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Alegent Health
Clinic names new president and chief executive officer
OMAHA—Richard “Rick” Rolston, M.D., FAAP, will
join Alegent Health Clinic on Feb. 7, as president and chief executive officer
(CEO). Dr. Rolston comes to Alegent Health with extensive experience leading
clinics and physician groups in several states. A board certified pediatrician,
Dr. Rolston previously held the CEO positions with Hospital Sisters Health
System Medical Group in Springfield, Ill., Prevea Health Services of Green Bay,
Wisc. and Lovelace Medical Center and Physician Group of Albuquerque, N.M.
“We conducted a national search to find the
right person to lead Alegent Health Clinic into the future,” explained Alegent
Health President and CEO Richard A. Hachten II, FACHE. “Dr. Rolston
is that person and we are pleased that he is bringing his talents and experience
to Omaha.” A graduate of the University of Montana, Dr. Rolston earned his
medical degree at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine where he also
completed his residency in pediatrics. Dr. Rolston says he looks forward to
setting up practice in Omaha after he settles into his new leadership role with
the Clinic. Dr. Rolston will take over the position from interim president and
CEO, Larry Brown, M.D., who has been leading Alegent Health Clinic for the past
10 months.
— Alegent Health press release, February
2, 2011
Health Center Association of Nebraska
hires Thompson as executive director
OMAHA—The new Health Center Association of
Nebraska (HCAN) has tapped Nancy Thompson to head the new organization. Thompson
was previously the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands and former
Nebraska State Senator who served on the Health and Human Services Committee of
the Legislature. She is a former board member of OneWorld Community Health
Centers and the United Way of the Midlands. Since 2005, Thompson was head of Big
Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands. Under her leadership, the agency doubled
in size and was named Agency of the Year in 2007 by Big Brothers Big Sisters of
America. "I am honored and excited to be able to return to working in the health
care arena," said Thompson.
READ MORE»
— Health Center Association of Nebraska
press release, January 18, 2011
New agreement to boost clinical trial
participation for UNMC Selected as U.S. prime site for Quintiles,
international research giant
OMAHA—Clinical trial research at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center is about to move to another level. Thanks to an
agreement with Quintiles, the only fully integrated bio pharmaceutical services
company offering clinical, commercial, consulting and capital solutions
worldwide, it is anticipated that UNMC’s clinical research will expand
significantly, said Chris Kratochvil, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for
clinical research at UNMC.
The agreement will make UNMC a prime site
for Quintiles—one of only four such sites in the United States and eight
globally. Prime sites are large clinical institutions that collaborate with
Quintiles to enhance their infrastructure for conducting clinical trials,
improve efficiencies and increase productivity.
READ MORE»
— UNMC press release, February 1, 2011
CMS to roll out PEPPER to CAHs in April
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April
will roll out to critical access hospitals (CAHs), its Program for Evaluating
Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER). The free report, known as PEPPER,
provides hospital-specific data on Medicare discharges identified as being at
high risk for erroneous payment, such as short stays, improper coding and
potentially avoidable readmissions. CMS has contracted with TMF Health Quality
Institute to develop and distribute the reports, previously available only to
short- and long-term acute care hospitals. "Many general acute hospitals find
them to be a useful tool and we are pleased these reports will be available to
critical access hospitals," said Rochelle Archuleta, AHA senior associate
director of policy. The PEPPER files will be sent to the CAH's QualityNet
administrator. CAHs without a QualityNet administrator account may work with
their quality improvement organization to access the reports. Later this year,
CMS will begin distributing PEPPERs to inpatient psychiatric facilities and
inpatient rehabilitation facilities. For more on the distribution schedule and a
sample CAH report, visit
www.PEPPERresources.org.
— AHA News Now, January 31, 2011
AHA Community Connections valuable community resource
While policymakers and members of the media continue to explore ways to reform
our nation's health care system, hospitals across America are leading the
way—creating their own reforms as they respond to the varied needs of their
communities. Hosting clinics to care for those with nowhere to turn; providing
meals so families who have fallen on hard times don't go hungry; and ensuring
children receive free or discounted immunizations so they may attend school.
These reforms are quiet and local, but they reflect the stability and hope
embedded in the work hospitals do. Through the American Hospital Association's
Community Connections initiative, they are working to ensure that people
see the full picture of services hospitals provide to their communities. As the
economy continues to be stressful for individuals, families and businesses,
hospitals face the unique pressure to both absorb financial hardships and
continue these community services. Community Connections is an effort to
help all AHA members meet the myriad challenges they face while ultimately
helping them reaffirm their rightful place as a valuable and vital community
resource deserving broad support.
If you have a program you're proud of and want others to know about, please
visit www.caringforcommunities.org,
click "Hospitals in Action" and fill out the "Tell Your Story" form.
— American Hospital Association, January 27, 2011
AHA requests changes to MLR rule
The AHA today requested certain changes to the interim final
rule implementing medical loss ratios under the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. In a
letter
to the Department of Health and Human Services, AHA said the rule should
classify as medical claims all capitated payments to providers who deliver
health care services to a plan's enrollees, and not exclude provider
administrative costs integral to health care delivery. In addition, AHA said the
rule should clarify that medical claim costs for quality improvement activities
include health plan contributions to community-wide quality collaborative with
health care providers. Also, AHA said health plan communications with enrollees
to improve health care quality should be conducted by a licensed health care
professional, and prospective utilization review activities should have to meet
specific criteria to qualify as quality activities. Finally, AHA expressed
support for the decision to aggregate MLR data at the state, rather than
national, level.
— AHA News Now, January 31, 2011
Children’s Hospital & Medical Center receives Top
Innovators Award
OMAHA—Children’s Hospital & Medical Center is
the top winner in the
Healthcare Informatics Innovators Award Program for 2011. Children’s
received the honor for its innovative use of information technology including a
comprehensive electronic medical record system and the development of customized
data dashboards. “Children’s is proud to receive this recognition from
Healthcare Informatics and our peers,” said George Reynolds, MD, vice president,
chief information officer and chief medical informatics officer at Children’s
Hospital & Medical Center. “We have a dedicated and talented team of information
technology professionals who are constantly looking at how we can maximize the
power of information and make patient care even better.”
READ MORE»
— Children's Hospital & Medical Center press
release, January 31, 2011
National Cancer Survivor Program to be
Offered at Good Samaritan Hospital
KEARNEY—Good Samaritan Hospital is offering
women who have been treated for breast cancer the opportunity to take part in a
12-week holistic rehabilitation program designed to help them regain their
physical, emotional and spiritual health.
The program entitled "A Time to Heal" has
already made a positive difference in the well being of breast cancer survivors
in pilot groups conducted in five states. Research has shown an improved quality
of life after attending the sessions. Much like cardiac rehab for people who
have had a heart attack, this program aids in recovery for women who have
undergone treatment for breast cancer.
READ MORE»
— Good Samaritan Hospital news release,
January 26, 2011
Nebraska department of
insurance hosts public stakeholder event
The Nebraska Department of Insurance
cordially invites you to attend public stakeholder events. The meetings are
designed to solicit information from stakeholders and members of the public
regarding the issues surrounding Nebraska’s available options for the planning
and development of the Health Insurance Exchanges. Meetings will be scheduled in
all three congressional districts. The stakeholder meetings currently scheduled
will be held in Gering, Kearney and Norfolk.
READ MORE»
— Nebraska Department of Insurance,
February 2, 2011
CMS hosting special open door forum:
Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) will hold a special Open Door Forum (ODF) conference call on Thursday,
February 10, 2011 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. CT to discuss the proposed rule for the
Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program that will go into effect
October 1, 2012 (for Fiscal Year 2013).
This special ODF is designed specifically for
hospitals and hospital quality experts, Medicare beneficiaries, their families
and advocates in an effort to increase awareness and understanding of the
proposed rule.
READ MORE»
— CMS, January 28, 2011
Lawmakers press Supreme Court for verdict on healthcare law
WASHINGTON—Democratic and Republican lawmakers believe the
Supreme Court will ultimately decide the fate of President Obama’s healthcare
law, and some of them are already exerting pressure on the justices. The
high-stakes lobbying comes as the Senate is scheduled to vote on a healthcare
repeal bill today. That effort is expected to fall short, and the spotlight of
the intense debate is expected to pivot back to the judicial branch.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), who served as senior Republican on
the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmations of Justices Ruth Bader
Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, said, “I would hope the four so-called liberals on
the court would recognize that personal liberty is involved here. “I think there
are some very good Democrats there on the court, or I should say more liberal
people on the court, who have to recognize these constitutional issues,” Hatch
added.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee, said Tuesday, “[Justice Antonin] Scalia,
interestingly enough, has argued for years that barring any overly gross action
by Congress, the court should let the Congress make its laws and if people don’t
like them, let them decide at the ballot box.
READ MORE»
— The Hill.com, February 2, 2011
Legislative oversight of child welfare reform proposed
LINCOLN—The Health and Human Services Committee heard
testimony Jan. 28 on a resolution that would provide the Legislature more
oversight of a reform initiative to address the growing number of Nebraska
children in out-of-home placements.
In July 2009, the state Department of Health and Human
Services selected six separate private agencies as lead agencies to implement
the reform initiatives, which increased the responsibilities of private agencies
to provide services to children and families. Currently, only two lead agencies
remain under contract with HHS. Departing agencies cited significant loss of
funds as they sought to carry out the terms of their contract.
— Unicameral Update, January 28, 2011
Nebraska Archaeological Society State Archaeology Meeting
February 5, 2011
Grand Island Public Library, Grand Island, NE
Responding to TBI & PTSD Needs of Returning Veterans
February 24-25, 2011
Calvary Christian Church, Bellevue, NE
NHA 2011 Advocacy Day
March 15, 2011
The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, Lincoln
Click here for a list of
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Events
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hbullock@nhanet.org. Send news
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kporter@nhanet.org.
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