Sea-E-You™ III to provide Extraordinary Learning and Networking Opportunity

The Nursing Consortium of South Florida’s Sea-E-You III  will be a unique learning and networking opportunity aboard the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas.  Join us on the 2nd through 6th of March for “Leveraging Nurse Leadership at All Levels; Building Toolkits for the Future” a program that will explore in four co-facilitated seminars the nurse leader's role in achieving the quadruple aims of optimized health system performance.  Unlike other continuing education offerings at sea which feature one or two presenters, Sea-E-You III will feature a faculty of twelve experienced nurse leaders and in addition to four 90 minute seminars, the program includes four small group discussions facilitated by a seasoned nurse leader. With cabins starting at less than $520 per person double occupancy (including meals, lodging, gratuities, port fees & taxes) this four-night long-weekend cruise which sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Cozumel Mexico is truly an affordable learning get-away.  The program registration is only $140 per participating nurse. Friends and families are welcomed.  For more information please go to www.seaeyou.com or call 800-422-0711. Sponsorship opportunities remain and include a cabin for two.

The Hidden Toll of Workplace Incivility

A recent McKinsey Quarterly article by Christine Porath, associate professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, reveals research findings showing that hurtful workplace behavior can depress performance, increase employee turnover, and even mar customer relationships.

CMS webinar Feb. 9 on new Medicare bundled payment model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Feb. 9 webinar on its new payment model to bundle payment to acute care hospitals for heart attack and cardiac bypass surgery services beginning in July 2017. The final rule, issued last month, also will expand the existing Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model to include other surgical treatments for hip and femur fractures beyond hip replacement. To register for the 60-minute webinar, which begins at 12:00 p.m. EST, please click here.

CMS issues guidance on implementing MOON

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its Medicare claims processing manual to include guidance on implementing the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice, a standard notice that all hospitals and critical access hospitals must provide effective March 8 to all Medicare beneficiaries who receive outpatient observation services for more than 24 hours. Under the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act of 2015, hospitals must provide oral and written notice to beneficiaries within 36 hours after observation services are initiated, or sooner if the individual is transferred, discharged or admitted as an inpatient. The notice informs them that they are an outpatient receiving observation services, not an inpatient, and the associated implications for cost-sharing and eligibility for Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility services. The guidance, among other things, addresses the scope of the requirements; how hospitals must deliver the notice and delivery timeframes; steps to take if a beneficiary refuses to sign the MOON or the notice must be delivered to a beneficiary’s representative; ensuring beneficiary comprehension; what may be provided in the “additional information” field of the MOON; retention requirements for the MOON; and the intersection with state laws on observation notices. CMS issued the final policies for implementing the NOTICE Act last August with the inpatient prospective payment system final rule, but delayed implementation until 90 days after the updated MOON was posted.

CMS awards $66.1 million to territories, Florida to fight Zika

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday awarded $66.1 million in funding to health departments in American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida to help combat the Zika virus. Funds will support prevention activities and treatment services for health conditions related to the virus, including improving provider capacity and capability, CMS said. Puerto Rico received $60.6 million of the funding, which was allocated to territories, states and tribal organizations based on the percent of active or local cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the size of the population in those areas. 

CDC reports on trends in drug overdose deaths

The number of drug overdose deaths per year rose 23% between 2010 and 2014, to 47,055, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 10 most frequently involved drugs included six opioids (heroin, oxycodone, methadone, morphine, hydrocodone and fentanyl); two benzodiazepines (alprazolam and diazepam); and two stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine). The rate of drug overdose deaths involving heroin more than tripled over the five-year period, while the rate involving methamphetamine more than doubled.

Consortium Spring Conference set for April 28 at the Signature Grand

The Nursing Consortium of South Florida will be observing 2017 as the Year of the Healthy Nurse with a Spring conference at the Signature Grand on April 28, 2017. "Caring for the Caregiver; Creating Healthy Work Environments for You and Your Team" will explore a range of topics including The Leader as Healer, Building a Healthier You, and Addressing Generational Challenges. Abstracts for poster presentations are now being accepted, and Super early-bird rates are available to those registering now.  Those wishing to sponsor and exhibit are invited to click here for additional information.  Put getting healthier on your to do list for 2017 and resolve not to miss the Consortium's Spring conference!

DHS issues National Cyber Incident Response Plan

The Department of Homeland Security yesterday released a National Cyber Incident Response Plan to articulate the roles and responsibilities, capabilities and coordinating structures that support how the nation responds to and recovers from significant cyber incidents posing risks to critical infrastructure. The plan was developed in coordination with other federal agencies and public and private partners, including representatives from the health care and public health sector. “The NCIRP is not a tactical or operational plan; rather, it serves as the primary strategic framework for stakeholders to understand how federal departments and agencies and other national-level partners provide resources to support response operations,” the document notes.

President issues executive order to ‘ease the burden’ of the ACA

President Trump has issued an executive order designed to “ease the burden” of the Affordable Care Act, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The brief order directs the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies to “exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.” The order does not reference Medicaid specifically but directs the agencies to “provide greater flexibility to States and cooperate with them in implementing healthcare programs.” The order does not cite specific rules related to the ACA, and it is unclear how quickly HHS and other agencies may move to take action. 

FDA issues safety alert on defibrillator

LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillators may not be able to deliver therapy during a resuscitation attempt due to an intermittent connection between the battery and device electrical contacts, according to a safety alert issued Saturday by the Food and Drug Administration. Device maker Physio-Control has received 34 reports of the problem, including eight related adverse events. The company is contacting customers and advising them to immediately remove and reinstall the battery from the device, and implement a weekly schedule of battery removal and reinstallation. FDA encourages health care professionals and patients to report related adverse events or side effects to the FDA's MedWatch program.

FDA issues MRI safety recommendations for patients with implantable infusion pumps

The Food and Drug Administration today alerted health care providers and patients to safety concerns with the use of implantable infusion pumps in the magnetic resonance imaging environment, citing reports of serious adverse events. Implantable infusion pumps are surgically implanted under the skin, typically in the abdominal region, to deliver medications and fluids in the body. Only pumps labeled as MR conditional may be safely scanned, and only under the specific conditions of safe use. Before scanning patients, MRI technologists should confirm the infusion pump model and ensure the MRI system meets all conditions provided in the MR conditional labeling, FDA said. For additional recommendations for providers and patients, see the FDA safety communication.