"THE HEART OF THE MATTER"
a special program of the National Emergency Medicine Association (NEMA)

(Return to Topic Page)

Week: 591.4 

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, fmr. Asst. Surgeon Gen’l, President, Prudential Health Care Research Center, Atlanta 

Topic: HMO’s in research 

Host/Producer: Steve Girard 

NEMA: HMO’s in research...coming up... 

SPOT: IN A FLASH... a video with structured curriculum tells kids the truth about gunshot injuries. For schools, churches, community groups... Call 800-332-6362. 

NEMA: Health care giant Prudential has gotten heavily into research over the last few years...this is Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, the former Assistant Surgeon General who heads the company’s research center in Atlanta..  

KOPLAN: We’ll tend to pick things like heart disease, diabetes, childhood immunizations. And we also pick subjects where we can do something about a perceived barrier or problem, so as to improve health care.  

NEMA: Koplan says Prudential researchers are looking into low back pain with the University of Washington, mammography with Duke...  

KOPLAN: Some of the work we’ve been doing on immunizations with the Centers for Disease Control is very exciting to me. I’m interested in prevention, and we’ve found that through some of our studies, we’ve been able to markedly increase immunization levels in some of our plans, and we’re seeking to broaden that and disseminate it both in our own health plans, but also in the broader population.  

NEMA: Dr. Koplan believe the better health maintenance organizations will all soon be heavy into research that gauges the way we understand and implement their services. I’m Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.