This SAMHSA report includes data on alcohol dependence or abuse, binge alcohol use, cocaine, pain relievers, marijuana, and youth depression. [Read article]
Federal News
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State-by-State Data Trends in Substance Use, Mental Illness
(09/02/2010)
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The Jewelry Prescription
(09/02/2010)
It's a simple step, but one many doctors forget to remind patients: Wear a medical-alert bracelet. Now medical bracelets are stylish and go high tech. [Read article]
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Tracking Rural Stimulus Dollars
(09/02/2010)
Who’s getting rich off the stimulus, the $787 billion federal spending bill Congress passed in February 2009? Are urban counties slurping up all that money? Or rural? [Read article]
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Beyond Meaningful Use: Three Five-Year Trends in the Uses of Patient Health Data and Clinical IT
(09/02/2010)
Health Care Blog: The rules and criteria are simpler and more flexible, and the measures easier to compute. But they are still an “all or nothing” proposition for physicians, who will have to meet all of the objectives and measures to receive any incentive payment. [Read article]
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Medicare: A Prevention Plan that Could Lower Costs
(09/02/2010)
Medicare finally leveled a pre-emptive strike against smoking and agreed to pay for counseling for senior smokers who are not yet sick. People usually smoke for decades before they get cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other smoking-related disorders — just in time for Medicare to pick up the tab. But CMS noted that even older smokers who quit can see fairly quick payback in terms of reduced illness. [Read article]
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Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Physician Eligibility for Medicare Discrepancy
(09/02/2010)
Rural Health IT Blog: There has been significant confusion as to which incentive programs Eligible Professionals (EPs) that practice in Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) qualify for. We know they qualify for the Medicaid incentives if they have a 30% “needy” patient volume threshold. The ambiguity has always been whether EPs that practice predominantly in RHCs and have less than the 30% “needy” patient threshold can then qualify for the Medicare incentives. [Read article]
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Indian Health Service's Lessons For Us All
(09/02/2010)
As the new health reform law gradually comes to change the way health care is delivered and used, the country could learn from the Indian Health Service. [Read article]
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Cloud Computing: Questions to Ask
(09/02/2010)
Because the Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for using electronic health records are slated to kick in next year, hospitals and physicians are assessing their options for implementing comprehensive EHRs in a hurry. [Read article]
State News
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State-by-State Data Trends in Substance Use, Mental Illness
(09/02/2010)
This SAMHSA report includes data on alcohol dependence or abuse, binge alcohol use, cocaine, pain relievers, marijuana, and youth depression. [Read article]
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Announces Recipients of Rural Business Enterprise Grants
(09/02/2010)
Wisconsin will benefit from funding made available under the Rural Business Enterprise Grant program (RBEG). Funding will create economic and job opportunities in rural areas by ensuring that strategic investments are made in our small towns and cities. [Read article]
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Doyle Urges Employers to Continue Applying for Financial Assistance for Early Retiree Health Care
(09/02/2010)
The Governor urged Wisconsin employers to continue to apply for financial assistance for early retiree health plan benefits available through national health care reform. Over 50 Wisconsin employers have been accepted into the first round of the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program. [Read article]
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Broadband Growth Needed to Meet Electronic Medical Records Goals
(09/01/2010)
In order to reach the State of Wisconsin’s goal of expanded use of electronic health records by health care providers across the state, the availability of high-speed, broadband Internet access must increase significantly. [Read article]
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Rice Lake Dental Clinic will Improve Care and Enhance the Economy
(08/31/2010)
The new Marshfield Rice Lake Dental Clinic will dramatically improve dental care in rural Wisconsin while providing a substantial economic boost to the local economy. The dental facility has 26 new jobs including five dentists, four hygienists and 17 additional support staff. [Read article]
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Henderson Rescued Community Health Centers
(08/30/2010)
Henderson, 63, president and chief executive at Milwaukee Health Services, died of an apparent heart attack Friday. Henderson ran health centers and helped turn financially troubled ones around and was recommended for the Milwaukee job by federal regulators. [Read article]
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Vilsack Announces Support for Rural Electric Infrastructure Improvements
(08/30/2010)
Thirty seven rural utilities and cooperatives in 20 states have been selected to receive guaranteed loans that will benefit more than 60,000 rural electric cooperative consumers by financing the construction and repair of almost 7,000 miles of distribution and transmissions lines. [Read article]
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Links: Free and Low-cost Clinics in South Central Wisconsin
(08/30/2010)
Article lists south-central Wisconsin low-cost clinics along with contact information. [Read article]
Funding Opportunities
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Fuel Up to Play 60 - National Dairy Council & NFL Properties LLC
10/01/2010
A competitive, nationwide funding program for schools enrolled. These funds can help schools jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. [Funding]
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National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Scholarship
09/16/2010
The scholarship programs are for first responders, EMTs and Paramedics interested in advancing their EMS education. NAEMT offers this opportunity twice a year. [Funding]
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National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians Scholarship
06/15/2011
The scholarship programs are for first responders, EMTs and Paramedics interested in advancing their EMS education. NAEMT offers this opportunity twice a year. [Funding]
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Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program – CMS
10/14/2010
This notice announces the solicitation for up to 20 additional hospitals to participate in the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program. In order for other hospitals to begin participation in this new demonstration for the 5-year extension period, rural community hospitals must be located among the 20 States with the lowest population density--according to the same criteria and data as the original demonstration. Hospitals that enter the demonstration under this solicitation will be able to participate for 5 years. These States are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. [Funding]
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Homeland Security: UASI Planning and Citizen Preparedness 2009 – Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
12/30/2010
This grant program is designed to enhance community emergency preparedness and participation capabilities by engaging citizens to become fully aware, trained, and practiced on how to prevent, protect/mitigate, prepare for, and respond to all threats and hazards. Grant funds will enable training for personal preparedness, instructors, exercises, ongoing volunteer programs, and surge capacity response. [Funding]
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Homeland Security: NIMS and ICS Training Grant Program (2008) - Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
11/30/2010
Funding under this grant program will help local and state government agencies become compliant with NIMS and ICS requirements. Compliance with the federal requirements will improve the state’s ability to respond to all hazards emergencies whether it is local, regional or statewide. [Funding]
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Homeland Security: Preparedness and Volunteer Training 2008 Supplemental – Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
09/09/2010
This grant program is designed to enhance community emergency preparedness and participation capabilities by engaging citizens to become fully aware, trained, and practiced on how to prevent, protect/mitigate, prepare for, and respond to all threats and hazards. [Funding]
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Pre-Applications for VHF Public Safety Radio Funding – Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
10/08/2010
The acceptance of pre-applications for funding to replace and upgrade existing VHF public safety radios. The pre-applications will be used by OJA to determine eligibility for the Round 6 radio replacement grants. The pre-application submission is open to any local or tribal public safety agency in Wisconsin that has not received an OJA-funded radio through the mutual aid radio replacement program in the past. [Funding]
WORH Updates
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After two months of the 2010-2011 recruitment “year,” the New Physicians for Wisconsin program [NPW] has helped recruit two new physicians to Wisconsin thus far. One physician is a general surgeon who will be starting next summer [2011] with the Affinity Healthcare group in Appleton, and the other physician is a family medicine physician who will be working at a clinic in Racine that is located in a health professional shortage area [HPSA] census tract. He will be starting work next month. NPW is currently actively working to help find positions here for roughly 25 physicians, all of which have either already interviewed for a job here, or are arranging this for the coming months. The majority of these physicians are in family medicine, although orthopedic surgery, Ob/Gyn, ENT, and psychiatry are also represented. We hope to have a general surgeon or two also interview at some of our rural clinics and/or hospitals as well this year. [Continue reading]
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As you’ve no doubt heard by now, CMS has released the final HIT Incentive Rule. We are fortunate to have the expertise of Louis Wenzlow of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, who has dedicated himself to understanding and explaining each key component of the Rule. Please take a moment to visit Louis’ blog, on our website, where he is reporting on each of the Meaningful Use objectives. [Continue reading]
