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The Safe Haven Act (LB 157) will be effective July 18, 2008. This law states, “No person shall be prosecuted for any crime based solely upon the act of leaving a child in the custody of an employee on duty at a hospital licensed by the State of Nebraska. The hospital shall promptly contact appropriate authorities to take custody of the child.”
In response to this new law, the
Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA), with legal
counsel from the Baird Holm law firm, has
developed and distributed model policy in an
attempt to accommodate the law and provide
guidance for our member hospitals. The model
policy provides definitions to better interpret this law and includes policy and procedure guidelines that may
be incorporated as necessary.
On Thursday, July 17, 2008,
from 11:00 a.m. to Noon CST, the NHA is holding a "Nebraska’s Safe Haven Law and Model Hospital
Policy" Webinar
to assist members
by examining the key issues that hospitals will face with the implementation of this law. NHA members are encouraged to invite
relevant hospital staff and local law enforcement officials to attend this webinar.
Download Webinar registration.
The Health Resources and Services Administration this week awarded $7.2 million in annual grants to a network of state rural health offices operated by health departments, academic institutions and non-profit groups. The 50 grants, about $147,000 each, are matched on a 3:1 basis by state governments. Programs supported by the grants include the Rural Recruiting and Retention Network, which last year attracted 734 doctors and other health professionals to serve in rural communities in 47 states.
—
AHA News Now,
July 7, 2008
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $2.8 million in federal funds
that would include $800,000 to Tabitha Health Care Services for the construction
of two additional "green houses".
Read more.
— Omaha
World-Herald,
June 29, 2008
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today issued a
report
offering potential strategies to help home healthcare agencies prepare for a flu
pandemic. The report emphasizes the potential for home health providers to help
handle a surge in patients, and the need to involve them in local planning and
coordination. It also explores the potential use of technology to monitor
patients at a distance, the legal and ethical considerations of providing care
under emergency conditions, and workforce issues such as training and the
ability to report to work. The strategies and recommendations are based on key
issues and challenges raised by an expert panel convened last summer.—
AHA News Now,
July 8, 2008
Hospitals win AHA NOVA Award
Five hospital-led programs to improve community health will receive the 2008 AHA NOVA Award at the AHA-Health Forum Leadership Summit July 26 in San Diego.
The programs are: ENERGIZE! Pediatric Diabetes Intervention Program, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, NC; Every Child Succeeds, Cincinnati (OH) Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Memorial Hermann Health Centers for Schools, Houston, TX; Nutrition Center for Maine, Saint Mary’s Health System, Lewiston, ME; and the Partnership for Community Health, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco. “The AHA NOVA Award recognizes those hospitals working collaboratively with others that provide valued and compassionate programs to their community and today’s winners are truly inspirational examples,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock.
Read
more.
— AHA News Now,
July 7, 2008
OMAHA — A new, cutting-edge technology for infants who face a serious complication following birth is available at Children’s Hospital. The Olympic Cool-Cap system represents an important advance in treatment for babies with brain injuries. The cap is intended for use on infants who suffer from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, more commonly known as HIE. The condition, while rare, can be caused by fetal stress such as an umbilical cord issue, placental abruption, infection or delivery issues that interfere with the oxygen supply to the baby’s brain.
Read more.
— Children's
Hospital,
July 8, 2008
OMAHA —
The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing has re-designated Methodist Hospital a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders) site to acknowledge the hospital’s commitment to geriatric nursing care.
Read more.
— Methodist
Hospital,
July 7, 2008
Late yesterday, the Senate, by a vote of 69 to 30, passed H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act, which effectively prevents a July 1 Medicare physician payment cut from taking effect. Senator Ben Nelson voted in support of the bill and Senator Chuck Hagel voted against the bill.
“I am very pleased that the Senate has finally allowed this needed relief for physicians and seniors to move forward,” said Senator Nelson. “Nebraska physicians can now continue to ensure access to life-sustaining care for the more than 265,000 Medicare beneficiaries in our state.”
Read more.
A moratorium allowing independent laboratories to continue billing Medicare for the technical component of physician pathology services provided to hospital patients expired on June 30. Thus, hospitals must bill Medicare directly for the technical component of physician pathology services provided on or after July 1 by an independent lab to hospital outpatients. For inpatients, CMS considers the payment for the technical component to be included in the hospital diagnosis-related group. Hospitals would have to make arrangements to pay labs for their services after June 30. The House-passed Medicare bill (H.R. 6331), which could go to the Senate floor as soon as today, would extend the earlier moratorium, as would Medicare bills introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA).
— AHA News Now,
July 9, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the deadline for submitting HCAHPS data to the hospital quality reporting initiative for first-quarter 2008. Hospitals can submit data for Jan. 1 through March 31 discharges to the
My QualityNet Web site through
midnight
CST on July 16. They should review their submission or feedback reports and resolve any submission issues prior to the deadline. The QualityNet site was inoperable for several weeks in June while the contractor performed emergency maintenance.
—
AHA News Now,
July 7, 2008
One out of every 20 hospital patients contracts a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) during their stay, resulting in approximately 2 million infections and 90,000 deaths each year, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — a mortality rate greater than breast cancer and auto accident deaths combined. Adding to the urgency of eradicating HAIs is the widely discussed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Known as a “superbug,” MRSA is becoming an increasing concern as outbreaks continue to occur in the community and in hospital settings.
Read more.
—
Infection Control Today, June 30, 2008
Nebraska Safe Haven Law and Model Hospital Policy
July 17, 2008
Advance
Directives and Your Roll as a Healthcare
Professional Workshop
July 29, 2008 - Lincoln
Skin Cancer Awareness Event
July 31, 2008 - Kearney
York General Health Care Services Auxiliary Charity Golf Tournament
August 1, 2008 - York
Jefferson Health Care Foundation Charity Golf Tournament
August 8, 2008 - Fairbury
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.
NOTE: The Nebraska Hospital Association will be changing over to a new email
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402/742-8140, Fax 402/742-8191. Contact Kelley Porter, director of
communications, at 402/742-8151 or email,
kporter@nhanet.org.
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