Capitol Update, brought to you by the American Nurses Association
Capitol Update, a legislative newsletter for nurses
Volume 3/Issue 9 October 7, 2005
Article Photo ANA Testifies, Hosts Press Conference on Hurricane Katrina and Medicaid

ANA President Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN testified before a House Committee hearing on the health care impact of hurricane Katrina. At the same time, Ricki Garrett, Executive Director of the Mississippi Nurses Association and Rose Gonzalez, MPS, RN, Director of Government Affairs, hosted a press conference in the U.S. Capitol. ANA used both of these successful events to reiterate our call to Congress to abandon plans to cut funding for Medicaid.
ANA Supports measure to help Medical Workers Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

In mid-September, ANA signed on in support of an amendment by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would help the thousands of nurses and other medical professionals displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are seeking employment in the states to which they were evacuated.
ANA Supports Grassley/Baucus Medicaid Bill for Victims of Hurricanes

On September 23, 2005 ANA sent a letter to Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Max Baucus (D-MT) endorsing their proposal to support health care coverage for hurricane victims. The Emergency Health Care Relief Act of 2005 (S. 1716) has wide support in the Senate Finance Committee (which has jurisdiction over Medicaid) but faces opposition from conservatives in Congress. The Bush Administration has voiced concerns about the cost of the bill and would prefer to use state-based waivers for Medicaid recipients displaced by the hurricanes.

HHS Accelerates Use of E-prescribing and Electronic Health Records

On October 5, Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt announced a number of proposed regulations supporting the adoption of e-prescribing and electronic health records. These proposals would speed adoption of health information technologies by hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers to improve quality and safety for Medicare beneficiaries and all Americans. Taken together, they represent a major step forward in meeting President Bush's goal of widespread adoption of electronic health records. Electronic prescribing enables the transmission of a prescription electronically to a patient's pharmacy of choice. It decreases prescription errors caused by hard-to-read handwriting and automates the process of checking for drug interactions and allergies. Not only is this easier than paper prescriptions, but it also can improve patient safety and increase efficiency.
Nursing Home Pay for Performance Demonstration

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has started to develop a number of initiatives designed to encourage improved quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries. One of these initiatives is called the Nursing Home Pay for Performance. It is going to be a demonstration project which will provide financial incentives to nursing homes that meet certain standards for providing high quality care. The national program will cover all Medicare beneficiaries residing in hospital-based and free standing nursing home facilities. CMS will base incentive payments on level of performance and improvement over time.

Lobbyists from Across the Nation Meet to Address Nursing Challenges

The American Nurses Association (ANA) convened State Nurses Association (CMA) lobbyists from all over the nation for the annual ANA/CMA Lobbyist Meeting - "Think Nationally, Act Locally" in Alexandria, Virginia, September 21 -23, 2005. The group met to discuss strategies and develop legislative solutions to the critical issues facing nurses and patients in today's challenging health care environment. The three main policy issues discussed at this years meeting were environmental health; licensure and regulation of nurses; and health care reform.
copyright 2005, American Nurses Association
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First Round of N-PAL Appointees Ready To Charge

The American Nurses Association recently announced the appointment of the first round of N-PAL leaders. These 58 individuals will be ANA's liaisons to federal legislators and legislative staff in assigned legislative districts.

NPI Provider Information from CMS

As part of Medicare's implementation of the National Provider Identifier program, CMS has issued the second in a series of articles on NPI activities.
GOVA Hits the Road to Promote ANA's Grassroots Tools

Staff from ANA's Government Affairs team hit the road last week to attend the New York State Nurses Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. With over 400 nurses in attendance from New York and New Jersey, staff were able to discuss the various outreach tools available through ANA, including N-STAT, N-PAL and Capitol Update. Additionally, staff were available to talk to members about pending issues before Congress, specifically Congress' plans to cut $10 billion in Medicaid funding.
Sheila Burke Appointed Chair of Kaiser Family Foundation Board

The Kaiser Family Foundation has announced the appointment of Sheila P. Burke to be the new chair of the Foundation's Board of Trustees. Burke is the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Smithsonian Institution. From 1986-1996, she served as Chief of Staff to former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and also as Deputy Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Finance. Burke who worked as a nurse early in her career is currently on the adjunct faculty of the Georgetown University School of Nursing.
Joint Commission and National Quality Forum Announce 2005 Awards

The National Quality Forum (NQF) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO) recently announced the 2005 recipients of the annual John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. Honorees were selected in three of the four award categories. The honorees are: Audrey L. Nelson, PhD, RN director, Tampa Veterans' Health Administration Patient Safety Center of Inquiry; Maryland Patient Safety Center, Meridian Health; and Sentara Healthcare.
Citizen's Work Group Releases Health Report to the American People

On October 6, the Citizen's Health Care Working Group released a report "The Health Report to the American People" which is intended to provide all Americans with a basic set of information to help start a national discussion about improving the national health care system. Created, as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L.108-173), the 14 member Citizens' Health Care Working Group is charged with bringing to Congress a plan of action that will result in new laws seeking to create health care that works for all Americans. One of the duties of the Working Group was to prepare a report entitled "The Health Report to the American People" and make it available to health consumers through the Internet and other appropriate public channels.