Federal News
Bucking the Trend and Going Rural
The author of this Center for Rural Affairs article says “When I left home for college, I wasn’t sure I’d ever return to the same rural community I was born and raised. But I did know that wherever I landed, it would be somewhere in rural America.” (Source: Center for Rural Affairs) [Read article]
Community Health Centers Get $150 Million To Boost Exchange Enrollment
Once upon a time, there were the navigators, then the in-person assisters, and the certified application counselors. Now, add community health centers to the list of individuals and organizations available to help consumers sign up for the new health insurance marketplaces scheduled to open Oct. 1. (Source: Kaiser Health News) [Read article]
Lower Nurse Turnover Linked to Higher Quality Care in Rural Hospitals
Rural hospitals that have lower nursing turnover and better practice environments may fare better when it comes to ensuring that heart failure patients receive optimal care, a new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative suggests. They found that the rural hospitals with low nursing turnover were more likely to implement four core measures for the care of heart failure patients: (1) providing adequate discharge instructions; (2) providing smoking cessation counseling; (3) assessing how well the heart pumps; and (4) ensuring the patient receives medication to relax blood vessels. (Source: NurseZone.com) [Read article]
Diffusion of Preventive Innovation: Racial and Rural Differences in Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Practices
While women residing in rural counties did not differ from urban women in the type of Pap test received, rural women were less likely to receive HPV DNA testing. Access to preventive services contributes to differences in cervical cancer rates among different racial and ethnic groups. More research is needed to determine if observed differences are the result of provider or patient barriers and acceptability. (Source: SC Rural Health Research Center) [Read executive summary; Read full report]
Why Telemedicine Should Be Integrated With EHRs, ACOs
A veteran observer of telemedicine says that it's time for the various technologies grouped under that rubric to be integrated with mainstream medicine so that patients can receive the appropriate care from the right provider at the right site of care, while reducing waste and duplication of effort. (Source: InformationWeek Healthcare) [Read article]
Time to Marry Health IT and Medical Homes
Health IT must still evolve before being able to fully promote the goals of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). The PCMH holds a lot of promise for curing what ails the nation's health care system. So does information technology. Combined, the two could form an extremely powerful tool for achieving the Triple Aim, but is one ready for the other? (Source: H&HN) [Read article]
Primary Care Physicians Generate More Revenue For Hospitals Than Specialists
According to the article, a new survey that shows a "seismic shift" in medicine provides primary care physicians (PCPs) with a strong argument that they should be compensated more generously by hospitals. PCPs generate more annual revenue for hospitals than specialists do. Physicians' ability to generate revenues may become less valuable to hospitals as payment models become increasingly tied to quality of care. As that shift happens, doctors may be more valued by hospitals for their ability to deliver quality outcomes efficiently. (Source: Medical Economics) [Read article]
Every Body, Every Day: How to Get Fit
If your doctor told you that doing one thing for approximately 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week would significantly reduce your risk of: Early death, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer, falls, depression. Would you consider incorporating it into your life? (Source: VAntage Point) [Read article]
