Iowa news
Three keys to addressing the rural maternal health crisis
For the better part of the last decade, St. Anthony Regional Hospital has prioritized ways to improve birth outcomes in the six-county rural area it serves in west-central Iowa. Its providers have extended their practices to satellite locations, bringing prenatal care to three communities that previously lacked these services. St. Anthony invested in its Birth Place program nursing staff, resulting in five specialty certifications in lactation and electronic fetal monitoring. It also has recruited three new family practitioners who offer obstetrical health services. (AHA Center for Health Innovation)
MercyOne provides advanced stroke treatment procedure
This year, MercyOne was recognized as an advanced thrombectomy-capable stroke center for its ability to do thrombectomy surgery. In certain severe strokes, a catheter can be inserted either in the neck or into the brain to suction out the clot or plaque that’s caused the stroke. Physicians say this can reverse damage like aphasia or a patient’s inability to swallow or move a side of their body. MercyOne and the University of Iowa are one of two places in Iowa where patients can receive this high level of stroke care. (We Are Iowa)
Community conversation focuses on mental health, substance use
Community leaders gathered to discuss mental health and substance use resources in Story County and Ames at the penultimate community conversation in the 2022-23 series. The event focused on navigating mental health and substance use systems. The event featured two panels, a 211iowa.org demonstration and a scenario from the Ames Alternative Response for Community Health. The event supports the Ames City Council’s goal of identifying opportunities to improve mental and physical health with community partners. (Iowa State Daily)
National news
HHS to drop COVID-19 vaccine rule for hospitals
The Biden administration will end COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees of CMS-certified health care facilities. A date for the reversal of the requirement for health care facilities was not specified by the White House, which noted that HHS will start the process to end the vaccine requirement with details made available in coming days. HHS announced in November 2021 that health care facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must ensure staff are vaccinated against COVID–19, save for medical or religious exemptions. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
AHA to CMS: Medicare DSH payment proposal could devastate access to care
AHA opposes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ proposal to limit patient days when calculating Medicare disproportionate-share hospital payments for patients eligible for Medicaid benefits under a Section 1115 demonstration project. AHA says the proposal could devastate access to care for lower-income populations by curtailing resources used to finance health care in historically marginalized communities. The proposal limits counted patient days to only those patients who purchase health insurance that includes inpatient services through an authorized Medicaid 1115 demonstration premium assistance program. The premium’s cost is covered by these programs. (American Hospital Association)
Eating disorders among teens are more severe than ever
Patients are being diagnosed with eating disorders at younger ages and in more serious condition, with both mental and physical symptoms appearing more urgent, experts warn. Hospitalizations for eating disorders spiked during the pandemic, doubling among adolescent girls. Although most teens have returned to a normal life of in-person school, sports and social activities, eating disorders, especially anorexia, remain at an all-time high. Eating disorder-related health visits, which include hospital stays, pediatrician visits, telehealth talk therapy and everything in between, also have more than doubled among people younger than 17 in the past five years. (NBC News)