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Over 8,000 calls later, the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies helpline is still in action and beginning its 15th year this summer, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The helpline was established in 1994 as required by federal law. The purpose of the law is to ensure that women have access to referrals for prenatal care as well as maternal and child healthcare.
Read more.
—
Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services,
July 15, 2008
Nurses, therapists, home care aides, and others who serve elderly and
disabled patients in their own homes drive nearly 5 billion miles each year.
Caring for nearly 12 million patients annually with 428 million visits, the
dedicated providers of home care and hospice services are healthcare's version
of "road warriors." The study showed that the number of miles driven reached 4.8
billion miles in 2006. With the expansion in the use of lower-cost home care
services as the average age of the U.S. population rises, the estimated miles
driven for 2008 should well exceed 5 billion.
Read more.
—
Grant Tribune Sentinel,
July 10, 2008
Many patients do not understand the care they receive in the emergency department, nor do they understand their discharge instructions, concludes a study in the online edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Researchers surveyed 140 adult patients and primary caregivers to assess comprehension of the patient’s diagnosis and cause, ED care, post-ED care and follow-up instructions.
According to the study, 78
percent of patients did not understand at least one aspect of their ED visit, while more than a third of patients had difficulty comprehending their post-ED care plan, including prescriptions and instructions for follow-up care. The study also found that patients’ own assessment of their comprehension was much more positive than objective analysis, with only 20
percent of patients reporting comprehension difficulties. “Our study findings suggest that we need better strategies for identifying patients who are having difficulty understanding their care and instructions in the ED,” the authors said.—
AHA News Now,
July 14, 2008
Disaster relief fund assists Iowa hospital employees
The Iowa Hospital Employee Disaster Relief Fund so far has raised over $255,000 to assist hospital employees as they recover from recent disasters, the Iowa Hospital Association
(IHA) announced on Tuesday. The fund, established just three weeks ago, has received donations from businesses and organizations across Iowa and the nation, including states hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.
“We’ve seen some very generous contributions from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” IHA President Kirk Norris said in a release. “It’s very touching to have those states, which were so in need just a few years ago, responding so quickly and generously to the situation in Iowa.”
Nebraska has made a positive impact on the relief efforts with donations from
across the state, as well as the $5,000 donation made by the Nebraska Hospital Association
Research and Educational Foundation. The IHA
will continue the relief fund until at least Labor Day. For more information or
to make a donation, visit the IHA Web site.
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) Research and Educational Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2008 Graduate Studies Tuition Aid Program and the Undergraduate Health Career Scholarships. Hospitals across the country, especially in rural states like Nebraska, are experiencing a severe shortage of health care professionals.
The NHA Research and Educational Foundation is helping to address the ongoing shortage by assisting the future leaders of healthcare in their efforts to pursue a degree in healthcare or further their education through the two scholarship programs established in 1987. “For twenty years this program has helped several talented people reach their career aspirations while concurrently helping to build Nebraska’s pool of healthcare professionals and leaders. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in pursuing a health-related profession,” said NHA President, Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE.
Read more.
OMAHA — “Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks, learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” John Dewey, American philosopher.
A University of Nebraska Medical Center research study has determined that using a statistical method that was published nearly 250 years ago could save lives, decrease the time and cost of moving a drug to market and help physicians predict a patient’s response to medication for severe sepsis.
The results of the study were published in the May issue of the journal PLoS One, a journal published by the Public Library of Science.
The study was conducted by Andre Kalil, M.D., associate professor, infectious diseases, and associate director of the Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases Program, and Junfeng Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor, biostatistics, College of Public Health.
Read more.
— UNMC,
July 15, 2008
NORFOLK — The Lutheran Community Hospital Association (LCHA) and the Missionary Benedictine Sisters (Sisters), the two sponsoring organizations of Faith Regional Health Services, announced today that the financing to divest the Sisters’ fifty percent sponsorship has been completed. The Lutheran Community Hospital Association is now the sole sponsor of Faith Regional, ensuring that the hospital will continue to remain independent and locally sponsored.
“The Lutheran Community Hospital Association enters a new era as the sole sponsor of Faith Regional Health Services,” said John Dinkel, president of the LCHA. “We remain committed to maintaining the high quality of care that our patients and families have come to expect from this organization.”
Read more.
— Faith Regional Health Services,
July 15, 2008
LINCOLN —
Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital is edging closer to its goal of raising $8.5 million for renovations and other improvements.
It is the biggest capital campaign in the Lincoln hospital's 50-year history.
The hospital has raised $6 million so far and hopes to reach its goal in the next six to 10 months, said Molly Nance, director of strategic planning and marketing. The funding comes from corporate and individual donations. Read more.
— Omaha World-Herald,
July 13, 2008
Washington (AP) — Congress on Tuesday rejected President Bush's veto of legislation protecting doctors from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when treating Medicare patients.
The override vote in the House was a lopsided 383-41, easily meeting the two-thirds threshold needed to nullify the president's veto. About an hour later, the Senate voted to override, 70-26.
Bush has vetoed bills nine times, and Congress has had the muscle to override him only on a water projects bill and twice on farm legislation.
Read more.
— The Associated Press,
July 16, 2008
While states have made progress in improving medical surge capacity, more needs to be done, especially to address altered standards of care following a mass casualty event, according to a new
report by the Government Accountability Office. State efforts so far include increasing hospital capacity, planning for alternate care sites and developing electronic medical volunteer registries. Thirty-seven states reported that they could add 500 beds per million population within 24 hours of a mass casualty event. However, only seven states were planning for altered standards of medical care—such as ignoring mandatory nurse-patient ratios or healthcare rationing—during a mass casualty event.
According to the GAO, some states had not begun work on or completed altered standards of care guidelines due to the difficulty of addressing the medical, ethical and legal issues involved in making life-or-death decisions about which patients would get access to scarce resources. The GAO recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services serve as a clearinghouse for sharing guidelines developed by individual states or medical experts.
— AHA News Now,
July 15, 2008
The House Judiciary Committee today voted to send legislation (H.R. 4854) amending the False Claims Act to the full House for a vote, but not before making certain amendments. In a letter sent this morning to the Committee’s chairman and ranking member, the AHA expressed strong opposition to the bill, asserting that it would force hospitals to divert funds needed for patient care to defend against frivolous lawsuits. AHA is particularly concerned over a provision that would expand the FCA
to include a new penalty for retaining an overpayment that the defendant did not
ask for and, for legitimate reasons, had yet to return to the government payer.
Read more.
— AHA News Now,
July 16, 2008
FONTANA, CA - Revamping information technology is one of Kaiser Permanente's goals in opening a new energy-efficient hospital on its Fontana Medical Center campus in Southern California.
The seven-story, 314-bed hospital will cover 482,078 square feet and be joined by a hospital support building, which will house an array of ancillary services including radiology, a pharmacy and specialty clinics.
Read more.
—
Healthcare IT News, July 16, 2008
Employer interest and participation in wellness programs has significantly increased over the last five years. During that period, the percentage of employers offering health insurance has declined while the amount of money employers devote to health-related costs has increased dramatically. Although these rising costs have burdened employers, most companies have determined that they must continue to offer health insurance benefits to potential employees in order to stay competitive in the labor market. Employers who do not offer competitive benefits (including health insurance) will be at a significant disadvantage in recruiting the most competent and talented workers.
Read more.
—
Berens & Tate, July 15, 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
Hospice and Palliative Care Certification Exam Prep Class
August 29, 2008 - Lincoln
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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