Iowa news
Groundbreaking ceremony held for new VA healthcare facility in Marshalltown
A new, nearly 12,000 square foot facility sitting on 11 acres will be the newest addition to Marshalltown’s health care community. When completed, the single-story building’s mission will be to provide primary medical and specialty care to a large number of central Iowa veterans as part of the Veterans Administration’s Community Based Outpatient Clinic system. It will offer primary care and specialty health services, including podiatry and eye care. (Times-Republican)
The Mahaska County board of supervisors met and approved a 28E agreement between the county and Southern Iowa Mental Health. The agreement involves 13 counties cooperating as a region to provide mental health and disability services to south-central Iowa. Supervisor Steve Wanders said that the agreement has involved 14 counties in the past, but is otherwise similar to past agreements with the county. (KBOE)
SCC hosting health care career camps
Southeastern Community College is offering free health career exploration camps. Young people, aged 12 and up, can come and spend the day exploring two health care professions. The explore respiratory camp will be Monday, June 12, on the West Burlington campus and the explore nursing camps will be Friday, June 16, on the West Burlington campus and Friday, June 23, on the Keokuk campus. (The Hawk Eye)
National news
Calls grow for patient safety board, but industry influence may stand in the way
Patient safety advocates are urging for the creation of a National Patient Safety Board for the health care industry to better learn from and prevent medical errors, but they fear current proposals would not give such a board sufficient oversight, according to a report this week from KFF Health News. Two measures to establish a national safety board, a bill proposed in the House in December and a measure that would create such a board by executive order, are loosely modeled off the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been credited with increasing safety in aviation. (Becker’s Clinical Leadership and Infection Control)
AHA comments on FY 2024 proposed rule for skilled nursing facilities
In comments submitted this week, the American Hospital Association said it appreciates that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a net positive update for the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system for fiscal year 2024. But AHA remains concerned that the agency’s marketbasket approach lags in recognizing inflationary trends and may not fully capture the rising costs of care. As CMS considers how to ensure skilled nursing facilities are adequately resourced to care for Medicare beneficiaries, AHA asked the agency to pay special attention to hospital-based facilities, which faced immense challenges with each surge of the pandemic and its aftereffects, including skyrocketing labor and supply costs and acute labor shortages. (American Hospital Association)
Five health care consumer trends to prepare for
What consumers expect from their health care experiences is rapidly evolving as disruption and innovation redefine what’s possible. From personalized experiences to digitally enabled care, consumers want more and are willing to look beyond their providers to find it. Huron’s recent survey of U.S. health care consumers reveals shifting attitudes and preferences for how patients and their families choose health care providers and how they perceive their care. From the research, five health care consumerism trends emerged. (Health Care Dive)