masthead
This edition of the Clinician and Community Newsletter is sponsored by:
  March 2014
In This Issue
FEATURE STORY

FY15 Budget to Propose Expansion of NHSC

The President's proposed FY15 Budget Request includes new funding of $3.95 billion for the NHSC through FY2020. The President's proposal would enable the NHSC program to place nearly 15,000 providers in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas across the country. Last year the NHSC received more than twice as many applications as it could fund, and almost ten times as many applications for scholarships than funding allowed; this despite the fact that thousands of people were waiting for care in these underserved communities. Under the President's plan, thousands of additional primary care providers (including doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives, dental providers, and mental health providers) would be supported as they seek to work in high need areas of the country. 
Advocacy & Education

ACU Conference to Include NHSC Track

The National Health Service Corps has agreed to offer a special series of educational sessions during ACU's 2014 Annual Meeting. In addition to a keynote address by BCRS head Kimberly Kleine, there will be educational sessions designed for NHSC participants, alumni, placement sites, and anyone interested in learning more about this important federal program.  Click here to read more or to register today!

 

Who will be the next Surgeon General?

Surgeon General nominee  Vivek Murthy, M.D, received a bit of flak on his position on gun control. But Murthy said if he is confirmed as the nation's doctor, he won't use the job as a bully pulpit for gun control.

 

House Appropriations Deadlines Announced

Last week the Member Submission Database for funding requests for the FY 2015 Appropriations season opened. Labor-HHS submissions are due on April 4. For more information and the published instructions, click here.
Clinical News & Resources

Patient Safety Awareness Week March 2-8, 2014

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual education and awareness campaign for health care safety led by NPSF. Each year, health care organizations internationally take part in the event by prominently displaying the NPSF campaign logo  and promotional materials within their organizations, creating awareness in the community, and utilizing NPSF educational resources among hospital staff and patients.

 

CMS Resources to Help You Prepare for eHealth Programs and Milestones

CMS recently launched a new online resource - CMS eHealth University - to help providers understand, implement, and successfully participate in the CMS eHealth programs, including the EHR Incentive Programs, Physician Quality Reporting System, Administrative Simplification, and ICD-10. Whether you are just beginning participation in the eHealth programs, or further along in the process, CMS eHealth University will assist you in successfully participating in and meeting eHealth implementation requirements.

 

CMS Releases 2014 CEHRT Hardship Exception Guidance for Medicare MU

CMS released additional guidance on the 2014 certified EHR technology (CEHRT) hardship exception for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. Tipsheets for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals/ critical access hospitals will be available on the Educational Resources page of the EHR Incentive Programs website. In addition, updates have been made to the Payment Adjustments & Hardship Exceptions Tipsheet for Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals.

 

Health care providers' role in protecting EHRs

Implications for consumer support of EHRs, HIE and patient-provider communication - read more here.

 

Interested in Being Part of a PCORI-Funded Research Team?

Are you a patient, clinician, policymaker, payer or other healthcare stakeholder interested in partnering with applicants for PCORI-funded research? Then, consider adding your name to the PCORI Partner List.

 

Mental Health: Parity - Yes, Enough Providers - No

Demand -- for both facilities and providers -- has long outpaced supply in the field of mental health, but recent moves to increase funding for mental health services combined with innovative delivery systems may reverse that trend.

 

Mental health problems mistaken for physical illness in children

A literature review published in Nursing Children and Young People examines how children's nurses can recognize such complaints and help to address them. Read more here.

 

CareFirst investing $1.3m in Underserved Communities

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) has pledged to invest more than $1.3 million in four initiatives designed to expand the use of telemedicine to treat patients with behavioral healthcare needs in underserved urban and rural areas of Maryland and Washington, D.C.


Member's Updates

New Board Member

James A. Hotz, MD was elected to the ACU Board of Directors in February, and officially begins serving this month! Dr. Hotz is a Board Certified Internist and Master of the American College of Physicians. Currently a physician at Albany Area Primary Health Care, Dr. Hotz began practicing medicine in what was considered one of the poorest and most medically underserved areas of the south. He is a well-known and well-respected leader in primary care delivery, and you can read more about him here. We are excited to have him join the Board!
journal

Community Health Worker article in February Journal

In the February 2014 issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved there is a column on the role of community health workers in creating a unified framework for workforce integration. Community health workers serve as an important bridge between the community and the health system in various capacities in the United States. What challenges are there and what steps are being taken to create a unified framework for workforce integration? Download the column to read more:"Community Health Workers and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: An Opportunity for a Research, Advocacy, and Policy Agenda."  
Careers

ACU Career Center

Search more than 1,900 healthcare jobs posted in the ACU Career Center, including these: 

There are many opportunities for primary care providers in Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, and more. Search the ACU Career Center today.  

ACU Summer Internship - Apply Now

ACU is pleased to offer a paid health communications internship this summer. This 8-week program will allow the selected individual to gain hands-on experience in an organization dedicated to improving the health of underserved populations. Full-time undergraduate students who will be full-time sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the fall are eligible for this program. See additional details on our website.

 

The internship is supported by the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program. To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to [email protected]. Application deadline: March 15, 2014. 

 

Conferences and Webinars

2014 Annual Meeting and Health IT Forum

The 2014 Annual Meeting and Health IT Forum will bring clinical leaders and top government officials together in Washington DC to focus on improving access to care for millions of people living in underserved areas of our country.  The Conference will feature issues important to clinicians today, with all topics reflecting the unique aspects of delivering care to underserved populations, including:

Do not forget to register! Reserve your spot now!

 

National Environmental Justice Conference

ACU's Lois Wessel, FNP, is speaking at the National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program, March 26 - 28, in Washington, DC. Her panel presentation is on "Environmental Justice: How Social Determinants Affect Health Disparities."

 

This is a partial listing of upcoming conferences and webinars. For a more complete list, visit the ACU website.  

 

April 3 - 5, Centricity Healthcare Users Group meeting in Las Vegas, NV. ACU's Lois Wessel, FNP and Anna Gard, FNP will present the asthma clinical decision support tool ACU developed in conjunction with the Alliance of Chicago.

 

April 22 - 2437th Annual Rural Health Conference, in Las Vegas, NV, sponsored by the National Rural Health Association.

 

April 28 - 29Promising Practices, Tobacco-Free Living and Health Eating in Low Socioeconomic Status Communities, sponsored by the Break Free Alliance.

 

May 28 - 302014 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium, New Orleans, LA. 

Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn   
Join Our Mailing List
Association of Clinicians for the Underserved | [email protected] |  http://www.clinicians.org
1420 Spring Hill Rd.

Suite 600
Tysons Corner, VA 22102