Free Stretcher Available for Donation

Kaiser Permanente has a stretcher available for donation. It's a Striker model and was used for GI procedures. The head section moves up and down, and there is a hydraulic foot pump at the end of the bed to move it up and down. One of the side railing pieces needs to be replaced so that it stays in the locked position. The stretcher is at the Kaiser Permanente Franklin Medical Office at 2045 Franklin St. in Denver. If you are interested in the stretcher, please contact Jeremy Mostek at 720.215.6959 or jeremy.m.mostek@kp.org.

Two weeks until the EHR Symposium--Register Now!!

October 13-14, 2010; Red Lion Hotel, Aurora, CO
THE Consortium is hosting a one-time-only, one-of-a-kind EHR vendor selection event to help you choose your EHR and prepare you for the implementation process.  We've invited vendors that represent the best systems available to fulfill the needs of small clinics and hospitals so you can make a fully-informed, strategic HIT decision.  Those who are demonstrating their system will have breakout sessions dedicated to their product, and they will each walk through the same scenario to show you the key functionalities and make it easy to compare the products. In addition, education on meaningful use criteria, vendor selection, contracting, and negotiation, and HIPAA compliance training will be featured on the agenda.  Below is a list of the confirmed vendors for this event, but more are signing on every day!

Vendors demonstrating their product include:

• Allscripts
• Amrita
• Clinic Services
• eClinicalWorks
• Meditech
• NextGen
• Raintree
• RT Welter

Exhibitors include:

• Cerner
• Healthland
• McKesson
• Sage
• Infinedi
• Istonish
• HD Consulting

Scholarships are still available for Rural Health Clinics and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics to cover half of the registration fee to attend. The High Plains Research Network is also sponsoring two attendees from each member facility. To apply for either scholarship, email your name and organization to Sarah Mapes at sm@coruralhealth.org.

REGISTER NOW to reserve your place--only $99 for a two-day event!

CMS Hospital and Hospital Quality Open Door Forum

The next Hospital & Hospital Quality Open Door Form is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, 2010 from 2pm-3pmET. To participate dial: 800.837.1935 Conference ID 98962628. For more information, click here.

Free On-line Course - “Improving Appropriate Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Infections”

Users have touted the interactiveness of the course, stating it “made the learning exercise not only informative, but fun, too!” The 1-hour program is designed for primary care clinicians, nurses, pharmacists and their staff. Learning objectives are:

• Describe four consequences of the overuse of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections
• Apply the principles of appropriate antibiotic use for treatment of acute bronchitis, acute sinusitis, pharyngitis and acute otitis media
• Develop practical strategies to adopt appropriate antibiotic use within your practice.

The course is jointly sponsored by the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and available for AAFP, CNE, CME, and ACPE credit. Go to http://www.getsmartcolorado.com/ and click on “Continuing Education” to register for the course. The course expires October 23.

CMS Special Open Door Forum: Supplier Enrollment Issues, Pharmacy Focus

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a Special Open Door Forum (ODF) to discuss Medicare supplier enrollment issues on October 13, 3:30pm,-5:00pm EST. To join the call, dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference Conference ID 98955726. For more information, click here.

Clarity Group Webinar - Fundamentals of Evidence Based Care: Mission, Vision and Culture

September 20, 2010; 11:00am-12:30pm MST
This program will help nurses, physicians, administrators and attorneys gain a better understanding of what is Evidence Based Care, how it should be used by providers, what challenges are encountered when promoting evidence based practice, and what the potential risks are to providers who choose to ignore the evidence. This session will help those who work in and with healthcare providers gain a basic understanding of Evidence Based Care that they may not have learned in their training. It also provides a forum to discuss the importance of Evidence Based Care in this emerging era of healthcare reform and Accountable Care Organizations. The cost to register is $199. For more information and to register, click here.

CAH Quality Improvement Workshop

November 4,2010; 12:00pm-4:00pm; Denver, CO
This interactive session will provide CAH Quality Directors with new tools and ideas they can take back to their facilities to help them lead and energize their hospital’s quality improvement initiatives to increase quality and patient satisfaction, and reduce cost. For more information and to register, click here.

QHi Benchmarking Tool

Quality Health Indicators (QHi) will be holding a Back to Basics review webinar of their benchmarking tool on October 4, which will include a brief introductory presentation, and example of the live site to demonstrate basic functionality including selecting measures, entering data, user access and running reports. The QHi benchmarking tool is available at no charge for Colorado CAHs. For more information about QHi or the Back to Basics webinar, email jd@coruralhealth.org.

Colorado Rural Credentialing Network – Register Now for 2011!

Credentialing of physicians and other healthcare practitioners is a key risk management function for facilities, both large and small. Further, it has become a complex and seldom understood process. CRHC’s Colorado Rural Credentialing Network provides rural hospitals and clinics with information, education, and resources pertaining to this important task. Register now for the 2011 network where, for the annual $250 membership fee, you will have the opportunity to participate in quarterly webinars, access to a credentialing specialist and additional resources, and the opportunity for peer learning. Click here to access the registration form. Network webinars will begin in early 2011.

New Publication from the NCRHR & PAC on Rural Volunteer EMS: Reports from the Field

A new publication is available from the North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center that explores the current state of rural EMS by interviewing 49 local directors from all-volunteer rural services in 23 states: Final Report #99 "Rural Volunteer EMS: Reports from the Field".

Key findings from this study include:

• Most EMS services (69%) have problems recruiting and/or retaining volunteers.
• Half of the interviewees pay their volunteers in some way, for example, by the run or standby pay.
• Most rural agencies (83%) rely on multiple sources of ongoing financial support.
• Billing for services is the norm rather than the exception for rural services.
• Among the 40 services with transport capability, 20% provide interfacility transport and average eight transports per month.
• Virtually all respondents reported that they have Mutual Aid Agreements with other services and many noted that these agreements work well.
• Respondents were asked to rate the likelihood that they will be able to operate as they currently do over the next five years. More than two-thirds were optimistic about their viability and 20% rated their chances at 5 (on a 10 point scale), indicating that they thought it could go either way.

IHI Open School –2 new online courses for CME, CEU, or ACPE credit

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Open School for Health Professions just released two new online courses on patient safety:

• PS 104: Root Cause and Systems Analysis
• PS 105: Communicating with Patients After Adverse Events

With these new courses, the IHI Open School now offers 13 courses on patient safety, quality improvement, and leadership. The courses are a convenient and affordable way to learn about essential topics in health care improvement. Users can complete the courses anytime and anywhere they have access to the Internet. Even if you are not required to earn continuing education credits, a certificate of completion will prove to current and prospective employers that you’re serious about improving care. Courses are free for students, residents, and university faculty who teach courses. All other IHI Open School resources, including videos, case studies, and the Chapter Network, are available to anyone free of charge. For more information, click here.

CREATE: Education Grant Program for EMTS Providers – Apply Now!

The Colorado Resource for Emergency And Trauma Education (CREATE) assists private and public organization in improving and expanding the emergency medical and trauma system in Colorado by funding education and training for emergency medical and trauma services (EMTS). For more information click here or email Shelly Collings at sc@coruralhealth.org.

Health Care Benefits for Rural America Call

Thurs., September 23, 2010; 3:45pm ET (please dial in 5 min. early)
Join this conference call with Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, and senior administration officials to discuss key new healthcare benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Several new healthcare benefits will begin to apply on September 23, and we want to ensure that community leaders like you have the most up-to-date information and resources about these new benefits to share with your communities and networks.  Materials will be distributed prior to the call.

Call Number: 800.288.8968
RSVP: opersvp@who.eop.gov

EHR Vendor Selection Symposium

October 13-14, 2010; Red Lion Hotel, Aurora, CO
Don't miss THE Consortium's one-time-only, one-of-a-kind EHR vendor fair and educational symposium. Vendors including Allscripts, NextGen, eClinicalWorks, Healthland, Raintree, Sage, Infinedi, AND MORE will provide information and/or demonstrations of the key functionalities of their software using a “scenario driven” approach specifically tailored to Rural Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics. The vendors have been hand-selected as the best systems available to fulfill the needs of small clinics and hospitals so you can make a fully-informed, strategic HIT decision. In addition, education on meaningful use criteria, vendor selection, contracting, and negotiation, and HIPAA compliance training will be featured on the agenda.

Scholarships are now available for Rural Health Clinics and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics to cover half of the registration fee to attend. The High Plains Research Network is also sponsoring two attendees from each member facility.  To apply for either scholarship, email your name and organization to Sarah Mapes at sm@coruralhealth.org.

REGISTER NOW to reserve your place--only $99 for a two-day event!

CMS Transmittal – Expanding CAH Edits

CMS is expanding the claim editing to meet the Social Security Act requirements for the attending, operating, or other physician or non-physician practitioner when a plan of treatment is needed and submitted from a CAH. The expansion will verify the attending, operating, or other physician or non-physician practitioner provider on a CAH claim is eligible and enrolled in Medicare by allowing FISS to match data on a provider billed claim to that of a national PECOS file. For more information, click here.

Components of an Effective Peer Review System

October 7, 2010; 12:00-1:30 CST
This Web Seminar, presented by Morrisey Educational Resources, will focus on the components of an effective peer review system and how using external peer review is an important risk management strategy. Hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers can reduce risks related to medical errors and substandard physician performance, by including external peer review as an integral component of their quality management systems. For more information and to register, click here.

TrailBlazer Tip of the Month – Suggestions to Reduce Medical Denials

TrailBlazer has published an education tip with suggestions for providers on how to reduce or eliminate medical denials. For more information, click here.

WIPFLI’s Medicare Cost Report Basics and Optimizing Cost-Based Reimbursement Seminar

October 4-6, 2010; Coeur d’Alene, ID
This 2 ½ day seminar will highlight Medicare cost basics, optimizing cost-based reimbursement, strategies to help your facility afford a major facility project, and understanding your network’s or medical group’s financial performance. For more information, click here.

Immunizations and Vaccines – Free Continuing Education Opportunities

The Continuing Education Opportunities section on immunize.org includes lists for 15 sources of continuing education activities about immunization for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and allied health professionals. Most activities are offered free of charge. For more information, click here.

Instruct Online Webinar – CAH Conditions of Participation Part 1

October 5, 2010; 12:00-2:00 CST
This seminar will help hospitals comply with specific CMS-CoP problem areas including restraints, nursing care plans, legibility requirements, verbal orders, history and physicals, needed policies and procedures, nursing medication carts, drug storage, medication administration and emergency preparedness. Attendees will learn details about the CoPs and what to do when a CMS or Department of Health surveyor arrives at your facility. The registration fee is $225. For more information, click here.

PECOS Dark Days

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) will be unavailable from Wednesday, September 29 through Sunday, October 3. Internet-based PECOS allows physicians, non-physician practitioners, providers, and other suppliers to enroll or make a change to their existing Medicare enrollment information over the Internet.

If you would like to enroll or make a change to your existing Medicare enrollment record, you can do either of the following:

• Use Internet-based PECOS prior to 9/29 or after 10/3. For more information about Internet-based PECOS, see the appropriate “Getting Started” guide available in the Downloads section. There is a “Getting Started” guide for physicians and non-physician practitioners and one for provider and supplier organizations.
• Complete and submit the paper Medicare provider enrollment applications(s) (CMS-855) along with any required supporting documentation and mail the application(s) to the appropriate Medicare carrier, fiscal intermediary, or A/B MAC. The CMS-855 forms are downloadable from the CMS forms page.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact the Medicare fee-for-service contractor serving your State.

Got Drugs? Statewide Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Saturday, September 25, 2010; 10:00am - 2:00pm
Turn in your unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal this Saturday.  To find the disposal location closest to you, click here, or call 877.462.2911.  Some items will not be accepted: needles and sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, chemotherapy/radioactive substances,  pressurized canisters, illicit drugs.

Calling all Directors of Materials Management!

A group of Colorado rural hospital directors of materials management is being formed to share best practices, experiences, and ideas so you can learn from each other and ultimately improve the support you provide to your facility. If you are interested in interacting with your colleagues from other hospitals to have a sounding board of experts, a resource for questions, and a place to discuss new ideas and initiatives, this group is for you!  This project is being led by Dan Brandt of Estes Park Medical Center--contact him at dbrandt@epmedcenter.com if you are interested in participating, or please forward this to your facility's Director of Materials Management.

TrailBlazer – Updated CAH Manual

TrailBlazer has recently updated its CAH Manual. To access the revised version, click here.

TrailBlazer MSP Claims Submission Chat

September 28, 2010; 11:00-12:00CST
Do you have questions regarding Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) claim submission? This is an opportunity to interact with the Provider Education Subject Matter Expert (SME) concerning MSP claim submission. This a new avenue for providers to obtain answers to their Medicare questions and will be used more in the future!

Register for this event and let TrailBlazer staff chat with you regarding your MSP claim submission questions. Registration will be limited in an effort to address all questions. For more information and to register, click here.

Vacancy announcement: the Tobacco Education, Prevention and Cessation Grant Program Review Committee

The Tobacco Education, Prevention and Cessation Grant Program, on behalf of the Colorado Board of Health, is currently seeking applicants for a vacant position on the legislatively-mandated grant program Review Committee. The person who fills this available position will be a representative of a socio-demographic disadvantaged population in Colorado. The term of office for the new appointment will be Dec. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2013. All those interested in becoming a member of the Tobacco Review Committee must submit an application and current resume by Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. The application form for the position and more information about the Review Committee are available for review at www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/tobacco/.

CRHC’s 2011 Colorado Rural Credentialing Network – Register Now!

Credentialing of physicians and other healthcare practitioners is a key risk management function for facilities, both large and small. Further, it has become a complex and seldom understood process. CRHC’s Colorado Rural Credentialing Network provides rural hospitals and clinics with information, education, and resources pertaining to this important task. Register now for the 2011 network where, for the annual $250 membership fee, you will have the opportunity to participate in quarterly webinars, access to a credentialing specialist and additional resources, and the opportunity for peer learning. Click here to access the registration form. Network webinars will begin in early 2011.

Board Webinar Series

The next webinar in the 2010 CAH/RHC Board Series, “What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You: Legal/Fiduciary Responsibilities of Directors”, will take place on September 21, 2010 from 4:30-6:00. For more information and to register, click here.

AHRQ Releases New Spanish Language Guide for Patients

HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a series of free evidence-based guides designed to help Spanish speakers understand and compare the risks, benefits and side effects of treatments for eight health conditions. For more information, click here.

National Medicare RAC Summit

September 13-14, 2010; Arlington, VA
The agenda for the Fourth National Medicare RAC Summit has been designed with a view toward ensuring that the views and experiences of smaller hospitals, including CAHs, are represented. Further, in addition to the provider registration rates for the Fourth National Medicare RAC Summit, the Summit is pleased to offer an even deeper discount for clinicians and staff from CAHs. For more information, click here.

TrailBlazer eBulletin

The latest TrailBlazer eBulletin is now available on the TrailBlazer Newsletters Web page. The TrailBlazer eBulletins are posted monthly to ensure providers are kept abreast of national and local policies, program updates, new initiatives and significant changes to the Medicare program. To access the eBulletin, click here.

USDA Rural Development Programs

The USDA Rural Development Program offers grant, loan, and loan guarantee assistance to rural residents, rural communities, and rural utility systems. For more information, click here.

Free IHI Improvement Map call series starts September 14

Join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) for a free series of calls to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Improvement Map. Learn how the Improvement Map can help your organization make care safer, make care transitions smoother, reduce costs and lead your improvement efforts effectively. For more information, click here.

ORHP Release of Rural Health Network Development Grant Program

ORHP has announced the release of the Rural Health Network Development Grant Program (RHND), Announcement Number HRSA-11-089, CFDA Number 93.912. This is a program to assist health-oriented networks in developing and maintaining sustainable networks with self-generating revenue streams. These networks should provide activities that benefit both network partners and the community served by the network to increase access and quality of rural health care and ultimately, improve the health status of rural residents. Networks should have a significant history of organizational collaboration and must have a memorandum of understanding prior to applying to this program. This program is a three year grant program with individual grant awards limited to a maximum of $180,000 per year. There will be a Technical Assistance Call on Thursday, October 7, 2010 to assist applicants in preparing their applications. The toll-free number to call in is 800.369.1914. The Passcode is Network. The application due date is November 12, 2011.

To download this funding opportunity, please visit http://www.grants.gov/. Once you are on this website, click on Find Grant Opportunities, Basic Search where you can type in the announcement number (HRSA-11-089) or CFDA number (93.912).  For further information on the Rural Health Network Development Grant Program (RHND), please contact Leticia Manning, lmanning@hrsa.gov or 301.443.8335.

Primary Care Behavioral Health Trainings

The Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) training, which is a once/month training for 6 months and put on by the University of Massachusetts via Webinar, will be held again, starting September. The Health District of Northern Larimer County in Fort Collins will be a host site for the training, and welcome professionals and students to join. The workshops meet one Friday per month for 6 months, the times are from 10:30am to 5:30pm Eastern Standard Time.  Access information on the faculty or the curriculum, or read on for details.

September 10, 2010 - Workshop 1: Primary Care Culture and Needs
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD and Hugh Silk, MD

October 8, 2010 - Workshop 2: Evidence-based Therapies and Substance Abuse in Primary Care
Faculty: Jeffery Baxter, MD, and Alexander Blount, EdD

October 29, 2010 - Workshop 3B: Integrating Care for People with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD and Raphael Ben Dror, EdD Curriculum

November 12, 2010 - Workshop 3A: Child Development and Collaborative Pediatric Practice
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD, Kathleen Braden, MD

December 10, 2010 - Workshop 4: Behavioral Health Care for Chronic Illnesses, Care Management and An Overview of Psychotropic Medication in Primary Care
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD and Kathryn Lee, MD

January 14, 2011 - Workshop 5: Behavioral Medicine Techniques
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD, and Ronald Adler, MD

February 4, 2011 - Workshop 6: Families and Culture in Primary Care
Faculty: Alexander Blount, EdD, Warren Ferguson, MD and Carlos Cappas, PsyD

Illustrated Guide to Infection Control

Springer Publishing Company is pleased to announce the September 2010 publication of: An Illustrated Guide to Infection Control. This book is an illustrated guide to infection control covering basic infection control regimens, from hand washing and use of hand gels to complicated infection control needs with use of medical devices. Included are infection control for contagious infections, sterile techniques, nosocomial infections, respiratory treatments, pneumonias, blood born pathogens, medical waste disposal, spills, infection control in a community setting, and more. Using visual guidelines, this book is easily usable for students and practicing health care professionals. For more information, click here.

QHi Benchmarking Tool

October 4, 2010; 2:00pm-3:00pm CST
Quality Health Indicators (QHi) will be holding a Back to Basics review webinar of their benchmarking tool on October 4, which will include a brief introductory presentation, and example of the live site to demonstrate basic functionality including selecting measures, entering data, user access and running reports. Colorado CAHs can participate in QHi at no charge. For more information about QHi or the Back to Basics webinar, email jd@coruralhealth.org.