NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
1. HHS awards $159.1 million to support nursing and other health care workforce training
2. States receive matching funds for EHR incentives program
3. The Joint Commission publishes A Roadmap for Hospitals
4. EHR issues in the news include incentives and early EHR adopters
5. Mezey-first nurse to receive prestigious AGS award
6. Washington D.C. nurses approve one-day work stoppage
7. ORU Nursing School receives nearly $1 million to recruit minority students
8. New study: no harm found when nurse anesthetists work without supervision by physicians
9. University of Minnesota receives grant
10. AONE member receives PhD
1. HHS awards $159.1 million to support nursing and other health care workforce training
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius yesterday announced $159.1 million in grants to support nursing and other health care workforce training programs. These grants build on the investments made under the Affordable Care Act and Recovery Act to strengthen and grow the country's primary care workforce. The grants will target three types of programs: nursing workforce development programs; interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs; and centers of excellence programs for underrepresented minority students. Nursing workforce development programs will receive $106 million in grants to support all levels of nursing education including: $42 million for advanced education nursing; $16 million for advanced education nursing traineeship; $1.3 million for nurse anesthetist traineeship; $29.9 million for nurse education, practice, quality and retention; $14.3 million for nursing workforce diversity; and $2.5 million for faculty development. "These grants target key workforce needs," said Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, PhD, RN. "In addition to training new health care workers, these grants will support efforts to better prepare health care workers to care for our diverse and aging population, improving health care quality for all Americans." (HHS, press release, 8/5/10)
2. States receive matching funds for EHR incentives program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to Medicaid programs in seven states for planning activities to implement electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs: Connecticut will receive $695,000; Delaware, $247,000; the District of Columbia, $817,000; Indiana, $2.31 million; New Hampshire, $335,000; Rhode Island, $401,000; and West Virginia, $945,000. A 90 percent federal match is provided by the ARRA for state planning activities to administer EHR incentive payments to Medicaid providers, ensure proper payments through audits and promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology. Visit www.cms.gov for more information.
3. The Joint Commission publishes A Roadmap for Hospitals
The Joint Commission developed a new monograph- Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals-to inspire hospitals to integrate concepts from the fields of communication, cultural competence and patient- and family-centered care into their organizations. This new monograph provides methods for hospitals to begin or improve upon their efforts to ensure that all patients receive the same high quality care. Recommendations and practice examples address issues including language, culture, health literacy, other communication barriers, mobility needs and the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients.The Joint Commission encourages hospitals to adopt a combination of the practices discussed and to use these examples as a foundation for creating processes, policies, and programs that are best suited for their organizations. (The Joint Commission,news release, 8/4/10)
4. EHR issues in the news include incentives and early EHR adopters
Last week, Rep. Zack Space (D-OH) introduced the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentives for Multi-campus Hospitals Act, which ensures that payment incentives would be available to all qualified hospitals that are part of larger multi-campus hospital systems sharing a single provider number. The American Hospital Association (AHA) voiced strong support for the bill in a letter to the sponsor, noting that providing incentive payments to only one hospital in a multi-hospital system "would not accurately account for the implementation and training costs of EHRs across different institutions; nor would it accurately reflect differences in clinical services provided at different sites." The legislation clarifies that EHR incentive payments under Medicare and Medicaid should go to each campus of a multi-campus hospital system consisting of a main provider hospital and one or more remote location hospitals. In other news, Rep. Michael Burgess, MD, (R-TX) introduced legislation that would allow health care providers to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments in 2011 and 2012 if their current EHR systems meet meaningful use requirements but are not certified. Currently, only hospitals using EHRs certified under a new federal certification process can qualify for incentive payments. No certified products are yet available. Without a legislative fix, all hospitals and physicians, including those early adopters with the most advanced systems, would need to install new certified EHRs, upgrade to a certified version or certify their installed systems at their own expense before they can apply for the incentives. The AHA wrote a letter of support to Sen. Burgess. (AHA News Now, 7/30/10)
5. Mezey-first nurse to receive prestigious AGS award
AONE member Dr. Mathy Mezey is the first nurse to receive the prestigious Nascher/Manning Award for Achievement in Clinical Geriatrics from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). Professor emerita, senior research scientist and director of the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing at New York University's College of Nursing, Dr. Mezey received the award for her teaching, leadership and life-long achievement in clinical geriatrics. "We were delighted to present the Nascher-Manning Award to an esteemed and accomplished nurse educator and nurse practitioner leader in geriatrics," explained Sharon Brangman, MD, AGSF, American Geriatrics Society President. "Nurses play a key role in the care of older adults and they are often overlooked for their significant contributions. They implement treatment plans, educate older adults, families and caregivers about acute and chronic conditions, and play a vital role in the interdisciplinary treatment of our nation's elders. As the largest growing skilled workforce in our country, their contribution to the field will continue to grow with time." (AGS, press release, 8/5/10)
6. Washington D.C. nurses approve one-day work stoppage
According to an article on the healthleadersmedia.com website, nurses from the Washington Hospital Center voted to call a one-day work stoppage in protest of the firing of 18 registered nurses and the disciplining of several other workers. According to the reports, the nurses and workers were fired for staying home during snow storms last winter. Hospital officials have stated that they provided transportation for the nurses and also alerted staff prior to the storm to make accommodations such as staying at the hospital during the storm. Some 42 percent of the hospital's 1,600 nurses participated in the vote taken late last week. According to nursing union representatives vote results surpassed the 2/3 majority required for approval of a work stoppage. A date has not been set but hospital officials say they have a full contingency plan in place and that the hospital is prepared for any type of work stoppage.
7. ORU Nursing School receives nearly $1 million to recruit minority students
The Oral Roberts University News reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded a grant for Nurse Education, Practice, and Retention (NEPR) to the Anna Vaughn School of Nursing at Oral Roberts University (ORU). The $977,792 grant will be disbursed over a three-year period. The grant's primary objective is the recruitment of minority students, primarily Hispanic, as well as implementation of a retention program to promote the students' completion of the program and return to the community as registered nurses. The grant also emphasizes clinical experiences in rural areas where the majority of medically underserved persons reside.
8. New study: no harm found when nurse anesthetists work without supervision by physicians
There are no differences in patient outcomes when anesthesia services are provided by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), physician anesthesiologists or CRNAs supervised by physicians, according to the results of a new national study . Conducted by Jerry Cromwell, PhD, and Brian Dulisse, PhD, for RTI International, the study was funded by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). The findings, No Harm Found When Nurse Anesthetists Work without Supervision by Physicians, appear in the August issue ofHealth Affairs.The study examined nearly 500,000 individual cases and according to researchers confirms that CRNAs provide safe, high-quality care, regardless of supervision by a physician. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prohibit Medicare payments to hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers when CRNAs provide anesthesia care in the absence of physician supervision. However, in 2001 CMS began allowing states to "opt out" of the Medicare physician supervision requirement for CRNAs. Since then 15 states-most recently California in 2009-have opted out. (AANA, press release, 8/3/10)
9. University of Minnesota receives grant
According to anarticle in the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, The University of Minnesota recently received a $556,000 grant from The George Family Foundation to provide nurses with integrative-medicine training. The foundation-launched by former Medtronic CEO, now current Harvard professor, Bill George and his wife, Penny-supports organizations that promote integrative health and healing. The grant will be given to the university's Center for Spirituality & Healing and the School of Nursing with funds used to support fellowships for more than 40 nurses through 2015. The Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, based at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, will also participate in the program.
10. AONE member receives PhD
AONE member Holly L. Sherlock, RN, PhD, recently completed her post graduate studies and has been awarded her PhD in health care administration. She was also inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the Honor Society for Nursing. Dr. Sherlock is administrative supervisor at Mercy Suburban Hospital, Norristown, PA.
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AONE NEWS AND RESOURCES
Earn valuable CE credits without leaving your desk-Virtually AONE
Registration opens next week for this two-day virtual conference to be held September 13-14. Each session will be 1 to 1.5 hours of content streamed live to your computer or available on-demand following the conference. A total of ten continuing education (CE) credits are available. Additional information, including the full agenda, will be available next week on the AONE website. Hold the date!
Register for upcoming TCAB webinar featuring Jill Fuller, RN, PhD
Join Jill Fuller, RN, PhD, on September 21 at 11:30 a.m. ET as she presents "How to Build and Nurture a Successful TCAB Team." One of the challenges facing TCAB unit teams is maintaining high levels of engagement and participation throughout the unit. In this webinar, Jill Fuller, president and CEO of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System in Watertown, SD will discuss tactics for helping your TCAB unit thrive and will offer her insights into the best ways to sustain the changes and innovations in your unit.Register now to take advantage of this opportunity. Can't make the webinar? After September 21, the webinar will be available for purchase. Click here to access on-demand content from other AONE TCAB webinars .
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In April, AONE reached a significant membership milestone of 7,000 members. Participate in the AONE membership drive- iCommit and keep this momentum going.Sign-up for iCommit and recruit at least one new member between July-September. When we reach 7,500 members, you will be entered into a drawing for a free annual meeting registration, a free, one year AONE membership, a $100 Borders gift card or...a new Apple iPad! Learn more at www.aone.org/iCommit .
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