Between Oct. 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010, Medicare patients at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers, N.Y., suffered thirteen instances of severe bed sores during their stay requiring additional treatment, a rate of nearly 2.9 per 1,000 treated. At St. John’s Riverside Hospital, three miles down Broadway from St. Joseph’s, the rate was 20 times lower: only one severe bed sore was reported, even though St. John's discharged far more Medicare patients during that period -- 8,270 to St. Joseph's 4,541.
Over the protests of groups like the American Hospital Association, Medicare officials this month publicly revealed for the first time where harmful events like these took place. In addition to bed sores, the data includes information on trauma and falls, infections and the egregious errors known as "never events," such as patients being given the wrong blood type, or foreign objects being left in the body after surgery.
As many as 98,000 Americans are thought to die annually from medical errors, and about as many succumb to infections they picked up during a hospital stay, according to oft-cited figures released a decade ago, but new research published last week suggests that "adverse events" like these occur about 10 times as frequently as previously thought, in about a third of all hospital stays.
MORE HERE.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
America’s High School Graduates: Results of the 2009 NAEP High School Transcript Study
This report presents information about the types of courses 2009 high school graduates took during high school, how many credits they earned, and the grades they received. Information on the relationships between high school records and performance in mathematics and science on the twelfth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also included. Transcripts were collected from a nationally representative sample of 37,700 high school graduates. The 2009 results are compared to the results of earlier transcript studies, and differences among graduates by race/ethnicity, gender, and other demographic characteristics are examined. In addition, the report takes a closer look at science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coursetaking, ways in which graduates may earn more credits, and the coursetaking patterns of students with disabilities and English language learners.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Pipelines
The Office of Pipeline Safety is the Federal safety authority for ensuring the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the Nation's pipeline transportation system.
The National Pipeline Mapping System provides very limited access to information about pipelines. You can only view one county at a time, and I've found it sluggish, to say the least.
The National Pipeline Mapping System provides very limited access to information about pipelines. You can only view one county at a time, and I've found it sluggish, to say the least.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
List of best cities to get high
The online magazine The Daily Beast ranked...America's Pot-Smoking Capitals. The results were based on drug-usage surveys [from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration], arrest data and an [admittedly subjective] assessment of "local pot culture."
New York cities include: Albany (7), Manhattan - which is part of a city (8), Ithaca (22), Binghamton (27), Buffalo (28), Newburgh (33), Watertown (34), and Syracuse (36).
Read more in the (albany) Times Union HERE.
New York cities include: Albany (7), Manhattan - which is part of a city (8), Ithaca (22), Binghamton (27), Buffalo (28), Newburgh (33), Watertown (34), and Syracuse (36).
Read more in the (albany) Times Union HERE.
Sales tax on food in New York State
Inspired by the front page story in today's Albany Times Union, Food ready to eat on a plate? It's taxable
In New York State:
Food Item is///Tax Exempt if///Taxable if
Cold cuts///sliced and sold by weight///arranged on food platter
Pizza///frozen, refrigerated, unheated///heated
Hot dog///refrigerated (packaged)///served on a bun or heated
Fish///sold unheated///heated or served in a sandwich
Bread///sold by the loaf (whole or sliced)///served with a bowl of soup
Bananas///sold whole, individually or by the bunch///peeled or sliced as part of a fruit platter
Bagel///sold by quantity (whole or sliced)///toasted, buttered, or with cream cheese
Salad mix///packaged in bag///from a self-serve salad bar or prepared and arranged on a plate
Ice cream///sold in a container by weight (including hand-packed pints, quarts, etc.)///made-to-order cone or sundae
Macaroni salad///packaged and sold by weight///served with a sandwich, served in a tray as a side dish or on a plate, or from a self-serve salad bar
Chicken wings///sold unheated///sold heated
More fun explanations of the New York State sales tax law re food sold by food stores.
for food retailers.
for specific products and services.
In New York State:
Food Item is///Tax Exempt if///Taxable if
Cold cuts///sliced and sold by weight///arranged on food platter
Pizza///frozen, refrigerated, unheated///heated
Hot dog///refrigerated (packaged)///served on a bun or heated
Fish///sold unheated///heated or served in a sandwich
Bread///sold by the loaf (whole or sliced)///served with a bowl of soup
Bananas///sold whole, individually or by the bunch///peeled or sliced as part of a fruit platter
Bagel///sold by quantity (whole or sliced)///toasted, buttered, or with cream cheese
Salad mix///packaged in bag///from a self-serve salad bar or prepared and arranged on a plate
Ice cream///sold in a container by weight (including hand-packed pints, quarts, etc.)///made-to-order cone or sundae
Macaroni salad///packaged and sold by weight///served with a sandwich, served in a tray as a side dish or on a plate, or from a self-serve salad bar
Chicken wings///sold unheated///sold heated
More fun explanations of the New York State sales tax law re food sold by food stores.
for food retailers.
for specific products and services.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
What Congress Would Look Like If It Really Represented America
From http://www.good.is/
America is getting more and more diverse — for instance, our Hispanic population grew by 43 percent in the past decade alone — but you'd never be able to tell it by looking at our Congress. Here's what the House and Senate look like today, and what they would look like if they were demographically representative of our nation.
One thing not noted on this infographic is that, besides being nothing like America in terms of race, sex, or religion, our senators and representatives are also wholly different from most Americans in terms of wealth.
America is getting more and more diverse — for instance, our Hispanic population grew by 43 percent in the past decade alone — but you'd never be able to tell it by looking at our Congress. Here's what the House and Senate look like today, and what they would look like if they were demographically representative of our nation.
One thing not noted on this infographic is that, besides being nothing like America in terms of race, sex, or religion, our senators and representatives are also wholly different from most Americans in terms of wealth.
More Working Women Than Men Have College Degrees
New Census Bureau Data Provide Most Detailed Look Ever at Years of School Completed
Among the employed population 25 and older, 37 percent of women had attained a bachelor's degree or more as of 2010, compared with 35 percent of men, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In contrast, among all adults 25 and older, 29.6 percent of women and 30.3 percent of men had at least a bachelor's degree.
The data come from tabulations on Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 and not only examine gender differences in attainment but also provide the most detailed information on years of school completed ever presented by the Census Bureau, showing for each level of attainment exactly how many years of education adults have.
Among the employed population 25 and older, 37 percent of women had attained a bachelor's degree or more as of 2010, compared with 35 percent of men, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In contrast, among all adults 25 and older, 29.6 percent of women and 30.3 percent of men had at least a bachelor's degree.
The data come from tabulations on Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 and not only examine gender differences in attainment but also provide the most detailed information on years of school completed ever presented by the Census Bureau, showing for each level of attainment exactly how many years of education adults have.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Results From the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study of 2004/09
Data presented in these tables come from the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), a study that followed first-time, beginning postsecondary students through their postsecondary education for a period of six years. These Web Tables disaggregate these students’ persistence and attainment outcomes by their participation in the Pell Grant program. Additional detail is provided by students' initial degree program, dependency status, and income quartile.
States see tax gains; local governments feel recession's pain
States' tax revenues finished strong in 2010 and show solid gains through the early part of 2011, continuing a trend toward gradual fiscal recovery, according to the Rockefeller Institute's latest State Revenue Report.
State tax revenues grew by 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Rockefeller Institute research and Census Bureau data. This is the fourth consecutive quarter that states reported growth in collections on a year-over-year basis. Forty-two states reported tax revenue growth
during the fourth quarter, with nine showing double-digit growth. Preliminary figures for January and February 2011 indicate further strength in state tax revenues this year. Overall collections in 45 early-reporting states showed growth of 9.5 percent compared to the same months of 2010, and 7.5 percent compared to the same months of 2009.
Local tax revenues, however, have experienced the reverse trend. Tax collections by local governments declined by 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, mostly driven by declines in property tax collections. This is the result in part of the lagged impact of falling housing prices on property tax collections. Such a lag in the recession's impact on local government coffers is somewhat typical, say report authors Lucy Dadayan and Donald J. Boyd.
To read the full report, visit the Institute's Web site.
> .
State tax revenues grew by 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Rockefeller Institute research and Census Bureau data. This is the fourth consecutive quarter that states reported growth in collections on a year-over-year basis. Forty-two states reported tax revenue growth
during the fourth quarter, with nine showing double-digit growth. Preliminary figures for January and February 2011 indicate further strength in state tax revenues this year. Overall collections in 45 early-reporting states showed growth of 9.5 percent compared to the same months of 2010, and 7.5 percent compared to the same months of 2009.
Local tax revenues, however, have experienced the reverse trend. Tax collections by local governments declined by 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, mostly driven by declines in property tax collections. This is the result in part of the lagged impact of falling housing prices on property tax collections. Such a lag in the recession's impact on local government coffers is somewhat typical, say report authors Lucy Dadayan and Donald J. Boyd.
To read the full report, visit the Institute's Web site.
> .
NACHA - fraudulent email warning
The Electronic Payments Association has recently issued on their website a warning that fraudulent emails are being sent out in their name. Our office has been getting a bunch of these lately (I had three in my in-box this morning).
It goes without saying, *don’t* open the .exe file that is embedded in the email. Clearly, they’re phishing.
This, BTW, is a variation of a problem that's been going on for nearly a month.
More from NACHA (a legitimate organization).
It goes without saying, *don’t* open the .exe file that is embedded in the email. Clearly, they’re phishing.
This, BTW, is a variation of a problem that's been going on for nearly a month.
More from NACHA (a legitimate organization).
Other Sources of Census Data
From the Pew Research Center:
Many State Data Centers (here is a map with links to all of them) have repackaged census data for their localities in simple-to-use tables. In Alaska, the look-up includes Alaska native villages and tribal areas as well as cities, boroughs and other units of geography. California offers detailed data and some numbers from earlier years. Colorado offers rankings as well as data. Connecticut offers a color-coded map of population change and Indiana has population maps by school district and other geographies. Pennsylvania has detailed group quarters numbers for each of its counties.
Also take a look at the “Sites & Sources” section in the right-hand column. This very blog is linked! Way cool.
Many State Data Centers (here is a map with links to all of them) have repackaged census data for their localities in simple-to-use tables. In Alaska, the look-up includes Alaska native villages and tribal areas as well as cities, boroughs and other units of geography. California offers detailed data and some numbers from earlier years. Colorado offers rankings as well as data. Connecticut offers a color-coded map of population change and Indiana has population maps by school district and other geographies. Pennsylvania has detailed group quarters numbers for each of its counties.
Also take a look at the “Sites & Sources” section in the right-hand column. This very blog is linked! Way cool.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Per-Capita Personal Income by State: 2000-2010
The links on this page include provisional per-capita income figures for each state along with rates of change, rankings, adjustments for inflation, and provisional estimates of intercensal population. These figures were produced by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget based on personal income and inflation statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and population statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
2010 Census Advance Group Quarters Summary File
The Census Bureau, in response to federal and state officials as well as other data users, is providing an early version of table P42 from the 2010 Census Summary File 1, showing population counts for seven types of group quarters. The institutionalized group quarters categories include correctional facilities for adults, juvenile facilities, nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities and other institutional facilities; while the noninstitutionalized group quarters categories include college/university student housing, military quarters and other noninstitutional facilities. Data are shown for states, counties, census tracts and blocks. This early release will be useful to data users in the redistricting community who must follow state legislation regarding group quarters populations in redrawing boundaries. This table will only be available via the FTP site and is identical to table P42 in Summary File 1 to be released this summer. At that time, characteristics of the group quarters population will also be available. More information about the definitions of the group quarters types and how to use the summary file can be found in the documentation accompanying the data on the FTP site and HERE. More information about census redistricting data..
January 2011 Airline System Traffic Up 2.2 Percent from January 2010
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported that U.S. airlines carried 53.7 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in January 2011. This is a 2.2 percent increase from January 2010. The January 2011 passenger total was 3.7 percent above that of two years ago in January 2009 but still remained 6.9 percent below the early recession level of 57.7 million in January 2008.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
2008 Immigration/Emigration Supplement Data
These data focus on five migration-related topics - citizenship, year of entry, residence one year ago, residents and emigrants abroad and monetary transfers. The monetary transfers section, in particular, is noteworthy because it represents the first time questions on both the giving and receiving of these transfers were included on a large, federally sponsored, nationally representative survey in the United States. This supplement to the Current Population Survey was fielded in August 2008. The purpose was to provide additional data to improve the statistics on the size and characteristics of the foreign-born population in the United States. These microdata can be downloaded from the Census Bureau website.
Jail Inmates at Midyear 2010
Presents data on numbers of jails as well as analyzes patterns of growth and decline in jail populations. These statistical tables include data on rated capacity of jails, percent of capacity occupied, and capacity added. They provide estimates of admissions to jails and detail the volume of movement among the jail population. This web document also includes total numbers for jail inmates by sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Standard errors for jail estimates are included.
Highlights include the following:
Between midyear 2009 and midyear 2010, the confined inmate population in county and city jails (748,728) declined by 2.4% (18,706 inmates).
On June 30, 2010, adults represented 99% of all jail inmates. Males accounted for 87.7%, and females accounted for 12.3%.
The estimated rated capacity for all jail jurisdictions at midyear 2010 reached 866,974 beds, an increase of 2.0% (17,079 beds) from midyear 2009.
Highlights include the following:
Between midyear 2009 and midyear 2010, the confined inmate population in county and city jails (748,728) declined by 2.4% (18,706 inmates).
On June 30, 2010, adults represented 99% of all jail inmates. Males accounted for 87.7%, and females accounted for 12.3%.
The estimated rated capacity for all jail jurisdictions at midyear 2010 reached 866,974 beds, an increase of 2.0% (17,079 beds) from midyear 2009.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Local Area Personal Income, 2009
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released estimates of personal income at the county level for 2009. Among large counties (those with a population of more than 250,000) the change in personal income from 2008 to 2009 ranged from an 8.1 percent decline (in Oakland County, Michigan) to a 4.2 percent gain (in Loudoun County, Virginia). Growth slowed in all but one of the nation’s 255 large counties. For the nation, personal income fell 1.7 percent in 2009 after growing 4.0 percent in 2008.
In Case of Emergency: New Data on Medical Benefits
Most medical insurance plans provide coverage for emergency care, including visits to emergency rooms and transportation by ambulance, according to a recent study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics based on the National Compensation Survey (NCS). The study also found that emergency care coverage was subject to a variety of limits, including copayments and deductibles.
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