Iowa news
Iowa organization receives grant from National Institute of Health to address maternal morbidity
The Iowa chapter of Postpartum Support International has received a $10,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support its Iowa Maternal Group Initiative. The initiative addresses rural maternal morbidity through in-person support groups. The chapter works to increase awareness and support for perinatal mental health and well-being. With the grant, PSI-Iowa now advances to the final research phase of the NIH’s Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge, which will award up to 10 organizations with $150,000 in funding to implement their projects. (Business Record)
Bill moving through Statehouse would license certified professional midwives
A bill that would license and regulate certified professional midwives has unanimously passed out of an Iowa House subcommittee. Advocates for midwife licensure say doing so would help drive down maternal mortality rates and create more maternal care options for parents who have healthy, low-risk pregnancies. Opponents of the bill, which include the Iowa Hospital Association, Iowa Independent Physician Group, Iowa Medical Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, are concerned with education standards, patient safety and standardized practices for transferring care and informed consent. (Fearless)
Iowa has one of the lowest average hospital expenses per patient day in the U.S.
A recent study found that Iowa has one of the nation’s lowest average hospital expenses per inpatient day at $1,861. The average hospital operating expense in Iowa is $90.25 million. The study included adjusted expenses per inpatient day and average hospital operating expense, both for 2021. Average hospital operating expenses varies greatly from state to state, from $70 million in Wyoming to half a billion dollars in New York. (Becker’s Hospital CFO Report)
National news
The ‘hard truth’ about staffing shortages: They aren’t going away
Instead of studying the connection between hospital staffing shortages and patient outcomes and satisfaction, it’s time to implement effective strategies that focus on solutions. In a Dec. 28, 2022, tweet, Megan Ranney, M.D., newly appointed dean of the Yale School for Public Health, wrote, “What is shocking to me, is that debate still rages as to whether physicians and other health care professionals are actually human — whether having us over-worked, under-staffed and under-resourced hurts patient care.” Unsurprisingly, a recent study suggests it does. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
This winter’s U.S. COVID-19 surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a ‘wall’ of immunity
This winter’s COVID-19 surge in the U.S. appears to be fading without hitting nearly as hard as many had feared. No one expected this winter’s surge to be as bad as the last two. But both the flu and RSV came roaring back really early this fall. At the same time, the most contagious omicron subvariant yet took off just as the holidays arrived in late 2022. And most people were acting like the pandemic was over, which allowed all three viruses to spread quickly. So, there were big fears of hospitals getting completely overwhelmed again, with many people getting seriously ill and dying. But that’s not what happened. (Iowa Public Radio)
Are CFOs misreading the market on telehealth?
The pandemic made remote care a crucial need, and healthcare CFOs adjusted their organizations’ investments accordingly. But now, patient sentiment toward remote care appears to be diverging from CFO investment trends in telehealth, according to the “2023 BDO Healthcare CFO Outlook Survey.” Patients are beginning to return to strictly in-person care over virtual and hybrid settings, the report said. But CFOs are still boosting their organizations’ investments in telehealth platforms. At a time when margins are increasingly tight, that could be a misread of the market, the report said. (Becker’s Health IT and CIO Report)