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Fontenot calls on hospitals to speak with 'unified voice'

05/07/2012

At her investiture yesterday, AHA Chair Teri Fontenot called on hospital leaders to become more involved in the association, because at "this critical juncture in health care, our unified voice is more important than ever." Fontenot, president and CEO of Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, LA, told hospital leaders that policymakers will heed their concerns "if we speak out together, with frequency and determination." Fontenot noted the challenge facing hospitals and the nation in caring for an aging baby boom generation while the country comes to grips with an unprecedented federal deficit. "We can let the bureaucrats in Washington devise ways to balance these competing needs or we can invest our time, energy, experience and intellect to work within the AHA and our partners in care to advance realistic, sustainable solutions that put patients first," she said.

Hospital leaders prepare to take advocacy message to Capitol Hill

05/07/2012

As hospital leaders prepare to take their advocacy messages to Capitol Hill, they should urge their lawmakers to extend key Medicare provisions and enact drug shortage legislation, AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack said today at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting. Pollack said hospital leaders also should lay the foundation for the debate over deficit reduction that is sure to come after the November elections, and drive home the point that further cuts to Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospital services will only increase the challenges facing the field and could in turn limit patients' access to care: "Legislators must hear loud and clear that if they go down the same old road of cutting payments to caregivers…that raises the serious question of will the care be there." He urged hospital leaders to describe what they are doing to increase value, improve performance and enhance quality and patient safety, and to make the case for keeping Medicare and Medicaid viable through delivery system reforms that promote efficiency and savings. He said legislators will be listening during an election year. "We are organizations that employ more than 4 million people and touch the lives of millions of others," Pollack said. "Candidates need to know that we care and we vote."

Report: More nurses serving in National Health Service Corps

05/07/2012

The National Health Service Corps added 1,228 nurses between 2009 and 2011, according to a report released today by the White House. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes $1.5 billion over five years to grow the NHSC, which provides scholarships and educational loan repayment for primary care providers who work in underserved areas, including nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and psychiatric nurse specialists. The report highlights ACA and other programs that support nurse education and training.

Tavenner: CMS will work with hospitals to improve health care delivery

05/07/2012

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shares many of the hospital field's goals for improving the health care delivery system and will work closely with the AHA to accomplish those goals,

Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner today told AHA members at the association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. "You have my commitment to be flexible, to listen and try to move at a pace that works for you, and I would ask for your commitment to be our partner as well," said Tavenner. After reviewing the AHA's recent comments on the proposed rule for Stage 2 meaningful use, she said "We (CMS) obviously have a lot of work to do around meaningful use next stage." She also outlined 10 priorities for the agency including creating affordable health care exchanges, improving care and reducing costs for dual Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, and reducing health care disparities. In addition, Tavenner said the agency soon will issue a final rule on the Conditions of Participation for hospitals and critical access hospitals.

Umbdenstock urges hospital leaders to speak up for patients, communities

05/07/2012

AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock today urged hospital leaders to share with their legislators the challenges they face and the impact congressional proposals would have "not only for your hospital but for everyone who lives, works and votes in your community." In their meetings this week on Capitol Hill, hospital leaders should "repeat and reinforce" their message about how they strive to keep the promise of health care to their communities, Umbdenstock said, kicking off the Federal Forum at the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. "We are in the middle of a national dialogue on the future of health care - and it is without a doubt one of the most critical conversations of our lifetime," he said. "If those of us who know health care inside out aren't speaking up loudly and clearly, frequently and with one voice, where does that leave our patients, our communities and our nation?"

Van Hollen urges creative solutions to address the deficit, health

05/07/2012

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today encouraged AHA members to continue their dialogue with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Congress to help ensure that lawmakers and regulators adopt "practical solutions that will modernize and reform our health care system so that it can meet the changing needs of our country." He noted, "If you continue to ratchet down provider reimbursements, people will ultimately have less access to health care." Van Hollen, who is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, also thanked AHA members for "leading health care reform efforts and for continuing to provide timely recommendations on [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] implementation."

AHA ad, video spotlight National Hospital Week and its 'champions for care'

05/04/2012

A new AHA ad beginning Monday in Politico, Roll Call and CQ Weekly highlights National Hospital Week and the life-giving services performed in America's Hospitals "every week" - from delivering babies to providing a health care safety net for 50 million uninsured Americans. These and other services are provided by millions of individual "champions for care" at hospitals across the country. Click here to view an AHA video showcasing just a few of their stories.

CDC reiterates policy for single-dose/single-use drugs in light of shortages

05/04/2012

Medications labeled as "single dose" or "single use" should not be used for more than one patient, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week in a statement reiterating its existing guidelines for single-dose/single-use medications. "Concerns have been raised about whether these guidelines and related policies contribute to drug shortages and increased medical costs to health care providers," the agency said. "CDC recognizes the problem of drug shortages; however, such shortages are a result of manufacturing, shipping and other issues unrelated to [these] guidelines… It is imperative that drug shortages and drug waste concerns are dealt with appropriately and do not lead to unsafe medical practices that impose increased disease risk on patients." CDC notes that in critical situations, where there are shortages of essential medications, qualified health care personnel may repackage medication from a previously unopened single-dose/single-use vial into multiple single-use vehicles, such as syringes. However, it said such repackaging should only be performed using meticulously applied practice and quality standards, and strictly adhering to national standards for pharmaceutical compounding of sterile preparations and the manufacturer's recommendations for safe storage.

Download the AHA 2012 Annual Meeting App

05/04/2012

The AHA has created a mobile device application to help 2012 Annual Meeting attendees customize and view changes to the meeting schedule, navigate the hotel and meeting rooms, and access AHA advocacy priorities and messages for lawmakers. To download the app on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, connect to the App Store and search "AHA 2012 Annual Meeting." Android users can connect to Google Play and search "AHA 2012 Annual Meeting." For app assistance at the AHA Annual Meeting, May 6-9 in Washington, D.C., visit the Mobile App Help Desk near the registration area on the hotel's Terrace Lobby level.

FEMA reports progress in hospital preparedness

05/04/2012

A focus on hospital medical surge planning and capabilities has improved hospital preparedness nationwide, according to the 2012 National Preparedness Report, released yesterday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Greater emphasis is being placed on community approaches that involve health care coalitions, which include a variety of health care organizations, public health, mental and behavioral health, and emergency management to enhance medical surge," the report states. The Department of Health and Human Service's Hospital Preparedness Program has "improved the resilience of U.S. health care organizations and increased their capacity to respond to disasters of any type," the report adds, including recent progress in the areas of communications, medical evacuation and facility management. In addition, health and medical facilities "have significantly improved in the area of short-term health recovery," the report states. The annual report, required by a presidential directive last year, summarizes progress toward 31 core capabilities described in the National Preparedness Goal.