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The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) brings together America’s
pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy
organizations and community groups to help qualified patients who lack
prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private
program that’s right for them. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient
assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible.
A traveling PPA tour bus, called the “Help is Here Express,” will be
partnering with several Nebraska hospitals and community organizations when it
visits 10 communities across the state beginning March 24. The tour is
designed to assist Nebraskans who lack prescription drug coverage in finding
free and reduced cost medications. “When people do not get the medications they
need, their health is at risk. Many times these individuals seek costly care
from Nebraska’s hospital emergency departments,” said NHA President Laura J.
Redoutey, FACHE. “The Partnership for Prescription Assistance tour plays an
important role in helping to reduce health care costs by assisting consumers in
obtaining the prescriptions they depend on to live a full, healthy life.”
Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers access to more than 475 public
and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs
offered by pharmaceutical companies.
For more information about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance visit
https://www.pparx.org. For questions about the bus tour, contact Nate Prouty,
PPA Public Affairs Company, at 612/741-6377 or nprouty@pubaffairsco.com.
To see the full tour
schedule, click here.
The Lincoln Journal Star (LJS) would like to recognize hard-working
nurses who have made a difference in the lives of Nebraskans. Whether you're a
current or former patient, a family touched by a nurse who went above and beyond
the call of duty, or a co-worker, honor them with your nomination. Simply
complete the online
form and explain why they deserve the honor. Or, mail your submission to:
Best Nurses, Lincoln Journal Star, 926 P St., Lincoln, NE 68508. Submissions
are due by Wednesday, April 2nd.
The winner and the top nine runners-up will be featured, along with their story and
photo, in the "Best Nurses in Nebraska" section on Tuesday, May 6th. The
remaining list of nominees will also be included, along with the name of the
person who nominated them. Don't miss this opportunity to honor the nurse that
made a difference.
Submit your nomination today!
Attorney General Jon Bruning on Thursday said Nebraska has received $3.5 million
as part of two separate global settlements with drug company Merck. The
agreements with Merck resolve allegations of the company failing to pay rebates
because of state Medicaid Programs under the Federal Medicaid drug rebate law.
The settlements involved 49 states, the District of Columbia and the federal
government, and totaled $649 million.
Most of Nebraska’s settlement will go to the Department of Health and Human
Services, which runs the state’s Medicaid program. “This is a big recovery,"
Bruning said. "We’re pleased to have recovered $3.5 million for Nebraska’s
taxpayers." Merck manufactures the drugs Zocor, Vioxx and Pepcid.
Read more.
— Lincoln Journal Star, March 13, 2008.
LINCOLN, Neb.— The Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership (NHPCP),
announces continuous growth in hospice admissions since 2001. NHPCP’s members,
who represent nearly all of Nebraska’s hospices, reported 5,811 hospice
admissions in Nebraska in 2007 – up nearly 60 percent from 2001. This increased
figure indicates that 45 percent of dying Nebraskans utilized the team-based,
patient centered services of hospice last year.
Read
the full news release.
Central Community College (CCC), in partnership with Southeast Community College
(SCC), has been awarded more than $2.1 million in grant money from the U.S.
Department of Labor. CCC and its partners will use the funds from the
President's Community-based Job Training Grants Initiative to prepare students
for health care careers.
The Healthcare Synergy project will focus on occupational therapy assistants,
physical therapy assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses,
dental assistants and medical assistants. Currently, there is no occupational
therapy assistant program in Nebraska. CCC will work with the Nebraska
Postsecondary Coordinating Commission to develop the new program. "This
grant opens many educational opportunities for central and southeast Nebraskans
in high-growth careers in health care," said Deborah Brennan, dean of health
occupations at CCC and co-principal investigator for the grant. "Our partners
need to be recognized for their support in the grant and their participation in
the activities over the next three years."
Partners in addition to SCC include members of CCC's Health Care Task Force,
including Greater Lincoln and Greater Nebraska Workforce Investment System
One-stop Career Centers and St. Francis Medical Center. The Healthcare Synergy
project will focus on developing new occupational and physical therapy assistant
programs, teaching ninth- through 12th-grade early-college medical terminology
and limited English proficiency health care classes.
Read more.
.
Hospitals planning to participate in Cover the Uninsured Week April 27 to May
3 can visit the campaign’s online
Event Planning Center to register as an event planner. The first 500
planners who register their events will receive a free promotional banner.
Participants also can order free bookmarks, lapel stickers and other materials
to promote their events, or download a
fact sheet to help educate community leaders about the uninsured. The AHA is
a national partner in the annual campaign, led by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, to raise awareness about the 47 million Americans without health
insurance and help those who are eligible enroll in low-cost or free health
coverage programs.
— AHA News Now, March 18, 2008.
Consumers for
Competitive Choice announced strong support for a ban on self-referral to
physician-owned hospitals, as included in the House-passed mental health parity
bill (H.R. 1424). "Few issues are as pressing as the need to prohibit the
practice of physician self-referral, which presents an inherit conflict of
interest whereby doctors are selecting the most profitable patients for
treatment in hospitals they hold ownership in," said Robert Johnson, president
of the consumer alliance. "America's free market health care system works
because it encourages competition in terms of cost, efficiency and quality. But
it cannot work if certain competitors control the flow of patients and are not
subject to the same standards as others."
— AHA News Now, March 14, 2008.
More than 7.1 million U.S. children were enrolled in the State Children’s
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at some point in fiscal year 2007, according to
data released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
That’s 5.9 percent or 399,600 more children than in FY 2006, the agency said.
The 2007 national and state enrollment data can be found
online.
— AHA News Now, March 12, 2008.
KEARNEY, Neb.— The Super Colon, an eight-foot tall, 20-foot long replica of a
human colon, is headed to Good Samaritan Hospital’s West Tower, March 28, 2008
in Kearney. The Super Colon is an incredible, inflatable, interactive colon that
teaches people about the risks, symptoms, prevention, early detection and
treatment options for colorectal cancer. As visitors walk through the Super
Colon, they get a close-up look at healthy tissue, as well as tissue with
various stages of colorectal cancer.
The public is invited to tour the colon any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on
March 28. In addition to walking through the Super Colon, attendees will be able
to pick up a colorectal cancer screening kit and learn cancer prevention tips.
Staff from Good Samaritan Hospital’s Healthy Living Center will lead a 15-minute
demonstration of T’ai Chi at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and yoga at 1:30 and
3:30. Read more.
KEARNEY, Neb.—Women who have been treated for breast cancer have the opportunity
to take part in a 12-week holistic rehabilitation program designed to help them
regain their physical, emotional and spiritual health. The program is offered
through Good Samaritan Hospital. The program, entitled A Time to Heal,
has already made a positive difference in the well being of breast cancer
survivors in the initial groups conducted in Omaha. Much like cardiac
rehabilitation for people who have had a heart attack, this program aids in
recovery for women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer.
Small groups meet once a week for 12 weeks to receive and discuss information
related to nutrition, regaining strength, coping, relationships, femininity,
happiness and more. They learn and practice relaxation, journaling and
gentle exercise techniques. Expert presenters will address these vital issues
and more in the weekly sessions. Participants receive a Participant’s Workbook
and will be asked to complete a questionnaire prior to participation. This
program is funded through the Susan G. Komen Foundation and is free to
participants.
For more information on the program, go to www.MyTimetoHeal.org, or to
participate, contact Marcia Stephens, 308/865-7883 or 800/277-4306.
LINCOLN, Neb. — A quick trip for a soda turned into a long road to recovery for
27-year-old Nick Dorcey of Hubbard, Neb. On Dec. 29, 2007, Dorcey was traveling
on a paved county road to the local convenience store when he lost control of
his pickup. The next thing he recalls is talking to his neighbor, a former EMT,
who came upon the accident scene and called 911.
Dorcey was stabilized at South Sioux City Mercy Medical Center and transported
via ambulance to Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) in Omaha. Along with
a concussion, Dorcey sustained a broken pelvis and left arm, and damage to both
legs. The skin on Dorcey’s right arm was “degloved” or torn away from the
underlying tissue, severing its blood supply and requiring multiple skin grafts.
Dr. Marcus Balters, a vascular surgeon at CUMC, transplanted a healthy vein from
Dorcey’s right leg to his damaged right arm. “I have a great respect for Dr.
Balters in that he was able to save my arm,” Dorcey stated.
Read more.
COLUMBUS, Neb. – The state’s hospice association, the Nebraska Hospice and
Palliative Care Partnership (NHPCP), will honor Lisa Weber-Kohler, MSW, of
Columbus at its annual banquet in Lincoln on April 2. Weber-Kohler is a social
worker with Hospice of Columbus Community Hospital. She will receive the 2008
Shining Star Award, recognizing her contributions in increasing awareness of
quality end-of-life care. Nominees for the award have illustrated outstanding
leadership in the promotion of end-of-life services, raised awareness of or
educated others on end-of-life issues, developed a new program, or developed or
completed outstanding work in an end-of-life coalition.
Also being recognized at the event is Lucy Wacha of Columbus. Wacha received
recognition as an “Outstanding Nebraska Hospice Volunteer” for her work at
Hospice of Columbus Community Hospital.
Read
more.
— Columbus Community Hospital news release, March 20, 2008.
Small changes in intensive care unit routines at Lincoln hospitals have quietly
saved lives and small fortunes. The intensive care unit at Saint Elizabeth
Regional Medical Center recently marked its 700th straight day without a case of
ventilator-associated pneumonia, known as VAP in hospital jargon. VAPs kill about 30 percent to 40 percent of cases, said intensivist Ellen Miller. (An
intensivist is a physician specially trained to care for the critically ill.)
VAPs also add six to 10 days to hospital stays — and between $40,000 and
$100,000 in costs. Miller’s physician group serves both Saint Elizabeth and
BryanLGH Medical Center East. A similar group serves BryanLGH West. The methods
saving lives and money at Saint Elizabeth, she said, have become the standard of
care at all of Lincoln’s general hospitals.
After VAPs, the main infection risk comes from central lines, fatal in nearly 20
percent of cases. Infections in a central line can increase hospital stays by
three to eight days and increase costs by $15,000 to $40,000. Central lines are
used when there’s a need to deliver lots of fluids and medications. Not long
ago, and not just in Lincoln, an occasional infection of either type was the
norm, believed to be an unavoidable hazard of hospital care.
It still is in some places. Not here, Miller said.
Read the full article.
— Mark Andersen, Lincoln Journal Star, March 11, 2008.
Reps. John Dingell (D-MI) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) recently introduced H.R.
5613, AHA-backed legislation that would prevent the administration from
implementing seven Medicaid regulations before April 2009. Expected to cut
Medicaid funding by nearly $20 billion over five years, the rules affect
payments for safety net providers, hospital clinic services, rehabilitation
services, graduate medical education and case management services, as well as
state provider tax laws and appeals filed through the Department of Health and
Human Services. “The restrictions the Administration is imposing on Medicaid are
harmful and will undoubtedly put the health of thousands of our most vulnerable
children at unnecessary, indefensible risk," Dingell said. Congressional
moratoria previously imposed on some of the regulations are set to expire this
May 25.
— AHA News Now, March 14, 2008.
York General Health Care Services is committed to assisting individuals who are
interested in completing educational programs leading to a career in a health
care field. York General Health Care Services, together with the generosity of
two private contributors; the families of Allegra Johnson and David F. Demuth,
MD, have established an endowed scholarship program for this purpose. A
minimum of six scholarships will be awarded annually.
The first of the two types of scholarships is a general scholarship intended to
provide education dollars for employees or community citizens who desire to
complete certification or degree programs in health care fields. A total of five of
the six scholarships awarded will be of this type. The second type of scholarship,
the David F. Demuth, MD Advanced Studies Scholarship is designed for individuals
enrolled/accepted into an advance studies healthcare program. The applicants
must have completed their undergraduate work and be enrolled/accepted into an
advanced studies healthcare program. Application materials are available at area
high schools, colleges, and the reception desks and human resource departments
at York General Hospital and York General Hearthstone. Application materials
must be returned no later than March 31, 2008 to the Human Resource Department
at York General Hospital, 2222 Lincoln Avenue, York, NE 68467.
Click here
for more.
Nurses working with support service groups value communication, team work and
timely response, among other key qualities, according to a
survey presented this week at the American College of Healthcare Executives’
Congress on Healthcare Leadership. The study by the American Organization of
Nurse Executives’ (AONE) Institute for Patient Care Research & Education,
ARAMARK Healthcare and Studer Group examined nurse perceptions of hospital
support service functions, such as food service, facilities management, patient
transport, laundry, materials management and security. AONE CEO Pamela Thompson
said the research “provides a fact-based benchmark for improving nurse and
support service relationships.” AONE is an AHA subsidiary.
— AHA News Now, March 14, 2008.
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
National Healthcare Decisions Day
April 16, 2008
Elderfest '08 sponsored by Providence Medical Center
April 17, 2008 – Wayne City Auditorium, Wayne, NE
Rebuilding
Lives in Nebraska: 2nd Annual Brain Injury Conference
April 24 - 25, 2008 – Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, NE
Nebraska Association of Medical Staff Services
(NeAMSS) 2008 Education Conference
April 25, 2008 – Georgetown Club, 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 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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