Payment issues often drive choices in health care. Consequently, a very influential policy maker in Washington is the bipartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC. In March and June of each year, MedPAC reports to Congress on the state of the Medicare program, and recommends payment rates and policies for Medicare providers, including hospitals and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).
My name is Cece Henry, and I’m an intern this spring with the ANA Government Affairs Department (GOVA). After 20 years of primarily ICU/CCU nursing, I decided to return to school for my master’s degree. I wanted to do something that took me out of the traditional hospital setting, and learned about this internship after taking a class last semester with Abby Ehret, a former GOVA intern. After hearing about her memorable experiences, I knew I had to be here!
On July 8, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services announced three new initiatives to help states improve the quality and lower the cost of care for the approximately nine million Americans who are eligible for benefits under both Medicare and Medicaid programs. These individuals, known as “dual-eligibles,” include some of the sickest patients, and account for a significant and growing portion of health care costs — over $300 billion per year. A technical resource center will help states coordinate care, and demonstration projects are designed to improve care coordination and decrease hospital admissions of nursing home residents. The nursing home demonstration project calls for facilities to adopt improvements such as employing more nurse practitioners, and increasing evidence-based interventions to prevent falls, pressure ulcers, and other preventable conditions.
On July 22, 2010 Rose Gonzalez, MPS, RN, Director of Government Affairs and member of the Culturally Competent Nursing Modules Project Advisory Committee provided a workshop at the 35th Annual Conference of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) held in Washington, DC. NAHN™ was founded in 1975 and is committed to improving the quality of health and nursing care of Hispanic consumers and toward providing equal access to educational, professional, and economic opportunities for Hispanic nurses.
