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(NRG-Kearney) — U.S. Senator Ben Nelson announced Friday that the Nebraska
Statewide Telehealth Network (NSTN) is no longer in danger of losing federal
funding that was threatened by a bureaucratic rule change proposed by the FCC.
Telehealth networks allow for specialized care in rural areas that might
otherwise be without those services because of their distance from larger
hospitals. The networks operate from hub hospitals via telecommunication
connections. Nebraska's hub hospitals are in Kearney, Grand Island, Fremont and
Norfolk. The hospitals stood to lose federal funding due to a change in the
definition of "rural" made by the FCC in 2004. Senator Nelson sent a letter to
the FCC and received word Thursday that the NSTN had been given a three-year
extension. Click
here to read the announcement from the FCC.
Thousands of Nebraskans are affected by brain injury. The Brain Injury Network
needs your presence and voice on March 4 to increase awareness about brain
injury during National Brain Injury Awareness Month. The event offers: an
opportunity to learn about brain injury legislation, a chance to visit with
senators about needs of Nebraskans who experience brain injury, and discover how
you can increase awareness and expand services. Wear green
and attend the event on March 4, 2008 at the State Capitol Room 1126 (First
Floor), Lincoln, Nebraska. Please r.s.v.p. by February 25. For more
information
click
here, or email Nancy Noha at
nancy.noha@atp.ne.gov or call 888/806-6287.
You've heard of Mutual of Omaha? Blue Cross? Physicians Mutual? United
Healthcare? Humana? Aetna? Another name is headed for broader recognition in the
Midlands' health insurance market: Coventry Health Care. Although Coventry has
provided coverage in Omaha for about 20 years, its footprint widened last year
to about 200,000 Nebraskans, Iowans and South Dakotans when it acquired Mutual
of Omaha's group health insurance business.
Now the Bethesda, Md.-based company is announcing a new regional headquarters to
be built by June 2009 near 156th Street and West Dodge Road. It's a boost to the
city's westward business expansion that has Omaha leaders cooing. David Brown,
president and chief executive of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, said the
new regional headquarters reflects Nebraska's strong insurance environment.
Read the full article.
— Steve Jordon, Omaha World Herald, February 17, 2008.
(Progressive Farmer Magazine) — Progressive Farmer magazine has published its
fourth annual "Best Places to Live in Rural America" report. The magazine's
editors compiled the list of rural counties based on certain criteria, including
home and land prices, crime rates, environment, education, economic factors and
access to health care. A review by the State Chamber of Commerce found nine
Nebraska counties made the magazine's Top 100 list of Midwest counties. Red
Willow County was listed as No. 10, Adams County was ranked as No. 12, and Wayne
County was listed as No. 18. Also making the list were York County (No. 39),
Cuming County (No. 45), Nemaha County (No. 55), Hamilton County (No. 65), Saline
County (No. 71), and Madison County (No. 75). See Progressive Farmer's complete
list of Top 100 Midwest Counties at
http://www.pfbestplaces.com/default.asp?pageAction=Display&Region=Midwest
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, February 19, 2008.
Forty-four states reported
widespread flu activity last week, up from 31 the previous week, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last week. About half of the flu
viruses circulating have not been a good match with this year’s flu vaccine,
meaning the vaccine is likely to be less effective at preventing flu but could
lessen its severity, said CDC branch chief Joe Bresee. While vaccination remains
the best way to prevent flu, antiviral medications can reduce the impact of flu
symptoms and shorten illness, CDC said. Other actions to prevent the spread of
flu include frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home
when sick. Additional details on this year’s flu season can be found in a new
summary report.
— AHA News Now, February 15, 2008.
NEW YORK — Many baby boomers are not going to be able to maintain their standard
of living in retirement, not only because they're not saving enough but also
because they face skyrocketing health care costs. A study being released Tuesday
by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that health care
expenses could take a big bite out of retirees' budgets. The government
currently estimates an individual's costs for Medicare premiums, co-payments and
other cost-sharing at about $3,800 a year for a single person and $7,600 for a
couple. Add to that $500 per person for dental care, eye glasses, hearing aids
and other items not covered by Medicare.
To cover such costs in the decades most baby boomers and Generation Xers will
live after quitting their jobs, an individual needs to go into retirement with
some $102,000 earmarked just for health care coverage, the center estimated. A
couple needs about $206,000.
Read the full article.
— Eileen Alt Powell, Associated Press, February 19, 2008.
From 8 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday at the Nebraska Union, nearly 800
University of Nebraska at Lincoln students will dance non-stop to raise money
for Omaha Children’s Hospital. Last year, the event raised more than $50,000.
During Dance Marathon, students can meet families who have used or are using
services at Children’s Hospital. “Hearing these stories puts my life into
perspective and makes me appreciate all of the blessings I have been given,”
said Emily Kraus, a UNL senior nutrition sciences major and chairwoman of this
year’s Dance Marathon. Anyone interested in donating to the cause or learning
more about Dance Marathon can visit www.unldancemarathon.com. Donations are
being accepted until Friday. This year’s theme is “Shake Your Miracle Maker,”
which organizers hope will energize dancers through the night — caffeine, after
all, isn’t allowed at the event.
— Lincoln Journal Star, February 18, 2008.
WASHINGTON - It's a new way to push for patient safety: Don't pay hospitals for
their errors.
Beginning Oct. 1, Medicare no longer will cover extra-care costs for eight
preventable hospital errors. Nor can hospitals bill the injured patient for
those extra costs.
"Money talks," says Dr. Steven Gordon, infectious disease chief at the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation. "Every hospital CFO, this gets their attention."
Next year, Medicare will add three more errors to the no-pay list;
ventilator-caused pneumonia and drug-resistant staph infections are top
candidates.
Medicare, which insures about 44 million elderly and disabled people, estimates
the move will save the government about $190 million over five years.
Read the
full article.
— Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press, February 18, 2008.
The U.S. Congress needs to pass health care information
technology (IT) legislation before private
companies develop multiple systems that don't talk to each other, according to
members of the Health IT Now Coalition and the Information Technology Industry
Council. The groups urged Congress to move ahead with health IT legislation such
as the Promoting Health Information Technology Act, which would establish a
public/private group to recommend health IT standards and certification and
would budget $163 million a year for healthcare providers to adopt health IT
products.
Read the full article.
—
PC World, February 19, 2008
Behind each occupation category is the percentage of anticipated
category growth.
Spec. Education Teachers: 18.4%
Preschool Teachers: 28.8%
Hotel/Motel Clerks: 29.2%
Highway Workers: 19.3%
Pharmacists: 29.5%
Firefighters: 19.9%
Biomedical Engineers: 32.4%
Meeting Planners: 23.5%
Dental Hygienists: 37.7%
EMT/Paramedics: 23.6%
Computer Software Engineers: 39.8%
Physical Therapists: 27.3%
Home Health Aids: 40.3%
Occupational Therapists: 27.4%
Physician Assistant: 44.7%
Registered Nurses: 27.5%
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor/Reprinted from Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily
Update)
As the acute and ambulatory settings become more intertwined, satisfying
admitting physicians means offering them a view into the hospital enterprise. In
the hospital of today, that means remote access to patient information, anytime,
anywhere for physicians. But can hospitals handle the information technology challenges of this new
paradigm?
For many hospitals, this IT transition to physician mobility begins with the
implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR). “Once you move to an EMR, physicians rely on the
computer for information,” says Ken Lawonn, senior vice president and CIO of
nine-hospital Alegent Health in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa.
But once physicians are computer-reliant, they need to be mobile as well, and
that means implementing a physician information system. “There's no greater
mobile workforce than physicians,” says Lawonn. “And mobility has to extend
beyond the hospital."
Physician information systems can cover a wide range of functions, including
charge capture for more efficient billing.
Read the full article.
— Daphne Lawrence, Healthcare Informatics, February 2008.
Improving Patient Safety and Quality of Care Using CRM Skills
Webinar
February 28, 2008
Memorial Health Care Systems "Getting to the Heart of the Matter" Lunch and
Learn
February 29, 2008 – Seward, NE
2008
Brain Injury Awareness Day
March 4, 2008 – State Capitol Room 1126, Lincoln, NE
Making the Transition to Management Webinar
March 4, 2008
NHA Advocacy Day
March 5, 2008 – Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, Lincoln, 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
Joan Burney will serve as the keynote speaker at the awards
banquet of the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership’s (NHPCP) Annual
“Living a Good Life…at the End of Life” Conference. The public is invited to
attend the banquet portion of the conference, scheduled for April 2, 6:30-8:30
p.m., at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln.
The banquet cost of $50 includes a meal, an awards presentation, and Burney’s
appearance. Register for the banquet online at www.nehospice.org or call
402/477-0204.
Burney is a counselor, an award winning columnist, public speaker and author. In
the early 1980s, she wrote columns about hospice that appeared in several
Nebraska newspapers. She also played a role in the development of the Nebraska
Hospice Association, which is now known as the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative
Care Partnership and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Memorial Health Care Systems Annual Health Fair, Seward, NE
April 2, 2008
Rebuilding
Lives in Nebraska: 2nd Annual Brain Injury Conference
April 24 - 25, 2008 – Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, 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. 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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