Month: September 2020

Webinar: A Pandemic Recovery Toolkit for Rural Healthcare Organizations

Date: September 17, 2020

Time: 2:00 PM Central

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge healthcare facilities, from disrupting supply chains to straining the resources and clinicians who are treating patients in unprecedented circumstances. In this transitionary period of healthcare, the “new normal” will lead to a comprehensive and enduring restructuring of economic, financial and social dynamics.

To implement an effective transition, organizations must devise intelligent, forward-thinking strategies that optimize processes, technologies and other organizational resources to deliver maximum results and value.

This session will detail how healthcare organizations can implement solutions in several areas to reduce costs and improve revenue quickly. Specific solution areas will include:

  • Utilizing group purchasing resources to reduce supply cost in near real time.
  • Accelerating cash flow and optimizing revenue cycle processes.
  • Reducing payment processing fees and improving collections.
  • Implementing automation to improve processes capture revenue in areas including denials management, billing and medical coding.

Webinar: Managing the Challenges of Care Coordination in Rural Facilities

Date: September 15, 2020

Time: 2:00 PM Central

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Exemplified by a Top 20 Rural Hospital, we will explore the complexities and importance of automation in care management, patient safety and quality management. In particular, attendees will learn more about the impact of automation on assisting rural facilities to be more efficient in their workflow tasks while identifying trends for process improvement.

Key takeaways and consideration that will be demonstrated in this webinar:

  • How to identify key areas where intervention by the care coordinator can minimize gaps in processes and care
  • Why providing ongoing “Medical Necessity” education with the Clinical Care team is important, in the ongoing effort to avoid denials
  • How Tracking Patient Safety and Quality events leads to process improvement, improved outcomes, and overall patient and staff satisfaction
  • How and why identifying post-discharge challenges will allow you to gauge efforts or assign resources appropriately to help prevent a readmission
  • Why there is a need to help bridge barriers to patients’ post-discharge needs and how to achieve effective patient/caregiver handoffs
  • Why care coordination programs should adopt a “whole person” mindset to focus on diverse patient needs (e.g., transportation, home safety, nutrition, and literacy)

 

Webinar: ECG’s and Basic Monitoring: FLL’s for the Common Man

Date: September 24, 2020

Time: 12:15 PM Central

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Presented by John McNeely, BSN, RN, NR-P, CEN, STEMI Coordinator for Cardiology Services at University of Missouri Health Care

This presentation will provide a foundational review of ECG waveforms and the physiology associated with them, to prepare for more in-depth discussions of cardiac dysfunction in upcoming presentations.  We’ll review several examples and examine them for abnormalities, and discuss methodology that can be used to evaluate a 12 lead ECG.

CMS Care Compare Empowers Patients When Making Important Health Care Decisions

On September 3, under the leadership of President Trump, CMS launched Care Compare, a streamlined
redesign of eight existing CMS health care compare tools available on Medicare.gov. Care Compare provides
a single user-friendly interface that patients and caregivers can use to make informed decisions about health
care based on cost, quality of care, volume of services, and other data. With just one click, patients can find
information that is easy to understand about doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care services
instead of searching through multiple tools.

“President Trump has long recognized that a free and vibrant health care market is one in which patients have
what they need to make informed decisions based on cost and quality,” said CMS Administrator Seema
Verma. “By aggregating all eight of CMS’ quality tools into a single interface, patients can easily research
different providers and facilities before they entrust themselves to their care. Today’s launch of Care Compare
is the next step in fulfilling our eMedicare promise. Our Administration is committed to ensuring our tools are
robust and beneficial to patients.”

Currently, someone who is planning to have bypass surgery would need to visit Hospital Compare, Nursing
Home Compare, and Home Health Compare individually to research providers for the different phases of their
surgery and rehabilitation. Now, those patients can start their search at Care Compare to find and compare
providers that meet their health care needs that includes information about quality measures presented
similarly and clearly across all provider types and care settings.

Patients will also find helpful hints and guides throughout Care Compare. While the measures and data used
for Care Compare have not changed, the way information is displayed is now different. During a transition
period, consumers and other stakeholders will be able to use the original eight compare tools while CMS
continues to gather feedback and considers additional improvements to the tool. As new information about
quality and cost are added to the compare tools, Care Compare will be updated to reflect that information.

In conjunction with the launch of Care Compare, additional improvements have been made to other CMS data
tools to help Medicare beneficiaries compare costs:
• Procedure Price Look Up tool now includes physician fees in addition to facility fees, offering people
with Medicare a more accurate prediction of the true out-of-pocket costs
• Provider Data Catalog better serves innovators and stakeholders who are interested in detailed CMS
data and use interactive and downloadable datasets like those currently available on data.Medicare.gov
See the full text of this excerpted CMS Press Release (issued September 3).

https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2020-09-10-mlnc.pdf

Readiness to Train Assessment Tool (RTAT™)

The Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC), in collaboration with state and regional Primary Care Associations, invites you to the launch of the Readiness to Train Assessment Tool (RTAT™), developed to assess organizational readiness to implement Health Professions Training (HPT) programs in health centers across the country.

CHC and Weitzman Institute are asking all health centers, including those with existing HPT programs or interested in launching HPT programs, to join us for a webinar on September 23, 2020 at 3:00 PM-4:30 PM ET (US and Canada) to learn more about this Bureau of Health Workforce/Bureau of Primary Health Care Strategic Workforce Initiative.

Register Now!

 

During this webinar, CHC will introduce health centers to the RTAT™ instrument developed and validated by CHC’s National Cooperative Agreement (NCA) on Clinical Workforce Development, now known as the National Technical and Training Assistance Partners (NTTAP). This will include a call to action for all health centers to complete the RTAT™.

This tool covers dimensions of health center readiness for developing and engaging with HPT programs. You will leave the webinar equipped with knowledge on its usability, and an understanding of how health centers can use it to identify barriers in advancing HPT programs. The session will clearly outline how to access the tool, and provide information on the continued partnership with the CHC Technical Advisory Panel as we engage health centers in this national assessment.

Amanda Schiessl, MPP
Project Director/Co-PI, NTTAP Clinical Workforce Development
Community Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute
(860) 266-8665
Amanda@chc1.com

 

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcements

September 10, 2020

HHS Rural Action Plan to Improve Care.  Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Rural Action Plan, outlining existing and upcoming Federal activities to improve care in rural communities.  It examines the key challenges facing rural communities and lays out a four-point strategy to transform rural health and human services:  1) build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities; 2) leverage technology and innovation; 3) focus on preventing disease and mortality; and 4) increase rural access to care. 

AJPH: A Public Health Lens on Rural Health.  The September issue of the American Journal of Public Health devotes a special section to rural health with free access to articles on challenges and emerging opportunities. 

NCSL on State Strategies to Reverse Suicide Trends.  The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) cites higher rates of suicide in rural areas in its guide covering statistics, risk factors, and effect on specific populations.  The report examines state-level initiatives including Mental Health First Aid Training, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, and the Zero Suicide framework.

HHS Coronavirus Data Hub.  The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) launched a website in July with data on the COVID-19 response at federal, state, and local levels.  The hub includes estimated and reported hospital capacity by state, with numbers updated daily.

CMS Coronavirus Stakeholder Calls.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosts recurring online sessions to share information related to COVID-19.  These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy FAQs for COVID-19.  A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from our grantees and stakeholders, updated regularly. 

COVID-19 FAQs and Funding for HRSA Programs.  Find all funding and frequently asked questions for programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

CDC COVID-19 Updates.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides daily updates and guidance, including a section specific to rural health care, and a Toolkit for Tribal Communities.  New this week: MMWR Weekly COVID-19 Briefing is now a podcast series with the latest scientific information published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

GHPC’s Collection of Rural Health Strategies for COVID-19.  With support from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) provides reports, guidance, and innovative strategies gleaned from their technical assistance and peer learning sessions with FORHP grantees.

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties.  The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis provides up-to-date data and maps on rural and urban confirmed cases throughout the United States.  An animated map shows the progression of cases beginning January 21.

Rural Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019.  The Rural Health Information Hub posted a guide to help you learn about activities underway to address COVID-19.  Now including Rural Healthcare Surge Readiness, a tool with resources for healthcare systems preparing for and responding to a COVID-19 surge in their communities.

SAMHSA Training and Technical Assistance Related to COVID-19.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) created this list of resources, tools, and trainings.