In this issue
Sideline
support: Caring for concussions at Minnesota high schools
Concussion statistics are
alarming:
- An estimated 3.8 million
concussions occur in the United States every year;
- 3,000 sports-related
concussions occurred among Minnesota high school students in the 2013-14 school year; and
- 1 in 5 high school athletes
will sustain a sports concussion during the season.
That’s why Minnesota’s hospitals are working collectively
to prevent, detect and treat concussions on and off the sidelines.
“There is new information every day regarding concussions, so we’re
constantly adapting our treatment and applying the newest research to create
better, more consistent care and concussion management,” said Angel Clark, an
athletic trainer at CHI St. Joseph’s Health in Park Rapids.
Clark is placed full-time in Park Rapids Area High School. When students
sustain a concussion, she provides extensive education for parents, coaches
and teachers to help athletes safely return to school and play. She is
involved in treating students and plays an active role as an athletic trainer
for the high school sports teams.
At Marshall High School, Catie Dahl, an athletic trainer, works with Dr.
Jane Hartman of Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center’s Family Medicine
Clinic to provide similar care to student athletes there. Every day Dahl’s
training room in the school is a hot spot for students once the last bell
rings, with athletes seeking ice packs, bandages, stretching exercises and
other help. When those athletes are competing, Dahl and Hartman are on the
sidelines, ready to respond to any athlete’s injury.
Visit the Minnesota’s Hospitals: Strengthening Healthy Communities website to learn how Minnesota hospitals
partners with schools to raise awareness among athletes, parents and coaches
of concussion injuries and create a baseline for concussion care.
Like the Minnesota’s
Hospitals Facebook page
to get regular updates on how Minnesota’s hospitals work beyond physical
walls to strengthen the health of Minnesotans and our communities. return to top
Member
news: George Gerlach
MHA has received sad news that George Gerlach, former MHA
board member and chair, died Sunday, January 17. He had been hospitalized
with pneumonia for the past week. He had recently retired as CEO from Granite
Falls Municipal Hospital & Manor. George had been a very active member of
MHA, had served as the MHA board chair in 2009, and will be missed. Last
year, he was honored by MHA with the Bruce and Denise Rueben Courage Award.
Please check his area’s local papers for a funeral notice. None was available
at the time our newsletter was published. return to top
Check
your inbox for MHA 2016 membership directory survey
Hospital CEOs, their administrative assistants and associate
members should watch their email inboxes for the MHA 2016 Membership
Directory survey.
MHA annually updates contact information of senior leaders and key contacts
within hospitals, health systems and associate member companies to ensure the
MHA database is up-to-date and communications reach the appropriate contacts.
If you have questions regarding the membership survey, contact Ashley Beno,
MHA member services and communications specialist, 651-603-3545. return to top
USDA
accepting applications for rural telemedicine grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Jan. 12 that hospitals and others
can apply through Monday, March 14, for grants of up to $500,000 each for
equipment and technical assistance to provide telemedicine services in rural
areas. The fiscal year 2016 grants are through the Rural Utilities Service
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program, which provides funds to
improve telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas.
Applicants must serve a rural area, demonstrate economic need and provide at
least 15 percent in matching funds. For more details about the program and
how to apply, visit the USDA website. With questions, email dltinfo@wdc.usda.gov,
call 202-720-0800 or contact Dominic A. Henderson, Minnesota field
representative, USDA, 218-765-3854. return to top
Free
telepsychiatry webinar offered
The National Network of Telehealth Resource Centers, including
the Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center (GPTRAC), is
holding a free webinar on developing a telepsychiatry program. The webinar is
scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m.
During the webinar, two leaders in the field of telepsychiatry will explore effective
telepsychiatry models, from traditional clinical settings to integration into
rural primary care, nursing homes and beyond.
Telemedicine offers great promise for expanding access to mental health care
in Minnesota. This is particularly true in underserved areas, such as rural
Minnesota. Increasing access to mental health is one of the driving forces
for MHA’s advocacy on the Minnesota Telemedicine Act, which passed in the
2015 legislative session and brings payment parity to services delivered in-person
and via telemedicine.
View the flier to learn more and register for the
webinar. return to top
NURSE
Corps Loan Repayment Program
The 2016 NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program application cycle
is now open and will close on Thursday, Feb. 25. The purpose of the program
is to assist in the recruitment and retention of professional registered
nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses dedicated to working in
health care facilities with a critical shortage of nurses, or working as
nurse faculty at an eligible school of nursing.
The program offers these RNs substantial financial assistance to repay a
portion of their qualifying educational loans in exchange for full-time
service at either a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses
or at an eligible school of nursing in the case of nurse faculty.
Two technical assistance conference calls will be offered:
- Thursday, Jan. 28, 1-3 p.m.
- Thursday, Feb. 11, 6-8 p.m.
The dial-in number for both calls is 1-888-790-3148 and the
participant passcode is 7775191.
To learn more and access the application and program guidance online. return to top
MedPAC
votes to reduce 340B payments to hospitals
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted to
recommend a 10 percent payment reduction of the average sales price of
discounted drugs. They further backed a plan that would recirculate the
estimated $300 million in savings back to hospitals treating the neediest patients. This
provision will be part of a larger report to Congress expected in March.
MHA, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and other hospital advocacy
organizations are concerned by the MedPAC vote. Little analysis was done
of the recommended reduction’s negative impacts on patients and hospitals. In
addition, there is a view that MedPAC has overstepped its scope since the
340B program is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
program. The AHA immediately issued a criticism of the recommendation.
MHA will continue to monitor this issue and advocate on behalf of urban and
rural safety net hospitals that have access to the discounted drug pricing
program. With questions or concerns, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA,
651-659-1415. return to top