Kirsten Firminger

🚨HRSA's Area Health Resources Files webpage is now down.

Fortunately, I built an archive of data 2000-2023 for a previous project, which can be accessed without restriction here:

data.mendeley.com/datasets/dwf...

Is the "temporary pause" of disbursement of all federal grants/loans an unlawful impoundment? It almost certainly is. A brief 🧵

What are the benefits of cash transfers? How can Medicare improve outcomes for kidney patients? Why did AAPI individuals receive markedly different care than other groups during COVID-19?

It's all in the latest AIR News → icont.ac/50WNV

1) Articulate your leadership values & hold yourself accountable 2) Delegate better: consider the level of trust in the process 3) Get honest input: empower people to stop self-censoring 4) Tap the power of mid level managers to strengthen culture 5) Develop more continuous learners in your organisation 6) Set better boundaries with your team 7) Energise team meetings: Make everyone feel heard 8) Stop exalting busyness 9) Be a manager — not a mouthpiece for higher-ups 10) Communicate more effectively about change

Today, mitsmr.bsky.social published ten essential leadership tips for 2025 to "build your leadership skill set & solve tough challenges in the new year": sloanreview.mit.edu/article/10-e...
Interesting how many of them are so called "soft skills". Perspectives of leadership are changing.

I have meetings at noon! My body is now programmed to eat lunch somewhere between 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

Building a Culture of Quality and Safety in Health Care Over the past several years, there has been increasing awareness that clinicians write language in medical records that stigmatizes patients,1 that the use of this language varies by patients’ race an...

Building a Culture of Quality and Safety in Health Care—The Importance of Respect for Patients -- Somnath Saha, Mary Catherine Beach | Health Policy | JAMA Network Open jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and Iron-Deficiency Anemia in US Females Aged 12-21 Years, 2003-2020 This study examines prevalence of iron deficiency among females aged 12 to 21 years to inform future screening strategies for iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia.

We found that almost 40% of 12-21 year old females are iron deficient.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I’ve been asked how this is possible evolutionarily.

I have a few thoughts. 🧵

Motion to ban the term hysterical from ever being used in reference to female patients or the issues that affect them.

A group of people in blue shirts, embracing and standing in a circle in a sunny park, symbolizing teamwork and unity.

As 2024 comes to a close, we're reflecting on AIR projects and initiatives that exemplify the vital interplay between research and lived experience,
www.air.org/air-2024-hig...

We're hiring 2 new roles! These are 6-month contracts with possible extension, and can be between 25-40 hrs/week. Deadline Dec 31!

1) Partnerships & Advocacy Coordinator
2) Fundraising & Operations Manager

Please share widely!
patientresearchcovid19.com/job-opportun...
#LongCovid #neisvoid #pwme

What was the research about? Opioid use disorder, or OUD, occurs when a pattern of using opioids, such as prescription medicines or heroin, leads to dependence or distress. People with OUD have a high risk for becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus, or HCV. Without treatment, HCV can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, or death. Opioid treatment programs, or OTPs, can help people with OUD using medicine and behavioral therapy. However, many OTPs don’t provide on-site treatment for HCV. In this study, the research team compared two ways to provide HCV care to patients in OTPs: Usual care. OTPs provided care for patients’ OUD. For HCV care, patients received a referral to an off-site HCV specialist. Supported telehealth. OTPs provided care for patients’ OUD. For HCV care, a case manager helped patients connect with an off-site HCV specialist in a telehealth appointment. Telehealth is a way to provide care to patients remotely using video and audio. Patients then received HCV medicine in person from a nurse at the OTP. The research team wanted to learn if the supported telehealth approach increased the number of people whose HCV was cured compared with usual care. What were the results? Three months after completing treatment, 90 percent of patients with HCV who received treatment through supported telehealth had their HCV cured compared with 39 percent of patients who received usual care. The two approaches didn’t differ in patient-reported satisfaction with care.

PCORI Project by Dr. Talal & team: Using Telehealth to Improve Access to Hepatitis C Virus Treatment for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder -- The TEAM-C Study 6/ #publichealth www.pcori.org/research-res...

What was the research about? Opioid use disorder, or OUD, occurs when a pattern of using opioids, such as prescription medicines or heroin, leads to dependence or distress. People with OUD have a high risk for becoming infected with the hepatitis C virus, or HCV. Without treatment, HCV can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, or death. Opioid treatment programs, or OTPs, can help people with OUD using medicine and behavioral therapy. However, many OTPs don’t provide on-site treatment for HCV. In this study, the research team compared two ways to provide HCV care to patients in OTPs: Usual care. OTPs provided care for patients’ OUD. For HCV care, patients received a referral to an off-site HCV specialist. Supported telehealth. OTPs provided care for patients’ OUD. For HCV care, a case manager helped patients connect with an off-site HCV specialist in a telehealth appointment. Telehealth is a way to provide care to patients remotely using video and audio. Patients then received HCV medicine in person from a nurse at the OTP. The research team wanted to learn if the supported telehealth approach increased the number of people whose HCV was cured compared with usual care. What were the results? Three months after completing treatment, 90 percent of patients with HCV who received treatment through supported telehealth had their HCV cured compared with 39 percent of patients who received usual care. The two approaches didn’t differ in patient-reported satisfaction with care.

PCORI Project by Dr. Talal & team: Using Telehealth to Improve Access to Hepatitis C Virus Treatment for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder -- The TEAM-C Study 6/ #publichealth www.pcori.org/research-res...

Through my work, I see all the PCORI research summaries that are posted, so I thought it would be fun to highlight some that come through that catch my eye and/or when I remember to post something up! (also explore all here: www.pcori.org/explore-our-...) 5/

The work of writing these research summaries is done by the PCOR Translation Center (PCOR TC) which is managed by AIR. I lead the team who does this work (and also serve as the deputy project director for PCOR TC overall). 4/

The summaries of PCORI research findings are available in different forms. One version is written in plain language at a 6th to 8th grade reading level. There is also a version written for a more technical audience. The findings are translated into Spanish and also an audio version is provided. 3/

PCORI is groundbreaking in being transparent about the results of their funded research. All the research projects funded by PCORI are required to have the results of their project posted on PCORI's website within 90 days of a research project being complete. 2/

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funds clinical research that compares two or more medical treatments, services, or health practices to help patients and others make better-informed decisions. Since 2010, they have funded $4.5 billion to more than 2,400 research projects 1/

YouTube video by Dr. Glaucomflecken No More General Anesthesia

A real, actual thing BCBS is doing youtube.com/shorts/vWA2a...

As a hockey fan and a health researcher, I find these results very scary. The NHL needs to address this ASAP.

Definitely the blanket snuggler!

American Institutes for Research Staff Direct $25,000 in Charitable Support to Organizations Growing Climate Resilience | American Institutes for Research Colleagues across AIR took part in the organization’s fourth-annual Giving Tuesday community project, choosing five charities to receive a total of $25,000 in support from AIR. The selected recipients...

Get to know the people and places that shape AIR's global #giving community, and learn how our staff are taking action for #climate resilience this #GivingTuesday:

This important work to center people and communities when working across systems is built upon our initial RWJF funded work to align systems to improve equity using shared measurement.

As with improv, social medial works a lot better when you have a “yes, and…” mentality. Twitter trained a lot of people into “no, but…” and that is just going to catch you a lot of blocks here. 💁🏻‍♀️

AIR Health Division is hiring for a Principal Researcher to lead projects and business development about Healthcare Quality Improvement and Learning Systems! Come work with me at AIR!
jobs-airdc.icims.com/jobs/13223/p...

Patient-centered Al Patient-centered Al engages patients as partners throughout the entire Al life cycle, from problem formulation, to design and implementation of Al services that enable patients to make informed healthcare decisions and contribute to improvements in healthcare delivery and outcomes Achieving this aim requires that Al solutions are designed, used, and optimized in a way that: Is fair, secure, transparent, and reliable; Demonstrates responsiveness to real-world needs of engaged patients and communities; Is aligned with patient values and preferences.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Human-Centered Al Health Informatics Digital Health

Algorithmic Life Cycle Phase 1- Problem formulation Phase 2 - Data selection, assessment and management Phase 3 - Algorithm development, training and validation Phase 4 - Deployment and integration of algorithms in intended settings Phase 5 - Algorithm monitoring, maintenance, updating or de-implementation Need for authentic engagement of patients and communities in each phase!

PCORI had a great session on Achieving Patient-Centeredness in Artificial Intelligence(AI) at their annual meeting. I continue to refer back to it. Available online (freel here www.pcori.org/events/2024/...
#healthservices #healthcare

There is no better indicator of how important the wellness left-right configuration mattered to this election than Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy embodies incoherent ideas of a social- media-driven iteration of white nationalist ideas about health, such as touting raw milk and junk science about Covid-19 vaccines

Tressie McMillan Cottom's new column with post-election analysis - How an Empty Internet Gave Us Tradwives and Trump www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/o...

Patient Partner Compensation Webinar for Researchers Join us to learn everything you need to know about compensating your patient partners for their participation in your research.

HeartLife Foundation, Transform HF, and Canadian Heart Function Alliance are hosting a free webinar on compensation for patient partners in research on Thursday, November 28, 9–10 am Pacific. #PatientEngagement & #POR folks—please share with your networks! www.eventbrite.ca/e/patient-pa...

“Learning CPR on manikins without breasts puts women’s lives at risk, study finds”

Dr Rebecca Szabo et al
@inquisitivegyn.bsky.social
Research 🔗: academic.oup.com/heapro/artic...
#ResusSky

Georgia Dismissed All Members of Maternal Mortality Committee After ProPublica Obtained Internal Details of Two Deaths In a letter, the state’s public health commissioner said the action was taken because “confidential information provided to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee was inappropriately shared with outs...

Georgia Dismissed All Members of Maternal Mortality Committee After ProPublica Obtained Internal Details of Two Deaths

State’s public health commissioner said action was taken because “confidential information..was inappropriately shared with outside individuals.”
www.propublica.org/article/geor...