NCHN NEWS

MEMBER BLURBS

PARTNER BLURBS

UPCOMING EVENTS

NATIONAL NEWS

FUNDING

2012 Salary Survey

The Program Development Committee is pleased to announce the release of the collection instrument for the 2012 Network Leader Salary and Benefit Survey.  You should have received the link to the survey in a personal email.  If you did not receive the email, please let Rebecca know. 

All NCHN members that participate in the survey will receive a free detailed copy of the final report.  Deadline for participation is Friday, May 25, 2012.

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Can you find the hidden country in the following paragraph:

The light aircraft, whilst over the local forest, caught fire. Landing quickly was now the pilot's priority. Luckily a nearby airfield responded to the pilot's mayday and the situation was brought under control as soon as the aircraft landed.

» VIEW THE ANSWER

Upcoming NCHN Calls & Events

Online Evaluation for 2012 Conference
closes May 4th @ 5:00 PM EST
Complete the evaluation for a chance to win 1 free registration to the 2013 NCHN Conference in New Orleans (current odds: 1 in 41)

Friday, May 4
Rebecca Davis will be representing NCHN at a White House Community Leader Briefing on “Cooperatives, Jobs & the Economy.” NCHN was extended an invitation to participate in the briefing by the National Cooperative Business Association.

2012 Annual Conference Planning Committee Close-out Call
Tuesday, May 8 @ 2:00 PM ET

RHNR Consulting Task Force Call
Wednesday, May 9 @ 12:00 PM ET

Program Development Committee Call
Tuesday, May 15 @ 1:00 PM ET

» VIEW THE NCHN CALENDAR

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NCHN Welcomes Grand County Rural Health Network

Please join NCHN in welcoming Jen Fanning, Executive Director, and Grand County Rural Health Network of Hot Springs, Colorado, as new network members.

Founded in 2001, GCRHN has 22 members which work in partnership to improve the future of healthcare through programs and services that education the community on health issues and ensure accessibility and efficiency of the healthcare system. Its purpose is to ensure community access to quality healthcare and to build a countywide healthcare system.

» MORE INFORMATION

RWHC has ICD-10 Webinars Recorded & Available Online

April 2012 RWHC is pleased to offer several new webinars developed specifically for your ICD-10 Steering Committee Education functions. For your convenience, they can be purchased as a package or individually. 

» MORE INFORMATION

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NRHA: Rural Hospitals Provide Better Value

April 30, 2012 (NRHA Press Release) - NRHA is proud to release a report entitled “Rural Relevance Under Healthcare Reform: A Performance-Based Assessment of Rural Health care in America” presenting summary findings from research conducted by iVantage Health Analytics. The report sheds new, multi-dimensional light on the rural healthcare delivery systems using the latest Medicare shared Savings data files, the first nationwide hospital rating system to evaluate rural hospitals, and the industry’s largest proprietary rural Emergency Department database.

» READ THE RELEASE

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Rural Wealth Creation: Concepts, Strategies, and Measures
Southern Rural Development Center & USDA ERS

Webinar: May 1, 2012 @ 1:00 PM ET

Based upon a review of relevant literature and data sources, the authors discuss what wealth is in a broad sense, why wealth creation is important for rural development, how it can be created in rural communities, and how its accumulation and effects can be measured.

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HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting
HHS

May 2, 2012 | 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM ET
Washington Marriott, Washington, DC

The committee will hear reports from its workgroups, including the Meaningful Use Workgroup, and updates from ONC and other Federal agencies. ONC intends to make background material available to the public no later than two (2) business days prior to the meeting. If ONC is unable to post the background material on its Web site prior to the meeting, it will be made publicly available at the location of the advisory committee meeting, and the background material will be posted on ONC's Web site after the meeting, at http://healthit.hhs.gov. ONC is committed to the orderly conduct of its advisory committee meetings. Please visit our Web site at http://healthit.hhs.gov for procedures on public conduct during advisory committee meetings.

» MORE INFORMATION

The Role of Leadership in the EHR Project: What Rural Leaders Need to Know
Rural Assistance Center

Webinar: May 8, 2012 @ 3:00 PM EDT

Hospital leadership is critical when implementing electronic information systems, particularly in rural and critical access hospitals. This presentation will provide examples of effective project structure for rural and critical access hospital Electronic Health Record (EHR) projects. Discussion will include the role of hospital leadership as well as the expectations of champions, project managers and vendors involved with the project. Those attending this presentation will be able to use this information to better prepare for their EHR project or improve an existing EHR project.

» MORE INFORMATION

Take Action: Work Together
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

Webinar: May 8, 2012 @ 3:00 PM CDT

Communities vary widely, and as a result, community health improvement efforts also vary. In the midst of all this variety is one constant: people working together. With a shared vision and commitment to improved health, working together can yield better results than working alone. Learn about guidance, tools and resources for building and maintaining a diverse, multi-sector team of partners (including business, healthcare, education, government, public health, funders, community leaders/advocates).

» MORE INFORMATION

Engaging the Safety Net in Health Care Reform
National Academy for State Health Policy

Webinar: May 9, 2012 @ 3:00 PM ET

This webinar will summarize the deliberations and results of NASHP’s National Workgroup on Integrating a Safety Net into Health Care Reform Implementation. Over the course of nearly a year, this group of state and federal officials, national experts and associations, and safety net systems worked to identify issues and develop policy options, focusing on integrated delivery systems, workforce, and financing. The National Workgroup and this webinar are made possible by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund.

» MORE INFORMATION

Find Health IT Talent for your Health Center
National Association of Community Health Centers

Webinar: May 10, 2012 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

This one hour webinar is geared towards NACHC members and HRSA grantees to become familiar with HIMSS offerings and free services in support of HIT workforce development programs and initiatives to help expand the IT workforce in Community Health Centers.  The Health IT Workforce Development Program Job Board (powered by HIMSS JobMine) is open to all NACHC members and HRSA grantees to post job openings, search resumes of the ONC Community College Consortia program graduates, and take advantage of career development services.  Job postings and resume searching are provided free of charge exclusively to NACHC members and HRSA grantees, compliments of HIMSS through a limited time introductory period.

» MORE INFORMATION

2012 National Association for Rural Mental Health Conference

May 15 - 18, 2012
Anchorage, AK

» MORE INFORMATION

Implementing Care Coordination within the PCMH Model

Webinar: May 17, 2012 | 1:30 - 3:00 PM EDT

Improved care coordination is a critical success factor for medical homes. In this webinar, we’ll review models and effective implementation practices. In addition, we’ll take a close look at Geisinger’s team approach to achieving improved care across the continuum and how it’s program, established in 2006, improves quality and reduces total cost of care.

» MORE INFORMATION

HRSA Health IT and Quality Webinars

Using Health IT for Care Coordination Across Inpatient and Outpatient Settings
May 18, 2012 @ 2:00 PM

» MORE INFORMATION

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HRSA's April Health IT Grantee Spotlight

April 2012 (HRSA > Health IT) - This month HRSA’s Health Information Technology (IT) website highlights the work of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organization’s (AAPCHO) Enabling Services Accountability Project (ESAP).  Health centers often provide a range of non-clinical services, such as financial counseling, housing and food assistance programs, language services, case management and health education.  The participating health centers refer to these services as “enabling services” and emphasize their critical importance to support the care received by many low-income and minority patients.  Enabling services are key components of the patient-centered medical home and ensure that underserved patients obtain responsive, affordable, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health care. However, the lack of data collected on enabling services makes it challenging for health centers to demonstrate to payers and policymakers the value these services bring.   AAPCHO’s utilizes EHR data to evaluate the impact of these enabling services on health care access and outcomes; and uses this information to address health disparities within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander (AA & NHOPI) communities. 

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Farmer’s Union Hopes To Lower Costs Via Health Insurance Co-op
Colorado Public Newds and Michael de Yoanna

April 30, 2012 (Community Radio for Northern Colorado) - The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union says the costs of health insurance have become so high that many people who work in Colorado’s rural areas carry policies that only cover them in case of a dire emergency.

So the union is seeking to do for healthcare what it has done successfully for milk, livestock and equipment: Form a co-op.

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Small, Rural Health Providers Lag in EHR Adoption, Studies Find

April 25, 2012 (iHealthBeat) - Electronic health record adoption rates are rising faster among large physician groups and hospitals than among small, rural health care providers, according to two new studies published in the journal Health Affairs, Modern Healthcare reports (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 4/24).

» CONTINUE READING

Office of Rural Health Policy Releases the 2012 Community Paramedicine Evaluation Tool

April 26, 2012 (RAConline.org) - HRSA’s Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) is pleased to announce the release of the 2012 Community Paramedicine Evaluation Tool.  Strategic Partnerships, Inc., and the Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation, along with an advisory committee comprised of key experts, interviewed five developed Community Paramedicine programs in both rural and urban settings to better understand the elements that have lead to their successes as well as the challenges they have faced in implementing a Community Paramedicine program. 

» CONTINUE READING

Resource: Mental Health, United States, 2010 Available for Download
SAMHSA

April 25, 2012 (SAMHSA email) - Mental Health, United States, 2010, the latest in a series of publications issued biannually by SAMHSA since 1980, provides in-depth information regarding the current status of the mental health field.

This publication is the only available comprehensive source of national-level statistical information on trends in both private- and public-sector behavioral health services, costs, and clients. Drawing on over 40 different data sources, this publication also includes state-level data and information about special populations such as children, military families, nursing home residents, and incarcerated individuals.

» MORE INFORMATION

Help AHRQ with a Health Information Technology (IT) Study

April 25, 2012 (AHRQ email) - AHRQ is conducting a study about its offerings and is interested in talking to high-level professionals who either:

• Develop health IT tools for patients, or
•  Work for organizations that purchase those tools (e.g., hospitals, practices, health plans, government purchasers) and serve consumers with limited health literacy.

 AHRQ is conducting 90-minute group interviews from mid-April through mid-May. Participants will be compensated for their time.

If you’re interested in participating, please contact Jennifer Alexander (jalexander@rti.org ) by Friday, May 4th. Jennifer is at non-profit RTI International, which is working with AHRQ on this endeavor.

Wanted: Mavericks And Missionaries To Solve Mississippi's Doc Shortage
by Jeffrey Hess

April 26, 2012 (Kaiser Health News) - When Janie Guice looks at the Mississippi Delta she sees a vast, flat flood plain, home to cotton fields and catfish farms, but she also sees desperate rural health problems and a deep shortage of doctors to deliver primary care to the region's residents.

Guice is the recruiter for the University of Mississippi's Rural Physician Scholarship Program, headquartered at the state's only academic medical center in the capital of Jackson. The state-funded program offers students a $30,000 scholarship that covers all the expenses of medical school, if they agree to go back into practice in a rural area for four years after they graduate. But there is a catch: Students must originally come from a small rural town far from health care providers.

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HHS announces new Affordable Care Act options for community-based care
Medicaid and Medicare introduce greater flexibility for beneficiaries to receive care at home or in settings of their choice

April 26, 2012 (HHS News Release) - New opportunities in Medicaid and Medicare that will allow people to more easily receive care and services in their communities rather than being admitted to a hospital or nursing home were announced today by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

HHS finalized the Community First Choice rule, which is a new state plan option under Medicaid, and announced the participants in the Independence At Home Demonstration program. The demonstration encourages primary care practices to provide home-based care to chronically ill Medicare patients.

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Health Care Law Protects Against Fraud, Saves Nearly $1.6 Billion
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

April 24, 2012 (CMS Press Release) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final rule today that prevents fraud in Medicare and is estimated to save taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion over 10 years. 

Today’s rule ensures that only qualified, identifiable providers and suppliers can order or certify certain medical services, equipment and supplies for people with Medicare.  The rule also helps ensure beneficiaries receive quality care because CMS will verify the credentials of a provider who is ordering or certifying equipment and supplies.

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More from CMS
• Medicare Proposed Payment Rule Would Promote Improved Patient Care (CMS Press Release, April 24, 2012)

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Roadmaps to Health: Community Grants
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Deadline for brief proposals: May 2, 2012
Deadline for full proposals: July 25, 2012

The Roadmaps to Health Community Grants program (Community Grants) will support communities to implement policy or system changes to address one of the social or economic factors that, as defined by the County Health Rankings, most strongly influence health outcomes in their community. These include: education; employment and income; family and social support; and community safety. Grantees will be organizations that participate in established coalitions or networks that span multiple sectors and perspectives and may include representatives from business; education; public health; health care; community organizations; community members; policy advocates; foundations; and policy-makers. Applicants must engage community members in the planning and implementation of projects, and must collaborate with organizations having expertise in improving the health of the public. Applicants must secure 100 percent matching support, including a cash match of at least 50 percent with the balance as in-kind support.

» MORE INFORMATION

Rural Health Initiative Grants
OffSite Image Management Solutions

Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

OffSite Image Management Systems (OIMS), based out of Kansas City, is launching the Rural Health Initiative, in which select rural hospitals, across the nation, will receive the technology needed to safely store, transfer, and exchange critical patient information with other healthcare providers within the respected region.

Amount: $500,000 in technology, software and support

» MORE INFORMATION

Small Research Grant to Improve Health Care Quality through Health Information Technology
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality

Deadline: November 16, 2012

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support a wide variety of research designs in order to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care through the implementation and use of health IT. These designs include: small pilot and feasibility or self-contained health IT research projects; secondary data analysis of health IT research; and economic (prospective or retrospective) analyses of health IT implementation and use. Through economic analyses estimates of health IT implementation and use costs and benefits will be generated.

» MORE INFORMATION

Resource: Funding Alternatives for Emergency Medical and Fire Services
U.S. Fire Administration

April 2012 (USFA, exerpt from Introduction) - Emergency medical services (EMS) departments and fire departments provide invaluable services in their communities. In the United States, EMS agencies and fire departments respond to millions of calls for service each year. Service expectations placed on EMS and fire services organizations, including the fire service’s role in EMS delivery, response to natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescue, and acts of terrorism, have steadily increased.

This expanding mission comes at a time when local government budgets are stretched increasingly thin, which translates into more duties with fewer dollars to support them. A needs-assessment survey, conducted by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) in cooperation with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), documents a concerning lack of appropriate training, as well as inadequate facilities and equipment necessary to maintain basic fire and EMS response capabilities among the U.S. fire service, particularly in rural and volunteer fire departments. Few departments have the capability to handle unusually challenging events, such as wildland urban interface (WUI) fires, hazmat, or major floods.

Striking the right balance between different sources of local revenue has become an essential skill for EMS and fire administrators and chief officers. So, too, has the ability to identify and acquire grants and other alternative revenues. To meet this critical need and serve its constituents regarding effective methods for obtaining funding, USFA developed the publication, Funding Alternatives for Fire and Emergency Services...

» DOWNLOAD (pdf)

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