Looking back on 2008
The English author Samuel Johnson famously said that when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. If he were alive now, Dr. Johnson surely would say that if you were bored by 2008, you are bored by life.
The passing year saw one of the most exciting presidential contests in history, with more than a dozen candidates vying for the White House and each touting a prescription for healthcare reform. As the winner, Illinois Democratic Senator Barack Obama, prepared to take office in January, it was clear that he intended to move boldly to overhaul the nation’s ailing health system.
Adding to the challenges that Obama and the health care system faced was an economic meltdown. Experts widely pronounced it the worst downward spiral since the Great Depression. The recession squeezed hospital credit, battered health care stocks and prompted employee layoffs.
As if all this weren’t enough, the year was stained by a raft of corruption stories. Some involved prominent health care executives, and one featured a governor who allegedly schemed to get himself appointed HHS secretary and tried to extort campaign money from a hospital chief. Read more.
— Modern Healthcare, December 22, 2008
NHA opposes proposed changes to DSH program
LINCOLN—The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) testified during last Thursday's public hearing on proposed changes to the Nebraska Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program in Title 471, Chapter 10 of the Nebraska Administrative Code.
The DSH program, created by Congress in 1981, compensates hospitals for serving a disproportionate share of low income individuals who are part of the Medicaid system or are uninsured. As a low DSH state, with expenditures less than 3 percent of medical assistance expenditures—Nebraska is eligible for additional federal funding for the DSH program.
In order to receive these additional federal funds, the state must first produce its matching portion of the DSH payment. The NHA and our member hospitals have been working in cooperation with Health and Human Services (HHS) to find a solution that would not require new state funds.
The NHA testified its opposition to the proposed changes, which would leave a significant amount of federal funding on the table that has already been allotted to Nebraska.
David Burd, NHA Vice President, Finance stated hospitals are experiencing reduced reimbursement from multiple sources. He stressed that taking advantage of available federal funding to assist Nebraska hospitals in their mission to provide quality care to all patients 24 hours a day is essential. Read NHA testimony.
Heineman: State avoiding a crisis
Click here to read this article and more.
AHRQ issues emergency evacuation planning model
Click here to read this article and more.
Annual Convention photos available
Click here to view Bob Meier photos from the NHA 2008 Annual Convention.
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NHA Noon Briefing
January 12, 2009
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IPPS 2009 Update Webinar
January 13, 2009
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Maximizing the Performance of Your Pharmacy Benefit Program Webinar
January 13, 2009
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The Normalization of Deviance and Good Gossip: Implications for Patient Safety Webinar
January 13, 2009
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Harnessing Social Media in Health Care Webinar
January 15, 2009
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Best Practices for Physician Relations Sales and Service Webinar
January 20, 2009
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DNV Accreditation: An Alternative Deeming Authority for Hospitals Webinar
January 20, 2009
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Pressure Ulcers and Catheter-Associated UTI: Complying with the New CMS Payment Rules Webinar
January 22, 2009
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Turning the Tables: Why Hospital Systems Pose a Threat to Pharmacy-Owned Retail Clinics Webinar
January 22, 2009
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Continuous Service Readiness: Best Practices for Joint Commission Surveys Webinar
January 27, 2009
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More Events...
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