Seattle U Dean to Keynote Consortium's Fall Conference

Kristen M. Swanson, RN, PhD, FAAN, Dean of the College of Nursing at Seattle University will be the keynote speaker at the Nursing Consortium of South Florida's Fall Education Conference.  Expanding Nursing Roles to Enhance the Quality and Excellence of Care Delivery, will take place at the Signature Grand on September 25, 2015.    Please click here to register at the early bird rates. The day-long conference will feature three afternoon tracks; (1) Continuance of Care - Transitional Health - Population Care, (2) Barriers to Practice - Scope of Practice, and (3) Academic-Practice Partnerships - Innovative Degree Offerings. The Consortium’s last two conferences have sold out well in advance.  Don't be left out this time around. Reserve your spot by registering today! Only a few sponsor/exhibitor opportunities remain.  Please click here for details.

Nurses encouraged to complete national workforce survey

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing and The National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers are surveying a nationally representative sample of 260,000 registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses this month to learn more about the U.S. nursing workforce. “All nurses who receive the survey are strongly encouraged to respond as quickly and completely as possible to enable NCSBN and The National Forum to construct an accurate description of the current nursing workforce,” the organizations said. Results from the survey will be published in the April 2016 edition of the Journal of Nursing Regulation. “Results of the 2015 survey will be especially valuable in light of expanding demand for nursing services, including primary care for the millions of newly insured under the Affordable Care Act, the growing population of aging Americans, and the advance of technologies that provide virtual access to health care providers,” the organizations said.

Medicare trustees report shows continued slow cost growth

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to cover its obligations until 2030, the same year that was projected last year and 13 years later than projected prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to the latest annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees. The 75-year actuarial deficit in the HI Trust Fund is projected at 0.68% of taxable payroll, down from 0.87% in last year’s report. Part B of Supplementary Medical Insurance, which pays doctors' bills and other outpatient expenses, and Part D, which provides access to prescription drug coverage, are both projected to remain adequately financed into the indefinite future because current law automatically provides financing each year to meet the next year's expected costs, the trustees said. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, per-enrollee Medicare spending growth has averaged 1.3% over the past five years and is expected to continue to be lower than growth in overall health expenditures over the next decade. In 2014, Medicare expenditures were slightly lower for Part A and Part D, and higher for Part B than previously estimated, CMS said.

8-step strategy to improve hand-hygiene compliance

Although proper hand-hygiene is considered the most important measure to prevent the spread of infections, nearly 1 in 4 hospitals fail to fully comply with recommended guidelines. A new guide by the Association for Professional in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) aims to change that and help hospitals boost compliance.

Study uses data on smartphone use to detect signs of depression

According to a study in the Journal of Medical Research, Northwestern University scientists have developed a smartphone application intended to identify potential signs of depression by passively compiling data on smartphone use and user location. The Purple Robot app was as accurate in detecting signs of depression as asking study participants about their mood, researchers reported.  “Purple Robot, goes beyond the majority of depression apps available to consumers today. It requires absolutely "no effort on the part of the user," David Mohr, director of Northwestern's Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, said in a statement. "The significance of this is we can detect if a person has depressive symptoms and the severity of those symptoms without asking them any questions.

Consortium announces 2nd Nursing Leadership Development Conference at Sea

The Nursing Consortium of South Florida's second Sea-E-You™ conference, Awakening the Leader Within – Empowering Nurses across the Career Spectrum, will be held aboard the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas April 14-18, 2016. This unique 10 contact hours leadership development program will feature six co-facilitated educational seminars and four facilitated roundtable discussions in a unique setting to enhance the opportunity of nurses at all levels to formally and informally engage senior nurse leaders and aspiring nurse leaders while enjoying the four-night weekend cruise aboard a five star cruise ship. Seminar topics will include (1)Understanding the Leader Within, (2) Setting the Team up for Success, (3) Achieving Objectives through Co-constructed Solutions, (4) Facilitating Evidenced-based Practice and Teaching, (5) Successfully making the Leap from Practice to Education to Practice, and (6) Enhancing Team Dynamics and performance in Good times and Bad. Whether you are or aspire to be a leader in a clinical or academic setting this is a wonderful opportunity to build your competency and your network, and have a great time doing it! For additional information, including super early-bird pricing and cabin rates please click here or call 800-422-0711. For information on the limited number of sponsor opportunities available, please click here.

HHS launches online compendium of health emergency resources

The Department of Health and Human Services has launched an online collection of federal resources available to mitigate the health impacts of emergencies. Topics range from patient movement and hospital care to situational awareness and decontamination, with resources ranging from mapping tools and consultation services to personnel. “HHS and our federal partners offer an array of products and services to support communities in emergency situations, but sometimes finding what’s available and how to access those resources can be challenging,” said Nicole Lurie, M.D., HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response. “With the compendium our partners know what resources they can count on when they need it most and, importantly, how to request them.” The compendium will be updated as new resources become available.

Report recommends action to improve disaster preparedness for children

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, the nation has yet to meet 79% of a federal advisory committee’s recommendations to improve disaster preparedness for children, according to a report released by Save the Children. “In an era when disasters are growing in frequency and impact, these findings indicate that much work remains to be done – both by Congress and the executive branch – to ensure children are protected when crisis strikes,” the authors say. The report reviews the status of 2010 recommendations by the National Commission on Children and Disasters in areas ranging from disaster management and recovery to physical and mental health, emergency medical services, case management, education, housing and evacuation. “In passing the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Reauthorization Act of 2013, Congress took a critical step in addressing the commission’s extensive health recommendations,” the report states. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services last year convened the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters to advise the agency on children’s disaster-related medical and public health needs, the report adds. With respect to hospital preparedness, the report recommends requiring in state funding that recipient hospitals include pediatric emergency readiness and neonatal intensive care in their emergency disaster plans.

CMS selects hospices for Medicare model combining hospice, curative services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that more than 140 Medicare-certified hospices, including Catholic Hospice Inc. and nine others in Florida, will participate in the Medicare Care Choices Model, which will allow eligible Medicare beneficiaries and those dually eligible for Medicaid to receive hospice services while curative services continue. The model will run from 2016 through 2020, with about half of the hospices starting Jan. 1 and the rest in 2018. CMS will pay the hospices a monthly fee ranging from $200 to $400 per beneficiary, depending on the number of days of service. CMS expects the model to serve up to 150,000 beneficiaries with advanced cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and HIV who are eligible for the hospice benefit and have not elected it within the past 30 days, among other criteria. Under current payment rules, Medicare and dually eligible beneficiaries must forgo curative care to receive services under the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit. The model will evaluate whether eligible beneficiaries would elect to receive both supportive and curative services and the impact on quality of care and patient and family satisfaction.