2004 Archive
HHS Issues Final Regulation on Access to Group Health Coverage, the Department of Health and Human Services today announced a final regulation under the provisions of the 1996 law on health insurance portability that give workers greater access to group health plan coverage. US Department of Health & Human Services
Benedict, Smith Shape Oregon’s Rural Health The newly formed state Office of Rural Policy will have plenty of input from Hood River County. Hood River News
Bend Hospital Targets Standards. Data on the quality of care provided at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend suggest the hospital has plenty of work to do, but those results may not yet reflect recent improvements.
Website Provides Reliable Information on Healthy Eating, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention http://www.nutrition.gov, is a comprehensive source of information on nutrition and dietary guidance from multiple government agencies. Rural Assistance Center
Medicare Will Help Beneficiaries Quit Smoking New proposed coverage for counseling as Medicare shifts focus to prevention. US Department of Health & Human Services
Dodging A Bullet Illness could make a bigger impact on the Ontario Fire and Rescue Department than it has in the past because budget cuts have left the agency with fewer full-time firefighters. The Argus Observer
A Special Open Door Forum: Prescription Drug Transactions Data will be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at 11:00 p.m. Pacific. Call 1-800-837-1935 and reference ID# 4381705. A white paper providing greater detail and background on this topic, is available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/pdps.
Nursing Home Care Improving in Many Areas New CMS Data Show, New Steps Initiated In addition to tracking quality measures as a way to improve long-term care, CMS is also beginning a new phase of initiatives to further improve care for seniors. US Department of Health & Human Services
Editorial:OHSU Provides Vital Link For Rural Oregon This editorial is the opinion of The Observer's editorial board. LaGrandeObserver.com
Coalition Helping Medicare Beneficiaries Enroll For Drug Credit By Year-End The Access to Benefits Coalition, a group of national non-profit organizations working to help low-income Medicare beneficiaries find available resources for reducing the cost of prescription drugs, on Dec. 20 released a Web-basedtooldesigned to help beneficiaries find the best Medicare discount drug card for their needs. AHANews.com
Rx Outreach Is An Easy And Affordable Way For People Of All Ages To Get Medicines They Need Through the Rx Outreach Contracted Clinics Program, selected healthcare facilities can handle patients’ prescriptions efficiently. They provide contracted clinics with a streamlined application process, making it easy to submit – and pay for – prescriptions from multiple patients. See this frequently asked questions page.
Oregon Public Health Officials Expand Flu Vaccinations Oregonians age 50 and older, out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of people in designated high-priority groups can be vaccinated against influenza. Oregon Department of Human Services
QualityNet Exchange has changed. Hospitals, are your computers ready for the new QNet?
To assist the transfer of confidential information between hospitals and Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched QualityNet (QNet) Exchange. OMPRO
EPA, CDC And ATSDR Present Continuing Education Video For Health Care Providers EPA and its partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), present a video that demonstrates how health care providers can help recognize, report, and prevent waterborne illness in their communities. Rural Assistance Center
FCC Expands Availability of Funding for Rural Telemedicine Services The Rural Health Care Support Mechanism program is authorized to provide up to $400 million in telemedicine funding. Rural Assistance Center
NRHA Announces Sexton As President-Elect The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is pleased to announce the induction of its next president-elect, William (Bill) Sexton of Seaside, OR. Sexton will serve in this capacity for the NRHA for one year, before becoming president in 2006. Congratulations Mr. Sexton! National Rural Health Association
Enrollment Increases at U.S. Nursing Schools - More than 25,000 Applications Denied The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announced today that enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased by 10.6 percent in 2004 over the previous year. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
Major Organizations Join AHRQ to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care AHRQ part of a new public-private partnership, the National Health Plan Learning Collaborative to Reduce Disparities and Improve Quality, which is designed to help reduce disparities in health care for people with diabetes and other conditions. Rural Assistance Center
AMA Joins Campaign to Reduce System Errors in Hospitals The AMA announced it is partnering with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in a campaign aimed at preventing common in-hospital system errors which can result in unintended deaths. Rural Assistance Center
Medicare Advantage Under The Microscope Competition under Medicare Advantage. Health Affairs
Kevin T. Miller, D.O., a Sisters physician, was elected president of the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP). Dr. Miller has been associated with High Lakes Health Care since May 2001 and is a member of the Oregon Rural Health Council. Congratulations to Dr. Miller! Nugget Newspaper
FY 2005 Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program The primary purpose of this rural program is to enhance the safety of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and child abuse by supporting projects uniquely designed to address and prevent these crimes in rural areas. Registration deadline is Jan 21, 2005, application deadline is Feb 3, 2005. Office on Violence Against Women
Bush Taps EPA Chief As Health Secretary President Bush chose Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Leavitt on Monday to be secretary of Health and Human Services, filling one of the last two openings in his second-term Cabinet. The Associated Press
CMS Extends Deadline For New Technology Applications For Fiscal Year 2006 The new technology add-on payment policy provides additional payments for cases with high costs involving eligible new technologies. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Oregon Doctors Want More In-State Students Physicians say the medical school's tuition may be keeping Oregonians from entering the profession. AMNews.com
Web Site Compares Drugs Using OHSU Data A Consumers Union online project aims to sort out the most affordable and effective prescription medicines. OregonLive.com
The Department of Agriculture has announced its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program grant application window for funding during fiscal year 2005 subject to the availability of funding. A Notice of Funding Availability will be published announcing the funding level for the DLT grant program once an appropriations bill providing for DLT grants has been enacted. Application guides and materials for the DLT grant program are available at www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/
dlt/dlt.htm.
HRSA Selects Health Purchasing Partners International as Prime Vendor for 340B Drug Pricing Program Health Purchasing Partners International (HPPI) is the new Prime Vendor for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration. Rural Assistance Center
Comptroller General Appointments To The Citizens' Health Care Working Group Individuals working in rural health may be interested in joining this group, helping to ensure rural issues are addressed in the discussions. Government Accounting Office
Liability Claims Level Off, But Costs Still Up The number of claims was similar to the previous year, but the size of settlements continued to grow. AMNews.com
Canyonville's Health Care Plans Limited To Few Options A group of about 15 people representing the city, health care and businesses held an informational meeting to learn about the options for a new health clinic in the area. The News-Review Online
Means-Testing In Medicare The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 introduces means-testing of premiums and benefits in two ways. Health Affairs
Medicare Modernization Benefits In The First Year A fact sheet for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Deficit Could Force Medicare Reductions Lawmakers haven't developed a plan to slash the budget but say Medicare will be a target. The impact on doctors is unclear. AMNews.com
2005 Oregon Hospital Quality Awards Share your hospital’s achievements and innovations. Eligible hospital must demonstrate improvement in the quality measures for one or more of the clinical areas recognized by CMS; see “Comparison of CMS, JCAHO, HQA and APU Measures” on the QualityNet Exchange Web site. Applications are due May 31, 2005 and require four quarters of data. OMPRO
ORH Announces 22nd Annual Rural Health Conference Dates Rural Oregonians will meet November 3 - 5, 2005 about rural health issues. Mark your calendar now.
Establishing Regional Medicare PPOs and PDPs Under the Medicare Modernization Act CMS announced the establishment of 26 MA regions and 34 PDP regions. Below are links to maps and fact sheets on the regions. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Treatment Outcomes in Depression: Comparison of Remote Treatment Through Telepsychiatry to In-Person Treatment Remote treatment of depression by means of telepsychiatry and in-person treatment of depression have comparable outcomes and equivalent levels of patient adherence, patient satisfaction, and health care cost. The American Journal of Psychiatry
Nurse Practitioner Joins Medical Center Nancy A. Miller, RN, MSN, FNP, has joined the staff of the Chetco Medical Center in Brookings. CurryPilot.com
Ten Troublesome Trends In TV Health News A 2002 Gallup poll showed that many Americans consider television their most important source of news and information on health. BMJ.com
CMS Seeks Public Comment on Draft Drug Benefit Implementation Materials CMS will hold an Open Door Forum on the draft formulary guidance and PDP application materials on December 13, 2004 at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Examining Administrative Complexities Excessive amounts of staff attention, physician time, and costs are devoted each year to administrative tasks that are redundant, wasteful, duplicative, and add no value to a practice or its patients according to research from Medical Group Management Association Center for Research. Physician's Weekly
Health Secretary Thompson Steps Down Thompson said he submitted his resignation to the president Friday morning. CNN.com Article from OregonLive.com.
New CMS Study Shows Medicare, Medicaid Paid For More Than Half Of All Senior Health Care Elderly spending four times that of non-elderly. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Visa Caps Seen Adding to RN Staffing Woes Health care immigration experts warn that the number of nurses from the Philippines and India, another major RN exporter, will drop off significantly next year, because those countries have exceeded their per-country quotas for employment-based immigrant visas or green cards. Rural Assistance Center
Health Savings Accounts: Issues and Implementation Decisions for States Although HSAs were legislated through a federal initiative, the availability of qualifying high-deductible health coverage depends partly on states. As the primary regulators of health insurance, states can choose whether to allow insurance companies to sell high-deductible policies. State Coverage Initiatives - Academy Health
Almost Half of Americans Use at Least One Prescription Drug Annual Report on Nation’s Health Shows Prescription drug use is rising among people of all ages, and use increases with age. Five out of six persons 65 and older are taking at least one medication and almost half the elderly take three or more. CDC
Governor Kulongoski Releases 2005-07 Recommended Budget Today the Governor released his 2005-07 Recommended Budget and outlined the “Oregon Principles” budget process he is using to develop his recommended budget for the 2005-2007 biennium. www.governor.oregon.gov
NRHA Appoints Forrest Calico, MD, MPH, To Lead New National Quality Initiative Dr. Calico will lead a new five year effort to promote access to coordinated, high quality care in every rural community. National Rural Health Association
