NEWS BRIEFS
NEWS BRIEFS
Drug testing positivity rates down
Positive results from workplace drug testing in the United States have declined 65% in the last decade, according to the SmithKline Beecham Drug Testing IndexÓ released March 16, 1999.
Of the 5.7 million tests performed throughout the U.S. work force by Collegeville, PA-based SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories in 1998, 4.8% were reported positive, down from 5% in 1997. The positivity rate for 1988, as reported by SmithKline Beecham in its workplace drug testing statistics, was 13.6%.
Color graphics of the SmithKline Beecham Drug Testing IndexÓ, including regional maps that show positivity rates by type of drug, are available online at www.sb.com/news/dti.html.
For more information, contact Thomas Johnson at (610) 454-6202, or (800) 877-7478, or visit SmithKline Beecham’s Web site at www.sb.com.
Mayo HealthQuest launches on-line service
Mayo Clinic HealthQuest, a corporate health promotion program, has begun a new on-line service to provide employees across the United States with a daily updated health information resource. Among the first companies to deploy the new service are Dow Corning, General Mills, Intel, Lucent Technologies, and Texas Instruments.
"We anticipate that Mayo Clinic HealthQuest Online will be an effective means to re-engineer the delivery of health promotion services to our employees," says Marti Maxwell, health promotion manager at Dow Corning.
Employees may personalize the service so they can receive the information of most interest to them, such as their personal health scorecard, progress toward health goals, and new articles on topics they select.
For more information, contact: Suzanne Leaf-Brock, Mayo Clinic News Bureau, 200 First St. S.W., Rochester, MN 55905. Telephone: (507) 284-1114 (days); (507) 284-2511 (evenings). E-mail: [email protected].
Sexual harassment poster available
The Web site of a national employers’ association now includes a poster that employers can use to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Titled "Sexual Harassment: What Not to Do," the poster can be copied, posted, or handed out to employees on an unlimited basis. It can be found at www.employerhelp.org/topstories/harasposter.htm.
Jim Collison, president of Mason City, IA-based Employers of America, says: "In light of recent Supreme Court decisions, employers need to be even more concerned about educating their employees about sexual harassment."
The poster identifies easy-to-follow guidelines for employees to follow in the workplace to limit the chances that sexual harassment can occur.
Employers of America is a national association that provides human resources assistance to employers, managers, and supervisors. For more information, contact: Employers of America, 520 S. Pierce, Mason City, IA 50401. Telephone: (800) 728-3187. E-mail: [email protected].
SMG names top 10 health networks
SMG Marketing Group Inc., a Chicago-based health care market research and marketing consulting firm, has identified what it considers to be the nation’s top 10 integrated health care networks for 1999:
1. Advocate Health Care, Oakbrook, IL
2. BJC Health System, St. Louis
3. Henry Ford Health System, Detroit
4. William Beaumont Hospital Corp., Royal Oak, MI
5. PROMINA Health System, Atlanta
6. Allina Health System, Minneapolis
7. TriHealth, Cincinnati
8. Sharp HealthCare, San Diego
9. Sentara Health System, Norfolk, VA
10. Alegent Health, Omaha, NE
SMG’s rating system ranks local and regional nonspecialty IHNs (integrated health care networks) based on their performance level and degree of integration. The system is designed to provide insight into the IHNs’ organizational structures, utilization performances, financial standings, and strategies for future development.
These rankings are profiled in SMG’s new publication, the IHN 100Ô. All profiles include a wide range of information about the IHN, including formation and history, major events, mission, goals, key contacts, mergers, and affiliations, as well as lists of affiliated hospitals, health maintenance organizations, and relationships with group purchasing organizations.
This is the second year SMG published the IHN 100Ô. The geographic distribution of the IHNs spans 35 states. The five states that have at least seven networks in the rankings are Michigan, California, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
To order a copy, contact: Steve Lenz, director of business development, SMG Marketing Group Inc., John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: (800) 678-3026, ext. 181. You can also visit SNG’s Web site at: www.smg.com.
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