Project Access: Ensuring the Health of the Working Uninsured in Chattanooga Forty-seven million Americans are currently without health insurance. Many of these people work one or more jobs, but they cannot afford healthcare coverage. Tennesseans are not exempt from these numbers. In 2006, Families USA, a national nonprofit, reported that eighteen percent of all Tennesseans were uninsured. They also estimated that "thirteen working-age Tennesseans die each week due to lack of health insurance." A quick calculation reveals this sad fact: almost seven hundred Tennesseans die each year because they cannot afford health coverage. JAMIE MERRIMAN-PACTON

CareSpark Goes Live in the Tri-Cities After several years of effort and collaboration, a project aimed at linking medical records from different physician offices, hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare providers into one secure network has become a reality. "Hundreds of people have worked very hard to reach this goal because of the dramatic impact it will have to improve healthcare and outcomes for the people of this area," said Liesa Jenkins, Executive Director of CareSpark, the regional health information exchange organization.

East Tennessee Surgeon Performs Vascular Procedure as Peers Watch Via Satellite Scott Stevens, MD, is used to helping other physicians learn new techniques and procedures. As a professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and the director of its endovascular program, he teaches students, residents and fellows as part of his daily responsibilities. However, on October 3, 2008, Stevens performed two vascular surgeries in an effort to reach out to a much broader part of the medical community—somewhere between 300 and 400 physicians watching from Phoenix, Arizona. MEREDITH HULETTE

Spanning the Globe Remote Area Medical Takes Healthcare to Those in Need John Osborn, DDS, has an established dental practice in the town of Maynardville, Tenn. He knows his patients and they know him. But several times a year, Osborn leaves his comfortable setting and travels wherever he is needed to treat people he's never met before — and all with no expectation of getting paid for it. "Once you try it, you're hooked," he said. SCOTT BROOKS

Prohibiting Mandatory Overtime — What's the Real Issue? Overtime is a difficult problem. How employers address overtime varies greatly: while a few employers utilize overtime as a standard staffing practice (despite increased labor costs), others are forced to utilize overtime to meet staffing or production requirements, while still others refuse to use it. Employees are the same—while many actively seek overtime opportunities, others consider it anathema. David R. Keene II

Depression and the New Parity Law Legislation was recently passed elevating mental illness to equal parity with other illnesses. I do not fully know yet what the Senate or Congress had in mind when they passed the parity bill. Perhaps among many nuances, they want us to know that depression is a serious illness. Regardless, it is going to take years for some physicians and nurse practitioners to recognize mental illness as a disease of equal status and with clinical consequences. It will take an even longer time for some people suffering from mental illnesses to think of it as a disease and not as a consequence of moral or spiritual failures. O. H. OLIVEIRA, PHD

Running the 'Basis', Looking for Home "A dime ain't worth a nickel anymore!" is credited to Yogi Berra, and he may be right today. The current financial environment has us all looking for any advantage on the interest paid on our working capital as well as our investments. A "basis point" in the financial world is equal to one one-hundredth of a percentage point (.0001). That means that for each basis point of interest you earn on $100.00, you will be paid 10¢ or a whopping $10.00 on $100,000.00 deposit. BILL MORRIS

Spirituality Is Vital to Mental Health Chaplains Are Key Resource for Physicians Physicians are trained to treat their patients' physical and mental illnesses, but when it comes to the spiritual issues that often arise during a health crisis, many are at a loss. That's where chaplains step in. Many hospitals are even integrating pastoral care into mental and emotional healthcare programs. MEGAN NORRIS JONES

Expanded Pharmacy Services Promise Better Medication Outcomes, Improved Bottom Line As America's healthcare service model and reimbursement strategies evolve, so does the role of today's pharmacist. That means expanded business opportunities for pharmacies, particularly independent and community pharmacies with the flexibility to answer new payer and consumer demands. SHARON H. FITZGERALD