Iowa News

Oskaloosa Mayhem donates to MHP Mammography fund
The Oskaloosa Mayhem Girls Roller Derby Squad recently donated $400 to Mahaska Health Partnership Radiology Services for use in funding free or reduced cost digital mammograms for women. (Oskaloosa News)

Learning through shared medical appointments
As Dr. Anuj Bhargava’s patients arrive, a certified medical assistant checks their vitals and updates their records. But instead of waiting for the doctor in an exam room, they return to a larger room and sit in a semi-circle with other patients. (Des Moines Register)

New flu type, similar to one from ’90s, hits 3 children in north-central Iowa
Three children in north-central Iowa have been sickened by a new version of the flu virus. (Des Moines Register)

National News

Facing GOP opposition, Berwick will step down as Medicare chief
Dr. Donald Berwick, the Harvard pediatrician whom President Obama tapped to head the Medicare and Medicaid programs, will step down next week in the face of staunch Republican opposition to his permanent appointment to implement Obama’s healthcare law. (Los AngelesTimes)

Patients, Too, Turn to the Internet for Fund-Raising
Online fund-raising – a common tactic for nonprofit groups and charity events – is starting to spread to the world of costly health care. (The New York Times)

Where ‘Hospital Food’ Takes On A New Meaning
The pediatric clinic at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis gives its patients what they need to stay healthy: screenings, immunizations, prescriptions.  And, in an uncommon twist, food. (Kaiser Health News)

A Hard Turn: Better Health on the Highway
Beset by insurance costs and desperate to make sure that drivers pass health tests, trucking companies and industry groups are working to persuade them to change their habits. (The New York Times)

Jennifer Rouse, Physical Therapist at Lucas County Health Center in Chariton takes a few minutes to say what inspired her to pursue her career as well as what it takes to be a physical therapist.

For more information on health care careers in Iowa, click here.

(Watch this video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/iOkJd9L7M0Q)

Thursday, 8:45 a.m.
At last night’s House of Delegates meeting, Gary Riedmann, CEO at St. Anthony’s Regional Hospital in Carroll, was sworn in as the new IHA Board Chair.  Riedmann replaces last year’s Board Chair, Joe Smith, and will serve a one-year term as head of the board. Riedmann is slated to provide the opening remarks for today’s first session, the recognition of this year’s Iowa Hospital Heroes at 8:30 a.m. Following the awards, Riedmann will also introduce the final keynote speaker of this year’s Annual Meeting, Paul Auerbach.

Want to see more pictures from this year’s annual meeting? Click here to view the whole album on Flickr.

Thursday, 10:00 a.m.

Keynote speaker, Paul Auerbach, left the crowd stunned with the stories of his experience providing medical relief in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. His words and photos had a profound impact on attendees as they embarked on the final day of the 82nd Annual Meeting.

Thursday, 12:30 p.m.
Laurie Everhardt, Volunteer Services Manager at Waverly Health Center, provides her reaction to Cy Wakeman’s session, “Succeeding in Spite of the Facts,” and talks about challenging conventional wisdom in volunteerism.

Thursday, 3:00 p.m.

That’s all she wrote! The 82nd IHA Annual Meeting has officially adjourned. Thank you to all who attended, IHA hopes you had a great week. Safe travels – we’ll see you again next year!

Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.

The halls of the Des Moines Downtown Marriott are a’buzz this morning with hundreds of health care workers as well as over 50 trade show exhibitors. Attendees have filed into the ballroom once again to prepare for the morning’s opening session. Starting out day two of the Annual Meeting is an award ceremony, recognizing those who have completed the IHA Health Care Leadership Series.  Following the ceremony will be health care futurist, Jeff Goldsmith who will be delivering the Cordes/Ramsey keynote speech.

Pictures of the keynote and award ceremony will be posted soon.

Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Some pictures from this morning’s opening session:

Cordes/Ramsey keynote speaker, health care futurist, Jeff Goldsmith.

IHA Board Chair and CEO of Boone County Hospital, Joe Smith, handing out awards recognizing those who completed the IHA Health Care Leadership Series.

Wednesday, 12:45 p.m.

The afternoon sessions have begun. Today’s tracks include the following:

• Clinical Leadership: Finding Balance
• Reform: From Impact to Innovation
• Strategic Leadership
• Foundations: Giving for Good

After the final sessions of the day are finished, there are still a couple events happening at the conference. At 4:30 p.m. is the House of Delegates (for IHA Voting Delegates Only) in the Cedar Rapids/Council Bluffs rooms on the 3rd floor. Following this is the Chair’s Celebration at 5:30 p.m. in the Iowa Ballroom. All attendees are encouraged to attend this reception and enjoy an opportunity to relax and socialize amongst their peers at the conference.

Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.

Sherri Doggett, VP of Patient Care Services at Mercy Medical Center-Centerville talks about why its important for nurses to attend Annual Meeting and why it’s still a worthwhile conference to attend year after year.

Tuesday, 8:45 a.m.

The 82nd IHA Annual Meeting is now underway. Attendees have all gathered in the ballroom to hear opening keynote speaker, Dan Buettner. Health care workers will know Buettner as the renowned National Geographic author and creator of the “Blue Zones” concept. Buettner is set to discuss Blue Zones as well as how this ground-breaking project is being performed right here in Iowa.

Tuesday, 9:07 a.m.

Tuesday, 10:25 a.m.

The first of the morning breakout sessions have begun. Today’s session tracks are:

• Connecting with the Community
• Workforce for Tomorrow
• Legal Review
• Physician Focus

Lunch break is at 11:20 a.m. with the general lunch happening in the Des Moines Room on the 3rd floor and the marketing PR folks will be chowing down at the ISHMPR Luncheon (for members only) happening in Council Bluffs room on the 3rd floor.

Tuesday, 11:45 a.m.

Pam Delagardelle, CEO, Grundy County Memorial Hospital provides her thoughts on opening keynote, Dan Buettner, as well as how Grundy Center is taking on the “Blue Zones” initiatives in an effort to become the healthiest community in the state.

Tuesday, 1:00 p.m.

Afternoon sessions currently taking place. The Physician Focus track continues with three sessions:

• From Volume to Value: Physicians and Hospitals Playing Nice
• Development and Implementation of a Medical Home
• Developing a Sustainable Physician Relations Strategy

These sessions parallel with IHA’s new partnership with the University of South Florida College of Medicine to create the Physician Leadership Institute of Iowa. The Institute is designed to engage physicians in Iowa and provide them with the tools to become more empathetic, creative and collaborative in their practice.

Quotes from Twitter:

• @iowahospital “Dr. MacKinney stated it will take collaboration to deliver value in today’s environment” #iha2011am.”
• @iowahospital “No outcome – No income” replaces “No margin – No mission” in today’s reformed health environment. Clinton MacKinney, MD #iha2011am”

Tuesday, 2:00 p.m.

Here are some photos from throughout the day.

Joe Smith, IHA Board Chair and CEO of Boone County Hospital, delivering the opening remarks of the conference.

Keynote speaker, Dan Buettner, held a book signing immediately after his morning speech.

Clint MacKinney, MD, MS provided some illuminating points during his session “From Volume to Value: Physicians and Hospitals Playing Nice.”

Tuesday, 3:20 p.m.

Mark Baldwin, Board Chair at Allen Hospital in Waterloo took some time talk about how trustees can benefit from attending the IHA Annual Meeting along with why technology at the conference is one of his favorite reasons to attend.  A lot of buzz has been circulating around the conference about the IHA mobile app. Attendees have commented on how easy it is to use and appreciate that it’s an initiative to be more paperless.

Iowa News

Learning to Speak Iowan: Corn, Pigs, Cyclones and Hawkeyes
When Aileen Prabhakaran took a job in Iowa, the young doctor from India expected a land of icy winters, cultivated fields and quiet living. One thing the 31-year-old, whose entire schooling was in English, didn’t expect: a communication barrier. (The Wall Street Journal)

9/11 events across the state
Here are some upcoming events in Iowa tied to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. (Des Moines Register)

Seniors learn to avoid accidents that can lead to serious injuries
Genesis Health System is sponsoring CarFit, a national education program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their cars “fit” them. (QC Times)

Scorecard Shows Which States Are Best At Long-Term Care Support
The report, developed by AARP and the SCAN Foundation, found that Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and Maine are performing best in a variety of ways, but still have room to improve. (Kaiser Health News)

National News

Obama Stumps for Jobs Plan, Calling for ‘Action Now’
A day after throwing down the gauntlet before Congress, President Obama took his $447 billion jobs plan on the road on Friday, exhorting college students here to contact their lawmakers, by carrier pigeon if necessary, to pass his legislation. (The New York Times)

Weight-loss Programs Might Save Medicare Billions
Medicare could save billions of dollars if people who were pre-diabetic or at risk for cardiovascular disease took part in community-based weight-loss programs, a study finds. (Los Angeles Times)

HHS: More than 5.4M patients affected by data breaches in 2010
In the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ annual report to Congress, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reported that between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2010, breaches involving 500 or more individuals were less than 1 percent of the breaches reported, but accounted for more than 99 percent of the more than 5.4 million individuals who were affected. (CIMO)

Iowa News

Logjam on state budget broken; adjournment possible next week, lawmakers predict
The Iowa Senate approved four major bills today, sending them to the Iowa House for likely approval, in what lawmakers said is a positive signal that a final budget deal and adjournment of this year’s session appears probable next week. (The Des Moines Register)

Students learn about nursing careers in summer program
The teenage emergency room “patient” was in rough shape. He’d been in a traffic accident while not wearing a seat belt. He was diagnosed with several broken bones and serious liver damage. (Quad City Times)

National News

ABCs Of EHRs: New Training Choices For Non-Techies
Whether you’re a chief medical officer (CMO) at a large hospital or a solo practitioner, there are plenty of opportunities popping up for non-techies to learn everything they need to know about health IT. (InformationWeek)

Next Virus Victim: Your Doctor’s Or Nurse’s iPad?
Networked devices used by medical personnel carry vulnerability to viruses and security threats, requiring careful teamwork between IT and clinical engineering, experts say. (Information Week)

Express Scripts continues on long path to growth, analysts say
When Express Scripts Inc. got blindsided this week by the nation’s largest drugstore chain, Walgreen Co. — which publicly threatened to end their multibillion-dollar relationship — the episode marked an epic clash in the pharmaceutical industry. (The Washington Post)

Iowa News

FLOOD: Hamburg health care not in jeopardy
Health care services in Hamburg are not in danger of being interrupted by the flood, hospital officials announced. (The Daily Nonpareil)

Coworkers of cancer-stricken Skiff employee ‘bettin’ on Jim’ to recover
Getting a phone call on Christmas Eve usually brings well wishes from friends and family for a happy holiday season. But for 56-year-old Newton resident Jim McNeil, the seemingly harmless call last year brought troubling news. (Newton Daily News)

Branstad: I want to assure Iowans I know what I’m doing
Gov. Terry Branstad said today that no state service would be shut down should his nearly two-month budget gridlock with the legislature continue past June 30th.  However, he declined to cite specific Iowa law or constitutional powers that would allow him to allocate millions of dollars without legislative authority. (Des Moines Register)

Rains to push Big Sioux River at Sioux City to near 1993 crest
The Big Sioux River will near its 1993 crest after heavy rains last night. (Sioux City Journal)

National News

Hospitals courting primary care doctors
In one of the first concrete steps to remake the way medical care is delivered, hospitals are competing to hire primary-care physicians, trying to lure them from their private practices to work as salaried employees alongside specialists. (The Washington Post)

Ad campaign touts preventive care benefits of health reform law
The Obama administration is kicking off a nationwide ad campaign urging seniors to take advantage of free preventive services such as cancer screenings made possible in Medicare by the new healthcare law. (Los Angeles Times)

McKinsey stands by contested health insurance survey
Under fire from Democrats in Congress, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. today released its methodology for a controversial survey that found as many as 30% of employers might drop health insurance after the new health law takes effect in 2014. But the hot water McKinsey’s in doesn’t seem to be cooling off. (NPR)

MedPAC urges closer look at costs for MRIs, CT scans
A 17-member independent advisory group has urged Congress to get tough on doctors who order too many diagnostic imaging tests for Medicare patients. These tests include MRIs and CT scans, which the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission says are driving up the cost of health care for America’s seniors. (PBS)

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Update: Contributions to the fund can now be made electronically via PayPal. To make a secure electronic donation, CLICK HERE.

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Massive flooding taking place along the Missouri River has reached a fever pitch as more and more people work to save their homes and communities in the midst of an ongoing disaster.  Iowans are continuing to show their muster as many dedicated employees in hospitals from Sioux City to Hamburg continue covering their shifts while also dealing with trying to save their homes.

However, as they continue their work caring for those in their community, many of these employees are now finding themselves without a home and charged with the task of rebuilding their lives.

IHA estimates that 300-400 hospital employees could be displaced by rising waters. So in an effort to lend a hand, the Iowa Hospital Employee Disaster Relief Fund has been activated.  All donations made to this fund will be disbursed to hospital staff in the affected areas of the state. 

Through the support of the IHA and IHERF boards, the relief fund has been jumpstarted with a $25,000 contribution.

The fund, which was created in 2008 in response to that summer’s flooding and tornadoes that impacted hundreds of hospital employees across the state, will be administered through the Iowa Hospital Education and Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization associated with IHA.

“Once again, we are asking the 70,000 employees of Iowa’s hospitals to come to the aid of their colleagues,” said Joe Smith, CEO of Boone County Hospital and Chair of the IHA Board.  “As health care professionals, we know how disaster can change the course of a life.  Today the lives we are talking about belong to our coworkers in western Iowa and their families.  On behalf of the IHA Board, I ask all hospitals to do for them what we know they would do for us.”

Donations by check should be made out to “Iowa Hospital Employee Disaster Relief Fund” and sent to: Iowa Hospital Association, 100 E. Grand, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50309-1835.  Contributions to the fund can also be made electronically via PayPal.  All donations made to the fund are tax-deductible.  Deadline for donations will be September 6, 2011.  Questions about the fund can be directed to Cindy Schultz at IHA.  Updates on the progress of the emergency fund as well as whom it will be directly benefitting will be posted on the IHA blog.

Iowa News

UIHC revenue up thanks to more patients
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics continue to see strong revenue increases due, in large part, to higher patient volume in recent years, but there is no guarantee it will last, an official said. (Iowa City Press Citizen)

SMCH employee goes the extra distance
A member of Stewart Memorial Community Hospital is using her talents to help patients. (KCIM)

Cracks in Iowa’s legislative stalemate?
Democrats proposed a counteroffer to a massive $5.99 billion GOP budget plan during a private meeting this morning described by one Republican leader as “arguably the most productive meeting we’ve had in two months.” (Des Moines Register)

Methodist and Iowa Health Sign Affiliation Agreement
On Thursday, June 9, the nationally recognized heath organizations, Methodist Health Services Corporation and Iowa Health System, signed the agreement in Chicago, and now await the consent of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. (Central Illinois News Center)

National News

ONC funds developer challenge to spur health IT innovation
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has launched a program to spur innovation that uses prizes and developer competitions to expedite the creation of tools to solve health IT challenges. (Government Health IT)

Mass. Eye and Ear, Schepens to merge
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute, both Harvard Medical School affiliates, have decided to merge, creating the largest private eye-research organization in the world. (Boston Globe)