, using data from the National Immunization Survey, 1995–2013. Vaccination rates increased across all races, ethnicities, and income groups following the introduction of the Vaccines for Children program. Disparities among race and ethnic groups narrowed considerably over time since the introduction of the vaccine program, although income-related disparities changed at different rates within racial and ethnic groups and in some cases increased. Government interventions aimed solely at reducing certain financial barriers to vaccination may fail to address other important aspects of cost or perceived benefits that influence vaccination uptake, especially among poorer children