The Iowa Hospital Association’s Critical Access and Rural Hospital Forum is scheduled from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at the Iowa Hospital Association Conference Center in Des Moines. One of Iowa’s largest annual rural health conferences, this event is designed for people involved in the strategic direction

Feb. 8, 2023, Des Moines – The Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate held floor debates and voted today to approve the amended House File 161, establishing hard caps on noneconomic damages in cases of medical malpractice. The amended bill places a $2 million cap for hospitals or

The Health Resources and Services Administration has distributed nearly $170 billion in provider relief fund payments to eligible health care providers since April 2020. With the fund expended, the federal government has now started recipient audits. Join Hall Render attorney Ben Fee for this online seminar from 2-3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14. Fee

A hands-on grant-writing workshop offered by the Iowa Hospital Association will walk participants through aspects of the grant-development process, from identifying grant-fundable projects to finding project funding and identifying funders likely to support a project. The workshop is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the

Iowa news Study finds fewer postpartum hospitalization in states expanding Medicaid A new study has found states that have expanded Medicaid eligibility saw fewer postpartum hospitalizations. The study, which was published in the journal Health Affairs this week, compared hospital data from 2010 to 2017 for four states that expanded Medicaid and

Iowa news Iowa pharmacist compounds medicines in wake of Tylenol shortages An Iowa pharmacy is relying on “old school” methods to provide liquid forms of common medications to children. Leslie Herron, a pharmacist and owner of the Sumpter Pharmacy in Adel, is compounding acetaminophen to fight Tylenol shortages. “The reason

Iowa news Iowa joins rollout of national mental health and suicide hotline Iowans experiencing a mental health crisis will soon have a faster way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. On July 16, Iowa will join states across the country rolling out a three-digit number — 988 — that people can call or text

Iowa news Iowa hospitals offer incentives, programs to fill staff vacancies Some rural hospitals in Iowa were forced to temporarily shut down departments because there were not enough staff. Incentives to hire more employees include sign-on bonuses of as much as $25,000. The need is great because with fewer people

Shenandoah Medical Center CEO pleased with population health improvement Shenandoah Medical Center officials revealed the results of their 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment. The study and survey are conducted every three years to gauge progress in addressing the area’s health needs cited in previous assessments. SMC CEO Matt Sells says

Iowa news New COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases in Iowa decline over past week; reported deaths on the rise The spread of COVID-19 in Iowa slowed slightly over the previous week, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. That’s an indication the wave fueled by the omicron

Iowa news Omicron surge leaves no segment of Iowa unscathed Hospital officials warn their facilities are about to be overrun with severely sick — and mostly unvaccinated — COVID-19 patients. As of Friday, nearly 1,000 COVID-19-positive people were in Iowa hospitals, a high not seen since the pandemic's first winter.