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August 2010 Issue And Supplement Available Online
Online access is a benefit of membership.
 Themes in the August journal are:
Culture and Health
Health Policy and Health Disparities
HIV/AIDS, Homelessness, and Mental Illness.
The supplement is sponsored by the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care, guest editors Dr. Vivian Carter and Ms. Natasha Coby.
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August is National Immunization Awareness Month
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ACU to Launch Career Center
On Sept. 13, ACU will launch its interactive job board, the ACU Career Center. With its focus on health care for the underserved, the ACU Career Center offers its members and employers an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections. Read more
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Early Registration Deadline Extended
Meet othe r ACU members and leaders in
health care delivery for the underserved at the National Summit of Clinicians for Healthcare Justice.
This two day event is designed for clinicians and advocates from across the
country to come together to celebrate, acknowledge and highlight the work
frontline clinicians do to serve disenfranchised populations in need of basic
health care in our country.
Featured speakers include Dr.
David Satcher, 16th Surgeon General of the United States, and Dr. Linda Rae Murray, President-Elect, American
Public Health Association. More program information
Conference Hotel - the Doubletree Crystal City, Arlington,
Virginia. Book your room
ACU members qualify for the Clinical Network Member rate. Save an extra $50 if you register by September 1.
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EHR Survey Results
ACU thanks all who responded to our quick survey on adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) published in June 2010 issue of this newsletter. Of those who responded, 75 percent are using an EHR in their practice. All respondents agreed that the EHR improved efficiency and the quality of care provided, but not without some drawbacks. Read more
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Haitian school girls  |
ACU Board Member Katherine
Brieger, RD, CDE, and COO of Hudson River HealthCare, Inc., was part of a team
that visited Haiti to provide medical assistance in July 2010. She provided a first person account of the trip, available online. Also available is an audio program that includes interviews with team members who accompanied Brieger produced by Paul Westpheling. Click here to read about their trip and listen to interviews.
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Policy Report on Teaching Health Centers A new ACU policy report, The Teaching Health Center: Training Team Players to Provide Better Care to the Underserved, by Board member Rani Nandiwada, MD, and Health Policy Intern Christine Dang-Vu, discusses new approaches to training clinicians to work in transdisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive primary care. The authors propose developing a training health center (THC) grant system of partnerships between academic institutions and community health centers to provide "Underserved Teaching Fellows" available to all disciplines involved in health care delivery. Click here to read the full report. |
Language Interpreters Certification
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) opened its enrollment period for individuals wishing to become certified interpreters on July 1 and within a few weeks all 200 exam seats for Spanish interpreters were filled. Interpreters in all other languages have until September 1 to complete the online application form to take the examination to achieve the designation called CCHI Associate Healthcare Interpreter. The total number of exam seats available for these interpreters is 300 and the exam will be administered in more than 450 test centers located in major cities and geographically strategic areas in states where healthcare interpreters live and work. The examination fee is $100, a reduced rate for the pilot examination only, and there is no application fee.
More information is available on the CCHI website, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the pilot test application steps and requirements.
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Conferences and E-Learning
For a more complete list of upcoming conferences and webinars, visit the ACU website.
Aug. 25, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (EDT),
the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology (ONC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
is hosting an informational call to provide an overview of, and answer
questions related to, the temporary certification program for
electronic health record (EHR) technology.
The call-in phone number is 1-888-324-9617; the participant passcode is 4584230.
Recordings and transcripts will be made available on the ONC web site. More information about the temporary certification program is available online.
Aug. 27, 2:00 pm (EST), Tips for Conducting Meaningful Use Gap Analysis within the Safety Net Community, a webinar for HRSA grantees
and the safety net community to learn how to assess their current health IT
capabilities and evaluate where their meaningful use gaps exist. By determining
these meaningful use gaps, providers, health centers, and clinics can determine how to plan and what steps are necessary for them to become
meaningful users of health IT and qualify for the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services' Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. There is no cost
to attend; register here.
Aug. 27, early-bird discount deadline for the APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Denver, Nov. 6 - 10. Complete the registration online and a link to housing will take you to a pre-populated housing form. Hotel reservations can also be made separately by going directly to online housing. The APHA Summit on Health Reform to prepare public health community for new legislation will be held immediately prior to the APHA Annual Meeting on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Sept. 10-14, the National Association of Community Health Centers' Community Health Institute and Expo in Dallas. Learn more about and prepare for health centers' role in a transforming health care landscape.
Sept. 13, 12 - 1:30 p.m. (ET), ICD-10 Implementation in a 5010 Environment hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This toll-free teleconference will focus on ICD-10 implementation issues, including proposals to partially freeze code updates, and implementation updates for versions 5010 and D.0, including implemented readiness review, how 5010 updates impact ICD-10 implementation and advice for providers in moving toward 5010 implementation. Subject matter experts will review basic information on both ICD-10 and 5010 and explain how they are interrelated. A question and answer session will follow the presentations.
Sept. 13-15, Using Law, Policy and Research to Improve the Public's Health, sponsored by the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics and the Public Health Law Association in Atlanta. For more information, e-mail Katie Johnson at kjohnson@aslme.org.
Sept. 23-25, National Summit of Clinicians for Healthcare Justice, sponsored by ACU and many of the major safety-net clinician organizations from across the United States. The conference provides an opportunity for clinicians and others to explore cutting edge solutions and to be a part of the vital efforts to make quality health care for the underserved a reality.
October 2-5, American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition at Moscone Center in San Francisco. More
Jan. 13-15, the 2011 Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency will be held in Washington, DC. This nationwide initiative to help school officials assess, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems, and to reduce exposure to asthma triggers in school facilities, is aimed at school officials, administrators, facilities and operations personnel, teachers, school nurses, parents, and students but is open to anyone with an interest in IAQ in schools.
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Prevention Fellowship Program - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is accepting applications for the Prevention Fellowship Program. The program invites qualified individuals who are seeking professional growth in the field of substance abuse prevention. To apply, submit the online application by Aug. 26. For additional information, call 240-485-1700, ext. 122, or e-mail preventionfellowship@seiservices.com
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Care Coordination Seminar
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is offering Coordinating Care for Patients with Complex Needs, a web-based program that will equip you to improve the individual patient's care experience, better support the health of the population with complicated medical and social circumstances, while reducing the cost of care. IHI refers to these goals as the Triple Aim.
The programconsists of a series of three interactive webinars, followed by Action Periods, during which participating teams carry out detailed, front-line assignments. With faculty coaching during the Action Periods between each session, you will be able to test aspects of the IHI Triple Aim framework with your own diverse patient population.The program begins Oct. 27.
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Medicare Part B Immunization Benefits
August is National Immunization month. Medicare provides coverage for seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines and their administration, under Medicare Part B, for qualified beneficiaries as preventive immunizations. Providers who accept the Medicare-approved payment amount for these services are reimbursed under Medicare Part B.
For more information, visit the CMS Adult Immunizations webpage. (Please note, the "Immunizers' Question & Answer Guide to Medicare Coverage of Seasonal Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccinations", which provides administration and flu vaccine payment rates for use by mass immunizers and physician practices, will be updated and posted to this site sometime in early October, 2010.) |
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Your Candidates - Your Health
Research!America and its partners announce the return of Your Candidates - Your Health, a website to inform voters about candidiates' positions on key issues. As primary elections are concluded in the states, candidates are being invited to share their views on health and research. Their responses will be posted on the Your Candidates - Your Health website to help inform voters on these critical issues. Visit the website now to urge your candidates to respond to the questionnaire. |
Get Yourself Tested
A national campaign, Get Yourself Tested (or GYT), sponsored by MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and other partners nationwide, aims to inform young people about STDs and normalize testing. Chlamydia is extremely common and is the leading preventable cause of infertility in the U.S., yet only about 45% of eligible young women are screened for Chlamydia per year.
Resources are available to assist you in improving the delivery of this preventive service to your patients:
- "Why Screen for Chlamydia? An Implementation Guide for Healthcare Providers" and - "Chlamydia and STD Resources for Healthcare Providers." Both offer the latest information and tools for healthcare providers and are available online from the National Chlamydia Coalition, at www.prevent.org/NCC under the "For Healthcare Providers" tab.
GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign resources are available online and include informational handouts on STDs, testing, and pregnancy prevention as well as posters, flyers, and postcards which can be printed for distribution or posting in health centers or clinics. |
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Health Reform and Communities of Color
The Kaiser Family Foundation has updated an issue brief on key provisions in the new health reform law that could either directly or indirectly have an impact on reducing health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minorities. Racial and ethnic minorities represent only one-third of the total U.S. population, but comprise more than 50 percent of the nation's uninsured. The issue brief is available online at http://www.kff.org/healthreform/8016.cfm. |
Reviewers Wanted
Health professionals and QI staff interested in providing feedback are sought to review a Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Health Information Technology & Quality (OHITQ) Quality Toolkit that is under development. Learn more about Quality Improvement and assist in refining the Toolkit through your feedback. The HRSA Quality Toolkit addresses the needs of QI leaders responsible for effectively implementing a quality improvement program in their organization. Those within a health care organization who may find this toolkit particularly useful include: clinicians, QI directors and administrators, and allied healthcare professionals (including nutritionists, social workers, dietitians, behavioral specialists, and other health care professionals). Knowledge Gateway members who are grantees are being provided the opportunity to review the toolkit and provide feedback through a brief survey. You can expect to spend approximately 1-2 hours per module. If you would like to assist HRSA in making this a great toolkit that truly meets the needs of the grantees, please send a brief email to Kathie Baldwin, project director, at kbaldwin@mscginc.com. |
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