Hospital Day on the Hill back to in-person event

Hospital advocates are crucial to make positive change in health care policies in Iowa. The voices of IHA members and hospital advocates help communicate the important work hospitals do for their patients and communities. That’s why it’s important to join IHA’s 2023 Hospital Day on the Hill.

After two years of virtual events, this year’s in-person Hospital Day on the Hill includes legislative updates from IHA President and CEO Chris Mitchell and IHA lobbyists Erin Cubit and Sandra Conlin. Following lunch, advocates can put their words into action by sharing the Iowa hospital perspective with legislators at the Capitol. The day will end with a legislative reception for advocates and lawmakers at IHA.

The 2023 IHA Hospital Day on the Hill is scheduled from noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. Email Tori Hanson at IHA with questions.

Iowa administrative code provides telehealth guidelines for nurses

Iowa administrative code chapters 6 and 7, about telehealth services and supported by IHA, went into effect June 2022. The rules provide guidance for nursing professionals including licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses about the use of telehealth services.

The Iowa Board of Nursing has provided a breakdown of chapters 6 and 7 including:

• Defining “technology” to include computers and mobile devices.
• Establishing a practitioner-patient relation.
• Obtaining consent to provide telehealth services.
• Providing certain services without establishing a practitioner-patient relation.

Standards of care when providing telehealth services.

Study compares hospitals interested in rural emergency hospital conversion

A new study by the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center seeks to understand what factors may lead a hospital to convert to the new rural emergency hospital designation. The study compared the financial and operational measures of three rural hospitals that publicly expressed interest in converting to all conversion-eligible hospitals. Factors that may determine if a hospital converts to a rural emergency hospital include:

• Business environment.
• Community support.
• Consolidation.

Risk of financial distress and closure.

ServiShare member spotlight: MultiMedical Systems

MultiMedical Systems provides health care organizations with a high level of clinical engineering, surgical repair and medical device acquisition solutions. MMS has been in the biomedical business for 25 years and can help hospitals do more for less.

MMS offers a variety of services including:

• Bed repair and preventive maintenance for all makes and models of stretchers, gurneys and patient beds.
• Infusion pump preventive maintenance. The per-pump price includes daily reporting, 90% completion guarantee and minor repairs.
• Inventory projects and staffing to help where needed.
• Purchase and sales of used medical equipment.
• Qualified field service technicians providing repair and maintenance for medical equipment, environment of care reporting and online portals.
• Skilled on-demand biomedical engineering equipment technicians and technologists at all levels to help when staff members are on leave or onboarding. Temporary staffing is available from two weeks to several months.
• Surgical services including stainless instruments, orthopedic power and endoscopes.

Watch the video below for more information or email Reagon Worthington or Jim Green with ServiShare to schedule a meeting.