Iowa news
DMU, Indian Hills sign agreement giving students occupational therapy pathway
Des Moines University and Indian Hills Community College will offer students an opportunity to enter the university’s occupational therapy doctoral program. Under the agreement, DMU will annually reserve two seats for qualified IHCC students in its Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program. Students at IHCC will be guaranteed an interview for admission to this program by meeting DMU’s admission requirements, demonstrated hours of relevant observational or work experiences and other academic achievements. The institutions say the partnership is intended to benefit students while helping build Iowa’s health care workforce. (Des Moines University)
Report ranks Iowa 16th in women and children’s health
A new report has ranked Iowa 16th in the nation when it comes to women and children’s health. The state ranking marks the seventh year United Healthcare has put out its America’s Health Rankings report on factors affecting women and children. The report found Iowa has a low percentage of household food insecurity and a high percentage of women who receive early prenatal care. (Iowa Public Radio)
Grinnell physical therapist featured in AHA’s We Are Health Care campaign
The American Hospital Association has highlighted Thomas, a physical therapist at UnityPoint Health Grinnell Regional Medical Center, as he shares his passion and commitment for the health care profession. The video is part of AHA’s We Are Health Care campaign to tell hospitals’ stories. In the video, Thomas explains why helping people improve and reach their goals is so fulfilling (American Hospital Association)
National news
Hospitals sour on Medicare Advantage
With the Medicare open enrollment period underway, some seniors may have fewer provider choices in their respective regions as hospitals and health systems nationwide increasingly cut ties with the Medicare Advantage program. The reasons behind Medicare Advantage contract terminations vary by system and by payer offering the plan. Some systems have cited steep losses amid excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers. Others have noted that most Medicare Advantage carriers have faced allegations of billing fraud from the federal government and are being probed by lawmakers over their high denial rates. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Although hospitals collect massive amounts of data, 97% of it goes unused. The World Economic Forum estimates that hospitals produce an estimated 50 petabytes of data annually — roughly the equivalent of 10 billion music files — but don’t do anything with all but 3% of it. In response, Microsoft has created a health care-specific data analytics platform with Microsoft Fabric to tap clinical insights from all that “locked away” information. (Microsoft)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services improved access to health care during the COVID-19 public health emergency by facilitating the increased use of telehealth. Health care providers now increasingly use telehealth to provide care to patients remotely. The Office for Civil Rights has published materials on its website to help entities subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and its implementing regulations understand how to provide telehealth in compliance with applicable federal health information privacy, security and civil rights laws. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)