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NHA "Salutes Veterans in Health Care."
View the magazine
or the
news release.
NHA Annual
Convention draws many health care professionals; receives high notes
LINCOLN, Neb. – More than 800 hospital staff, allied health care
members and others enjoyed the elegant surroundings of the Cornhusker Marriott
Hotel for the NHA 2007 Annual Convention held Oct 31-Nov. 2 in Lincoln. The NHA
educational programs focused on the themes of leadership, quality, health care
trends, innovation, stress reduction, embracing change and enhancing workplace
relationships. National speakers included Kent Bottles, M.D.; Jamie Cleverley;
Fred Lee; Chip Madera; Jim Nelson and Garrison Wynn.
In addition to the NHA programs, the Annual
Convention hosted allied programs for the American College of Healthcare
Executives (ACHE); Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA); Nebraska
Association of Health Care Quality and Heartland Risk Management Association (NEAHQ
& HRMS); Nebraska Association of Medical Staff Services (NeAMSS); Nebraska
Healthcare Marketers (NHM); Nebraska Hospital Human Resource Professionals (HR);
Nebraska Organization of Nurse Executives (NONL); Nebraska Society of Directors
of Volunteer Services (NSDVS); Nebraska Society of Healthcare Engineers (NSHE)
and the Nebraska Society for Social Work Leaders in Health Care (NSSWLHC).
A health care resource display area featured
information from the CIMRO of Nebraska; the Licensed Practical Nurse Association
of Nebraska, Inc. (LPNAN); the Rural Comprehensive Care Network (RCCN); Project
Linus; Tobacco Free Nebraska and Nebraska CARES (Cancer, Awareness, Research,
Education and Service); the Center for Transcultural Learning and the Quest for
Excellence award nominees.
On Thursday, Nov. 1, participants enjoyed the
Trade Show with over 85 businesses who shared information and demonstrated
their products and services. A lavish sponsors’ reception capped off the event,
enticing participants and vendors to enjoy each other’s company while sampling a
variety of delicious appetizers and beverages and listening to the upbeat jazz of
the Mac McCune Trio.
The last day of the convention featured the NHA
Membership Meeting, where new
NHA Board directors were elected and former
directors were recognized and thanked for their efforts. Following the
membership meeting, guests gathered to honor Nebraska hospitals’ most
caring
individuals at the Caring Kind Luncheon, with the help of Linda Ball, RN, BSN, CCRN, who presented “You Make a Difference.” At the luncheon, R. Lynn Wilson,
FACHE, CEO of BryanLGH Medical Center, received the
Excellence in Service
award, a commendation of his mission, vision and leadership of health care
delivery in Nebraska.
Trustee of the Year recipients, the
Quest for Excellence award
winners, and the Class IV graduates of the NHA Leadership Institute were also
recognized.
The NHA Annual Convention was made possible by the
generous support of many sponsors, including these key sponsors:
• LaMair-Mulock-Condon Co. – Premier Sponsor
• Credit Management – Platinum Sponsor
• Sampson Construction – Platinum Sponsor
For a complete list of sponsors and detailed program information, please see the
NHA Web site at http://www.nhanet.org/events/convention/2007/index.htm.
Health care tops voter concerns in early primary states
Health care is the top issue voters want
presidential candidates to discuss, according to a survey in the four states
with early primaries. Health care costs and coverage were the two top concerns
of voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, according to the
survey, which was conducted for the AHA. Nearly nine in 10 voters favored a set
of changes to the health system that includes health care coverage for everyone,
with costs shared by all; more affordable and efficient care; information
technology to increase patient safety, lower costs and reduce paperwork; and
access to preventive care and wellness programs. These changes reflect the key
pillars of
Health for Life: Better Health, Better Health Care, an AHA Board-approved
policy framework designed to confront the challenges facing America’s health and
health care. “We hope that at every town hall meeting, campaign rally and
political debate, the candidates talk about their plans for the future of health
care in America,” said AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack. To help spur
discussion, an AHA brochure called “Ask the Candidates” will be sent to AHA
hospital members and posted at www.aha.org.
— AHA News Now, November 6, 2007.
Gloor stepping down as Saint Francis CEO; will run for legislature
Mike Gloor, president and chief executive officer
of Saint Francis Medical Center in Grand Island announced Tuesday that he is
stepping down as leader of the hospital to run for the Nebraska State
legislature. Gloor announced his candidacy for legislative District 35,
representing most of the city of Grand Island. The seat will be vacated by Sen.
Ray Aguilar, who cannot seek re-election due to term limits.
Gloor will resign his position at the end of the
hospital’s fiscal year, in July of 2008. The early announcement was spurred by
his need to declare his candidacy and begin campaigning for the primary election
in May, he said. “Much of what I enjoyed as a CEO was community service and
advocating for things that I felt made our organization and our community
stronger,” Gloor said. “While it was a hard decision to leave, I am very excited
about the opportunity to bring that same dedication and talent to my community
as a state legislator.
Mike Gloor has provided leadership to the Nebraska
Hospital Association (NHA) by serving as an officer on the association board of
directors during 2002-2007. In 2006, Mike served as the chairman of the
association, providing guidance to the Lincoln-based staff and support for all
85 member hospitals of the NHA. During Mike’s tenure as chairman, he presided
over the construction of a new association office; effectively led the
association through the development of community benefit reporting, where
hospitals compile the collective impact of charity care and community services
they provide; established fair collection processes for hospitals to implement
and led the NHA as the influential voice of health care in Nebraska. “Mike is a
charismatic leader who has the vision and the personality to implement change.
He is unafraid of challenge, is collaborative in nature and is well liked by his
colleagues. He is fair, thoughtful and the consummate gentleman. The NHA is
delighted that he has chosen this path for continued public service, and we look
forward to working with him as a member of the Nebraska Unicameral,” said NHA
President Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE.”
Read a related article in the Grand Island Independent.
Tri-County Hospital in contest for million-dollar machine
There may not be an Oscar in the future for any of
the employees at Tri-County Hospital, but there soon may be a new MRI (magnetic
resonance imaging) machine. Last week, the radiology department grabbed a camera
and put on their acting masks to enter a nationwide video contest sponsored by
MAGNETOM, maker of the machine.
Tri-County is competing against 63 other hospitals
for a chance to win the $1.5 million machine.
Read the full article. Vote for Tri-County Hospital by visiting
www.winanmri.com.
— Kearney Hub, November 6, 2007.
Alegent Health establishes forum to help leaders share best practices on
engaging consumers
OMAHA, Neb.– Alegent Health, a leading faith-based
health system in Nebraska and Iowa, announced today the establishment of a
not-for-profit educational forum designed to help health care organizations
develop the systems and policies to provide consumers the necessary information
to make more informed decisions about their care. Using Alegent Health’s own
experiences with providing easily understood health care quality scores and
personally relevant pricing information, the ”Power to the Patient” forum will
share Alegent Health’s proprietary methodology and technology developments to
any interested health care system that attends. The first of two forums in 2008
will be held January 15 -16.
Read
more.
Free memory screenings at Regional West
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – Regional West Medical Center
will offer free memory screenings on Tuesday, November 13, in celebration of
National Memory Screening Day. The memory screenings will be held in the Scotts
Bluff Rooms at Regional West from 1 to 5 p.m. The screenings are available to
anyone who would like to have their memory evaluated. No appointment is
necessary.
National Memory Screening Day is an annual
initiative of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. It is designed to promote
proper detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and wellness
education. “Memory screenings are a valuable tool both for establishing a
baseline of one’s memory capability and for evaluating those who are concerned
about memory loss,” said Tami Bokelman, MSW, program director of the acute
rehabilitation unit. Regional West plans to offer free memory screenings
annually in November. For more information, please call 308/630-1070.
FAMC: fend off illness with flu and pneumonia vaccinations
FREMONT, Neb. – As the season for cold weather and
its associated illnesses approaches, Fremont Area Medical Center (FAMC) urges
everyone to take steps to protect themselves, and those they come in contact
with, by getting a flu shot. Each year, over 36,000 people in the U.S. die
because of influenza (the flu) – most of them are 65 or older. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people die from flu than
from any other vaccine-preventable disease. The best way, by far, to prevent the
flu is for individuals to get a vaccination each fall.
The flu is a viral infection in the nose, throat
and lungs. Symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy
nose, headache, muscle aches and tiredness. Flu symptoms are more severe than
those of colds and usually come on abruptly. “Influenza (“flu”) affects your
respiratory system – your nose, throat and lungs,” states Gerri Means, Certified
Infection Control Practitioner at Fremont Area Medical Center. “Many people
mistakenly associate the word ‘flu’ with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting,
diarrhea, weakness and a general sick feeling, calling it the ‘stomach flu’.”
The best time to get a flu vaccine is from early
October to mid-November, however, the vaccine can be given at any point during
the flu season, even if the virus has already begun to spread in your community.
Read
more.
Madonna's Linda Stones elected to AHA Long-Term Care Council
LINCOLN, Neb. – The American Hospital Association
(AHA) has elected Linda Stones, vice president and chief nursing officer at
Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, to the governing council of the Section for
Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation for a three year term. This is a national
governing board that represents more than 2,500 institutional members of the
AHA, comprising both general hospitals and freestanding specialty hospitals that
provide short-term or long-term care and/or rehabilitation to the chronically
ill, elderly or disabled persons.
Read
more.
State of Nebraska: Important sales tax information for hospitals
The Nebraska Department of Revenue has provided
information to assist with questions relating to hospitals and any possible
exemption from paying Nebraska sales and use tax. For more information,
click here.
— Department of Revenue letter, October 11,
2007.
CMS
releases 2008 OPPS final rule
In addition to finalizing most of its
proposals, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created a new
type of Ambulatory Patient Classification (APC) in its 2008 Outpatient
Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule (CMS-1392-FC) released Thursday,
November 1. The rule takes effect on January 1, 2008.
To view the 2008 OPPS final rule, visit of
www.cms.hhs.gov
St. Mary’s Community Hospital and The Nebraska Medical
Center recognized for award winning quality programs
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Hospital
Association is pleased to recognize St. Mary’s Community Hospital in Nebraska
City, Neb., and The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., as the recipients of
the 2007 Quest for Excellence award.
The Quest for Excellence award is presented
annually by the Nebraska Hospital Association, CIMRO of Nebraska, the Nebraska
Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska Association for
Healthcare Quality to showcase exemplary and reproducible models of patient care
to the rest of the health care community. The award winners were recognized at
the Nebraska Hospital Association 2007 Annual Convention on Nov. 2, 2007, in
Lincoln.
In addition to the honor and prestige bestowed
by the award, the recipients also receive a $1,000 award to be used in
furthering hospital quality improvement programs. This is the fourth year for
the award, which is part of a statewide program to improve patient safety and
health care quality. Read more on the
NHA Web site.
UNMC College of Nursing joins national nursing quality,
safety project
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)
College of Nursing is one of 15 nursing schools in the country selected to
participate in a national project designed to increase quality and safety
competencies. Each school will receive $25,000 for two years through a $1.09
million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The phase II project, called Quality and Safety Education for Nurses, will
strive to boost the commitment to Institute of Medicine (IOM) quality and safety
competencies in pre-licensure nursing programs.
Read
more.
Report examines gaps in health system preparedness
The federal government spends less than $5 per
person annually to help health systems and agencies prepare for a disaster,
according to a new
report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. “An annual funding cycle discourages
long-term planning or development of a sustainable response infrastructure, and
many hospital executives believe that the administrative costs of applying for
funding are overly burdensome for the level of funding received,” the report
adds. Based on surveys and interviews with stakeholders, other studies and data,
the authors identify gaps in U.S. health system preparedness and suggest
strategies to improve readiness at the organizational, community and societal
levels. Among other actions, the report suggests hospitals identify how they
will free up capacity in a disaster, recycle supplies to extend limited
quantities and ration resources to care for those most likely to survive.
— AHA News Now, October 31, 2007.
2008
Careers in Health Care books
 The
“Careers in Health Care 2008” booklet, co-sponsored by the Nebraska Hospital
Association (NHA), the Rural Health Education Network (RHEN) Nebraska Area
Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office, and the Nebraska Community
College Association, was recently released. The booklet highlights potential
health care careers and the corresponding educational programs available in
Nebraska.
In the past, many hospitals have utilized these
books during their health care career fairs and during their interactions with
local high schools. Although supply is limited, books are available at no
charge.
If you would like to order additional copies, please contact Vicky Pfeiffer at
vpfeiffer@nhanet.org, 402/742-8145; or Carly Runestad at
crunestad@nhanet.org, 402/742-8153.
You can also download a PDF on the
NHA Web
site.
Baird Holm
Health Law Forum
November 16, 2007 – Omaha, NE
UNMC Mental
Health Symposium
November 16, 2007 – Omaha, NE
Click here for a list
of upcoming NHA audioconferences and webinars.
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. Contact Christy Rasmussen, director of
communications, at 402/742-8151, or email,
crasmussen@nhanet.org.
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