|
LINCOLN—The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued a new type of card to Medicaid clients that will save the state money in printing, postage and mailing.
“The new card is similar to a private insurance card,” said Vivianne Chaumont, Director of the Division of Medicaid and Long Term Care. “It is plastic, smaller than the current document and easier for clients to carry in their wallets. Issuing a card like this, rather than a letter-sized piece of paper mailed on a monthly basis, is expected to save the Medicaid Program money in printing and mailing costs.”
Read more.
—
DHHS press release, July 29, 2009
LINCOLN—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that the federal government expects to initiate a voluntary fall vaccination program against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will help state and local health organizations develop the vaccination program and are working to decide what should be the scope of the program for vaccinating Americans against the novel H1N1 pandemic influenza virus.
The CDC is asking for public discussion, deliberation, and input as the agency considers whether to simply make vaccines available to those seeking immunization, to promote vaccination to those most at risk, or to implement a widespread immunization program.
Focus groups are being held in 10 cities across the country, including Lincoln. A cross-section of local citizens, health care providers, and interested residents are asked to attend to provide input regarding a H1N1 vaccination program.
The Lincoln focus group will be held Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln. Register online at
www.keystone.org/H1N1/Lincoln.
—
Community Health Endowment of Lincoln, July 28, 2009
WASHINGTON—Medical spending on obesity has doubled in the past decade and could reach $147 million a year, according to a study published
Monday on the Health Affairs
Web site. U.S. obesity rates grew 37
percent between 1998 and 2006, said researchers from RTI International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The rise accounted for 89
percent of the growth in obesity spending. Obesity accounts for 9.1 percent of all medical spending, up from 6.5
percent in 1998. To rein in health care spending, the study’s authors suggested that Congress focus on ways to reduce obesity and its related risk factors since it is becoming an increasingly heavy financial burden.
— AHA News Now, July 27, 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service will
award $1.19 billion in loans and grants to build or improve hospitals and other essential facilities in low-income rural communities. Authorized by the American Recovery and Investment Act, the funds will be awarded on a rolling basis through Sept. 30, 2010. For more information or to apply, contact the USDA rural development office in the state where the project is located.
OMAHA—A $9.1 million program project grant renewal will allow a team of University of Nebraska Medical Center scientists to continue its groundbreaking heart failure research.
The project was first funded in 1999 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute—a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This is the second time the grant has been renewed.
Read more.
— UNMC press release, July 28, 2009
ALBION—A new patient wing now under construction will help Boone County Health Center
(BCHC) remain “one of the best rural hospitals in Nebraska,” said one speaker at groundbreaking ceremonies Sunday afternoon, July 19.
County Commissioner Tom Schuele said the $5.77 million Phase III addition reflects the vision of its patrons, administration, the hospital board and staff. He commended the hospital board for taking steps to continually improve medical care for the area.
The best part, said Schuele, is that no tax dollars will be used for the project. It will be entirely paid for from hospital revenues.
The plans and timeline for the project were reviewed by Vic Lee, hospital president and chief executive officer. The new construction will include 14 new, private patient rooms, two new obstetrical suites and a large private family suite for terminally ill patients on the main floor.
The basement of the new wing will house an enlarged area for Health Information Management and Purchasing and Central Supply.
After the addition is complete, the existing patient rooms will be renovated as private rooms. This will provide the hospital with 25 private patient rooms at the conclusion of the project.
— Albion News, July 21, 2009
LINCOLN—On July 15, 9-year-old Kristin Piper became the second child in the United States, the fourth in the world, to receive the NeuRx DPS™ diaphragm pacemaker, a newly FDA-approved device that helps people who are ventilator-dependent to achieve more time off of the vent. In clinical trials, 50 percent of people who received the device and participated in rehabilitation achieved total ventilator independence. One hundred percent were able to breathe independently for at least four hours a day.
Read more.
— The Madonna Independent, July 24, 2009
WASHINGTON—An emerging consensus among a bipartisan group of senators is poised to shift the dynamic in the congressional debate over health care reform. The finance panel's legislation is expected to include incentives for employers to provide health insurance for their workers, rather than a more punitive coverage mandate. The committee is also likely to endorse narrowly targeted tax increases, rejecting a controversial tax surcharge on wealthy households that the House adopted.
Read more.
— Washington Post, July 29, 2009
WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats debating how to overhaul America's health care system are moving toward a showdown over whether to create a government-run insurance program or set up a system of cooperatives instead. A bipartisan group of centrists on the Senate Finance Committee is leaning toward cooperatives, saying that alternative could offer customers more choice without enlarging the government's role in the health care market.
Read more.
— Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2009
WASHINGTON—A subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday approved a $46 million increase in funding for nurse education in fiscal year 2010. According to the panel, the
spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education also includes $354 million to complete a pandemic flu plan. The full committee tomorrow expects to mark up the bill, which will have to be reconciled with the House-passed bill.
— AHA News Now, July 29, 2009
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of $200 million to support grants, loans, loan repayment, and scholarships to expand the training of health care professionals. The funds—part of the $500 million allotted to HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration to address workforce shortages under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—will train about 8,000 students and health professionals by the end of fiscal year 2010. The funds include $80.2 million for scholarships, loans and loan repayment awards to nursing and other medical students, health professionals and faculty.
Another $50 million will help purchase equipment needed to expand programs and improve the quality of training; and $47.6 million will support programs that train residents, medical students, physician assistants and dentists who will practice in underserved areas.
The remaining $300 million in workforce funds is being used to expand the National Health Service Corps, which provides scholarships and loan repayment for primary care providers who serve in health professional shortage areas.
Read more.
— HHS press release, July 29, 2009
Health Career Fair for Minority High School Students
July 31, 2009 – Lincoln
Meeting Compliance with the 2009 Joint Commission Record of Care Chapter Webinar
August 5, 2009 – Webinar
Preparing for Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) Audits
August 26, 2009 – Lincoln
August 27, 2009 –
Kearney
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. Send news items to Kelley Porter, Director of
Communications, kporter@nhanet.org.
NHA Newslink is published by the Nebraska
Hospital Association, 3255 Salt Creek Circle, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68504-4778.
Phone 402/742-8140, Fax 402/742-8191. Contact Kelley Porter, Director of
Communications, at 402/742-8151, or email,
kporter@nhanet.org.
Click here to
Subscribe to Newslink
Click
here to Unsubscribe
Click here to change your email address
or call Vicky Pfeiffer, Administrative Assistant, at 402/742-8145.
Please include the individual's name, title, company and email address.
Back To Main
|
