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Virginia Rural Health News
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>>Gain Rural Health Fame!
>>Making A Rural Hospital Profitable

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By Chris Hurst - WDBJ7.com

Keeping the athletes healthy at the Greenbrier is a tall order. But making sure thousands of fans are safe may be even tougher. It's all coordinated by a school at Virginia Tech, making this week one big classroom.
For the thirty students from the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine already at the Greenbrier, consider this week a great field trip.

[VRHA member] Michelle Keating, a third year med student was here last year, helping spectators and the pros.
“We had a great learning experience from the EMTs,” she says. “Showing us how to read EKGs and how to respond in certain situations and the doctors would help out there too.”

“One of the caddies that was there last year I was able to help tape up everyday which is a really, really neat experience to be able to care for that,” she continues.

Read the full article.

Educating the Future

A message from the Virginia Health Care Foundation:

At the Virginia Health Care Foundation, we recognize that oral health is a critical component to a person's well-being and overall health. As a result, we are committed to growing and strengthening Virginia's dental safety net so that more uninsured Virginians can afford the dental care they need. With the significant loss of teeth experienced by the patients we serve, dentures are often an integral part of recovery. They have an impact on nutrition and overall health, and can mean the difference between employment and unemployment in some fields.

We also recognize that the expensive and time-consuming nature of providing dentures limits the number of dentures you can make available to your patients. We would like to help you address this issue, and to learn how we can support you in providing dentures to your patients.

To that end, we have created the following survey to help us understand what is happening now in Dental Safety Net Organizations in Virginia. We would greatly appreciate receiving this information from your site. Would you be willing to take the time to complete it or forward it along to the person who manages this information? If so, please click the link below and be as specific as possible.

Please complete the survey by August 22: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MCWMSNV

By DelMarVanow.com

The Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health, Dr. Karen Remley, has approved the relocation of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) to a location immediately behind Four Corners Plaza in Accomack County.

Dr. Remley cited as reasons for her approval that “when compared to the current site of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, the site chosen for relocation would better serve the majority of the population...” Dr. Remley continued, “the project would improve the delivery of acute care services and the overall geographical and locational accessibility of acute care services for current and future residents…”

Riverside applied to the Virginia Department of Health in December 2010 for approval to relocate the local hospital in Accomack County, closer to the Shore’s population center. The relocation, in combination with services retained or developed on the current Nassawodox site, will improve access to healthcare services for more Shore residents.

Read the full article.

By Christina Nuckols - Roanoke Times

Will doctors and nurses duke it out in 2012 over regulations dictating which providers can perform what types of medical services in Virginia, or will they work together to make sure everyone has access to health care? Stay tuned.

Virginia Health Secretary Bill Hazel coaxed the two sides into a cease-fire this year, and they've been meeting periodically to hash out their differences. Both sides are still optimistic that they can reach consensus, but they're also hiring lobbyists in case the dispute spills over into the General Assembly's winter session.

At issue are state rules that limit the authority of nurse practitioners, registered nurses who have a master's or doctorate degree and advanced training. Virginia is one of 24 states that requires nurse practitioners to have a written supervisory agreement with a physician. Nurse practitioners cannot prescribe medicine unless the doctor regularly practices in the same office, and physicians are limited to oversight of four nurses.

Read the full editorial.

By James Arvantes - American Academy of Family Physicians

Meeting the health care needs of the country's rural population is increasingly problematical, but at a recent primary care forum hosted by the AAFP's Robert Graham Center, former AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho, along with several other speakers, suggested that instituting programs in medical schools and residencies that cross-train family physicians and general surgeons, in conjunction with critical-access hospitals, could result in an enhanced level of care for rural populations.

Rural areas often lack an adequate supply of primary care physicians and general surgeons, said Epperly during the July 14 forum here. Often family physicians and general surgeons in these areas need to provide coverage for each other and collaborate to ensure rural patients can get the health care they need.

Read the full article.

The National Rural Health Association's Rural Multiracial and Multicultural Health Conference in Dec. 7 and 8 in Daytona Beach is accepting presentation proposals.. This is NRHA’s fastest growing event. Submissions are due Monday, Aug. 8. Click here to submit your proposal.

And secure your spot on the agenda for the nation’s largest gathering of rural health pros. NRHA’s 35th Annual Rural Health Conference will be April 17-20 in Denver. Submissions are due Monday, Aug. 8. Click here to submit your proposal.

By Jenny Gold - NPR

Reaching out to specialists in Scottsdale and across the country is one way the hospital is working hard to offer residents better care. It's also a typical move by Copper Queen's CEO Jim Dickson, who has transformed the nonprofit rural hospital with just 15 beds from a struggling facility into a thriving business.

Over the past four years, the hospital has earned surplus revenues of 5 to 10 percent, a margin much higher than rural hospital averages. It is a success that Dickson and other hospital officials fear won't continue as Arizona reduces overall health spending by $500 million in 2012.

Making the hospital profitable is tough. For about 100 years, Bisbee was a copper mining town. Scars and holes in the rock mark the spots where copper was once plentiful. But now the town of 5,500 people, just five miles from the Mexican border, has become a haven for hippies and tourists, the streets lined with art galleries and antique shops. People in the town and surrounding Cochise County tend to be low income and often suffer from chronic illnesses. Many are also uninsured.

Read the full article.

Mark your calendar

For more information about these and other events, visit http://www.vrha.org/events.html

August 26: Substance Abuse Education and New Trends - Wytheville
September 12-13: 2011 Virginia Rural Summit - Glen Allen
September 17: Educational Forum on Prescription Drug Abuse - Richlands
September 17: Educational Forum on Prescription Drug Abuse - Big Stone Gap
October 4-5: Weight of the State Conference - Richmond
October 5-7: International Rural Nursing & Rural Health Conference - Binghamton, NY
November 13-15: Virginia Association of Free Clinics Annual Conference - Staunton

Resources

Preventive Services FAQs
CMS has posted 27 FAQs regarding preventive services for Medicare Fee-For-Service providers/suppliers to the Medicare Learning Network® Products Preventive Services webpage. A few sample FAQs are below:

Annual Wellness Visit (AWV)

• Who can perform the AWV?  Read the answer.
• Are clinical laboratory tests part of the AWV?  Read the answer.

Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE)

• Is the IPPE the same as a beneficiary’s yearly physical?  Read the answer.
• Can a separate Evaluation and Management (E/M) service be billed at the same visit as the IPPE?  Read the answer.

Medicare Immunization Billing (Seasonal Influenza Virus, Pneumococcal, and Hepatitis B)

• Are HCPCS codes Q2035 and Q2039 payable by Medicare?  Read the answer.
• Will Medicare pay for the pneumococcal vaccination if a beneficiary is uncertain of his or her vaccination history?  Read the answer.
• Does Medicare cover the hepatitis B vaccine for all Medicare beneficiaries?  Read the answer.

Colorectal Cancer Screening

• Do the Medicare deductible and standard coinsurance apply for colorectal cancer screening services under the revised Ambulatory Surgical Center payment system?  Read the answer.

Smoking Cessation Counseling

• What are the two CPT codes for smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling services that replace the temporary Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) G codes (G0375 and G0376) previously used for billing these services?  Read the answer.

Funding Opportunities

NRHA Fellows
Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience. These Rural Health Fellows undergo a year-long skill building program, including three advanced leadership training seminars, attendance at several of NRHA's educational conferences, monthly conference calls on rural health leadership, policy and strategic planning and a guided group project that will involve Fellows in the process of rural health policy analysis on a national level.
Deadline: Aug. 31.
Past NRHA Fellows recipients have included VRHA members Carole Pratt, James Tyler and Janice Wilkins.

NAEMT Scholarship Program
Application deadline: Sep 15, 2011
To allow for the advancement of EMS personnel.

Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Research
Application deadline: Oct 12, 2011
Fellowship program to help develop a new generation of creative thinkers in health policy research within the disciplines of economics, political science and sociology.