ARN Southeast Texas Chapter

We Won!! Southeast Texas Chapter ARN was once again awarded the 2007 National ARN Website  Award at the ARN Annual Educational Conference in Washington, D.C., October 3-6, 2007. Thanks to all who have contributed!

Winners of the 2006 & 2007 Large Chapter Excellence Award!!

We Won!! Southeast Texas Chapter ARN was again awarded the . 2007 Large Chapter Excellence Award at the ARN Annual Educational Conference in Washington, D.C., October 3-6, 2007. Thanks to all who make this an outstanding Chapter!!

 

Winners of the 2007 Best Beginning Newsletter Award!!

We Won all 3 awards!!! Southeast Texas Chapter ARN was awarded the 2007 Best Beginning Newsletter Award at the ARN Annual Educational Conference in Washington D.C., October 3-6, 2007.

 

 A grateful THANK YOU to out 2008 Expo Sponsors & Exhibitors:

Gold Sponsors:	BARD Medical
	Medtronic Corporation
	Memorial Hermann Home Health
	Memorial Hermann/TIRR
Silver Sponsor:	Muilenburg Prosthetics & Orthotics
Bronze Sponsors:	Alliance Labs – Enemeez
	Home Instead Senior Care
	KSF Orthopaedic Center Touchstone
	Neurorecovery Center
Exhibitors:	Brawner Paper Company
	Centre for Neuro Skills
	Coloplast Corporation –Continence
	Coloplast Corporation – Ostomy, Wound & Skin
	DeRoyal
	KCI
	Mentis Neuro Rehabilitation
	Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital
	OPA 1 LTD
	Prairie View A&M University
	PROS Home Healthcare
	Sizewise
	SOS Medical Supplies
	The Care Group
	The College Network
	Transitional Learning Center – Galveston
	Triumph Hospital of North Houston

We sincerely appreciate your support!

   July 2008 Educational Meeting:

The July educational meeting will be held Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, 6720 Bertner Avenue, Houston, Texas 77030. Time: 5:00-7:30 PM.
Program: Stroke and Rehabilitation. Click here for further details.

   August 2008 Educational Meeting - TBA:

NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION:
The August educational meeting will be held Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, South Tower Classrooms, 1635 North Loop West., Houston, Texas 77008. Time: 5:00-7:30 PM. Sponsor: TBA
Program Topic TBA Watch for further details.

   September 2008 Educational Meeting:

The September educational meeting will be held Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, South Tower Classrooms, 1635 North Loop West, Houston, Texas 77008. Time: 5:00-7:30 PM. Program: Grief and Loss. Watch for further details

   ARN National Conference Scholarships:

Three scholarship drawings to help towards attendance at the October ARN National Education Conference will be held in July. Chapter members who meet requirements in the following three categories will be eligible for the drawings:

• Perfect Meeting Attendance: attend 100% of Chapter meetings January through August, 2008
• Committee Chairperson: All active committee chairpersons
• Paper or Poster Presenter: All who will be presenting a paper or poster at the ARN National Conference

   2008 Scholarship Award Recipients::

Thanks to the generous support of our Expo sponsors & Exhibitors, we were able to award 9 scholarships at the Expo this year!

CONGRATULATIONS to the following scholarship award recipients:

Kuldip Amolenda, BSN, RNC, CRRN
Glennys Asselin, BSN, RN, CRRN
Kerry Davis, RN, CRRN
Cindy Gebhard, BSN, RN
Wendy Healy, RN, CRRN
Rebecca Neri, BSN, RN, CRRN
Rhonda Olson, MS, RN, CRRN
Julius Penning, BSN, RN, CRRN
Lois Stephens Newman, MSN, RN

Kuldip Amolenda will use her scholarship to continue her pursuit of an MSN degree. The other scholarships will be used toward attendance at the ARN National Conference in San Francisco.

   Rehabilitation Nurse-of-the-Year:

JULIUS H. PENNING, BSN, RN, CRRN

Julius H. Penning has been awarded the Southeast Texas Chapter ARN 2007 Rehabilitation Nurse-of-the-Year Award for his outstanding contributions to rehabilitation nursing.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

   Rehabilitation Nursing Review Course:

The Northeast Texas ARN 2008 CRRN Review Course will be July 31, August 1&2 at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. Flyers will be out soon. Please contact Cyndi Murphy at CynthiaMurphy@TexasHealth.org for further information.

Please note: The Southeast Texas Chapter ARN will NOT be offering a Rehabilitation Nursing Review Course in 2008. Plan for a course again in 2009.

    New CRRNs: 

Congratulations to our newest CRRNs!!!

	Veronica Dike, BS, RN, CRRN
	Ma Rowena Jessica Reyes, BSN, RN, CRRN

 We are proud of your achievements. 

      CRRN EXAM: New Registration Deadlines

Due to a change in testing companies, the registration process and deadlines for the CRRN exam have changed.  Candidate applications and fees must be mailed in to CASTLE WORLDWIDE, INC. by the following deadlines:

                April 15, 2007 for June 1-30, 2007 CRRN Exam dates

                October 15, 2007 for December 1-31, 2007 CRRN Exam dates

         

          Late fee options are now available; contact ARN National.

 

          A new content outline will become effective for the June 2007 examination. This will be posted at
          www.rehabnurse.org beginning in January, 2007. The exam will now have only 175 questions
          (25 pretest: un-scored), and candidates will have up to 3 hours to complete the exam.

Candidate handbooks and application forms are available from ARN National (1-800-229-7530).  Registration forms may also be downloaded from the ARN National website(www.rehabnurse.org ). 

    Multiple Sclerosis Webevent Teleconferences:

Educational webevent teleconferences on multiple sclerosis (MS) are offered twice monthly through www.MSLifeLines.com While these webevents are geared toward persons living with MS, they are very informative for healthcare professionals as well. Visit www.MSLifeLines.com for schedule of webevents and to register, or call 1-800-350-5416.

    Get Involved!!

SE Texas Chapter is very active, with thirteen committees working throughout the year. Committee members are needed!! Get involved – it’s a great way to meet colleagues, share ideas, learn, and… have fun! Contact Rhonda Olson or Wendy Healy at info@arnsoutheasttx.org for more information or to sign-up.

     Membership Participation Incentive: Back for 2008

Those SE Texas Chapter ARN members who actively serve on:
1) the Board of Directors
2) Chair a committee
3) actively serve on a committee OR
4) attend a Chapter meeting 8 out of 10 months in 2008
will be awarded a free ticket to the 2008 Holiday Gala & Awards Banquet in November. Thank you for your active participation!

We were able to provide 29 Chapter members with complimentary 2008 Holiday Gala tickets!!

   Update Your Contact Information:

Please help us keep our membership roster current! Update your address, phone, e-mail, and other contact information at www.rehabnurse.org in the Members only section. Please notify Rhonda Olson at info@arnsoutheasttx.org also, so that the Chapter records are current.

    On-line Membership Directory:

Did you know that you are able to obtain other members’ contact information through the on-line Membership Directory at www.rehabnurse.org in the Members only section? A listing of all SE Texas Chapter members is also available, using the search by Chapter section

    Community Action – SILENT AUCTION:

Beginning in 2004 & 2005 the Chapter supported two worthy causes in the community: T.H. Rodgers School and Camp Xtreme. T.H. Rodgers is an HISD school that educates many children with disabilities, and Camp Xtreme is a summer camp devoted to children who use wheelchairs. In 2006, the Chapter contributed to the “Be an Angel Fund” for playground equipment for children with disabilities and Camp Xtreme. The Chapter wishes to continue to assist community agencies for persons with disabilities.


Thanks to the generous support of Chapter members, the 2007 Silent Auction was once again a tremendous success!!!

Proceeds from the 2007 Silent Auction will be donated to the “Be an Angel Fund” for barrier free playground equipment and SIRE. SIRE is a non-profit therapeutic horseback riding program which uses the spirit and movement of the horse to benefit people with disabilities. SIRE has been active in the Houston area for the past 24 years and currently serves over 190 clients per week at sites in Hockley, Spring and Ft. Bend county. Through the use of therapeutic horseback riding hippotherapy, vaulting, and carriage driving, benefits to the clients can include improved gross and fine motor skills, improved balance and posture and the building of self esteem.

A grateful “THANK YOU” to all who donated and participated in the Silent Auction.
 

    Newsletter: "Rehab Round-Up"    

We have a NEW newsletter editor!!  Many thanks to Glennys Asselin, BSN, RN, CRRN, AA for volunteering for this position.  Thanks also to the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center for printing the newsletter. The fourth edition of “Rehab Round-up” has been sent out. If you would like a copy, please contact Glennys Asselin at info@arnsoutheasttx.org. Items are needed for the newsletter – brief articles, promotions, legislative updates, clinical tips, etc.  Submit to Glennys Asselin at info@arnsoutheasttx.org.

     National ARN News:

Please visit the National ARN website,  www.rehabnurse.org  or refer to your ARN Network newsletter to learn more about :

1. ARN –CAT – Competency Assessment Tool

2. New RNF Research Agenda

3. Locating members or updating your contact information

4. CRRN Exam New Content Outline

5. Member Get-A-Member

 

    Continuing Education Contact Hours:

 

                    ARN National is no longer an approved maintenance provider for CDMSC, CCM or

                    CRCC continuing education. 

 

                    However,  SETX chapter membership voted to provide CCM continuing education units

                    for at least five (5) of the ten (10) annual educational programs.  Please see the calendar

                    page each month for posting of CCM contact hours.  If you have any questions or

                    concerns, please contact us at info@arnsoutheasttx.org.              

   Health Policy News and Information:

The Kaiser Family Foundations Health Policy News and Information website is a useful      resource for other health-policy related news. Go to www.kaisernetwork.org

     75% Rule Permanent Freeze:

Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 went into law! The bill addressed several extensions to Medicare and Medicaid programs like SCHIP and provided a small increase in the Medicare physician payment system. Most importantly, the bill set the 75% Rule for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and units at a permanent 60% compliance threshold. The new law will also allow hospitals to continue using comorbidities to determine whether a patient qualifies for inpatient rehab care. This does not instruct fiscal intermediaries to use Section 110 of the Medicare Benefits Policy Manual as the sole criteria for determining medical necessity reviews. The objective of the 75% Rule was to distinguish IRFs from general acute hospitals and does require that a certain percentage of IRF patients fall within 13 diagnostic categories and limits the number and types of IRF patients who are not within these categories. Now the compliance threshold will permanently remain at 60%!

     CMS ISSUES FOR YEAR 2009 – Open for Comment:

CMS issues for year 2009 proposed rule for Inpatient Rehab Hospitals and Units (IRF) have been released and is now open for comment! According to a special ARN health policy bulletin, this proposal would implement several key provisions of the Medicare, Medicaid, and S-CHIP Extension Act, which provided relief from the 75% Rule and are as follows:

75% Rule – By law would implement the permanent lowering of the 75% Rule threshold to the 60 % level, with effective date of 7/1/06 and would also be permanently expanded to include cases that have qualifying comorbidities, which is estimated to increase IRF compliance by an additional 5 to 10%.

2009 Standard Payment – will not be subject to a market basket update since MMSEA eliminated such an increase for 4/1/08 through 9/30/09 (18 month freeze of IRF rates). Proposed standard payment of $13,034 is a drop from the 2008 rate of $13,451.
Comments on the proposed rule are due to CMS by 6/20/08.

     Health Care Change…Whoever Wins in November Presidential Race!

According to prominent political pollsters, Republican John McCain favors market-based solutions such as Health Savings Accounts and Democratic contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton favor more comprehensive government oriented public policy approaches.

     Mayo Clinic Symposium on Health Reform

The Mayo Clinic Symposium on Health Reform recently concluded that reform priorities should include health insurance for all, electronic medical records, value-based payment and care coordination. This event included leaders from academia, business, government, health care and patient advocacy.

     Medicare Audit Program

Rep. Lois Capps (D-California) has proposed HR 4105 that would place a 1 year, nationwide moratorium on the Medicare recovery audit program. The demonstration project, part of the 2003 Medicare law, uses recovery audit contractors to find overpayments and underpayments in Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements to health care providers. Capps states that the program disproportionately harms inpatient rehab facilities (which accounts for 88% of denied claims).

     Passage of Traumatic Brain Injury Legislation

Passage of Traumatic Brain Injury Legislation – Will extend and improve funding for a range of TBI rehab programs, such as assistance in returning to work, finding a place to live, and obtaining needed support and appropriate rehab services. It would fund an important CDC program to prevent such injuries. The bill will be of major assistance to soldiers with such injuries from combat! This was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate in April and was sent to the President for his signature.
 

     Medicare Access to Complex Rehab and Assistive Technology Act of 2007.

This bill currently has 42 cosponsors and was originally introduced by Representative Tom Allen (D-ME). Legislation amends the Social Security Act to exempt complex rehab products and assistive technology products from the Medicare competitive acquisition program.

     ANCC Updates Two Nursing Credentials

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has updated two credentials in the effort to bring them in line with contemporary healthcare culture and terminology. The names for the new certifications are the Nurse Executive (formally Nursing Administration) and Nurse Executive, Advanced (formally Nursing Administration, Advanced). The Nurse Executive credential, which used to be know as CNA-BC, now will be NE-BC (Nurse Executive-Board Certified). The CNAA-BC credential has been changed to NEA-BC (Nurse Executive Advanced – Board Certified).

     ANA Healthcare Reform Call

The agenda calls for a single-payer healthcare system that guarantees health care for all citizens. “The solution is to invert the pyramid of priorities and focus more on primary care, thus ultimately requiring less costly secondary and tertiary care”. With the 2008 presidential election in full swing, the healthcare reform is a hot topic! The president of ANA, Rebecca M. Patton, RN, MSN, CNOR, states that “Nurses have a pivotal perspective to share as we are the glue holding much of the current broken healthcare system together”. The agenda can be viewed online at http://nursingworld.org.

     Texas Legislation:

2007 Texas Legislative Session #80

Texas Legislative Session #80 ended on 5/28/07 with several bills which involve nursing practices. The largest of these bills was the Suset Bill – TX Board of Nurse Examiners, House Bill 2426, which made many changes to the Nursing Practice Act and became effective September 1, 2007. Other Bills were concerning automated external defibrillators, school nursing, APN’s, Birthing, diabetes education, drug labeling, education, public health licensing information. For more details go to www.capitol.state.tx.us

     Texas’ 49th National Ranking in Terms of Medicaid Reimbursement

The Texas Health Care Association has launched a “Educate ‘08” effort designed to help state lawmakers understand the key issues surrounding the Medicaid funding crisis which places the care needs of the state’s most vulnerable seniors and disabled citizens at severe risk. The average national daily Medicaid rate per patient is $153.83 and the Texas rate is $106.59. We should be hearing more about this effort as the current election season unfolds.

     Change in Nursing Licences

REMINDER: No More Paper Licenses Upon Renewal After September 1, 2008.
The Texas Board of Nursing will discontinue issuing wallet-sized paper licenses for nurses renewing their licenses beginning September 1, 2008. However the BON will continue to issue paper license certificates for:
*Graduate nurses who pass the NCLEX exam and obtain their initial nurse license in Texas
*Nurses who hold licenses in other states and are obtaining a Texas nurse license for the first time
*Nurses who receive full authorization to practice as advanced practice nurses

    IRF PPS Fact Sheet:

CMS has released a downloadable IRF PPS fact sheet. This provides info about rates and classification criterion. To download the fact sheet go to: www.cmshhs.gov

    2008 National Patient Safety Goals:

The Joint Commission has announced 2008 National Patient Safety Goals and related requirements applicable specifically to accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals. One major change is new requirements to take specific actions to reduce the risks of patient harm associated with ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY and RECOGNITION of and RESPONSE to UNEXPECTED DETERIORATION in a PATIENT’S CONDITION. Each of the new requirements has a 1 year phase-in period. Go to www.jointcommission.org
for complete text.

 

Touchstone Neurorecovery Centers is a post acute rehabilitation facility nationally known for being on the leading edge of neurobehavioral rehabilitation. www.nhsltd.com  9727 Wahrenberger Road, Conroe, TX 77304  (936)788-7770  or  Toll Free: 1-800-414-4824 Touchstone Supports ARN!

BARD Medical Division of C.R. Bard, Inc., is a market leader in urological drainage systems, in addition to providing skin & wound care products, wound drainage products, and a variety of specialty tubing products. www.bardmedical.com  1-800-526-4455 BARD Supports ARN!

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