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Battling for
veterans' health care
After asking more than a dozen questions and sharing anecdotes about past experiences with the Veterans Affairs
(VA) Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, some veterans felt satisfied with upcoming changes to the
local VA health care.
Others, however, remained concerned about having to travel hundreds of miles to Omaha to have surgery or be seen at a hospital.
Read the
full article.
— Meredith Gardner, Grand Island Independent, August 16, 2007.
Nebraskans
invited to Minority Health Conference
Lincoln, Neb. – The 2007 Minority Health Conference will be held Aug. 27-28 at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Neb. The theme is "Equalizing Health Outcomes and Eliminating Health Disparities."
"The purpose of the conference is to raise awareness of and implement initiatives to reduce the problem of health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities in Nebraska," said Dr. Joann Schaefer, the state's
chief medical officer and the director of Public Health. "These populations have diverse beliefs and values about health, differing incidences of diseases, and sometimes respond differently to therapies. This year Nebraska is focusing on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in our communities."
Language and cultural differences between health care providers and clients of different backgrounds often make communication difficult. They can be a barrier to primary health care by discouraging people of racial or ethnic minority groups from seeking care. The result is that such communication problems may also prevent them from receiving care that is appropriate to their needs when they visit a health care provider.
Read the
full article.
— Yankton Daily Press, August 16, 2007.
Recognize our veterans in NHA’s “Salute to Veterans in Health Care”
The Nebraska Hospital Association’s “Salute to Veterans in Health Care”
will feature the names of Nebraska’s brave veterans and current servicemen and
women who work in our hospitals/health systems. Names will be published in the
fall edition of the NHA’s quarterly magazine, Healthier Nebraska. Deadline
for submissions is August 30, 2007. For more information or to download the
submission form click
here or contact Christy Rasmussen, director of communications, at
402/742-8151 or crasmussen@nhanet.org.
Congressional fall agenda should be full
(Society for HR Management) -- When Congress returns to session after Labor Day, lawmakers will face a slightly altered legislative landscape. Political observers say that a stepped-up enforcement of federal immigration laws announced by the Bush administration on Aug. 10, 2007, is certain to place immigration reform once more at the top of the legislative agenda. Some sources believe the administration is trying to force Congress to revive a comprehensive immigration reform proposal that stalled out in the Senate in late June 2007. Heath Weems, director of education and workforce policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, said, “We may see more efforts to move the comprehensive immigration reform this fall, so it should make for an interesting session.” Congress may face a totally gridlocked session in the fall, according to other sources, who point to several pieces of legislation supported by organized labor and passed by the House of Representatives -- but blocked in the Senate. President Bush has stated clearly that he would veto the labor-related bills approved by the House, such as the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) and the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831). Also, of the 12 appropriations bills that must pass Congress every fiscal year, only the spending bill (H.R. 2638) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has passed both the House and Senate. While the House has approved all 12 of the appropriations bills, the Senate still must act on 11 of the spending packages.
Despite promises of bipartisanship from the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress, intense debates over the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a prime example of the contentious attitude that is now pervasive on Capitol Hill, sources say. Just before adjourning for the summer recess, the Senate approved the SCHIP bill (H.R. 976) and included a $35 billion expansion, while ignoring a veto threat from the president. The Senate attached an amendment to the bill that would provide up to six months leave without pay to family members who are providing care to loved ones wounded while serving in the U.S. Armed Services. It would be the first major expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) since the law was enacted in 1993. Sources familiar with the issue say it could also set the stage for other attempts to expand employee leave coverage under the law. Another piece of legislation that could move this fall is a mental health parity measure (H.R. 1424) that would require health plan sponsors to provide coverage for mental illness that is similar to benefits offered for other medical conditions. Finally, legislation that would prohibit employers or health insurers from discriminating against individuals based on genetic information or test results could also see action in the fall.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce News Update, August 23, 2007.
CMS places conditions on states expanding SCHIP income eligibility
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will require states to adopt certain strategies when expanding their State Children’s Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) to children with family incomes above 250 percent of the federal poverty
level (FPL), the agency said in an Aug. 17 letter to state health officials.
The CMS said it will ask for assurance that the state has enrolled at least 95
percent of children below 200 percent of the FPL who are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid, and that the number of children in the target population insured through private employers has not decreased by more than two percentage points over the prior five-year period. In addition, CMS said it will expect the state to establish a minimum one-year period of
being uninsured prior to coverage; impose cost sharing approximate to that of private plans; verify the family’s insurance status through insurance databases; and prevent employers from changing dependent coverage policies to favor a shift to public coverage.
— AHA News Now, August 21, 2007.
Many eligible for child health plan have no idea
(HealthLeaders Media) Despite a decade of marketing efforts by governments and private foundations, nearly 30 percent of children who are eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) and are not covered by private plans have yet to enroll, according to a government study.
Read the full
story.
—New York Times, Aug 22, 2007
Madonna partners with VA to help veterans with brain injury
Recent news coverage has documented the increasing number of U.S. military men and women who suffer brain injury from conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital has been working closely with Sen. Ben Nelson and the Veterans Administration at the national level, as well as communicating with regional VA departments, to develop partnerships so military service men and women can access the comprehensive rehabilitation care that brain injury requires.
Madonna is very pleased to announce an approved agreement with the Nebraska/Western IA VAMC to provide veterans with rehabilitation services. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has implemented a screening program, the TBI Clinical Reminder protocol, for all returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans. According to Dr. Lori Terryberry-Spohr, Madonna program manager for brain injury, all new veterans who screen positive for brain injury after their VA assessment will be offered Madonna as an option to obtain further assessment and services. These patients will follow the usual case management process for obtaining approval for services following the initial assessment recommendations, but with the approved partnership in place, the VA anticipates sending a number of referrals to Madonna.
Madonna is currently treating military patients, both inpatient and outpatient, through the hospital’s arrangement with TriCare, the insurance provider for military personnel.
— Madonna Independent, July, 2007.
The Nebraska Medical Center to
coat Omaha home with care
Omaha, Neb. - Painting the outside of a house is hard work for most people. But it can be nearly impossible for elderly and disabled homeowners. As part of a commitment to the community, a team of 25-30 volunteers from The Nebraska Medical Center will again participate in Brush-Up Nebraska’s 19th Annual Paint-A-Thon on Saturday, Aug. 25. In 2006, more than 3,500 Brush-Up Nebraska volunteers worked together to paint 90 Omaha-area homes, using 1,430 gallons of paint and 997 tubes of caulk. There have been 2,015 homes painted through the program since 1989. The Nebraska Medical Center volunteers will be painting a home in
their own neighborhood this year. Read
more.
BryanLGH Health System
CEO recognized for business achievement
Lynn Wilson, FACHE, chief executive officer of BryanLGH Health System, was recently awarded the Burnham Yates Citizenship Award by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce at
its annual Celebrate Business awards luncheon. The luncheon brings together Lincoln’s business leaders and acknowledges those companies and individuals whose contributions make Lincoln’s continued prosperity possible.
According to the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Lynn Wilson, CEO, had a vision of what health care in the community could be. Between facilitating a successful hospital merger and creating the BryanLGH Heart Institute and the Louis J. Gogela, Sr. Neuroscience Institute, Lynn has led the way in developing a state-of-the-art health care system that has forever changed the landscape of Lincoln. He also devotes his time and talents to a variety of organizations throughout the community.
Read
more.
Rains
delay Saunders Medical Center's move
Wahoo, Neb. – The move-in date for the new Saunders Medical Center facility has been postponed indefinitely.
Chief Executive Officer Earl Sheehy said flooding at the new facility has again delayed the center's move to its new hospital, care center and clinic located south of Wahoo on County Road J. A portion of the building flooded during heavy rains this month. The water affected nearly all care center rooms along one corridor and the chapel.
Although no specific cause for the flooding has been identified, Sheehy said several factors probably played into it, not the least of which was the heavy precipitation. "We had eight inches of rain in less than a week," he said.
Read the
full article in the Omaha World Herald.
— Kris Byars, The Wahoo Newspaper, August 22, 2007.
Phelps
Memorial Health Center program draws national praise
Phelps Memorial Health Center – Imaging/Computed Tomography in Holdrege has
been named an Innovation Award winner in health care service quality for Imagine
Believe Achieve 2006 by Avatar International Inc., a health care research
and consulting firm.
The award is based on the results of the hospital's patient surveys. Avatar's
CEO, Michael Everett said that Phelps Memorial Health Center (PMHC) has
demonstrated creativity and ingenuity through its business card program. Paula
Keffler, imaging leader at Phelps Memorial Health Center, said the idea came
from her father. "He was very pleased to have a business card from a
radiologic technologist at a large hospital who encouraged him to call with any
questions or concerns," she said. "We began handing out business cards
to help aid in patient comfort and confidence in the radiology study performed.
The patient is also instructed to use the card to help answer any questions they
might have later, or that an outside specialist may have about the study performed at PMHC." The business card
program is used in the imaging areas of CT, Mammography, Sonography, MRI, and
Nuclear Medicine.
— Holdrege Citizen, August 2, 2007.
CMS updates guidance on Medicaid cost-sharing provisions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent state Medicaid directors revised
guidance on emergency room co-payments for non-emergency
care last week. The new guidance incorporates technical changes enacted by the Tax Relief and Health Care Act that became effective in January 2007. The Act clarified when cost-sharing may be imposed for non-emergency services furnished in a hospital emergency department, and cost-sharing limits for poor and low-income individuals.
— AHA News Now, August 20, 2007.
Medicare rule on hospital infections may lead to more tests
(HealthLeaders Media) Medicare hopes to help reduce infection rates by withholding money from hospitals that aren't more careful.
Hospitals could deal with the change by testing patients before they're admitted to see whether they had any previous infections--a practice that would involve additional costs for providers, said Craig Becker, CEO of the Tennessee Hospital Association.
Read
the full article.
— The Tennessean, Aug 22, 2007
FDA issues warning on codeine use by nursing mothers
Nursing infants may be at increased risk of morphine overdose if their mothers take codeine and metabolize it very quickly, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) warned Friday. The agency reviewed evidence on the subject after a medical journal reported the death of a 13-day-old breastfed infant who died from morphine overdose. The morphine levels in the mother’s milk were abnormally high after taking small doses of codeine to treat episiotomy pain. A genetic test showed the mother was an ultra-rapid metabolizer of codeine. Codeine is found in prescription and non-prescription medicines used to relieve pain or treat cough. Once in the body, some of the codeine is metabolized to morphine.
— AHA News Now, August 20, 2007.
Judging
health care not a science, but Web sites give it a shot
(HealthLeaders Media) New online databases track everything from a hospital's infection rates to surgery success rates, giving consumers more power than ever to check a medical facility's record. Yet health experts call the highly publicized ranking systems imperfect and contradictory, often confusing and frustrating to consumers.
Read
the full article.
— South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Aug 20, 2007
Recruiting
local people to fill health care needs
Frontier and rural health care providers looking for innovative ways to solve increasing workforce shortages are sometimes finding that help is as near as their own backyards: by recruiting and training local people to be health care professionals in their communities.
In Nevada, the Rural Family Medicine Consortium proposed what it termed “an aggressive rural community partnership” to recruit and retain health professionals for rural and frontier communities. In Alaska, the board of directors at a critical access frontier hospital picked up the bill for hospital employees to become registered nurses. In rural Maryland, a coalition paid all expenses for local residents to become dental hygienists if they would agree to return to the area to practice.
Communities like these that look within their ranks to fill health care professional needs are the most likely to succeed, according to Dr. Robert Bowman, past chairman of the Rural Medical Educators Group of the National Rural Health
Association and director of Rural Health Education and Research for the Department of Family Medicine at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Read the full article.
— Candi Helseth, The Rural Monitor, Summer, 2007.
Webinar:
Switching
Costs: A New Way of Looking at Physician Retention
August 29, 2007 – 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. CT
Nebraska Rural Health Conference
September 6-7, 2007 – Holiday Inn Convention Center, Kearney, NE
"Community Connections: Building Leadership for Rural Nebraska"
Kimball Hospital Foundation Golf Classic
September 8, 2007 – Kimball, NE
Eighth Annual Safety Health Care Conference
September 14, 2007 – Sandhills Convention Center, North Platte, NE
Sponsored by the Safety Officers Network and Resources (SONAR), the Nebraska Hospital Association, Community Hospital Health Foundation, Great Plains Health Foundation and Tri-Valley Health System. To register or for more information contact Sue Mulligan, Great Plains Regional Medical Center, at (308) 698-6000.
Multicultural
Training Institute: Cultural Competency for Health Care Professionals Training
September 15, 2007 – Margre Durham Center, Omaha, NE
Hospital
Foundation Directors Seminar
September 17, 2007 – Doubletree Hotel, Omaha, NE
"Capital Campaigns and Planned Giving Programs"
NHA Critical Access Hospital Conference on Quality
October 18, 2007 – Holiday Inn & Convention Center, Kearney, NE
For more information contact Monica Seeland, NHA vice president of quality
initiatives, at 402/742-8152 or mseeland@nhanet.org.
NHA 2007 Annual Convention and Trade Show
October 31-November 2, 2007 – Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, Lincoln,
NE
"Pathways: Navigating the Nature of Health Care"
Visit the Events page on the NHA Web site for more information on any of the events.
If you have an event you would like listed on the NHA Web site, submit it to
Heather Bullock, marketing and events coordinator, at hbullock@nhanet.org.
NHA Newslink is published by the Nebraska Hospital Association, 3255 Salt Creek Circle, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68504-4761. Phone 402/742-8140, Fax 402/742-8191. Christy Rasmussen,
director of communications, at 402/742-8151, or email, crasmussen@nhanet.org.
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