Contents:

 

MARCH 2010

 

 

 

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MDH & ORHPC NEWS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINNESOTA'S RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE IS June 28-29 in Duluth

Minnesota Health
HERO and TEAM
nominations due May 4!

Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities

HEALTH REFORM

Twenty mini-grant applications were funded as part of a Minnesota health care home development project to increase patient/family participation in clinics and emerging health care homes. Over 65 proposals were received from clinics or systems throughout Minnesota.

Creating a Better State of Health: The Statewide Health Improvement Program legislative report is online.

Health Care Home team hosts conference calls and webinars every third Wednesday. A brief presentation on a certification-related theme follows an update on health care homes implementation and next steps.

ORHPC NEWS AND RESOURCES

Rural Health Advisory Committee (RHAC) is a statewide forum for rural health interests. The latest on the RHAC Web site, under Communication and Education, includes:
      • Minnesota Public Radio interview with RHAC member Jeff Hardwig, M.D. Getting help to rural vets and
      • Care Connections, the statewide toll-free phone line for health care information.

Snapshot: Minnesota Health Care Workforce

Physical Therapist Assistants by sex and age, 2010

Minnesota licensing of physical therapist assistants (PTAs) went into effect July 1, 2008.

Analysis of new PTA licensees show women make up the largest portion of the PTA workforce in Minnesota regardless of age group.

Information gathered from the newly licensed PTAs provides greater insight about the demographic composition and professional characteristics of the PTA workforce in Minnesota.

For more information and data on Minnesota's health workforce, visit the ORHPC Health Workforce Analysis Program site or contact Angie Sechler at angie.sechler@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3862.
graph of PTAs by sex and age

Staff News
Judy Bergh, Anne Schloegel, Mark Schoenbaum and Amy Vallery had a lively discussion about challenges and successes with chief executive officer Jim Koppen, while touring Pine Medical Center in Sandstone.

Jill Myers and Mark Schoenbaum participated in the Minnesota Rural Health Association board meeting. Mark also participated in National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health and Rural Health Resource Center meetings.
 

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ORHPC GRANTS AND LOANS

 

The Minnesota Primary Care Loan Fund
Loans to clinics, hospitals, networks and others for equipment, working capital, expansion, startup and other needs.
 

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OTHER GRANTS AND LOANS

Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program—Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant applications accepted February 16-March 10.

Rural Mobile Community Clinic Development from Healthier Minnesota Community Clinic Fund
Develop one or more mobile clinics to provide rural primary health care services (physical, mental, dental) to populations with low incomes in Minnesota. Letters of intent (required) are due no later than 5 p.m. on March 15.

Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grant
Applications are due March 15.

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
Applications are due July 29.

 

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OPPORTUNITIES

Be an ORHPC grant reviewer
Please contact Doug Benson at doug.benson@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3842 or Cindy LaMere at cindy.lamere@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3852 with your name, profession, place of employment and contact information.

Serve on Minnesota state task force
The Maternal and Child Health Advisory Task Force has an opening for one professional representative.

Propose your research by March 15
for the National Rural Health Association's Medication Use in Rural America Conference.

Help strengthen rural-urban connections
by participating in Minnesota Rural Partners' video conferences.

Comment by March 15
on the Health Information Technology: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology rule (PDF: 247KB/35pgs).

Comment by March 15
on the Medicare and Medicaid Programs Electronic Health Record Incentive Program proposed rule, which would implement the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs that adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health record technology.

Comment by May 3
on the interim final rules implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Receive free training
Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School Courses
Health Disparities in Rural Settings Shenandoah University Division of Nursing's Graduate Program.

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NEWS OF OUR PARTNERS

 

 Minnesota received $47 million in stimulus funding for health information technology and training workers in health care:
• American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (Minneapolis), Pine Technical College (Pine City) and South Central College(Mankato and Faribault) are receiving grants to train people in nursing, allied health and long term care. 
• The Minnesota Department of Health is receiving $9.6 million to facilitate health information exchange at the state level.
• Key Health Alliance (KHA) in Minnesota and North Dakota is receiving $19 million to support the development
of Regional Extension Assistance Centers for Health Information Technology (REACH) for Minnesota and
North Dakota that will aid health professionals as they work to implement and use HIT. KHA is a Minnesota-based
partnership of the College of Saint Scholastica, Rural Health Resource Center and Stratis Health.

Community Health Information Collaborative (CHIC) is one of 15 health care providers or networks to receive contract awards to provide electronic medical records to the Social Security Administration.

Kanabec Hospital-SISU Medical Systems partnership results in recognition of achievement in demonstrating meaningful use of its EHR system.

Sanford Health Collaboration and Communication Channel (Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota) will link seven existing networks at speeds of up to 100 Mbps to access administrative services and connection with educational institutions through the FCC's Rural Health Care Pilot Program (PDF: 135KB/3pgs).

The University of Minnesota Global Health curriculum is designed for providers serving immigrants, refugees and/or travelers.

Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and Lutheran Social Service added caregiver support and respite services to the counseling and disability services of its C.O.R.E program. C.O.R.E. offers services at no cost to veterans, military members and their families.

Rural Health Resource Center announces the 2009 Greater Minnesota Health Care Professional Salary Survey.
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NOW READ THIS

 

Articles
     • Federal Child Nutrition Programs are Important to Rural Households (PDF: 4pgs/277KB)
     • Rural Homeless is the winter Rural Monitor's cover story.
     • Why Health Reform Can't Wait: The Benefits of Health Reform for Rural America 
     • Rural Medicare Advantage Enrollment Grows15% in 2009
     • Pollution Sources and Mortality Rates Across Rural-Urban Areas in the United States. 

Tools 
     •  A Captive Audience—and Providers—Benefit from Telemedicine
     •  ARRA Provision Can Help Finance Health IT
     • Minnesota 2010 Health Outcomes Map by County
     • Health, United States is an annual report on trends in health statistics.
     • Arts in Healthcare for Rural Communities Toolkit

Workforce      
      • Minnesota's new primary care dental provider cited as dental workforce model in The Pew Center on
        the States report The Cost of Delay State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children (PDF: 1MB/74pgs).
      • American Association of Public Health Dentistry announced a panel to develop post-secondary
        curriculum and training for a mid-level dental provider model.    
      • Closing the Health Care Workforce Gap: Reforming Federal Health Care Workforce Policies
         to Meet the Needs of the 21st Century (PDF: 224KB/6pgs).
      • Survey provides "snapshot" of health IT jobs
      • Are Hospitalist Physician Assistants the Answer to Shortages?
      • Doctor Shortage Fuels Nurses’ Push For Expanded Role

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SAVE THE DATE

Health care is the topic of the Rural Urban Connection Video Conference March 29.

Minnesota Rural Palliative Care Initiative Outcomes Congress is April 8 in St. Cloud.

Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health: Health Care in Transition is April 13-15 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Register by March 19.

Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians Spring Refresher is April 15-16 in St. Louis Park.

Minnesota Stroke Conference 2010 is May 11 in St. Cloud.

National Rural Health Association's 33rd Annual Rural Health Conference is May 19-21 in Savannah, Georgia.

Symposium on Small Towns Finding Solutions and Redefining Communities is June 9-10 in Morris.

National Rural Health Association's Medication Use in Rural America Conference is June 16-18 in Kansas City, Missouri.

"Leading Change for Rural Health" Minnesota Rural Health Conference is June 28-29 in Duluth.

Sixth International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine and the annual National Rural EMS Summit August 9-13 in Vail, Colorado.

First National Comprehensive Advanced Life Support Program Conference is October 29 in Minneapolis.
 

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View online all previous issues of the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care publications.

We invite you to forward this newsletter to your colleagues. Not already a subscriber? Subscribe to receive the Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care free Monthly and Quarterly e-newsletters.

Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
P. O. Box 64882
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0882
Phone (651) 201-3838
Toll free in Minnesota (800) 366-5424
Fax: (651) 201-3830
TDD: (651) 201-5797
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/index.html

Email Mary Ann Radigan at maryann.radigan@state.mn.us or call (651) 201-3855 with comments.

Our mission
to promote access to quality health care for rural and underserved urban Minnesotans. From our unique position within state government, we work as partners with communities, providers, policymakers and other organizations. Together, we develop innovative approaches and tailor our tools and resources to the diverse populations we serve.