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LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department
of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority
Health and Health Equity announced the
availability of mini-grant funding to support
projects that target racial ethnic minority
populations, refugees, newly-arrived legal
immigrants, and Native Americans. Projects will
address the health of these populations, and see
to improve it. Up to 33 mini-grants will be
awarded in the amount of $500. Applicants must
be Nebraska community-based or faith-based
organizations, in operation for a least one
year.
Read more.
— Nebraska Department
of Health & Human Services,
June 10, 2008
According to a 2008 report from the Institute of Medicine, our nation is
facing a health care crisis. The numbers of older patients with complex health
needs are beginning to outnumber the number of healthcare providers with the
knowledge and skill set to adequately care for them.
Read more.
— Institute of Medicine, April 14 ,
2008
Almost 200 attendees, including hospital CEOs and trustees from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, recently attended the 12th Annual Western Regional Trustee Symposium – A Framework for Accountable Healthcare Governance at Boise’s Centre on the Grove. Attendees at this symposium gained increased knowledge about many issues through educational sessions, networking, and information exchange with other trustees and health care leaders.— U.S.
World Report,
June 16, 2008
APIC: Health care facilities step up MRSA prevention strategies
According to a new
poll
by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, many health care facilities have taken additional action in the past year to prevent the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Strategies include staff and patient education; stepped-up hand hygiene, contact precautions, housekeeping and decontamination practices; targeted patient screening; better infection surveillance technology; and additional staff dedicated to infection control. “This poll indicates that many institutions are moving in the right direction,” said APIC CEO Kathy Warye. The findings are based on a recent survey of more than 2,000 APIC members who work in hospitals and other health care facilities.
— AHA News Now,
June 17, 2008
Overall hospital prices fell 0.1 percent in May, and were 3.4
percent higher than a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
on June 17, 2008. Prices at general medical and surgical hospitals fell 0.1
percent, and were 3.5 percent higher than in May 2007, according to the BLS' Producer Price Indices, which measure average changes in selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. For hospitals, this translates into actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services. The PPI for hospitals measure changes in actual or expected reimbursement received for services across the full range of payer types. This includes the negotiated contract rate from the payer plus any portion expected to be paid by the patient.
— AHA News Now, June 17, 2008
KEARNEY — Hospital administrators and managers gathered in
Kearney on June 12-13, 2008, to learn “green” practices. Jointly sponsored by
the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the Nebraska Hospital
Association (NHA), the Mid-Year Meeting presentations examined green
construction and operations, pollution prevention, sustainability and solutions
to establish green practices in the health care industry.
Health care facilities—which experts say are among
the largest users of energy and water in their communities—are building and
buying green. An over-demand and an inequitable
distribution of resources are a cause for concern for Nebraska hospitals and the
local and global community.
According to presenter Adele Houghton, AIA, LEED,
sustainable design can reduce hospitals' energy significantly. Investments now,
from using materials and placement to maximize natural light and obtain solar
energy, to replacing incandescent bulbs with high-efficiency bulbs, can save
money over time.
"Hospitals are moving forward on environmental
sustainability," said Laura Redoutey, president of the Nebraska Hospital
Association. “The resources to ‘go green’ are now more readily available.”
Suggestions for green operations included
separating waste to manage it more safely, changing the way needles are handled,
using a less toxic material to sterilize equipment and purchasing items safer
for the environment.
Attendees were encouraged to think outside of the
box. Installing bike racks and promoting carpooling or the use of public
transportation assists hospitals to build their own green plan.
Click here
to view Mid-Year Meeting ‘go green’ presentations.
OMAHA —
Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) received recognition for marketing
and advertising from one of the oldest, largest and most widely respected
health care advertising awards competitions in the country. CUMC received the
highest award, the gold award for its brand television campaign that began
running last year, featuring Creighton University President Father John P.
Schlegel, S.J.
Read
more.
—
CUMC,
June 17, 2008
Jay Colburn has joined
York General Health Care Services as Administrator of York General Hearthstone a
129-bed skilled nursing care facility. Jay comes to the Hearthstone with 10
years of experience in skilled nursing facilities as well as assisted living.
Read more.
—
York General Health Care Services,
June 12, 2008
Henderson Health Care Services in Henderson, Neb., was recently honored by the Compassionate Friends as a recipient of the 2008 Compassionate Employer Recognition. Henderson Health received the award for going above and beyond the normal policies of most companies in helping an employee after the death of a child.
—
Henderson Thursday Weekly,
May 15, 2008
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday that rising government spending on health care will require cuts in other government programs, higher taxes or wider budget deficits.
"Taking on these challenges will be daunting," Bernanke said at a health care conference sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee in Washington, D.C. "We should not expect a single set of reforms to address all concerns. Rather, an eclectic approach will probably be needed."
Read more.
— USA Today/Bloomberg,
June 17, 2008
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its June
report to Congress, which includes the panel’s recent Medicare payment recommendations for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. In April, MedPAC recommended that Congress take steps toward bundling fee-for-service Medicare physician and hospital payments for all services associated with an episode of inpatient hospital care. It also recommended reducing payments to hospitals with high readmission rates for selected conditions. To improve payment accuracy for SNF patients, the commission recommended changes to adjust for non-therapy ancillary costs and patient characteristics and an outlier policy based on exceptionally high ancillary costs per stay. In addition, it said SNFs should be required to report on patient diagnoses, service use during the SNF stay and nursing costs. Among other issues, the report explores options for collecting data on physicians’ financial relationships with hospitals and others, growth in Medicare spending for hospice care, and issues in creating an entity to compare the effective of alternative therapies.
—
AHA News Now,
June 16, 2008
Joint Commission releases 2009 patient safety goals
The Joint Commission today released the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals and related requirements for its accreditation programs. The goals include three new hospital and critical access hospital requirements related to preventing infections, which will be phased in over 2009; a new requirement to eliminate transfusion errors; new requirements focused on engaging patients in their care; and changes to the requirements for the universal protocol to prevent surgical errors and the medication reconciliation goal.
— AHA News Now,
June 17, 2008
Senate companion to DME bill introduced
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)
and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) yesterday
introduced
companion legislation to H.R. 6252, a bill in the
House that would delay and change the Medicare
competitive bidding program for durable medical
equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies. The
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Acquisition
Reform Act would delay the program’s July 1 launch
for 18 months, and require the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services to allow hospitals and other
health care providers to supply certain DMEPOS items
at the bid price without being required to become
contractors. Ways and Means Health Subcommittee
Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA) and Ranking Member Dave
Camp (R-MI) introduced the House bill last week.
— AHA News Now,
June 18, 2008
It's no longer business as usual, as
young professionals change the way American companies operate and redefine
expectations in the workplace. Millennials, also referred to as members of
Generation Y, are generally defined as those born in the 1980s and '90s. A
recent survey conducted by JWT Worldwide, a New York-based advertising firm that
specializes in trend spotting, identified several differences between today's
young professionals and previous generations. Millennials want more flexibility
and fun in the workplace, and they value work-life balance more than previous
generations, according to the survey.
This generation also relies on
technology, such as text messaging and social networking Web sites, to
communicate internally and externally while at work. Scot Thompson, chief
operating officer at C&A Industries, an Omaha-based corporate recruiting and
staffing firm, said companies need to recognize the differences and adapt to the
changing dynamic so they can hire, train and retain the best people. According
to a recent World-Herald survey of young workers (average age, 25) in Omaha, the
top characteristics that young people value in an ideal job/work situation are:
-
Competitive Salary
-
Having your opinions sought and taken seriously
-
New challenges
-
Feeling of making a difference
-
Flexible schedule/Work-life balance/Future
prospects (tie)
—
Omaha World-Herald, June 16, 2008
Proactive Connections: Lessons Learned from Mt. Sinai's Experience with the
California Nurses Association
July 9, 2008 - Kearney
July 10 - Omaha
UNMC
to hold public open house at new Sorrell Center
June
29, 2008 - Omaha
FAMC Presents Free Health Fair at Old Settler’s Day
in North Bend
June 28, 2008 - North Bend Senior Center, North Bend
Voices for Children Open House
June 23, 2008 - Ralston
Nebraska Hospice and Palliative
Care Partnership training workshops
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.
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