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Nelson explores alternative
to insurance mandate
WASHINGTON—The question of whether the federal
health care overhaul's individual mandate is constitutional will now almost
certainly land in the lap of the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal judge on Monday
became the first to rule against the law, striking down its requirement that
every American buy or otherwise obtain health insurance. That ruling could bring
more attention to U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson's pursuit of alternatives to the mandate.
Earlier this year, the Nebraska Democrat asked
the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office to
examine different ways to achieve the goal at the heart of the mandate: to get
as many people as possible into the nation's health insurance pools. Bringing
young and healthy people into that pool is seen as key to the legislation's
requirements that health insurance companies offer coverage to everyone—even
those with pre-existing conditions.
READ MORE»
— Omaha World-Herald (Live Well Nebraska.com),
December 14, 2010
Stopgap funding stops
Nebraska jobs, starts season of uncertainty
WASHINGTON—This is the season of celebration
when families and friends gather across our state for fellowship, to catch up
and look forward to the promise of the coming year. Unfortunately, for quite a
few Nebraskans the next few months and maybe longer will be a season of
uncertainty.
READ MORE»
— bennelson.senate.gov,
December 27, 2010
Fortenberry named chairman
of agriculture subcommittee
WASHINGTON—Congressman Jeff Fortenberry will
serve as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on
Department Operations, Oversight and Credit in the 112th Congress beginning in
January. The subcommittee will have jurisdiction in the oversight of the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one of the federal government’s largest
agencies, and responsibilities involving program review and analysis, special
investigations and agricultural credit.
“I am honored to accept this leadership role in
the new Congress,” Fortenberry said. “Agriculture’s benefits to our nation go
far beyond food security; it stabilizes and strengthens our economy, increases
our energy independence, and builds new opportunities in rural America. It is
critical that our farm policies and programs fairly and efficiently serve
America’s farm and ranch families and the Americans who depend on them.”
“This new subcommittee role will help us
continue important work on promoting new opportunities in specialized food
markets and renewable energy, reconnecting rural and urban America, and
exploring the challenges of growing concentration in agriculture and the
increasing age of the American farmer. I look forward to working with my
colleagues on these and other matters as we begin the new Congress in January.”
Fortenberry has served on the House Agriculture Committee since 2005.
— fortenberry.house.gov, December 22, 2010
CMS to open registration for
EHR incentive programs in January
Hospitals and physicians can register for
the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs
beginning January 3, 2011 at www.cms.gov, but
are not required to do so immediately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) announced. Hospitals and physicians that can meet federal
"meaningful use" criteria will receive incentive payments and avoid payment
penalties that begin in 2015. State Medicaid programs may offer incentive
payments for up to five years beginning in 2011 to eligible providers that
implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
According to CMS, Medicaid EHR incentive programs will be available January 3 in
Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. In February, registration will
open in California, Missouri and North Dakota. Other states likely will launch
their Medicaid EHR programs during the spring and summer of 2011. Participating
providers must register for the Medicaid EHR programs on the CMS website, and
then complete the process through their state Medicaid agency's website. For
more information, click here.
READ FULL RELEASE»
— AHA News Now, December 23, 2010
Website spoofing targets
hospitals' websites
The AHA is advising hospitals to police their
website domain names to ensure that they are not victims of website spoofing for
fraudulent or deceitful purposes after learning of a recent incident involving a
hospital's website. Website spoofing is the creation of a fake website by a
different person or organization with the intention of misleading users of an
organization's true website. Typically, the spoofing website will adopt the
design of the target website using a similar website address or URL. Spoofing of
a hospital's website creates potential risk for the personal information of
patients and raises serious other legal issues for the hospital, including
fraud, trademark infringement and cybersquatting (registering a website with the
intent of selling it to the proper owner). If a hospital discovers a spoofing or
false website, it should promptly consult legal counsel. "We typically would
advise the website owner who had been victimized to send a strongly worded cease
and desist letter to the website registrant and, if a separate entity, a copy to
the registrar," says Sherri Way, a Denver-based attorney who frequently advises
organizations on a variety of business-related legal issues. "We also would
advise the website owner to consider posting a notice on the true website
advising patients, physicians and other third parties of the potential
confusion. Further action may be necessary, depending on the particular
circumstances."
— AHA News Now, December 22, 2010
CMS seeks comment on
whether EMTALA should apply to inpatients
CMS issued a request for comment on
whether there is a need to revisit its Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
(EMTALA) policies regarding hospital inpatients and the responsibilities of
hospitals with specialized capabilities. Under current regulations, a hospital's
EMTALA responsibilities are complete when a hospital, in good faith, admits an
individual with an unstable emergency medical condition as an inpatient. CMS is
specifically asking for comment on individuals who are admitted as inpatients
through the emergency department with a known emergency medical condition that
has not been stabilized and subsequently need to be transferred to another
hospital with specialized capabilities for stabilizing treatment. Comments will
be accepted until Feb. 21, 2011.
READ MORE»
— AHA News Now, December 22, 2010
Memorial Health Center
announces interim CEO appointment
SIDNEY—The Memorial Health Center (MHC) Board
of Directors announced this week that Douglas A. Faus, MBA, MHA, has been
appointed as the interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Memorial Health Center
until a permanent CEO is selected. The national search for this position is
currently being conducted.
“We want to make sure that we do our due
diligence to find the right fit for Memorial Health Center and the communities
we serve,” said Rob Robinson, MHC board of directors chairman. “Appointing an
interim CEO allows us time to do that while ensuring that the hospital is
successfully operating on a day-to-day basis and achieving goals in the
meantime.”
READ FULL RELEASE»
— Memorial Health Center press release,
December 21, 2010
Saunders Medical Center names new leader
WAHOO—A new hand been chosen to take the helm at
the Saunders Medical Center (SMC). Ken Archer has been chosen as the new Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) for SMC in Wahoo. The Saunders Medical Center Board of
Trustees approved the agreement with Archer at a special meeting on Dec. 16. SMC
board of trustees Director Glenn Baumert said the search to find a permanent CEO
took longer than expected, but the outcome was worth the effort. He said Archer
was an extremely strong applicant and will be a great fit for the facility.
"He'll bring a lot of energy and compassion to the position," Baumert stated.
READ MORE»
— Wahoo Newspaper, December 22, 2010
UNMC to host 24-hour
skate-a-thon to raise funds for Parkinson’s research
OMAHA—The University of Nebraska Medical Center
(UNMC) is out to put Parkinson’s disease on ice. On Jan. 28-29, 2011, the UNMC
Ice Rink will host the first-ever UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s with skaters
hitting the ice for 24 straight hours to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Skating will begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 and conclude at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29. The
event is open to the public – skaters and non-skaters alike. Skaters will be on
the ice continually, but non-skaters are encouraged to come and enjoy the
festivities and show their support.
“We can handle up to 125 people on the
ice at any time, but there also is plenty of room for spectators,” said Keith
Swarts, director of business services. “We would love nothing better than to
have a huge turnout. We’re hoping to literally get thousands of people to join
us for this event.”
READ MORE»
— UNMC press release, December 21, 2010
Cancer navigators easing
patient paths
LINCOLN—Beyond that door lies an uncertain
path. Many will stumble onto a trail of nausea and bewildering medical
complexities. Others will find a short but fearful road. Still others will find
a highway unexpectedly smoother than their relatives encountered a generation
ago. Few would describe the path as easy.
"Nobody goes through cancer without needing
some support," says Karen Pribnow, a cancer nurse navigator at Saint Elizabeth
Cancer Institute. Pribnow and fellow nurse navigator Jay Swanson assist the
travelers, offering practical tips, describing the lay of the land, connecting
patients with programs.
Saint Elizabeth's cancer nurse navigators
grew from a 2007 National Cancer Institute initiative to bring the best
practices of advanced cancer care programs to local communities, where the vast
majority of cancer patients receive care.
READ MORE»
— Lincoln Journal Star, December 28,
2010
President signs bill funding
federal programs through March 4
President Obama signed legislation (H.R. 3082)
funding most government programs at current levels through March 4. Congress
approved the bill late yesterday, when the previous continuing resolution was
set to expire. Congress has yet to finalize 12 appropriations bills funding
health and other programs through fiscal year 2011.
— AHA News Now, December 22, 2010
Certification rule affects
hospital discharges to home health
The Medicare Learning Network has released an
article on the new Medicare home health certification requirement effective
January 1, 2011. As a condition for payment, hospital and other physicians
certifying a patient's eligibility for the home health benefit must document
that they or an allowed non-physician practitioner has had a face-to-face
encounter with the patient. The encounter must occur within 90 days prior to the
start of home health care or within 30 days after the start of care. CMS will
allow physicians who attend to the patient in acute and post-acute settings to
certify the need for home health care, initiate the orders for home health
services, and "hand off" the patient to their community-based physician to
review and sign off on the plan of care, the article notes.
READ MORE»
— AHA News Now, December
22, 2010
HHS issues proposed
rule for insurance rate reviews
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
issued a proposed rule establishing a process for reviewing "unreasonable"
health insurance rate increases in the individual and small group markets. For
rate increases on or after July 1, 2011, an increase of 10 percent or more in the
preceding 12-month period would trigger a rate review under the rule, either by
the state or HHS if the state lacks a rate review process. According to HHS, 43
states have a rate review process in the individual or small group markets.
Beginning in calendar year 2012, HHS would set annual state-specific thresholds
for rate increases based on data and cost trends in that state. Insurer
justifications for proposed increases exceeding the annual threshold would be
posted at www.healthcare.gov and the
insurer's website. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires
health insurers to justify unreasonable increases to the HHS secretary and
applicable state before implementing them. In 2014, the ACA empowers states to
exclude health plans that show a pattern of excessive or unjustified premium
increases from the new health insurance exchanges. HHS' Office of Consumer
Information and Insurance Oversight will accept comments on the proposed rule
for 60 days after its publication in the Dec. 23 Federal Register.
— AHA News Now, December 21, 2010
Operation: Reintegration. Military Culture Workshop
January 14, 2011
BryanLGH West, Lincoln
Memorial Health Care System Annual Membership Meeting
January 14, 2011
MHCS Diabetic Support Group
January 18, 2011
Look Good Feel Better Class
January 24, 2011
5:30 p.m.
MHCS Auxiliary Meeting
January 24, 2011
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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