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Introducing Nebraska Association of Air
Medical Services
The Nebraska Association of Air Medical Services
(NEAAMS) provides an organized forum for air medical services in the state to
unify and speak with one voice. NEAAMS is collaborating with state and private
organizations to achieve its goals. Currently the association is collaborating
with the State of Nebraska Board of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to develop
rules and regulations for licensure specific to air medical transport.
NEAAMS was founded in 2005 after the air medical
services in Nebraska came together to discuss common interests in safety and
interagency cooperation. The Nebraska association is a registered chapter with
the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS).
The Nebraska association was officially
incorporated in 2007. Members include representatives from the current air
medical services: AirLink – Scottsbluff, AirCare – Kearney, LifeNet – Norfolk,
LifeNet – Omaha and Star Care – Lincoln. The board of directors is composed of
Shane Mohr (LifeNet Omaha), president; Doug Wulf (AirCare), president-elect; and
Dee Vogel (AirLink), secretary/treasurer.
Click here to read the full
NEAAMS announcement.
For former senators, lobbying could be delayed
LINCOLN, Neb. — Gov. Dave Heineman is putting his weight
behind a proposal that would keep state senators and other elected officials
from lobbying the Legislature soon after they leave office.
Under the plan from Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln, state elected officials who
leave office would have to wait two years before becoming registered lobbyists.
The bill will be introduced during the upcoming legislative session, which
begins in January.
Read the full article.
— Nate Jenkins, Associated Press, December 12,
2007.
USDA Rural
Development taking grant applications
(Grand Island Independent) — USDA Rural
Development is currently accepting applications until close of business February 15,
2008, for rural business enterprise grants (RBEG). RBEGs are available to public
bodies and non-profits, to facilitate and finance the development of small and
emerging private business enterprises in rural areas. "Rural" is applicable to
those communities and cities up to 50,000 in population. Grants may be used for
technical assistance, for acquisition of land, buildings, infrastructure to
enhance business development and the establishment of small business revolving
loan funds. For more information contact the Kearney Rural Development office,
308/237-3118 ext. 4, or visit the Web site at
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/rbeg.htm.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update,
December 10, 2007.
UNMC study: Many who
need advance care plans don't have them
Advance care planning (ACP) defines patients'
wishes should they be unable to speak for themselves or die. ACP includes a
living will, a power of attorney for health care or life-support instructions.
It is estimated less than one in 10 Americans have completed advance care
planning. Even in the setting of incurable diseases, in which death is
anticipated, planning is relatively rare and occurs in about one-quarter of the
patients.
Researchers from the University of Nebraska
Medical Center (UNMC) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle,
found only half of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation had engaged in
advance care planning.
Read the full article.
Report considers
state impacts if SCHIP reauthorization is delayed
Many states will face funding shortfalls and cuts in children’s coverage if
Congress does not reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP)
soon, according to a new
report by
the National Academy for State Health Policy. Without additional funding for
SCHIP, 21 states will face shortfalls totaling $1.6 billion this fiscal year,
the report notes. Based on NASHP’s discussions with states, failure to
reauthorize the program may result in waiting lists, enrollments caps,
dis-enrollments, and reductions or delays in outreach to enroll eligible
children. In addition, 19 states that provide coverage to children above 250
percent of
poverty and other states that plan to do so are uncertain how to proceed without
a legislative remedy to new federal rules restricting such coverage.
— AHA News Now, December 12, 2007.
Group urges Congress to pass mental health parity this year
More than 180 organizations, including the AHA, urged Congress to pass
a “strong mental health and addiction parity law this year.” In a
letter to House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Mental Health Liaison Group
said Congress is “poised to pass historic full parity legislation if policy
differences can be resolved to produce one bill that is acceptable to both the
Senate and House. We have appreciated your longtime support for this issue.
Please work with committee chairs and parity sponsors to pass strong parity
legislation and send it to the President before the end of this year.”
— AHA News Now, December 11, 2007.
CDC: 42.5 million
adults were uninsured in first half of 2007
An estimated 42.5 million U.S. residents (14.3
percent) were uninsured when interviewed from January to June 2007 for the
National Health Interview Survey, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
reported Monday. An estimated 53.2 million residents (18 percent) had been
uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the interview, and 30.8 million
(10.4 percent) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of the
interview. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics releases quarterly
estimates from the NHIS, which are generally 0.1-0.3 percentage points lower
than the final data.
— AHA News Now, December 10, 2007.
Free lead screening offered at Brodstone
SUPERIOR, Neb. (Superior Express) — Many people remember lead from the periodic table
in chemistry class. It's been in the news a lot recently, not for all of it's
good properties, however, but for its presence in children's toys. The South
Heartland District Health Department and Brodstone Memorial Hospital are
partnering to do lead testing of toys and lead screening of children ages one to
five at the hospital.
Read the full article.
–
Small Town Papers News Service, December 7 ,2007.
Great Plains
achieves general trauma designation
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Great Plains Regional Medical
Center (GPRMC) achieved a general trauma designation October 03, 2007. According
to GPRMC, the champion of the effort was Wanda Cooper, RNC, trauma program
coordinator. Through the support and commitment of the hospital board, CEO,
MedStaff, senior management and frontline staff, GPRMC was able to successfully
meet the criteria for the designation. The program's medical director is
Christopher Seip, M.D. The hospital treats about 500 trauma cases annually, from
comprehensive to basic.
The role of the general trauma center is to provide initial treatment and
stabilization (surgical as appropriate) and/or provide medical and surgical
services to those patients who can be maintained in a stable or improving
condition. General trauma centers are required to have nurses and physicians
in-house 24 hours a day, with surgical personnel who can provide surgical
intervention immediately.
Read
the full GPRMC announcement.
Madonna TherapyPlus offers tips to avoid injuries this winter
Lincoln, Neb. — Lower temperatures mean a rise in the number of reported
injuries due to slips and falls. Be safe this winter with 12 seasonal tips from
Madonna TherapyPlus. With the winter season, it gets dark earlier. Keep your
home well-lit both inside and out. Keep night lights en route from the bedroom
to the bathroom and kitchen. Landscape lights or a motion sensor porch light are
ways of keeping your pathway to the house well lit and accident free.
Click
here to read all the tips provided by Madonna.
AP:
Neb. hospitals compete for free MRI machine
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Five Nebraska hospitals are among hundreds nationwide
competing for a free MRI machine.
The competition sponsored by Siemens Medical Solutions USA asks hospitals to
submit a video showing how the MRI would be beneficial for patients. The videos
are uploaded to the Web site http://www.winanmri.com, where the public can vote
for the best submission.
The hospital that receives the most votes through December 31st will win the
machine.
Nebraska hospitals that are participating are Antelope Memorial Hospital, Brown
County Hospital, Crete Area Medical Center, Providence Medical Center and
Tri-County Hospital.
— Associated Press, December 8, 2007.
Alegent Health
involved in national study to improve health care delivery
OMAHA, Neb. — Intel Corporation and Motion
Computing® recently announced the results from several clinician usability
studies completed by leading medical centers including Alegent Health. The C5
mobile clinical assistant (MCA) is now being used in more than 1,000 hospitals
worldwide, and clinicians are reporting a variety of positive results, including
increased productivity, improved clinician satisfaction, better adherence to
medication administration protocols and decreased latency in recording patient
information. This afternoon Alegent Health CEO Wayne Sensor joined in the Web
cast panel discussion with other key health care leaders regarding the
real-world benefits of the C5 for nurses and clinicians and the technology’s
role in health care reform.
Read
more.
AHRQ releases
patient safety toolkits for providers, patients
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
recently released 17
toolkits to help health care providers and patients prevent medical errors.
Developed through the agency’s Partnerships in Implementing Patient Safety
program, the toolkits focus on identifying high-risk practices and promote
interventions to prevent errors and enhance communication among caregivers and
with patients. Several of the patient toolkits address medication safety.
— AHA News Now, December 10, 2007.
Keeping patients from landing back in the
hospital Hospitals are taking steps to prevent patients
from landing back in the hospital after discharge due to complications that
could have been prevented with better follow-up care. Nearly 18 percent of
Medicare patients admitted to a hospital are readmitted within 30 days of
discharge, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and the trend
accounts for $15 billion in spending.
Read the full
article.
— Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2007.
Employer offered
health insurance at "tipping point" study says
(McClatchy Newspapers) -- The end of
employment-based health insurance isn't in sight yet, but a report released last
week raised the possibility of a "tipping point" that will cause employers to
consider alternatives. The Employee Benefit Research Institute said: "If one
larger employer actually did drop its health benefits, others might follow for
competitive reasons." The report said work-based health insurance benefits,
which are held by most Americans who have health insurance, are still a
competitive tool to attract employees. But between 2000 and 2007, the cost of
providing health benefits has doubled, and the percentage of employers that
provide health benefits — especially small businesses with fewer than 200
employees — has declined slightly. Also, the percentage of employees with
employment-based insurance has fallen slightly since 2000, with 71 percent of
workers now covered.
—Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update,
December 10, 2007.
2008 Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule Audioconference
December 20, 2007
Implementation of an EMR in a Community Hospital Webinar
January 9, 2008
Ensuring Compliance: The 30 Patient Safety Practices for Better Health Care Webinar
January 10, 2008
Chargemaster Pricing, Charge Compression and Devices Webinar
January 15, 2008
Smoke-free
Lobby Day
January 22, 2008 – Lincoln, 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 in Newslink or 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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