The Telecommuting Telenurse

You are invited to participate in a research project being conducted by a researcher from Western Governors University.  Olivia Johnson RN, BSN, CCM is conducting research to evaluate the perceptions of registered nurses with regard to employment conducted at home as a tele-healthcare provider, as well as circumstances or perceptions regarding social, professional, and scholarly isolation in this position. 

To qualify, the nurse must have had recent, or current, employment as a Registered Nurse, that takes place within their home > 50% of the work week, and not provide hands-on care to patients.  For example, 50% of work at home with 50% of work in an office would qualify, but 50% of work at home and 50% providing hands-on patient care as a home health care nurse, would not. 

To participate, all that is required is signing the Informed Consent form (attached), and completing the attached survey describing your opinions on the questions asked.  It may take approximately 10 minutes of your time, but the more thorough the answers, the better for the study.

The results of your completed survey will be kept confidential.  To complete this survey, simply click “enable editing” (if that phrase appears at the top of your document) type in your responses, and save it with any name you would like.  The completed surveys will be printed and the emails with which they were sent will be deleted right away.  The survey will be assigned a number and no identifiable features of the sender will be documented. 

If you would like to participate, please see the following requests:

Please submit the completed survey along with the informed consent form by Wednesday, 01/01/2014 to ojohns3@my.wgu.edu

Please complete the survey outside of your hours of employment

Please complete each question as thoroughly as you are able, as your subjective responses are valuable to the research

Finally, please contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments at any time via the email address above. 

Your responses may be very valuable to the growth and enhancement of positions in nursing that take place at home.  Your input and time is greatly appreciated!

Please click here to download the Informed Consent Form  and Click here to download the Survey

Take Action Today!

I urge you to contact your legislator to support The Opportunity Plan- Check out this link to learn more on how you can help support this important public policy- http://offthesidelines.org/action/ Visit our Public Policy Page to learn about some of the Public Policies that CMSA are involved in.

President Obama signed the Epipen Law

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/13/president-obama-signs-new-epipen-law-protect-children-asthma-and-severe-allergies-an

I have been following this for months when it was first introduced and I am glad to see it passed. It's about time we protect all children. You can never tell what your allergies are until it happens to you. When my child had an allergic reaction to an ice cream covered with peanuts, I was in panic. He had scraped the peanuts off because he preferred it plain. With one lick his throat started itching, his eyes and lips started swelling. Luckily, a dose of Benadryl helped with his symptoms, imagine what a whole peanut could have done. I think they could expand this law to include other organizations as well who are involved in youths, such as scouting events for example, or youth camps.

Public Policy Web Page Coming Soon!

CMSA LI is dedicated in educating it's members on healthcare issues including Public Policy. Because of this CMSA LI is in the process of developing this exciting web page on Public Policy. We ask for your patience during this time. If you would like to be involved in it's developing stage please don't hesitate to contact our Committee Chair at  Treasurer1@cmsali.org. Thank you!

National Case Management Week Resolution Introduced in Senate

http://cmi.informz.net/CMI/archives/archive_2526712.html

This is a wonderful and exciting news! This will recognize the impact and great value of Case Managers in successful healthcare delivery! So, Spread the word!

Helpful Links on Medicare's DME Competitive Bidding Program

Below are helpful links about the DME Competitive Bidding Program: Let us know what you think!

n  CBIC website: www.dmecompetitivebid.com

n  Contracted supplier directory: www.medicare.gov/supplier

n  Medicare phone number: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-486-4227)

n  List of products: http://dmecompetitivebid.com/Palmetto/Cbic.Nsf/files/Round_2_HCPCS_Codes.pdf/$File/Round_2_HCPCS_Codes.pdf

n  List of bid winning providers as of 4/9/13: http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/palmetto/cbicrd2.nsf/files_NMO_supplier_list.pdf/$file/rd2_NMO_contract_supplier_list.pdf

 

Keep The Bond Between Pets And Seniors Alive!

PIONEERS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY, INC. SECOND ANNUAL COCKTAIL NIGHT FUNDRAISER

 

MASSAPEQUA, NY; MAY XX, 2013 –Show your love and support for the special bond that exists between pets and today’s seniors while indulging in a night of hors d'oeuvre, cocktails and entertainment duringPioneers for Animals Welfare Society’s (PAWS) Second Annual Cocktail Night Fundraiser benefitting its Seniors With Animals Project (SWAP). Taking place on Thursday, June 13, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Bristal, located at County Line Road in Massapequa, NY, this event offers an opportunity for an elegant night out with a special someone or a forum for networking. Guests will be treated to roaming cocktail fare and drinks, along with an assortment of culinary delights and delicacies that will be freshly prepared by The Bristal Chef Ian Rousseau and his team. Musical entertainment will be provided bysinger, songwriter, guitarist and independent recording artist Steve Archdeacon, who will perform a variety of songs including covers and some originals. A Chinese Auction will also be held that will feature attractive raffle prizes.

“Studies have shown that pets play an important role in maintaining an owner’s health and well-being,” explains Melissa Gillespie, PAWS Executive Director.“Animals can be instrumental in assisting seniors through the grieving process of losing a loved one and can help influence their physical and mental outlook while filling their lives with unconditional love, comfort and joy.  We are proud to be hosting this event for its second time to help draw more attention to the positive influence that pet companionship has among today’s seniors and their overall health and well being.”

Spring Into Health Fair

Don't miss this great opportunity!

Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehab in conjunction with Cold Spring Hills are hosting this great event!  There will be music, free raffle gifts, as well as a designated children’s corner with face painting and coloring books with crayons, free fingerprinting and photo ID’s for children and seniors. In addition there will be free health screenings such as mini physicals, pneumonia shots, blood pressure screenings, eye exams, cholesterol screenings and more. Spread the Word!

Walgreens Offers New Services

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57577954/walgreens-expands-care-for-chronic-conditions/

Here's a news article from CBS News about Walgreens adding new services to diagnose and treat patients. What do you think about this recent addition of services by Walgreens? Do you think this might decrease ER admissions? I think it's a great idea!

Cold Spring Hills Hosts Mechanical Ventilation Seminar

Here's an opportunity for Continuing Education from one of our members! Hope you can make it and  share with us what you learned!

Bundled Payments Fact Sheet

http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/bundled-payments/

What's all the fuss about bundled payments? I found this article on cms website that explains what it entails... read up and tell us what you think. How do you think this will affect you organization?

Skype or not to Skype?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/28/skype-revolutionizing-mental-health-care/

http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/skype-successful-home-care-infants/2013-02-11

This is the second article I came across with this month using skype to communicate with patients. One article showed using skype in a home care setting for pediatric population. They both brought in positive reactions from the users (the patients and the providers). Do you think skype is a the new trend in communicating with the health care providers? What to do you think?

Primary Care Medical Home and Joint Commission

http://www.jointcommission.org/joint_commission_to_offer_pcmh_certification_hospitals_critical_access_hospitals/

I found this article which I thought was interesting model of care. It seems that with this model, patients have better access to care, thus increases their satisfaction. This is a nice follow up article on how to improve your scores with patient satisfaction. According to Joint Commission website, this add on certification is now available for accredited hospitals.

Long Island Hospitals and Patient Satisfaction

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/li-hospitals-can-ill-afford-low-patient-satisfaction-scores-1.4553813?p=879862

With patient satisfaction tied in to reimbursements, many hospitals are working towards improving their scores. Check out where your hospital ranks and let us know how you are doing it!

A Chance To Be Heard

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/02/01/irs-releases-proposed-regs-for-health-care-law-whos-covered-whos-exempt-and-what-happens-if-you-dont-want-to-pay/

The IRS is inviting all taxpayers to comment on the proposed regulations for Health Care Law until May  2, 2013. These regulations are expected to take effect in 2014. Read the article and send in your public comments!

Should the Nurse Who Refused To Wear Masks Be Fired?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/08/flu-mask-termination/1817571/

What a controversial issue! First, I thought she was fired for refusing the flu shot. But when I read the article, it said she was fired for non-compliance with her hospital's policy of wearing a mask if you refuse the flu shot. It makes sense if you put it that way. On the other hand, it is very difficult to work with a masks on all the time. My patients can't even hear me with them on, especially if you're soft spoken and your patient is hard of hearing. Do you think requiring the employees to wear a mask is a way to get you to take the flu shot? Let us know what you think?

Are You Feeling the Changes Yet?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/health/obamacare-2013/index.html

Every year I set aside money to my FSA (Flexible Spending Account). I really think I save a lot in taxes by putting money into it. So, I wasn't happy  to find out it is now limited to $2,500/annually. That's is just a minor change that has taken effect so far. I found this article that outlines what we expect to see.Did you know breast pump is now a covered DME?  Surprise, surprise! I wonder though if this will keep patient longer in the hospital because they are waiting for an authorizations to come through for their pumps? What do you think?