Iowa news
Mercy Medical Center earns Blue Distinction for outstanding, affordable maternity care
Mercy Medical Center has been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for having high-quality, cost-effective maternity care facilities. The Blue Distinction Specialty Care Program is part of the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s National Health Equity Strategy to reduce racial health disparities across the care spectrum and improve patient outcomes for all Americans. To align with this strategy, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program enhanced its quality and measurement standards to recognize higher-quality facilities that have responded effectively to obstetric emergencies, reduce racial disparities and improve maternal health outcomes. (KGAN)
Iowa worst in the nation for state psychiatric beds, report says. How the governor’s plan may help
As state officials and legislators begin the arduous effort to consolidate Iowa’s mental health and substance use care system, new research released this week highlights how dire the situation is for many Iowans. According to a new Treatment Advocacy Center report, Iowa ranks last in the U.S. for the number of state psychiatric beds per residents. The state had 64 state-managed inpatient beds in 2023 — just two beds per 100,000 residents — ranking Iowa 51st on the list of 50 states and the District of Columbia. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, 50 beds per 100,000 people is required to provide “minimally adequate treatment” for patients with severe mental illness. (Des Moines Register)
UI advances cochlear implant science into 5th decade with $13.8 million grant renewal
Over 40 years on and after thousands of procedures, Bruce Gantz, M.D., and his team have remained at the forefront of cochlear implant science, making major contributions to the technology that now allows thousands of children and adults with moderate to profound hearing loss to perceive and make sense of the auditory world. As a young resident physician, Dr. Gantz traveled the world learning from the pioneers of cochlear implants in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Armed with this knowledge and a vision for how cochlear implants could benefit patients with hearing loss, he returned to Iowa to develop best practices for using and optimizing cochlear implants. (University of Iowa)
National news
Hackers level bomb threats against hospitals
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center have announced bomb threats to multiple public institutions, including hospitals and health systems. The threats used similar wording and were sent using publicly available encryption tools. There have been over 100 messages reported since Dec. 8, targeting around 1,000 institutions across 42 states and Washington, D.C. Although the threats are unsubstantiated, the government agencies responsible for following the messages advise those affected to remain vigilant. (American Hospital Association)
15 most-common reasons for hospital citations in 2023
Among the 4,980 citations delivered to hospitals in 2023, the most common were for care in a safe setting deficiencies, according to CMS data. Accreditation organizations, including The Joint Commission and DNV Healthcare, completed nearly 4,000 surveys in 2023. The five most-common reasons a hospital was cited were for patient rights: care in a safe setting (4.5% of hospitals were cited for this), patient rights (3.9%), registered nurse supervision of nursing care 3.6%, nursing services 2.5% and medical screening examination (2.3%). (Becker’s Clinical Leadership)
Nursing named most-trusted profession for 22nd year
Nursing has been ranked as the most-trusted profession in America for 22 consecutive years, but trust in it has fallen since 2020, according to Gallup Poll’s Most Honest and Ethical Professions survey. Although it still ranks No. 1, since 2020, trust in the profession has fallen 11 points, Gallup found. This year, 78% of U.S. adults rated their confidence in nursing professionals as “high” or “very high.” Physicians were ranked the fourth most-trusted profession, but trust in providers has also fallen. Since 2019, trust in the profession has dropped 9 percentage points. (Gallup Polls).