Iowa news
Pella Regional’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine celebrates fifth anniversary
Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Pella Regional Health Center is celebrating five years of serving and treating chronic wound patients. Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine will host an open house from 1-3 p.m. Monday, April 8 to celebrate this milestone. The public is invited to tour, talk with staff and providers, and enjoy refreshments. Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Pella Regional has provided specialized care for more than 1,300 patients since opening in 2019. The advanced treatments available at the center include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, bioengineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings, and growth factor therapies. (KNIA/KRLS)
ChildServe to co-sponsor Iowa Cubs’ first-ever sensory-friendly game
The Iowa Cubs will open their season at Principal Park next week. The stadium’s crew has been preparing for the influx of baseball fans. The Cubs are also planning a special event to welcome their fans with special needs. For the first time, people who might get easily overwhelmed by large crowds and noises get their chance to enjoy a game. The Autism Society of Iowa and ChildServe sponsor the 2024 Sensory Friendly Game. It will provide an environment designed for children, teens and adults with autism or sensory processing disorders. (KCCI)
On With Life’s Neurorehabilitation Conference scheduled April 12 in Ankeny
On With Life will present a day of education and networking at the 2024 Neurorehabilitation Conference Friday, April 12, in Ankeny or virtual. The On With Life Conference brings together experts nationwide to discuss recent trends in the field of neurorehabilitation. The conference is intended for nurses, case managers, social workers, vocational specialists, claims specialists, counselors, administrators, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, community living specialists and direct care staff. (On WIth Life)
National news
36 rural hospitals have closed since 2020
Jellico Regional Hospital, a 25-bed critical access facility in Tennessee, closed March 9, making it the 36th rural hospital to shutter or no longer provide inpatient services since 2020. The closures highlight rural hospitals’ heightened financial challenges amid persisting workforce shortages, rising costs and leveling reimbursement. In addition, only 45% of rural hospitals now offer labor and delivery services; in 10 states, less than 33% do, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. (Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research)
Understanding a massive shift in health benefits
U.S. employers have long played a dual role in their employees’ health insurance – both paying for their health insurance coverage and choosing their health insurance options. Traditionally, these two roles have been tied at the hip, but now, individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement products offer an opportunity to bifurcate that role. Through these products, employers can pay for employees’ health insurance and health care without having a role in selecting their health insurance plans. Depending on the number of employers opting for these products, this heralds a potentially significant shift, with implications for payers, providers and the U.S. health care ecosystem broadly. (KaufmanHall)
Nurses worry about lack of AI rules at hospitals
Some nurses are concerned that hospitals’ shortage of artificial intelligence rules could put them at risk if something goes wrong with the technology. AI has become a growing part of nurses’ jobs as the technology helps with documentation, virtual nursing and other telehealth platforms. But federal, state and local governments have largely left the digital tool unregulated, leaving it up to hospitals and health systems to develop guidelines. With the lack of federal regulation, only one state has enacted health care AI legislation: Georgia, allowing AI devices for eye examinations. In an Illinois bill, nurses could overrule AI if they found it in the patient’s best interest. (Stateline)