Health News
- As Nurse Practitioners Enjoy Their New, State-granted Authority, The Paducah Sun Looks At The Issue In Far Western Kentucky
Kentucky law has expanded the rights of nurse practitioners, Laurel Black notes for The Paducah Sun: "Local practitioners say the move will provide patients with better access to care, but not everyone in the medical community embraces the idea." The...
- Medicaid Expansion Brings Primary Care Access To The Forefront
The federal health reform law will usher at least seven million more Americans into Medicaid, and as states like Kentucky debate Medicaid expansion, policymakers are struggling with the question of whether there will even be enough primary...
- Frontier Nursing University In Hyden Helps Bring Better Family Health Care To Rural America With Distance Learning
Midwives and nurse practitioners who recently graduated from Frontier Nursing University in Hyden address the unique challenges of rural areas, including shortages of health care providers, by bringing local health care to rural communities...
- Kentucky First State To Require License For Diabetes Educator; Beshear Signed Bill Into Law Last Week
Kentucky is the first state to require diabetes educators to be licensed, a move Gov. Steve Beshear that said will "raise the standards for diabetes management and care." Beshear signed Senate Bill 198, which establishes the licensure requirements, last...
- Federal Cuts, Financial Instability And Competition Leave Many Rural Hospitals Fearing The Future
Many rural hospitals could be forced to close because of cuts to the Critical Access Program and the fact that, according to the National Rural Health Association, , 41 percent of critical-care hospitals are losing money, reports Jenny Gold of Kaiser...
Health News
Nurse anesthetists no longer need to be supervised in Ky.
Kentucky will be the 17th state to opt out of a federal requirement that requires nurse anesthetists to be supervised by a physician, a move that Gov. Steve Beshear said will increase flexibility and efficiency in operating rooms.
The Kentucky Hospital Association applauded the effort. "Certified registered nurse anesthetists are an extremely important part of health-care delivery in Kentucky, particularly in the rural areas of the state," said Mike Rust, KHA president. "This opt-out will ensure patient access to quality anesthesia care."
"We've consulted with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and health care providers, and this is clearly a change we need to make to improve access to critical medical care," Beshear said. "In cases like this, where the federal requirement is an obstacle to some of the best options for delivery of high-quality health care, we're pleased to take this step to opt out."
A 2010 report that analyzed Medicare data for 1999 to 2005 and published in the journal Health Affairs found no evidence opting out of the oversight requirement resulted in more patient deaths or complications. (Read more)
The Kentucky Hospital Association applauded the effort. "Certified registered nurse anesthetists are an extremely important part of health-care delivery in Kentucky, particularly in the rural areas of the state," said Mike Rust, KHA president. "This opt-out will ensure patient access to quality anesthesia care."
"We've consulted with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and health care providers, and this is clearly a change we need to make to improve access to critical medical care," Beshear said. "In cases like this, where the federal requirement is an obstacle to some of the best options for delivery of high-quality health care, we're pleased to take this step to opt out."
A 2010 report that analyzed Medicare data for 1999 to 2005 and published in the journal Health Affairs found no evidence opting out of the oversight requirement resulted in more patient deaths or complications. (Read more)
- As Nurse Practitioners Enjoy Their New, State-granted Authority, The Paducah Sun Looks At The Issue In Far Western Kentucky
Kentucky law has expanded the rights of nurse practitioners, Laurel Black notes for The Paducah Sun: "Local practitioners say the move will provide patients with better access to care, but not everyone in the medical community embraces the idea." The...
- Medicaid Expansion Brings Primary Care Access To The Forefront
The federal health reform law will usher at least seven million more Americans into Medicaid, and as states like Kentucky debate Medicaid expansion, policymakers are struggling with the question of whether there will even be enough primary...
- Frontier Nursing University In Hyden Helps Bring Better Family Health Care To Rural America With Distance Learning
Midwives and nurse practitioners who recently graduated from Frontier Nursing University in Hyden address the unique challenges of rural areas, including shortages of health care providers, by bringing local health care to rural communities...
- Kentucky First State To Require License For Diabetes Educator; Beshear Signed Bill Into Law Last Week
Kentucky is the first state to require diabetes educators to be licensed, a move Gov. Steve Beshear that said will "raise the standards for diabetes management and care." Beshear signed Senate Bill 198, which establishes the licensure requirements, last...
- Federal Cuts, Financial Instability And Competition Leave Many Rural Hospitals Fearing The Future
Many rural hospitals could be forced to close because of cuts to the Critical Access Program and the fact that, according to the National Rural Health Association, , 41 percent of critical-care hospitals are losing money, reports Jenny Gold of Kaiser...