Financing medically-oriented child protection teams in the age of managed health care: a national survey

OBJECTIVE: The direct and indirect costs to society from child maltreatment are estimated to be quite high. The costs related to medical care are of interest to professionals serving on medically-oriented child protection teams that conduct medical evaluations of alleged abuse. This study was designed to explore a number of financially related issues on medically-oriented child protection teams specifically examining the team's staffing, funding sources, reimbursement, budgeting, perceived impact of managed health care and their perception of funding stability. METHOD: Mailed survey of medically-oriented child protection teams throughout the United States using a questionnaire that contained 28 items focused on a variety of financial issues; 14 items were drawn from a similar study done 6 years earlier, which allowed for comparison over time. RESULTS: Responses were received from 320 out of 472 organizations, yielding a response rate of 68%. Inclusion criteria were met by 153 responses and were included in the analysis; 22 of these had also responded to the earlier survey. Median total budget was $300,000 and state and local government funding was the largest revenue source (Mdn = 30%, range: 0-100%), followed by patient care generated revenue (Mdn = 20%, range: 0-100%). The mean charge for an evaluation was $283 (SD = 196.11, range: $0-$800). Forty percent of teams indicated that managed care had no impact where as 49% saw a negative impact. Comparisons between the responses to this survey and the one done 1993 demonstrated that teams were seeing about the same number of patients and showed trends towards increased budget amounts and broader inclusion of various health care and non-health care disciplines on the teams. CONCLUSIONS: No single source of funds for such teams has emerged as the uniform solution for all teams. Creative patchworks composed of various funding sources remain the typical solution to the funding needs of medically-oriented child protection teams.     

Children's thinking about diversity of belief in the early school years: judgments of relativism, tolerance, and disagreeing persons

Children's thinking about diversity of belief in 4 realms--morality, taste, facts, and ambiguous facts--was examined. Ninety-six participants (ages 5, 7, and 9) were interviewed about beliefs different from their own that were endorsed by characters with different status; their judgments of relativism, tolerance, and disagreeing persons were assessed. Five-year-olds made fewer relative and tolerant judgments than 7- and 9-year-olds. Nevertheless, participants of all ages organized their judgments according to the realm of diversity, thought that some beliefs are relative and some are nonrelative, and made tolerant judgments of some divergent beliefs (and their proponents) but not of others. The findings suggest that, in the early school years, children have multiple and well-differentiated perspectives on belief diversity.     

TALK SHOW

小牛多少带有点爆冷嫌疑的夺冠，令现场的情绪瞬间爆棚，马克·库班成了首先的采访对象，接下来，无论是更衣室外的通道!还是新闻发布会的现场，无论是胜利者还是失意人，都得到了宣泄情绪的机会。     

风样年华 史蒂夫·纳什

纳什很瘦弱,但他的心是最坚硬的,他是最无畏的斗士。他身经百战,全身挂彩,却从来不退缩,从来不迟疑。只要能赢球,无论做什么牺牲都不在乎。虽然已近黄昏,但他仍有希望。     

多情刺客 托尼·帕克

他是2007年NBA总决赛MVP,他是法国篮球界的齐达内,他是个资深说唱歌手,他是2003年《人物》杂志选出的最美50人之一,他的商业版图已然覆盖中国,他的绝望主妇貌美如初……