Rural Health Clinic Conference

May 9, 2012

Lake Blackshear Resort & Golf Club

2459-H Hwy.280 West

Cordele, GA 31015

Don't miss out on this great networking 

and learning opportunity!

Attendee Registration

Sponsor Registration   

AGENDA

Presentations include: ICD-10 essentials, RAC auditing documentation, rural provider's guide to meaningful use and EHR incentive programs, Medicaid billing, financial challenges of rural health clinics, telehealth, and National Health Service Corp and provider recruitment 

2011 Rural Health Clinic Conference Presentations

2012 Georgia Rural Health Association 

Annual Conference

September 17 -19, 2012

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA

Study shows big gaps in midstate health, healthcare
 By MIKE STUCKA - [email protected]

 For more than a decade, Billy Powell and his wife have been leaving Fort valley to visit a Macon cardiothoracic surgeon, F.S. Wanna, whom Powell considers one of the best in the state.

HHS Press Release: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Announces Delay of ICD-10 until October 1, 2014

In a new press release from HHS, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a proposed rule that would delay the compliance date for ICD-10 from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014The ICD-10 compliance date change is part of a proposed rule that would adopt a standard for a unique health plan identifier (HPID), adopt a data element that would serve as an "other entity" identifier (OEID), and add a National Provider Identifier (NPI) requirement. The proposed rule was developed by the Office of E-Health Standards and Services (OESS) as part of its ongoing role, delegated by HHS, to establish standards for electronic health care transactions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). OESS is part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The full release can be found on the CMS Website, and more information about this proposed rule can be found on the proposed rule ICD-10 fact sheet.

April is STD Awareness Month

Every year sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, cost the U.S. health care system $17 billion-and cost individuals even more in immediate and long-term health consequences.

April is STD Awareness month, an annual observance to call attention to the impact of STDs and promote STD testing across the United States.

Regardless of race or gender, data show that sexually active teens and young adults are at an increased risk for STDs when compared to older adults.

• Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 19 million new infections.
• Estimates suggest that even though young people represent only 25% of the sexually experienced population, nearly half of all STD cases occur in young people aged 15 to 24.

The good news is that most STDs are treatable, and many are curable - early detection through testing is key. Yet, stigma, inconsistent or incorrect condom use, access to health care, and a combination of other factors contribute to high rates of STDs among teens and young adults.

Primary care physicians, pediatricians, and other health care providers play an important role in ensuring young people receive correct information and comprehensive health care. Providers and the information they share are respected by patients. Research shows that adolescent patients feel primary care settings are an appropriate place to discuss sexual health and would like their providers to initiate such discussions. In a recent study of college students, almost half of those surveyed preferred to receive sexual health information from their provider who initiates the conversation and only 25% preferred to receive this type of information from the Internet. Patients are most comfortable with providers who are "knowledgeable about sexual concerns" (75%) and "seem comfortable addressing sexual concerns" (68%)1.

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