Iowa news
Study finds 22 Iowa hospitals at risk of closure
There are 646 rural hospitals at risk of closure due to financial issues, comprising around 30% of all U.S. rural hospitals, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. Twenty-two of those hospitals are in Iowa. The hospitals face losses on patient services as health plans aren’t paying enough to cover the cost of care delivery. The losses will likely increase as inflation and workforce shortages persist. Although rural hospitals are receiving some support through grants, local tax revenues or other profits, they still have low financial reserves and remain at risk. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
UI Health Care No. 2 on ‘trusted health care brands’ list
A new report ranks University of Iowa Health Care as the second “most trusted health care brand” in the country. The independent consultant’s report ranks more than 200 hospital and health care brands in 64 markets using feedback from more than 25,000 consumers. UIHC garnered positive feedback from 81% of those surveyed, placing it just behind Emory Healthcare with 82% and ahead of other well-respected systems such as Northwestern Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Cedars Sinai, University of Chicago Medicine and Duke Health. UIHC also ranked third on Consultant Monigle’s 2023 list of humanizing brand experiences. (Get About Columbia)
Fundraiser to support county EMS
In Iowa, police and fire departments are considered essential services and, by law, are funded through taxes. But emergency medical services are not considered essential statewide, though counties can establish EMS as an essential service and set up a tax levy specifically to fund EMS. Webster County is not one of those counties. In many of the communities in the county, fire departments are having to funnel funds from their budgets to keep EMS afloat, which adds strain to the departments and their needs. To ease that strain and help county EMS become more self-sustaining, the Webster County EMS Association is hosting a fundraiser event to support county EMS programs on May 26. (The Messenger)
National news
Hospital teams invited to free May 24 virtual screening of ‘Gratitude Revealed’
In honor of National Nurses Month, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership on May 24 will host a free virtual screening of “Gratitude Revealed,” a 2022 documentary exploring how to live a more meaningful life full of gratitude through intimate conversations with everyday people, thought leaders and personalities. AONL CEO Robyn Begley and Donna Berizzi, senior director of oncology nursing at Johns Hopkins, also will host a live Q&A with the film’s director, Louie Schwartzberg. Hospitals are encouraged to invite their nursing and other work teams to attend the screening. (American Hospital Association)
How can primary care be improved in the U.S.?
Improving primary care in the United States will come by making care more convenient and funneling more money to research, experts suggest. Conclusions from the Milbank Memorial Fund’s February report on the health of U.S. primary care gives insight into related payment, investment, access, workforce training and research issues. (Medpage Today)
FDA panel recommends the first shot to prevent RSV in infants by vaccinating pregnant mothers
An independent advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration voted to recommend a shot that protects infants from RSV by vaccinating their mothers while pregnant. The 14-person panel unanimously recommended the shot, made by Pfizer, based on its efficacy and voted 10-4 to recommend it based on its safety. If the shot is eventually approved by the FDA, it would be the first vaccine that confers protection against respiratory syncytial virus to babies. (NBC News)