MEMBER NEWS | PARTNER NEWS | NATIONAL NEWS | LEADERSHIP | UPCOMING EVENTS

• Capitol Hill Power Analysis: The Nonprofit Guide to the 113th Congress (Nov. 29, 2012, NPQ)
• The Nonprofit Version of a Powerball Win (Nov. 28, 2012, NPQ)
• How to Steal from a Nonprofit: Who Does It and How to Prevent It (Dec. 21, 2007, NPQ)

• Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grant (Rural Quality) Program (HRSA/ORHP)
  Provides funding to assist rural providers with the implementation of quality improvement strategies using health information technology (HIT).
  

• Presentation materials from the Dec. 3rd Quarterly Membership Call discussing the ACA, as well as impending cuts to rural hospitals, are posted on the NCHN site. To access them, log in and go to Member Resources > Documents > Membership Calls.
• NCHN Holiday Schedule: Rebecca will be out from Wednesday, December 19, 2012 through Tuesday, January 1, 2013 and Christy will be off from Monday, December 24, 2012 through, Tuesday, January 1, 2013. NCHN offices will reopen on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
• Save the Date: Monday, January 14, 2013 @ 2:00 PM ET  – Special Topic Call with Heman Marshall on Anti-Trust Laws and Issues Relevant to Health Networks 

NCHN NEWS

Remembering Leonila Vega
NCHN has received news that Leonila Vega, Executive Director of Direct Care Alliance, passed away on November 19, 2012. Leonila presented on the topic of Home Care Coorperatives at the 2011 NCHN Conference in Scottsdale. We hope you will join us in taking a moment to honor her remarkable life and the valuable work she did.

2013 Conference Planning Committee Call
Wednesday, Dec. 4 @ 2:00 PM

2012 NCHN Leadership Learning Community Call
Wednesday, Dec. 5 @ 10:00 AM ET

2011 Transformer Leadership Learning Community Call
Wednesday, Dec. 5 @ 11:00 AM ET

Coffee/Tea Chat with Mary Kay Chess
Wednesday, Dec. 5 @ 12:30 PM ET

RHNR Consulting Task Force Call
Thursday, Dec. 13 @ 12:00 PM ET

NCHN Executive Committee Call
Monday, Dec. 17 @ 2:00 PM ET

Program Development Committee Call
Tuesday, Dec. 18 @ 1:00 PM ET

» VIEW THE NCHN CALENDAR

December Coffee/Tea Chat
Wednesday, December 5th at 12:30 PM ET; 11:30 AM CT; 10:30 AM MT; 9:30 AM PT

Welcome to our last Coffee/Tea Chat of 2012!  This Chat is open for any and all network and leadership questions and issues.  We invite you to bring your observations, your challenges, your successes and your perspectives on 2012 to this call.  We look forward to a lively and invigorating wrap up and celebration of this wild and wooly year!  And, in this last conversation, we'll launch ourselves into possibilities for 2013. We'll see you on Wednesday, December 5th! Details and call-in information for the Coffee/Tea Chat will be posted on the NCHN On-Line Forum and distributed through a save the date email.

MEMBER NEWS

Indiana Statewide Rural Health Network (InSRHN) newsletter - November 2012 issue is online (pdf)

HCC of Rural Missouri's December 2012 newsletter is online

PARTNER NEWS

NRHA: Take Action to Protect Rural Hospitals
Last week, NRHA held a grassroots action call discussing the impact of potential cuts to rural hospitals. Some cuts already went into effect on July 1, 2012, and October 1, 2012. It is essential to rural hospitals that Congress hears from stakeholders now. Please contact your members of Congress and ask that they protect rural hospitals. You can find contacts, sample letters, a list of Medicare Dependent Hospitals (MDHs), and other resources at NRHA's March for Rural Hospitals Action Kit.

2012 Rural Health Award Nominations
Nominations open Dec. 7 and close Feb. 14.
Each year NRHA honors outstanding individuals and organizations in the field of rural health who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well being of others. Previous recipients have stretched the boundaries of possibility by forging innovative programs and services, making rural life healthier and more compassionate.

NATIONAL NEWS

Monday Roundup: Rural Hospitals Targeted (Dec. 2, 2012, The Daily Yonder)
We've said it before here, but it's worth saying again: Congress is considering cuts in Medicare that will hurt rural hospitals.

Planning Workshop: Addressing Healthcare Surge in Rural Settings (Nov. 28, 2012, RAConline.org)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthcare Preparedness Activity would like to share the attached Request for Participation (RFP) with you and ask that you share it with others who may be interested.

Supreme Court Hears Antitrust Case: Nonprofit Monopoly? (Nov. 29, 2012, NPQ)
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case involving whether the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can stop a nonprofit hospital from becoming a monopoly in a local market by acquiring another hospital, even when the state has passed legislation that facilitates the action.

The Role of the Pediatrician in Rural Emergency Medical Services for Children (Nov. 1, 2012, AAP, Pediatrics)
In rural America, pediatricians can play a key role in the development, implementation, and ongoing supervision of emergency medical services for children (EMSC).

Census Helps Communities Prepare For Emergencies (Nov. 30, 2012, RWJF)
A new Census Bureau tool, OnTheMap for Emergency Management, was created to help prepare communities for an emergency. The tool provides information about the potential affected population size and characteristics of the people, such as age, occupation, and place of residence.

Rural cancer survivors at risk for poor outcomes, study finds (Nov. 28, 2012, medicalxpress.com)
Cancer survivors who live in rural areas are more likely to say they are in poor health than those who live in urban areas, according to a study in the journal Cancer. They are also more likely to have other health disorders, more psychological distress, and be unemployed due to health reasons than city dwellers.

4 Medical Home Obstacles Facing Small Physician Practices (Nov. 15, 2012, HealthLeaders Media)
These days, any trained observer of the medical landscape is aware of emerging excitement about patient-centered medical homes. In this new era of value-based care, with the move toward Accountable Care Organizations, many groups are wrapping their hopes for improved patient care around the model.

People with Medicare save $5 billion on prescription drugs because of health care law (Dec. 3, 2012, HHS News Release)
As the final week of Medicare Open Enrollment approaches, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that savings on prescription drugs made possible by the Affordable Care Act reached $5.1 billion.

Hospitals Get New Grades On Safety (Nov. 28, 2012, Kaiser Health News)
The Leapfrog Group is out with its second round of hospital safety ratings, and what a difference a few months has made.

Patient Access to Online Medical Records Increases Interaction with Providers (Nov. 21, 2012, JAMA)
Having online access to medical records and clinicians was associated with increased use of clinical services compared with group members who did not have online access.

Private Performance Feedback Reporting for Physicians: Guidance for Community Quality Collaboratives (Nov. 2012, AHRQ)
A growing number of Chartered Value Exchanges (CVEs) and other multistakeholder community quality collaboratives are now producing some type of private performance feedback report to physicians or other health care providers in parallel to their public report for consumers. This guide offers 13 specific recommendations intended primarily for CVEs and other collaboratives engaged in private feedback reporting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FRESH: The New Frontier for Ag safety and Health Resources (Dec. 5, 2012 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT, Agrisafe)

Meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Dec. 6-7, 2012, Washington, DC) - Comments welcome

Free webinar on possible new designation of frontier and remote areas (Dec. 10, 2012 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM CST, NRHA, NCFC, NOSORH)

Introduction to Rural Health Leadership (Dec. 10, 2012 | 3:00 PM ET, NOSORH)

What Rural Hospitals Need to Know about Program Integrity Contractors (Dec. 11, 2012 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST, NRHA)

Telecommunications and Internet Funding for Rural Health Care Providers: Rural Health Care Program Application Process (Dec. 12, 2012, Arizona Center for Rural Health)

9th Annual 340B Coalition Winter Conference (Jan. 23 - 25, 2013, San Francisco, CA, The 340B Coalition)