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This Nebraska winter can be classified as a below-normal winter in terms of temperatures. That’s what Mike Moritz, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in Hastings, concluded after his research. While the cold hampers regular human activity outdoors, construction projects take a major hit this time of year. Kelly Bukaske of A+ Construction out of York said the cold has “slowed down” projects, including the framing of Rob Marlatt’s new house along Highway 14 south of Aurora. He said that it usually takes them five days to frame a house. The crew started on January 12 and was still working on Monday. Also, the status of the Madison Avenue Reconstruction Project south of the Aurora I-80 interchange has not changed. JEO Consulting, Inc. told the Aurora City Council at its December 9 meeting that weather will dictate when crews will be able to complete the reconstruction project. "According to specifications, we can’t pour the asphalt unless it’s 41 degrees outside," said the project manager.
Read more.
— Aurora News Register, January 2009
Nebraska has the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 4 percent, which is the better news of recession data.
The worse news is that the state has lost 1,000 jobs over 12 months and is down about 8,600 since September, according to seasonally adjusted data for December reported Tuesday. The data are preliminary and subject to revision.
In the past decade, Nebraska normally has recorded more jobs in December than in September of a given year.
Nebraska had recorded more jobs year over year for almost every month since 2002, when the nation was in its last recession, attributed to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Another deficiency was recorded in March 2003.
Read more.
— Lincoln Journal Star, January 27, 2009
A rule change by Medicare, expected to expand patient access to cancer drugs, has sparked questions about rising health-care costs and the influence of drug makers.
The move will make Medicare coverage automatic for a wider array of "off-label" uses of the drugs—that
is, uses not specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A number
of cancer doctors and drug companies urged the agency to take the step, arguing
that patients needed more help paying for expensive treatments when others aren't
working. Read more.
— Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2009
The Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET), an American Hospital Association affiliate, has received a $289,694
grant from the Commonwealth Fund to study best practices in high-performing, multi-hospital health systems. Based on interviews with health systems leaders and other data, the one-year project will produce actionable information that health system leaders can use to improve performance.
“Multi-hospital health systems represent a tremendous opportunity to improve health care quality on a wide scale,” said HRET President Maulik Joshi, principal investigator on the project, noting that more than half of U.S. hospitals belong to a health system. The project began on January 15.
— AHA News Now, January 27, 2009
On Wednesday, December 17, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an interim final rule amending the regulations governing acceptable forms of credentials employers may use to establish the identity or work eligibility of new employees.
Beginning February 2, 2009, employers may no longer accept expired identification documents from new hires and, additionally, employers must begin using the new Form I-9 "Employment Eligibility Verification," which is now available on the
USCIS
Web site. Employers may use the current I-9 (dated June 5, 2007) until
February 2 when the new form and its new requirements come into effect.
Read more.
— David Brown, Berens & Tate, January 23, 2009
FAIRBURY—The public is invited to tour the new surgical addition at Jefferson Community Health Center
(JCHC) on Sunday, February 1, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“This will be an opportunity for everyone to see the new addition before it is in use,” said Lana Likens, director of public relations at Jefferson Community Health Center.
The $4.4 million addition includes two new operating rooms, a new minor procedure room, a new four-bay recovery area, a new trauma room, two new chemotherapy rooms, along with needed office, storage and staff spaces. The project also includes renovation of outpatient clinic rooms, which will begin once the new addition is complete.
Read more.
— JCHC press release, January 26, 2009
OMAHA—Seven doctors took literary writing classes.
A visiting artist drew portraits of patients and caregivers helping students improve their observation skills.
Each month, “Music as Medicine” helps soothe souls of patients, their families and employees.
These are just some of the ongoing humanities projects which could be part of a new Center for Humanities, Ethics and Society (CHES) in the University of Nebraska Medical Center
(UNMC) College of Public Health. UNMC officials received approval from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Friday to create the CHES. It will centralize campus projects involving issues in humanities, ethics and law.
“Bringing art and music projects on campus not only provides holistic care for patients and their families but also enhances the educational experience of our students,” said Toby Schonfeld, Ph.D., associate professor of health care ethics and director of the CHES. “Because of our expertise in health care ethics and ability to respond to emerging issues in health care, the CHES will provide ongoing resources for the community.”
Read more.
— UNMC press release, January 26, 2009
Henderson Health Care Services anticipates
building project
 HENDERSON—The ground has been broke, plans are in place and the bids are out for a hospital expansion project at Henderson Health Care Services, Inc.
(HHCS). Construction for the 4,711 square feet of additional patient care is scheduled to begin in March.
This addition will include three new private patient rooms with showers, a labor and delivery suite with a whirlpool tub, a new and expanded emergency room and additional waiting room.
Groundbreaking for this project took place on November 2, 2008 when members of the Henderson Health Care Services Board of Directors and several first graders at the local school turned over the first pieces of dirt.
During the informal ceremony, Alan Janzen, HHCS Board Chairman, spoke briefly about the future of Henderson Health Care Services and their intent to be a progressive health care facility striving to meet the needs of the community of Henderson and the surrounding area.
The estimated completion date for the Henderson Health Care Services Hospital Expansion Project is late 2009.
— HHCS press release, January 23, 2009
Beginning February 3, BryanLGH Mobile Screening Services wil embark on a new partnership with Lincoln's Clinic With a Heart. On the first Tuesday of each month, BryanLGH Mobile Screening Services will offer vascular, as well as cholesterol and glucose screenings to low-income and at-risk clinic patients, free of charge.
— Lincoln Journal Star, January 19, 2009
LINCOLN—Public hearings conducted by the Legislature’s 14 standing committees can now be viewed live online. The new service is part of a comprehensive webstreaming
project that provides citizens greater access to the workings of all three branches of state government.
Cameras installed throughout the Capitol Building now provide live video coverage so citizens can watch bills being
heard before a committee, cases being argued before the Nebraska Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, as well as the governor’s news conferences.
Nebraska’s webstreaming project is believed to be one of the most comprehensive in U.S. statehouses, thanks to the collaboration that allows the three branches of government to use one system.
Legislative floor debate has been streamed live on the Internet since 1998. The addition of committee hearings to the Legislature’s webstreaming capabilities will increase
accessibility and transparency, said Speaker Mike Flood of Norfolk.
Lexington Sen. John Wightman, chairperson of the Legislature’s Executive Board, agreed. “The opportunity for the citizens of Nebraska to observe their government in action has been greatly enhanced
by this joint project,” he said. “The Legislature is pleased to be a partner in making this possible.”
Viewers can access the streaming video from the
Legislature’s Web site.
— Unicameral Update, January 20, 2009
LINCOLN—The Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee on Monday held a public hearing on LB107, a bill that would require employers—before
they can fire workers—to tell the workers why they are being fired, and then
give them meaningful opportunities to respond. Senator Ken Haar of Malcolm
introduced the bill.
Attorney Mark McQueen, representing the Human Resource Association of the Midlands among others, questioned why such a law was needed. It is legislation disguised as a way to do away with the employment-at-will tradition, he said. “This strikes me as a solution in search of a problem,” he said. The law would cause a lot of disputes and legal uncertainties, he said.
Peggy Noll, of Noll Human Resource Services, asked if all good management must be turned into law. The law would have consequences, she said. One would be to have to vilify an employee in a documented way. The bill is another example of the state seeming to say: “We love jobs but we don’t love employers,” she said.
Read more.
— Lincoln Journal Star, January 26, 2009
WASHINGTON—Republican lawmakers tried to slow momentum for expanding a children's health
insurance program by arguing that a bill in the Senate would draw about 2.4
million children away from private insurance into government-sponsored coverage.
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-AZ, said the legislation does not do enough to limit the State
Children's Health Insurance Program to low-income families. He said about a
third of those who gain insurance as a result of the bill would otherwise have
access to private insurance.
Read more.
— AP/Yahoo News, January 26, 2009
The American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, Federation of American Hospitals, and National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems Monday urged the Senate Finance Committee to include direct relief for hospitals in the economic recovery package to be marked up by the committee tomorrow.
In a joint
letter, the organizations called for a temporary 5.6
percent increase in federal Medicaid disproportionate share hospital allotments, an extension of the moratoria on six Medicaid regulations, as well as moratoria on the Medicaid hospital outpatient services rule and cuts to Medicare capital indirect medical education payments. “America’s hospitals are committed to helping the country survive the current economic crisis, but will require an immediate investment of federal assistance to meet increasing demand, ensure access to care, retain employees and make necessary infrastructure investments,” the groups said.
— AHA News Now, January 27, 2009
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) recently introduced legislation (S. 307) that would allow critical access hospitals to meet either the current census limit of 25 beds per day, or a limit of 20 beds per day averaged over a cost reporting period. The AHA-backed Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009 also would exempt from the count beds occupied by military veterans. An identical bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR). In a
letter of support to the bills’ sponsors, AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack said, “This [legislation] will allow many of these hospitals to continue meeting community needs while retaining their much-needed Critical Access Hospital status.”
— AHA News Now, January 23, 2009
On behalf of our more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and our 38,000 individual members, the American Hospital Association (AHA) appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program (PS-Prep).
The disasters we faced over the last eight years, from the September 11 terrorist attacks to the Gulf Coast hurricanes to the recent flooding in the Midwest, redefined the meaning of disaster readiness for the nation, its communities and its hospitals. As our nation worked to strengthen national security and emergency readiness, America’s hospitals upgraded existing emergency operations plans and integrated these plans with their local response structure. They continue to tailor their plans to suit the individual needs of their communities in the face of new and emerging threats.
Read more.
— American Hospital Association, January 22, 2009
It’s the CEO’s job to balance competing priorities of
clinical quality, customer service, employee growth,
and financial stability. Comfort with paradox is a
key leadership skill. Yet wallet impact seems to
drive organizational behavior change like no other.
Hence, pay-for-performance plans are becoming
common. Payers know how to leverage our hospitals!
Let’s first debunk a couple of common ED financing
myths.
Read more.
— Stroudwater Associates, January 13, 2009
Since launching in 2004, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
(CCHIT) has become the de facto stamp of approval for EHRs, helping providers judge EHR product suitability, quality, interoperability, and security. For about $28,000, a vendor who meets the Commission's criteria can be certified, automatically proving to providers that their EHR is worth the money, say CCHIT proponents. Now, CCHIT is expanding its scope of certification, and not everyone is happy about CCHIT's increasing influence in the market.
Read more.
— Kathryn Mackenzie, for HealthLeaders Media, January 27, 2009
Women's Health Service Line Strategic Planning
February 4, 2009 – Webinar
Meeting the Joint Commission Anticoagulant National Patient Safety Goal
February 5, 2009 – Webinar
Medical Staff Leadership 2009 Audioconference Series
February 6, 2009 – Audioconference
Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma Update
February 7, 2009 – Omaha
Click here
for a list
of upcoming NHA audioconferences and Webinars.
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