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"Rural Can't Wait - Making Change Work for Rural Nebraska" is the theme for this year's Nebraska Rural Health Conference scheduled for Thursday and Friday, September 17 and 18, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Kearney.
The Nebraska Rural Health Association's (NeRHA) annual conference provides a forum to address rural health concerns and to develop and promote effective solutions at the local, state and national levels. This year the conference will cover key issues ranging from national trends impacting rural health, such as workforce shortages, health care reform, health information technology, the medical home model, behavioral health reform and EMS to discovering the changing health delivery models currently in Nebraska.
Visit www.nebraskaruralhealth.org
for more information.
— NeRHA e-news, September 2, 2009
LINCOLN—In Nebraska, 43 percent of the state's 354 licensed pharmacies are independent.
They strive to provide the best value and service possible to customers—a goal that health insurance practices have made increasingly burdensome.
Over the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for patients to obtain the medications their physicians prescribe. The pharmacy window is being turned into a battle zone as insurance companies impose barriers to filling the doctors intended medical order.
Read more.
— Lincoln Journal Star, August 20, 2009
The American Association for Respiratory Care is surveying all U.S. hospitals
to obtain an accurate count of mechanical ventilators available as the nation
braces for the H1N1 flu virus this fall. Launched on Aug. 17, the survey is
being conducted for the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of
Preparedness and Response for completion by September 10. Information on the
survey was sent to hospital executives recently and to their respiratory
care/critical care service managers last month. HHS officials are hoping for a
90 percent response rate from the nation’s hospitals. For more information or to
complete the survey, visit
www.aarc.org.
WASHINGTON—Medicare could save an additional $500 million annually by paying physicians less for certain services that are commonly provided at the same time, the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) concludes in a new report. Prepared for the House Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means committees, the report proposes expanding the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction policy from the current imaging and surgical services to additional services. Under the policy, Medicare pays the full payment rate for the costliest service and a reduced rate for the other services to reflect care efficiencies. According to the report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to study the potential impact of the policy on non-surgical services furnished together 60-70
percent of the time.
— AHA News Now, September 1, 2009
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Monday published a final payment rule for critical access hospitals under TRICARE, which covers uniformed service members and their families. Effective Dec. 1, the rule adopts Medicare’s reimbursement methodology for CAHs, paying 101
percent of reasonable costs for inpatient and outpatient care. As recommended by the AHA, the department dropped a proposal to pay CAH’s the lesser of costs or charges. Instead, the agency will place threshold limits on the cost-to-charge ratio for CAHs by using the method Medicare uses to identify outliers in the outpatient prospective payment system. TRICARE will use historical data to calculate the cost-to-charge ratios and payments. DoD said it was “not administratively feasible” to make interim payments or conduct retroactive cost settlements, since TRICARE is a relatively small payer and hospitals do not file cost reports with the program.
— AHA News Now, August 31, 2009
KEARNEY—As of August 10, 2009, patients having surgery at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital
(MLMH) will enjoy new pre- and post-operation suites, as well as endoscopy suites. The suites are part of a 5,000 square foot first floor addition to MLMH, and the first stage in a three-stage plan. The hospital added ten suites
for outpatient surgery patients and two for endoscopy. The rooms includes sliding glass doors for privacy, wall art covers connections for oxygen and section to keep cords off the floor and hidden, a high-definition television, a sink and mirror and a large lounge chair. Nurses will use electronic charts on mobile laptop computer stands to service patients from inside the room.
— Hastings Tribune, August 8, 2009
OMAHA—A University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) physician has performed the first implant in Nebraska of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) using a new connector system that minimizes the number of connections between cardiac leads and the ICD.
The procedure was performed July 30 at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System's Omaha Medical Center by John Scherschel, M.D., assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, section of cardiology. The patient, Eddie Fidler, a 75-year-old man from Clarinda, Iowa, is out of the hospital and has returned to his normal activity level. He is pastor of the Church of God in Clarinda.
Read more.
—
UNMC press release, August 28, 2009
IMPERIAL—People needing the medical services of a urologist can now look to Chase County Community Hospital (CCCH) and Dr. Rick Schmidt.
Dr. Schmidt recently relocated his weekly clinic from North Platte to Imperial.
He said many of the patients he was seeing in North Platte came from the Imperial, Benkelman and Grant area so he decided this would be a better location for him.
Read more.
—
The Imperial Republican, August 13, 2009
FRANKLIN—Franklin County Memorial Hospital recently celebrated its completion of building a $4.1 million improvement on the south
side of the hospital. The 14,000 square foot addition will accommodate the outpatient. The addition includes a new clinical laboratory, a 4-slice CT scanner, specialty clinic examination rooms, expanded cardiac rehabilitation and cardiac screening.
An aqua therapy pool and new physical therapy department are also part of the
new additions. Governor Dave Heineman
and Nebraska Hospital Association President Laura Redoutey were two of the
250 attendees to take a tour of the new facility during the August 30
celebration.
WASHINGTON—With bipartisan efforts to pass a health care bill sputtering, Democrats are increasingly looking at a politically risky, last-ditch option designed to ram their proposals through over the objections of the other party. Typically, the majority party in the Senate needs 60 votes to end debate and block a minority filibuster. But in the current debate, Democrats have only 59 members because of the death last week of Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and a handful of moderate Democrats might not support health care legislation without at least some Republicans on board. So Democratic leaders are discussing the possibility of passing a Senate bill with a simple majority, or 51 votes, under the "reconciliation rule."
Read more.
— Boston Globe, September 2, 2009
LINCOLN—On behalf of our 85 member hospitals, the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA)
recently submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) proposed rule for calendar year 2010.
The comments focused specifically on serious concerns about CMS’ proposal for physician supervision of “incident to” outpatient therapeutic services.
The NHA suggested several changes to CMS’ proposal to make the policy a better fit
with the way in which health care is provided in rural Nebraska.
WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that he was not bound by
a controversial deal negotiated between the White House and pharmaceutical
companies, telling thousands of Nevada voters on a conference call that “I have
not agreed with anybody to do that.”
The drug industry told the White House this summer that it would cut future drug
costs by $80 billion in exchange for assurances that any health care legislation
would prevent the government from negotiating for lower drug prices. As a result
of the deal, the industry is bankrolling an ad campaign touting Barack Obama’s
health care overhaul. But Democrats in Congress have balked at the agreement.
Read more.
— Politico, August 29, 2009
WASHINGTON—Despite recent obstacles, conservative Democrats indicate that many of the lawmakers still believe approval of some form of health care plan is achievable and far preferable to not acting at all. Obama administration officials said they found that most Democrats remained engaged and eager to explore ways to reach agreement. "For the lion's share of Democratic members of Congress, this isn't about looking for a way to make this disappear," said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, about the health care issue. "This is about trying to find common ground for a yes vote."
Read more.
— New York Times, September 2, 2009
Diagnostic HYBRIDS announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an additional claim for the company's D3 UltraTM DFA Respiratory Virus Identification Kit, which confirms that the assay can detect the 2009 influenza A(H1N1)v virus.
Read more.
— Medical News Today, September 2, 2009
Iowa Chapter of HIMSS Chapter Meeting - Nebraska attendees invited
September 10, 2009 – Des Moines, IA
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Omaha Conference
September 12, 2009 – Omaha
Saint Elizabeth Foundation "Give & Grow Together" Benefit Auctions
September 14-24, 2009 – Online Auction
The Joint Commission Medical Staff Standards Program
September 14, 2009 – Omaha
Changes in Pharmacy Benefit Drug Pricing Methodology Webinar
September 15, 2009 – Webinar
NeRHA Annual Conference
September 17-18, 2009 – Kearney
NHA 2009 Annual Convention
October 14-16, 2009 – Lincoln
Federal Grant Management Class
Offered
November 19-20, 2009 – 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. 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.
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