NCSF to present three Town Halls virtually on
nursing’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic Register by November 13 for discount rates! |
With in-person conference experiences suspended due to the pandemic, the Nursing Consortium of South Florida is convening the nursing community virtually with a series of three Town Hall presentations, via the web. Join us as we address the challenges, responses and lessons learned by leaders and teams of nurses combating Covid-19 during the Year of the Nurse in hospitals, academic settings, and the community. The first 90-minute webinar will take place Thursday, November 19 at 11:00 am. It will explore the hospital experience in South Florida and beyond in a session moderated by Rosanne Raso, DNP, RN, NEA-BC,FAAN Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer, New York Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell, and the Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Management Journal. Silvia Stradi, RN, MSN, Chief Nurse Executive of the HCA East Florida Division; Maggie Hansen, RN, BSN, MHSc., Senior Vice President & Chief Nurse Executive of the Memorial Healthcare System; and Maureen Fagan, DNP, FNP-BC, FAAN, Chief Nursing Executive of the University of Miami Health System will be sharing their experiences. Registration rates start at only $25.00 for employees of Consortium member organizations and students! A three session series package is available for $60.00 through November 13. Please click here for a flyer with hyperlinks to the registration web form and to available sponsor opportunities. |
The Consortium is collaborating on a national effort to
identify every nurse serving on a board of directors. If you are
currently serving on a board of any entity, please click here now to complete a brief web form.
Congratulations to Jason Dunne, Chamberlain University campus president and
Consortium director on his being named to the NOBC State and National
Integrated Work Group. Nurse leaders have significant budgetary,
human resources, and crisis management experience along with highly developed
communication skills. All boards can benefit from having the unique
perspective of nurse leaders in vetting market opportunities, advancing
objectives, and addressing the needs of their customers, employees and other
stakeholders in a sustainable fashion. If you are a nurse presently
serving on a board, any board, please click here to be counted today. If you are
interested in learning about opportunities to serve on a board, please click here. Become a part of the 10,000 Nurses on
Boards Initiative in 2020. The Nursing Consortium of South Florida,
is a founding strategic partner of the Nurses on Boards Coalition.
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VA confirms rule to
allow health care professionals to practice across state lines
The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued an interim final rule to confirm that its health care professionals may practice their health care profession consistent with the scope and requirements of their VA employment, notwithstanding any State license, registration, certification, or other requirements that unduly interfere with their practice. Specifically, this rulemaking confirms VA’s current practice of allowing VA health care professionals to deliver health care services in a State other than the healthcare professional’s State of licensure, registration, certification, or other State requirement, thereby enhancing beneficiaries’ access to critical VA healthcare services. Please click here to read morel;
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Mckinsey advises Winter flu season may stress demand for COVID-19 testing
A report by McKinsey & Company questions whether there will be sufficient COVID-19 testing capacity during the upcoming flu season. The report notes that with the onset of winter and accompanying 2020–21 flu season, the demand for COVID-19 testing might increase threefold over the testing that has been performed in the summer months of 2020 whether we see a second wave of virus infection or not. Please click here to read more.
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CVS
Health adds nearly 1,000 rapid-result COVID-19 test sites at its pharmacy
locations
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As part of CVS Health’s ongoing efforts to provide greater access to COVID-19 testing, the company is adding about 1,000 new rapid-result test sites to be available by the end of the year at its pharmacy locations nationally. Rapid-result COVID-19 diagnostic tests are available at no cost to patients who meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria (no cost to patients with insurance or through a program for the uninsured funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). In addition, rapid-result tests may also be available as a testing option for eligible employees or students affiliated with an organization that has adopted CVS Health's Return Ready™ return-to-work COVID-19 testing solution. To date, CVS Health has administered more than 5 million COVID-19 tests since March, and currently manages more than 4,000 drive-thru test sites at CVS Pharmacy locations in 33 states and Washington, D.C. Please click here to read more.
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FAU offers new Dermatology Nurse Practitioner post-graduate certificate program |
Consortium member Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing has launched a new “Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Post-graduate Certificate Program,” to provide nurse practitioners with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed for specialization in general dermatology to care for patients across the life span. The new certificate program will prepare masters and doctoral nurse practitioners to acquire foundational core competencies in their population-focus areas, according to Susan Bulfin, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC, program director. Nurse practitioners who complete this Post-graduate Certificate Program will acquire the breadth and depth of dermatology specialty knowledge, skills and abilities that are essential for the development of entry-level competencies. The curriculum comprises a three course series: dermatology essentials (40 hours); dermatology clinical I (40 hours); and dermatology clinical II (60 hours). Online didactic content (140 hours) willfocus on dermatology knowledge and skills for acquisition of the nationally published Competencies for Dermatology Nurse Practitioners. A total of 480 clinical hours will be required and students will be responsible or identifying and securing qualified clinical sites and preceptors. Program graduates will be encouraged to complete required clinical hours and apply for the national “Dermatology Certified Nurse Practitioner (DCNP) Examination.” Please click here to read more.
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Baptist Health South Florida Tele-ICU receives gold-level
Beacon Award from AACN
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has again awarded a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence to Consortium member Baptist Health South Florida Tele-ICU for exemplary practices in patient care. Baptist Health’s Tele-ICU is the only telehealth unit in the country to earn the prestigious recognition two times. Units that achieve this national three-year award, which has gold, silver and bronze designations, meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award. Baptist Health’s Tele-ICU is staffed by critical care nurses and intensivists who specialize in the treatment of patients in intensive care units. “Our team is extremely proud to once again receive the Beacon Award from the AACN, ”said Lisa-Mae Williams, Ph.D., R.N., CCRN-K, director of operations, Baptist Health Telehealth Center and Tele-Critical Care & Virtual Sepsis Unit. Please click here to read more. |
Regeneron antibody trials show 57% decrease in medical
visits associated with ambulatory COVID-19 patients Source: Reuters 10/28/2020 By Michael Erman
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has reported that its coronavirus antibody cocktail - the experimental treatment that U.S. President Donald Trump received - significantly reduced medical visits in a trial of nearly 800 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Regeneron said patients given the treatment, REGN-COV2, made around 57% fewer COVID-19 related medical visits than those given a placebo over a 29 day period. The drop was around 72%in patients with one or more risk factors such as being over age 50, obesity, cardiovascular, metabolic, lung, liver or kidney disease, or an immuno- compromised status. Last month, the company released early data from the trial showing the treatment reduced viral levels and improved symptoms in non-hospitalizedCOVID-19 patients. The new data confirm the initial findings, the company said. Please click here to read more. |
Broward Health partners with AccessDX to tailor
prescriptions to patient genes
Two people who outwardly seem alike can take the same medication at the same dose but get different results. For one, the treatment is successful, but for the other it fails to work. In many cases, the the reason for this difference lies hidden within their genes. Variations in specific genes can affect how quickly a medication is broken down inside a person’s body, making therapeutics more or less potent, affecting how well they work. Consortium member Broward Health is partnering with AccessDX to offer state-of-the-art genomic testing for medication management, beginning in November. This kind of testing looks for genetic variations that affect medication response. It helps providers choose the right medication and the right dose for a patient’s genetic makeup, which may lead to better results. Please click here to read more.
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Cross Country Healthcare offers guide to efficient credentialing in the pandemic surge
As the healthcare industry braces for a “twindemic” collision of COVID-19 plus the flu this winter, healthcare executives will be challenged with the compound problems of staffing and credentialing. To help healthcare leaders address this challenge, Consortium member Cross Country Healthcare has published a useful article, “Righting the Credentialing Process in an Upside-Down World.” The article discusses the difficulty of threading the needle between “just in time” credentialing and licensure in order to quickly deploy desperately needed caregivers and ensuring that compliance and other safeguards are being met. According to Hank Drummond, Chief Clinical Officer at Cross Country Healthcare, “Organizations don’t need to make credentialing more complicated than what they need. In a national emergency, we have to keep our heads focused on patient needs and suspend some of the things we would normally do in a thorough credentialing and privileging process.” Drummond advises healthcare organizations to find expedited paths for credentialing of medical staff. Among his recommendations are: Consider exceptions to some of the usual credentialing guidelines; Identify and establish minimal credential requirements; Establish rules for ongoing engagement and communication; Roll out the red carpet when welcoming new travel or contract staff; and Implement strong reporting practices and tracking. Please click here to read more. |
HHS 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan supports patient access to their own health information
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released its final 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (the Plan). The Plan outlines federal health information technology goals and objectives, with a focus on individuals’ access to their electronic health information. The Plan was developed by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in collaboration with more than 25 federal organizations and informed by nearly 100 public comments. The new plan reflects the federal government’s commitment to making patients’ electronic health information accessible on their smartphones. Please click here to read more |
Boca Raton Regional Hospital first in county
to treat cancer patients with new Radixact System
Consortium member Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the first institution in Palm Bach County to use the Radixact System to treat cancer patients. The system is a non-invasive treatment option that delivers image-guided intensity-modulated (IG-IMRT) radiation therapy, an extremely precise from of radiation therapy. The Radixact System is particularly adept at delivering elegant treatment plans for the most complex treatments, including complex breast cancer cases, head and neck cancer cases, and cranial spinal irradiation. In addition to being one of the most precise radiation delivery systems, treatment times are among the shortest. Please click here to read more.
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Fitbit receives DOD award to help accelerate its COVID-19 wearable detection technology |
Fitbit has been selected by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command to receive nearly $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense for development of a wearable diagnostic capability for the early detection of a COVID-19 infection. |
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As part of the award, Fitbit is working to initiate a prospective study with Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to validate a Fitbit COVID-19 early detection algorithm. The award is part of MTEC’s efforts to help keep military personnel healthy and fully operational. Fitbit was selected by USAMRDC based on the Company's track record of innovation and the initial success of its COVID-19 research, especially the role of wearable technology in early illness detection, as well as the ease of use and long battery life of Fitbit’s devices. Please click here to read more.
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