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LINCOLN — The first physician in almost 50 years in the Legislature gets
ready for the end of his run. Senator Joel Johnson of Kearney spent the last six
years at the state capitol, but will now hang it up because of term limits.
Senator Johnson said he learned what good people there are working to improve
Nebraska throughout the state capitol, and enjoyed working with all of them.
Six years ago, former surgeon Joel Johnson takes over for the current
Chancellor at UNK, Doug Kristensen. As his term comes to a close, he calls the
reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services as one of the
significant changes. "In the last nine months or so it's been in existence it
seems to be off to a very good and functional start," Senator Johnson explained.
But Nebraskans may remember him most for introducing the statewide smoking
ban. "There no longer is any question that second hand smoke is harmful. It's
been shown in study after study, and so this is a step where it will improve the
health of all Nebraskans," Johnson described. "When you consider the impact of
Medicaid and Medicare and federal budgets, it's great to have Joel Johnson in
the Legislature," said Dr. Ron Scott. "He brought forth a lot of public health
measures that were probably overdue."
Now, he hopes to relax and get back on the golf course soon hoping the
Legislature will take on the challenges ahead with an optimistic outlook.
"We have to really look ahead for the state of Nebraska, and change will
occur and we have to look forward to that change," Johnson concluded. Senator
Johnson says he still has a few things to work on before he leaves office for
good. One major issue is the shortage of mental health workers in non-metro
areas of Nebraska.
— Nebraska TV, May 5, 2008
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s and
Men’s Health, and the Walking Works Program of Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Nebraska are collaborating on a project to encourage men and their families to
walk.
In observance of Men’s Health Week (June 9-15), a free Father’s Day gift
packet is available from the Office of Women’s and Men’s Health. The packet
includes a Father’s Day card that encourages walking, a pedometer (for the first
250 persons), a walking log and a health tracker wallet card.
Gift packets may be ordered individually or in bulk quantities, but the
number of pedometers sent to each organization are limited to a count of 25. If
you order in a bulk quantity, please give a one or two sentence description of
how you plan to distribute them in your community. To order, please send an
e-mail with name, address (including zip code), and quantity desired to
officeofwomenshealth@dhhs.ne.gov or call (877) 257-0073. Deadline for orders is
June 2.
OMAHA — Five faculty members at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were
honored last week with awards for their exceptional teaching, mentoring and
community service. The faculty received their awards at the Annual Faculty
Meeting recently at the Durham Research Center on the main UNMC campus in Omaha.
The awardees included:
Outstanding Teacher Awards – Janet Cuddigan, Ph.D., College of Nursing;
Carol Lomneth, Ph.D., College of Medicine; J. Scott Neumeister, M.D., College of
Medicine; Outstanding Mentor of Graduate Students Award - Joyce Solheim, Ph.D.,
Eppley Institute; Community Service Award – Linda Sather, Ed.D., College of Nursing.
Click here
to read the full article.
— University of Nebraska Medical Center, news release, May 5, 2008
LINCOLN – June 6, 2008, marks 25 years of the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative
Care Partnership (NHPCP) serving as the state’s hospice association. NHPCP is a
non-profit 501(c)3 organization whose members include Nebraska hospice
providers, community end-of-life coalitions and other health and elder-care
organizations. Through professional education, community engagement, advocacy,
research and quality improvement, NHPCP works to increase hospice utilization so
that more Nebraskans receive the supportive care of hospice at the end of life.
Last year, hospice use in Nebraska continued its steady increase with nearly
5,900 admissions. “There are many ways that Nebraskans can get involved in the
work of hospice. They can become a volunteer with their local hospice, make
their end-of-life wishes known by completing an advance directive and write
legislators expressing their support of hospice,” said Patricia Snyder,
executive director of NHPCP.
In recognition of NHPCP’s anniversary, "The History of Hospice in Nebraska" has
been released for purchase. The 33-page booklet can be ordered for $5 by
emailing info@nehospice.org or calling 402/477-0204. The Nebraska Office of
Rural Health, Alegent Health Hospice, Hospice of Tabitha, and Hospice and Home
Healthcare of Saunders County provided support for the publication. Find a
hospice in your area at nehospice.org
— Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership, news release, May 2, 2008
Regulatory cuts to Medicaid slated to take effect May 26 could close trauma
centers, curtail emergency services and seriously erode hospitals’ ability to
respond to a disaster, hospital witnesses said during a House Oversight &
Government Reform Committee hearing. The regulations would cut more than $5
billion from public safety-net and teaching hospitals unless Congress extends a
moratorium blocking the rules. Roger Lewis, M.D., head of Torrance, CA-based
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s emergency medicine department, told the committee,
“The proposed Medicaid regulations will directly result in further reductions in
hospitals’ emergency department capacity and specifically targets the trauma
centers, the teaching hospitals and the public institutions whose surge capacity
we must maintain if they are to function in a time of disaster.” Jay Wayne
Meredith, M.D., chairman of the medical center’s department of general surgery,
said the trauma center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in
Winston-Salem, NC, “will go under” if the rules take effect. “We beg you to stop
the Medicaid cuts and enact H.R. 5613,” said Meredith, referring to
House-passed, AHA-backed legislation that would delay the rules until April
2009.
— AHA News Now, May 5, 2008
LINCOLN — Nancy Anderson, RN, BSN in the Burn Unit at Saint Elizabeth
Regional Medical Center, has been named the "Best Nurse in Nebraska."
"Nancy would never complain when the work load became tough, understaffed on
a busy night, Nancy would just do what had to be done. All the while not
sacrificing quality time spent with the patient. Nancy is an avid educator and
produced and taught many good training topics, although her best training came
from those lucky enough to be able to watch and learn. Despite her great
clinical knowledge, Nancy has a gift for reading the people she is responsible
for. She could anticipate the direction in which her patient's condition would
follow... Nancy has always taken on extra duties, not for more pay, but for
pride in the job. ... A great nurse, true patient advocate and an instant member
of anyone’s family. Someone who I know is the BEST NURSE in NEBRASKA!" Click
here to read the full
article.
— Lincoln Journal Star, May 6, 2008
HOLDREGE — The grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Phelps Medical Plaza, 516 West
14th Ave., Holdrege, was held Saturday, April 19. Several from the community
attended to see the new building, hear from the presenters and join with others
for tours of the facility.
Congressman Adrian Smith was the guest speaker for the opening. The community
also heard updates on the building from Michele High, president of the Phelps
Memorial Health Center (PMHC) Board of Directors. Mark Harrel, PMHC CEO, introduced the
building committee and Dr. Bill Sandy represented the PMHC medical staff.
The Phelps Medical Plaza opened for patient care on Monday, Feb. 25, with the
moves of Family Medical Specialties and Holdrege Pharmacy from their downtown
locations. Click
here
to read more.
— Phelps Memorial Health Center, news release, May 1, 2008
HASTINGS — About a year ago, Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital announced the purchase of a
patient simulator, Meti Man. Over the course of the year while fundraising
continued, organizers of the effort decided to shoot for something even more
lifelike and realistic — iStan. This amazing, human-like model talks, breathes
and even sweats. His skin looks and feels like real skin, complete with veins,
wrinkles and creases in the hands and feet. He responds to the actions of the
nursing professional, logging where he is touched so nurses can make sure they
are hitting the right landmarks. He can be programmed to simulate many
patient-care situations, including heart attacks!
Mary Lanning is pleased to announce that the iStan model has arrived. MLMH —
the first hospital in the Midwest to use iStan in the hospital setting — would
like to showcase and demonstrate iStan model and show how it enhances nurse
training. Click
here
to read more.
— Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, news release, May 1, 2008
LINCOLN – The American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA)
has honored Marsha Lommel, President and CEO of Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital,
with the 2008 INDE Award. The national award was created to honor those who have
made significant contributions and who have had a direct positive impact on the
medical rehabilitation field and/or the persons served by the field, through
medical, clinical, scientific, management, policy, leadership or advocacy roles.
Click
here
to read the full article.
— Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, news release, May 2, 2008
SCOTTSBLUFF – Regional West Medical Center (RWMC) is now taking orders for
its “Sharing Our Best” employee cookbook. The cookbook, which includes more than
750 recipes submitted by employees, is available by pre-sale only and may be
purchased in the Gift Shop at Regional West Medical Center.
The cookbooks, expected to arrive July 24, are professionally bound and will
have a soft cover. The cost per cookbook is $10 plus tax for a total of $10.70.
Cash, checks and major credit cards are accepted. The cookbooks must be pre-paid
for at the time of the order. The deadline to order is June 6.
For more information or to place an order by phone using a credit card, call
the RWMC Gift Shop at (308) 630-1358.
— Regional West Medical Center, news release, May 2, 2008
Paul
Dent, CEO & Founder of HirEase, Inc. has signed an agreement to partner with the
Nebraska Hospital Association Services, Inc. to provide employment applicant
processing, screening and related services for NHA member hospitals.
HirEase,
Inc. has been providing employment services for NHA member hospitals for several
years and the NHA is extremely pleased HirEase, Inc. is now able to offer their
services in conjunction with NHA Services, Inc.
Click
here
for more information.
American Hospital Association (AHA)-backed legislation introduced last week
by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) would set aside 20,000 employment-based visas in
each of the next three years for foreign-educated registered nurses and physical
therapists. The bill (H.R. 5924) also would provide funds to help U.S. nursing
schools expand the domestic supply of nurses, and establish a three-year pilot
program aimed at keeping U.S. nurses in the workforce. The U.S. has a waiting
list for employment-based visas for internationally-educated nurses, and its
nurse education programs turned away more than 150,000 qualified applicants last
year due to lack of faculty and clinical space.
— AHA News Now, May 5, 2008
Long-term care hospitals would receive a $110 million payment increase in the
rate year that begins in July under a
final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS).
That's a 2.5 percent net increase over reimbursements for this rate year and would
bring total LTCH payments to $4.47 billion, CMS said. The net increase reflects
a 3.6 percent market basket update, which is a slight increase from the proposed 3.5
percent
rate, as well as a 0.9 percent coding reduction and other policy changes. The final
rule provides a 2009 standard rate of $39,114.36 for discharges through Sept.
30, 2009, a 15-month period that will allow the LTCH payment system to return to
a fiscal year calendar. This standard rate is based on the base rate for 2008
rather than 2007, an improvement advocated by AHA in its comments on the
proposed rule. The final rule also increases the fixed-loss amount for high-cost
outlier cases to $21,199. The agency implemented the LTCH provisions of the 2007
Medicare Extension Act in a separate interim final rule issued May 1. LTCHs have
an average Medicare inpatient length of stay greater than 25 days.
— AHA News Now, May 2, 2008
OMAHA — Hospitals nationwide are placing a renewed emphasis on safety and The
Nebraska Medical Center is at the forefront of this movement.
The Nebraska Medical Center has joined an elite number of hospitals across the
country that are training their staff with the same proven communication tools
and safety processes adopted by the aviation industry over the last 25 years.
Called Crew Resource Management (CRM), hospitals expect that these processes,
which have been attributed to helping reduce flight accidents and transform the
aviation industry into one of the safest in the world, will do the same for the
health care industry. Click
here to read
more.
— The Nebraska Medical Center, health news article reprint, February 2006
Employment at the nation's hospitals rose 0.20 percent in April to a
seasonally adjusted 4,613,700 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
That's 9,400 more than in March and 125,300 more than a year ago. Without the
seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of fluctuations due to seasonal
events, hospitals employed 4,600,900 people in April — 6,200 more than in March
and 125,800 more than a year ago. The nation's overall unemployment rate
declined by one-tenth of a percentage point in April to 5 percent.
— AHA News Now, May 2, 2008
First-year enrollment in U.S. medical schools is projected to grow 21 percent
by 2012 to 19,900 students, according to estimates released by the Association
of American Medical Colleges. More than 86 percent of schools have expanded the
number of first-year students or plan to within five years, the association
said. In addition, nine new medical schools are under development or discussion,
which would add almost 800 students in academic year 2012-13. “This projected
enrollment increase will help alleviate a future shortage of physicians,
although we recognize it is just one part of what must be a comprehensive
solution,” said AAMC President and CEO Darrell Kirch, M.D. The estimates are
based on the latest
annual survey of medical schools by the association’s Center for
Workforce Studies.
— AHA News Now, May 1, 2008
National Hospital Week 2008 will be observed May 11-17, 2008. This year's theme
is "Where Healing Happens Every Day."
Click here
to go to the AHA sponsored Web site to order promotional materials.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month
2008 Nebraska Healthcare Quality Forum
May 13, 2008 – Embassy Suites, Lincoln, NE
Lincoln Stroke Partnership's Life After Stroke: New Support for Survivors and
Their Families
May 15, 2008 - BryanLGH East Plaza Conference Center, Lincoln
Seward Diabetic
Support Group
May 20, 2008
FAMC
Free Joint Pain Seminar
May 21, 2008 - Fremont
Customer Service for Health Care Professionals
May 28, 2008 - Hastings, NE
“Use it or Lose It” 55PLUS Community Education
Lunch and Learn
May 30, 2008
NHA-HFMA 2008
Golf Tournament
June 11, 2008- Kearney
Deadline for registration is May 16, 2008
NHA 2008
Mid-Year Meeting
June 12-13, 2008 - Kearney
Deadline for registration is May 30, 2008
Nebraska Hospice and Palliative
Care Partnership training workshops
June 10, 2008 - Lincoln
June 13, 2008 - Omaha
June 20, 2008 - Ogallala
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 Kim Larson, editor, at 402/742-8143 or email,
klarson@nhanet.org.
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