NCHN NEWS

MEMBER BLURBS

UPCOMING EVENTS

NATIONAL NEWS

FUNDING

Upcoming NCHN Calls & Events

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

Reminder: Vote for Alan Morgan and Tim Size

Deadline: June 24, 2011

Modern Healthcare's 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare (2011)
Who are the movers and shakers in healthcare? The annual 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare competition recognizes the men and women considered among the most influential throughout the industry, as chosen by readers of Modern Healthcare.

This year, there are two rural health leaders who have been nominated - NRHA CEO Alan Morgan and RWHC Director Tim Size. Please consider castin your vote for them and showing that rural health has a strong voice among the top leaders in health care! You will be asked to vote for 5 candidates, so you may also want to check out others like HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield. View nominees and organizational affiliations here...

» VOTE HERE

Membership Directory

In the last week of April, you should have received an email requesting a photo of your network's primary contact and a short description of your network. We have receives responses from some networks, but the directory is still not complete.

» VIEW THE DIRECTORY (pdf) - If your photo and network description is not included, we have not received it.

» SUBMIT YOUR NETWORK DESCRIPTION AND PHOTO

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Quarterly Membership Call: June 13, 2011

» POST A NEW TOPIC

From braingle.com

A sundial is a timepiece that has the fewest number of moving parts. Which timepiece has the most moving parts?

» VIEW THE ANSWER

The HCC of Lafayette County

The HCC of Lafayette County's Wellness Works - June 2011 is available online.

Dean of VCOM Meets with Coal Coalition

Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, Dean and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), was the invited keynote speaker at the recent meeting of the Eastern Coal Council in Kingsport Tennessee. Dr. Tooke-Rawlins spoke about how to build healthy coal mining communities in the region. Specifically, Tooke-Rawlins emphasized way to improve and promote health in the coal mining communities through Appalachia. Since its inception in 2002, VCOM’s mission has been to educate community-focused physicians to serve the rural and medically underserved populations of the Appalachian region. VCOM will open its new campus in Spartanburg, SC in August 2011 with 150 new students.

If you have network news, send it to csullenberger@nchn.org for inclusion in the next newsletter.

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Rural strategies for achieving meaningful use: How health care networks, grants & funding opportunities, RECs, and other resources can help

Tuesday, June 21
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

If you haven’t started on your path to meaningful use, it’s not too late. In fact, now there are even more opportunities and resources for support than ever before. 
Attend this webinar jointly presented by the National Rural Health Resource Center and NextGen Healthcare to learn about:

• The benefits of rural HIT networks and how you can get involved
• New grants and funding opportunities, including $10 billion in new money as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and new grants from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovations Center and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to fund health information exchange, rural health and connectivity
• Regional extension centers (RECs), the status of RECs in your area and how they can provide additional direct services in getting you to meaningful use
• Other resources available to you, including the National Rural Health Resource Center

Speakers:

• Terry Hill, Executive Director, National Rural Health Resource Center
• Chris Mountzouris, Senior Director, Channel Management, NextGen Healthcare
• Charles W. Jarvis, FACHE, Vice President, Healthcare Services & Government Relations, NextGen Healthcare

» REGISTER ONLINE

HRSA Health IT and Quality Webinar

"Tips for the Safety Net Community on Using Health IT within a Patient Centered Medical Home"

Friday, June 24, 2011
2:00 - 3:30 PM EST

This webinar will provide technical assistance examples of how safety net providers can successfully use health IT in transforming a health center or rural health clinic into a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). The PCMH reorganizes the primary care setting into a multidisciplinary care team that works collaboratively to meet each patient’s needs.  While not required, health IT greatly enhances a PCMH’s success in caring for patients.  Health IT enables a PCMH to engage with patients and families, accurately collects and shares patient information among career teams, and allows care teams to use data for measuring quality and making evidence-based clinical decisions.

Webinar presenters will discuss how “meaningful use” facilitates a PCMH’s objectives. In addition, a medical officer from HRSA’s Office of Health IT and Quality will provide an overview of national efforts in PCHH, recognition standards of the National Committee for Quality Assurance and other organizations, and how health IT assists a provider in meeting these criteria.

» REGISTER

SNHPA: 15th Annual 340B Coalition Conference

July 11 - 13, 2011
Washington, DC

Overview: Over a year has passed since health care reform legislation was enacted, but many questions remain about the law’s impact on the 340B program as the government continues to implement many 340B-related provisions. At the same time, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will soon publish new guidelines that will redefine what patients and sites are eligible for the 340B program. These guidelines will impact every 340B stakeholder, from the smallest health centers and hospitals in the country to the world’s largest drug manufacturers.

The government has also started to publish the first ever proposed regulations impacting the 340B program. The first one, which was just published, defines the scope of the orphan drug exclusion, which prohibits rural and free-standing cancer hospitals from purchasing orphan drugs at 340B pricing. Upcoming regulations will focus on a new dispute resolution process to resolve disputes between covered entities and manufacturers and the establishment of civil monetary penalties for companies that do not comply with the 340B law. Health reform also requires the government to, among other things, publish a 340B price list for covered entities and develop detailed guidance for how entities should bill and be reimbursed by Medicaid for 340B drugs.

» MORE INFORMATION

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Obama Administration releases National Prevention Strategy

June 16, 2011 (HHS News Release) - Today, members of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, including Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin (Chair), as well as Senator Tom Harkin and Domestic Policy Council (DPC) Director Melody Barnes, announced the release of the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy, a comprehensive plan that will help increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.   The National Prevention Strategy recognizes that good health comes not just from receiving quality medical care, but also from clean air and water, safe worksites and healthy foods.  The strategy was developed by the National Prevention Council, which is composed of 17 federal agencies who consulted with outside experts and stakeholders.       

“This National Prevention Strategy, called for under the Affordable Care Act, will help us transform our health care system away from a focus on sickness and disease to a focus on prevention and wellness,” said Secretary Sebelius.  “We know that prevention helps people live long and productive lives and can help combat rising healthcare costs.”

"Helping Americans live more healthful lives is a top priority for the Obama Administration," said DPC Director Melody Barnes.  "The National Prevention Strategy is a road map to help us achieve that goal, and will help public and private partners come together to build healthier communities using evidence-based strategies that we know work."

» CONTINUE READING
» LINK TO THE REPORT (pdf)

Study examines why healthcare organizations embrace PCMH despite risk

June 17, 2011 (Telemedicine and e-Health News Alert) - A research team has observed that technology is at the center of a paradox in the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), a primary care model that focuses on team-based medicine, a patient-provider partnership, and expanded access and communication. In a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health, the team concluded that while PCMH aims to cut costs by increasing preventive service and reducing hospital admissions and ER visits, it also requires high upfront costs for implementing and sustaining the technologies needed to carry it out — expenses that may not be made up immediately, if ever. Despite the financial risk, larger healthcare organizations have implemented PCMH to better serve patients, address the primary-care crisis, and take on new payment opportunities, the study found.

» READ THE STUDY

NASHP Health Reform Website

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has a new website for current information related to federal health care reform in the states. The site, www.statereforUm.org, contains information related to health insurance exchanges, scope of practice reform and other issues related to the Affordable Care Act. 

» VISIT THE SITE

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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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