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Nebraska’s hospitals reported nearly $697 million in community benefits in FY
2006, according the 2007 Nebraska Hospitals Community Benefits
Report recently released by the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA). Despite economic hardships, declining reimbursement and increasing costs,
the
contributions totaled over $56 million MORE than reported in the previous year.
These community benefits include traditional charity care, unpaid costs of
public programs, non-billed community services, research, medical education,
subsidized health services, and cash/in-kind donations.
Additionally, $166.6 million in bad debt was incurred by reporting hospitals
in FY 2006, and is included in the report as a substantial contribution to the
public. Hospitals shoulder the burden of bad debt when patients are unable or
unwilling to pay their bills and decline to apply for charity care. In
accordance with their missions, hospitals provide services regardless of an
individual’s ability or willingness to pay.
In total, Nebraska hospitals provided $863 million in unpaid community
services in FY 2006. These figures illustrate that Nebraska hospitals are
committed to caring and providing health care services to everyone who enters
their doors, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nebraska hospitals serve not only as
high quality health care providers, but also as substantial economic drivers in
their communities. Hospitals are frequently among the largest employers in their
communities and help support a variety of affiliate businesses. According to 2002 data, health care is a $7.5 billion industry that employs
more than 100,000 workers in the state.
2007 Nebraska Hospitals Community Benefits Report
A copy of the 2007 Nebraska
Hospitals Community Benefits Report is available on the
NHA Web site at
http://www.nhanet.org/pdf/publications/com_ben_rpt.pdf.
— Christy Rasmussen, director of communications, January
30, 2008.
 Mike
Johanns, Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, visited with
the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) board of directors on January 24 in
Lincoln, Neb. Johanns, candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen.
Chuck Hagel, shared his goals for health care and heard concerns of NHA board
members.
Dialogue included Secretary Johanns’ views of health care; the nation’s
prevalence of obesity; non-profit statuses of community hospitals;
physician-owned specialty hospitals; insurance provider practices and
health care transparency.
Johanns began with discussion of his exposure to health care topics during
his service as Lincoln city mayor when Lincoln General Hospital (now BryanLGH
Medical Center) was transitioning through a politically charged merger. Johanns
indicated that he will focus on developing a working knowledge of Nebraska’s
health care sector. One thing he says he knows for certain Nebraskans, “People
are satisfied with their quality of health care. They truly believe they are
getting good quality care,” said Johanns.
Johanns narrated how much of his previous administrative focus has been on
foreign policy; however, he worked as U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary to promote
healthier lifestyles among Americans. These initiatives included expanding the
current food guide pyramid to encourage physical activity; securing trade
agreements for reasonably priced fruits and vegetables; and allocating funds for
food stamp programs, school lunches and the women, infants and children (WIC)
programs.
Read more
and view photos from Secretary Johanns' visit.
— Christy Rasmussen, director of communications, January
30, 2008.
The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) is developing the 2008-09 Health Care Resource Directory and would appreciate your participation as an advertiser. When you advertise in NHA publications, your message is seen by hospital administrators, physicians, nurses,
key hospital staff, trustees, state and federal legislators, health care affiliates and allied groups throughout Nebraska.
The directory will not only contain a complete listing of all Nebraska hospitals and health systems and key hospital contacts, but also a variety of useful data, reports and reference information.
The NHA Health Care Resource Directory will be used every day, all year by the people you want to reach. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for long-lasting visibility. The deadline for advertising is quickly approaching to meet our March 2008 delivery date. Please reply to NHA by
February 8, 2008. For more information, or to advertise in the Resource
Directory, contact Heather Bullock, marketing and events coordinator, at
402/742-8148 or hbullock@nhanet.org.
Nebraska’s level of flu activity has gone up a notch, and state health
officials are saying that people should get flu shots and take precautions.
The state’s level of flu activity reported to the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) went from “sporadic” to “regional” because two or more
regions in the state are reporting significant numbers of flu cases, while the
rest of the state is experiencing flu here and there, according to the state’s
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joann Schaefer of the Nebraska Department of Health
and Human Services Division of Public Health.
Read more.
— North Platte Bulletin, January 24, 2008.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Dentistry plans to provide
$100,000 in services to needy children at its 13th annual Children’s Dental Day
on Friday, Feb. 1. The college is located at 40th and Holdrege streets in
Lincoln.
Two hundred children from seven Nebraska communities are expected to attend with
the first bus arriving at 8 a.m. and the last bus leaving at 3 p.m. The children
are from Lexington, Grand Island, Hastings, Madison, Columbus, Norfolk and
Lincoln.
Services provided at this one-day event include cleanings, fluoride treatments,
sealants, cavity fillings, education and emergency care as needed.
Read
more.
A new
report from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates diabetes cost the
nation $174 billion in 2007. The estimate includes $116 billion in excess
medical expenditures and $58 billion in reduced national productivity, according
to the report by the Lewin Group. Medical costs attributed to diabetes include
$27 billion for care to directly treat diabetes, $58 billion to treat chronic
complications attributed to diabetes and $31 billion in excess general medical
costs. Hospital inpatient care accounted for half of the estimated medical
expenditures. On average, medical expenditures are more than twice as much for
patients with diabetes, the study estimates. As of 2007, 17.5 million U.S.
residents have been diagnosed with diabetes, the study estimates, up from 12.1
million in 2002.
— AHA News Now, January 25, 2008.
Asked their views on the 2008 presidential candidates’ health care reform
proposals, health care leaders
surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund favored plans that build on the nation’s
current mixed system of public and private group insurance. Eight in 10
respondents favored requiring all individuals to obtain health coverage, with
premium assistance available for low- and moderate-income Americans. Seven in 10
supported requiring employers to offer coverage to employees or to pay a
percentage of the company’s payroll to help finance expanded coverage. About the
same proportion called for the next president to simultaneously pursue universal
coverage with policies to improve quality, efficiency and reduce cost. The
respondents, surveyed last month, included experts from academia and research,
health care delivery, business and insurance, and government and advocacy
groups.
— AHA News Now, January 28, 2008.
The
Foster G.
McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations (hospitals, health systems,
integrated networks or self-defined partnerships) that have demonstrated
exceptional commitment to community service. Any health delivery organization
that exhibits leadership, commitment, partnerships, breadth and depth of
initiatives and community involvement is eligible to apply for the significant
honor. Applications must be received no later than April 4, 2008.
Click here for more information.
OMAHA, Neb. — Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) announced that it has received
three United Premium® Specialty Center designations for 2007 to 2009. These
designations mean that the hospital has met rigorous quality criteria based on
nationally recognized medical standards and expert advice.
CUMC received the following designations:
Cardiovascular Surgery, Electrophysiology and Interventional Cardiology.
“We are pleased that our hospital has been recognized by UnitedHealthcare for
the high quality care that we provide,” said Linda Ollis, chief executive
officer of Creighton University Medical Center. “Our physicians and staff work
very hard to provide quality patient care, and these designations are evidence
of the high standard of care we deliver every day.”
NORFOLK, Neb. — For those who have lost someone close to them or
are trying to cope with grief, Faith Regional Health Services is offering "Bereavement
Support." The support group will provide a safe place for individuals to process grief, receive support from others who have
experienced loss, and learn ways to effectively cope with grief.
The seven-week series will be held on Thursday evenings, beginning March 27
through May 8, at 7:00 p.m. Registration is required by March 14. There is no
cost. Group size is limited. Bereavement Support will meet in the Sandhills Room
at Faith Regional's East Campus, located at 1500 Koenigstein Ave, Norfolk.
For more information, call Faith Regional
Spiritual Care Department at 402/644-7559.
Last week the U.S. Government announced the 2008 federal poverty level (FPL)
guidelines, up slightly from 2007. The 2008 FPL for a family of four is $21,200
as compared to $20,650 in 2007.
Click here to read more.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a 90-minute
teleconference Feb. 6 on the status of Medicare’s implementation of the National
Provider Identifier (NPI) standard. The
NPI Roundtable teleconference will include a
question-and-answer session. Participants must register
online, indicating their time zone, to reserve a phone line. Effective Jan.
1, hospitals and other health care providers must use an NPI when billing
Medicare fiscal intermediaries and administrative contractors or their claims
will be returned as "unprocessable."
— AHA News Now, January 30, 2008.
1) FDA recalls contaminated syringes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) Friday
announced a nationwide recall of heparin and saline flush syringes made by
AM2 PAT Inc. FDA said two lots of the pre-filled syringes have been found to be
contaminated with Serratia marcescens, a bacterium that can cause
serious injury or death. Some patients exposed to the recalled syringes have
developed blood infections, FDA said. The agency advised health care facilities
and consumers that have the recalled syringes to stop using them immediately.
Health care facilities should immediately quarantine the products in their
inventory and return them to the distributor. Consumers should return them to
wherever they got them, and let their health care providers know that they have
been exposed to syringes recalled by FDA. Any adverse reactions to the products
should be reported to FDA’s
MedWatch Program. For more information about this recall, follow this link.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01785.html
2) Baxter recalls Heparin vials
Baxter Healthcare
Corp. has voluntarily
recalled certain multi-dose vials of heparin, saying an increase in reports
of adverse patient reactions may be associated with the injectable blood thinner
product. The 1,000 units/mL multi-dose vials are primarily used for hemodialysis
and cardiac invasive procedures. The company is investigating the cause of the
“allergic-type reactions,” which include stomach pain, nausea, decreased blood
pressure, chest pain, fast heart rate, faintness and shortness of breath.
Customers have been instructed to discontinue use and segregate the recalled
product from the rest of their inventory, then contact Baxter to arrange for
product return and replacement. For more information about this recall, follow
this link.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/baxter01_08.html
— AHA News Now, January 28 and 29, 2008.
Eighteen high school juniors and seniors from throughout Nebraska
participated in the 2007 Summer Health Professions Career Workshop at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
Applications come from across the state and 18 students were selected to
learn about health sciences and the health careers that are available to
them.
“We particularly like to show the students areas of the hospital and
discuss health professions that may not be available in their home towns,
such as hyperbaric medicine and organ donation,” said Lisa Jewell, director
of the UNMC Youth Learning Center.
The 2008 summer workshop will run from July
29 - August 1. Applications
will be sent to school counselors in mid-March. Completed applications are
due back to UNMC by June 2. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance
by the end of June.
Read
more about this program, or for further information, contact Lisa Jewell at
402/559-6357.
Howard County Community Hospital and Medical Clinic Open
House and Dedication
February 3, 2008 – Saint Paul, NE
For more information call 308/754-4421.
What Women Want: How to Fill Your OB Beds Webinar
February 5, 2008
Memorial Health Care Systems "Getting to the Heart of the Matter" Lunch and
Learn
February 29, 2008 – Seward, NE
Center for Biopreparedness Education Hospital Incident Command Center Instructor
Training
March 6-7, 2008 – Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE
Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership “Living a Good Life...at the
End of Life” Annual Conference
April 1-3, 2008 – Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE
Memorial Health Care Systems Annual Health Fair, Seward, NE
April 2, 2008
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. Send news items to Christy Rasmussen, director of
communications, at crasmussen@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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