NCHN NEWS

MEMBER BLURBS

UPCOMING EVENTS

NATIONAL NEWS

FUNDING

Upcoming Calls & Events

Coffee/Tea Chat with Mary Kay Chess: Business Planning
Wednesday, June 15 @ 11:00 AM ET
Details will be posted on the NCHN Online Forum. No pre-registration is required, but registration is required to access this section on the forum.
» GO TO THE COFFEE/TEA CHAT FORUM

Program Development Committee Call
Tuesday, June 21 @ 1:00 PM ET

Quarterly Membership Call
Monday, September 12 @ 12:30 PM ET (Topic TBA)

1st NCHN Leadership Summit
Tuesday, September 27
Hyatt Regency Crown Center: Kansas City, MO
Watch the NCHN.org web site for more details

Quarterly Membership Call (June 13, 2011)
» POST A NEW TOPIC

From pedagonet.com

Population
Burlington is part French and part English. If 70% of the population speaks English and 60% of the population speaks French...
Q: What is the minimum percentage of French speaking persons that also speak English?

» VIEW THE ANSWER

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NRHA's Quality and Clinical Conference: Network and explore quality clinical care, as well as the Black Hills

July 20 - 22, 2011
Rapid City, SD

Make time to network with your colleagues at NRHA’s Quality and Clinical Conference July 20-22 in Rapid City, S.D. This interactive event is designed specifically for quality and performance improvement coordinators, researchers, hospital administrators, and doctors and nurses practicing on the front lines of rural health care.

Last year's attendees said the variety of topics presented was "excellent," and they loved the "real-world examples" of successful rural health care collaborations between hospitals and other organizations.

The sixth annual event will feature:

• telehealth and quality innovations and solutions
• a tour and hands-on demonstration of a mobile health unit that serves rural populations 
• a keynote address from Mark Levine, MD, chief medical officer at the Denver Region Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• the impact ACOs may have on rural hospitals, post-acute care and physician providers

» MORE INFORMATION

Webinar: The Joint Commission Hospital Standards for Emergency Management and the Survey Process

June 28, 2011 @ 1:00 PM ET

Is your hospital prepared for the next Joint Commission survey? These surveys are now unannounced, rather than planned, as they were in the past. When the surveyors come through your hospital’s door, key managers, directors, or members of the administrative staff may not be on site that day. The focus of accreditation is shifting from preparing for the "exam" to continuously using the standards as a means to achieve and maintain excellent operational systems, and deriving significant internal benefits.
 
Join our complimentary webcast presented by the Joint Commission to:
·         Review key Joint Commission Emergency Management Standards
·         Get suggestions to help your hospital meet these standards
·         Identify best practices
·         Learn what to expect during the survey process

Speaker:
David Dagenais, BS, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP
Life Safety Code Specialist
Mr. Dagenais has been a Joint Commission Life Safety Code Specialist since 2010 and is trained under the Accreditation Manual for Hospitals.

» REGISTER ONLINE

AHRQ’s 2011 Annual Conference: Leading Through Innovation and Collaboration

September 18 - 21, 2011
Bethesda, MD

Register now for AHRQ's fifth annual conference, scheduled for September 18-21, at the Bethesda North Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, MD. Sessions will feature pioneers (AHRQ funded and non-AHRQ funded) in health care who are leading change based on innovative approaches to solving safety, quality, and access issues. There will be opportunities for interactive exchanges so participants can gather information relevant to their own needs as well as information on tools and expertise so participants can take steps to improve care directly in their communities. The meeting also will emphasize how AHRQ and its researchers are leading change in addressing today’s challenges in improving access to care and its quality and cost, as well as partnering with others at the forefront of these issues. Experts and leading authorities in health care research and policy will hold sessions on critical areas including quality improvement initiatives, health information technology, patient safety, care transitions, and hospital-acquired conditions. As with previous years, the conference also will include the mAHRQet Place Café, featuring posters and displays of Agency-sponsored research and implementation activities. 

» GET MORE INFORMATION

National Rural Health Day - November 17th

NOSORH Selects, Partners Endorse November 17 as First National Rural Health Day

Mark your calendars – the first National Rural Health Day will be Thursday, November 17!
National Rural Health Day is the major piece of a new NOSORH campaign to recognize and celebrate the Power of Rural! Our hope is to make National Rural Health Day an annual event that highlights rural communities as wonderful places to live and work; increases awareness of rural healthrelated issues; and promotes the efforts of SORHs and NOSORH in addressing those issues.

NOSORH recently met with several of its closest rural partners to seek their feedback regarding National Rural Health Day. The National Rural Health Association, Rural Recruitment
and Retention Network, National Cooperative of Health Networks and Office of Rural Health Policy
provided suggestions for refining the proposed key messages and indicated a willingness to encourage their members and partners to join the celebration as well.

Stay tuned for more information and resources throughout the summer and at the NOSORH Annual Meeting in September. In the meantime, NOSORH is asking SORHs to be prepared to:
• Share the news – tell your partners, media contacts, etc. (NOSORH will provide a fact sheet and generic media releases)
• Seek gubernatorial/legislative proclamations (NOSORH will provide template)
• Put the National Rural Health Day logo on your website
• Celebrate on November 17 (which could be as simple as answering your phones by saying “Happy
National Rural Health Day”)

» For more information, contact NOSORH Communications Coordinator Bill Hessert or Communications Committee Co-chair Karen Madden

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Obama Administration Establishes White House Rural Council to Strengthen Rural Communities

June 9, 2011 (The White House - Office of the Press Secretary) - The White House today announced the establishment of the first White House Rural Council.  While rural communities face challenges, they also present economic potential.  To address these challenges, build on the Administration’s rural economic strategy, and improve the implementation of that strategy, the President signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Rural Council. 

“Strong rural communities are key to a stronger America,” said President Barack Obama.  “That’s why I’ve established the White House Rural Council to make sure we’re working across government to strengthen rural communities and promote economic growth.”

» CONTINUE READING

» EXECUTIVE ORDER (includes Membership information)

New Affordable Care Act support to improve care coordination for nearly 200,000 people with Medicare

June 6, 2011 (HHS News Release) - Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice (FQHC APCP) demonstration project, a new Affordable Care Act initiative that will pay an estimated $42 million over three years to up to 500 FQHCs to coordinate care for Medicare patients. This demonstration project, operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in partnership with the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), will test the effectiveness of doctors and other health professionals working in teams to improve care for up to 195,000 Medicare patients. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Obama Administration, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, to improve care and lower costs.

“FQHCs provide essential primary care services to seniors and others in underserved communities,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick. “This project will go a long way toward creating comprehensive and coordinated healthcare opportunities for the many people with Medicare who rely on FQHCs as their primary medical providers.”

» CONTINUE READING

Federal Rural Budget — Round One

June 10, 2011 (Daily Yonder) - For some months now we have been hearing that the 2012 Farm Bill will have less money to work with. Given the dominant sentiment in Congress, that has never been in doubt. The only questions have been 1) how much? and 2) in what programs? The same can be said concerning the “other 2012 budget event,” agriculture’s single-year appropriation for fiscal 2012.

On May 23, 2011, the US House Appropriations Committee released the subcommittee draft of the fiscal year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The committee press release said, “The legislation continues the trend of major spending reductions sought by the Republican majority, totaling $17.2 billion in discretionary funding—a cut of over $2.6 billion from last year’s level or over $5 billion below the President’s request for these programs.”

» CONTINUE READING

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Cooperative Development Foundation Funding Available

The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) is pleased to announce the availability of grant funds from its MSC Fund.  The focus of this Fund is to support cooperative development initiatives that will meet the needs of senior citizens in rural communities.  In 2011, proposals will only be accepted for innovative work in two specific areas:  cooperative home care and senior cooperative housing, both in rural settings.  The deadline for submitting proposals is August 1st, 2011.  It’s recommended that any NCHN member who is interested should look first visit the Senior Resource Center on the CDF website to review the body of work in this area that’s available at the CDF website.  Then contact Liz Bailey at CDF (Lbailey@cdf.coop or 703.302.8093) to talk about what they would propose to do.  Even if they decide not make application to the MSC Fund, that conversation could help CDF identify any NCHN members who might want to be part of CDF’s companion piece of feasibility work on the multi-stakeholder home care cooperative. 

» For more information on the MSC Fund, grant guidelines and the application form, visit the CDF website

Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice (FQHC APCP) Demonstration

Applications accepted from June 6, 2011 - August 12, 2011

The Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice (FQHC APCP) demonstration project is a new Affordable Care Act initiative that will pay an estimated $42 million over three years to up to 500 FQHCs to coordinate care for Medicare patients.  This demonstration project, operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in partnership with the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), will test the effectiveness of doctors and other health professionals working in teams to improve care for up to 195,000 Medicare patients.  This initiative is part of a broader effort by the Obama Administration, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, to improve care and lower costs.

The FQHC Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration will show how the patient-centered medical home model can improve quality of care, promote better health, and lower costs.  Participating FQHCs must implement electronic health records, help patients manage chronic conditions, as well as actively coordinate care for patients.  To help participating FQHCs make these investments in patient care and infrastructure, they will be paid a monthly care management fee for each eligible Medicare beneficiary receiving primary care services.  In return, FQHCs agree to adopt care coordination practices that are recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  CMS and HRSA will provide technical assistance to help FQHCs achieve these goals.

» MORE INFORMATION

» ELIGIBILITY APPLICATION

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