November/December 2009
Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis to Begin
The Texas Department of State Health Services is expected to add screening for cystic fibrosis to the newborn screening panel sometime in December. The CF screen can be done from the same five blood spots currently collected for newborn screening. The fee for bloodspot screening cards will increase approximately $5-10 to cover the CF addition as well as other newborn screening program changes; hospitals will pay the increased fee when new cards are ordered.
The TDSHS newborn screening laboratory will test for elevated levels of immunoreactive trypsinogen in each baby's specimens. Infants with elevated IRT levels will undergo DNA testing for a set of common CF-causing mutations. Babies who have specific combinations of IRT levels and/or mutations will be referred for confirmatory sweat chloride testing. It is estimated that 82-94 children will be diagnosed with CF each year in Texas.
To help facilitate implementation, the Texas Newborn Screening Program hosted two stakeholder meetings with representatives from the Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Pediatric Society and the six cystic fibrosis centers in Texas. Based on input gathered from these groups, the TNSP Web site will feature a variety of resources, including:
- Cystic fibrosis fact sheets;
- Frequently asked questions for both parents and health care professionals;
- Educational brochures; and
- An educational video.
The FAQ documents are available now; other resources will be added as they are developed. Questions or comments about CF screening may be directed to the TDHS Texas Newborn Screening Program at 800/252-8023.
Health Care Professional Sentenced
to Prison for Product Tampering
Drea Lynne Gibson, 43, of Fall City, Wash., was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for product tampering in violation of federal law. Gibson pleaded guilty in May 2009, admitting that she tampered with doses of Demerol at the surgical center where she worked.
According to filings in the case, while employed as a nurse at the Plastic Surgery Center in Bellevue, Wash., Gibson fed her addiction to Demerol by stealing glass vials of Demerol from a locked case at the surgery center. She completed records indicating the drugs were being administered to patients. As her addiction worsened, Gibson would break open and consume the contents of Demerol ampules, refilling the ampules with saline solution and then gluing them back together and returning them to the Demerol box. As a result, on multiple occasions during November 2008, anesthesiologists at the clinic administered the tampered ampules to patients recovering from surgery under the belief that they were administering Demerol. When patients complained that their pain was not being relieved, the anesthesiologist switched pain medications to relieve the pain.
For more information, go to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington Web site.
Joint Commission, HHS Produce Video on
Language Access Standards
The Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights have released a video titled “Improving Patient-Provider Communication.” The video highlights what is required by The Joint Commission standards as well as federal civil rights laws regarding patients who are deaf/hard of hearing or limited English proficient. A list of resources and tools that health care organizations can use to build effective language access programs accompanies the video.
FDA Alert: New USP Standards for Heparin
Products Will Result in Decreased Potency
The Food and Drug Administration has alerted health care professionals to a change in heparin manufacturing that is expected to decrease the potency of the anti-clotting drug. To ensure the quality of heparin and to guard against potential contamination, the United States Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit standards-setting organization, adopted new manufacturing controls for heparin. These changes include a modification of the reference standard for the drug’s unit dose. The revised standard is about 10 percent less potent than the former USP unit.
“Although the FDA-approved labeling for heparin has not changed, including the recommended doses, it is essential that health care professionals be aware of the potential difference in potency between the old and new vials of heparin when administering the drug,” said John Jenkins, M.D., director of the Office of New Drugs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Manufacturers began shipping the new product Oct. 8.
Poster Informs Patients that
Medicare Covers Flu Vaccines
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a poster to help inform patients that Medicare covers both the seasonal and the H1N1 flu vaccines. Health care providers are encouraged to exhibit the poster where Medicare patients will see it. Although seniors are encouraged to get their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible, the first available doses of H1N1 vaccine should be given to those at highest risk for infection and complications. This includes children, pregnant women, health care workers and younger adults with certain medical conditions. Providers can find information on billing Medicare for the vaccines on the CMS Web site. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program also cover the H1N1 vaccine.
THA Leadership Conference Coming Up
Health care reform is the biggest political story of the year. From Beltway offices to dinner tables across the country, how to improve health care quality, cost and access is the hot topic on the minds of Americans. The Texas Hospital Association’s 2010 Leadership Conference, which will be held Feb. 17-18 in Austin, is bringing the new health care reality into full focus with an impressive cast of speakers and thought-provoking sessions.
Watch the health care debate in the national media, and it is likely you will encounter the name of Len Nichols. Nichols has established himself as one of the most articulate, informed and passionate voices in the health care reform debate. Director of the health policy program for the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation, Nichols is a highly sought-after speaker and one THA members will be talking about long after the conference. Nichols’ keynote session opens the 2010 Leadership Conference, the perfect kick-off to two days of hard-hitting discussion on balancing cost, quality and access.
Other session highlights include:
- The Trickle-down Effect: How Health Care Reform will Impact the Texas Budget;
- Comparative Effectiveness Research Principles and Implications;
- Workforce Best Practices for a New Health Care Reality; and
- Value-Based Purchasing: The Clinical Perspective.
Visit www.tha.org/conf2010 for the full agenda, speaker bios, exhibit listing and entertainment schedule. Register online and book your hotel room by Jan. 25 for the best discounts.
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Inside This Issue
Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis to Begin
Health Care Professional Sentenced to Prison for Product Tampering
Joint Commission, HHS Produce Video on Language Access Standards
FDA Alert: New USP Standards for Heparin Products Will Result in Decreased Potency
Poster Informs Patients that Medicare Covers Flu Vaccines
THA Leadership Conference Coming Up
Upcoming Events
Feb. 17-18:
THA Leadership Conference
For more information about THIE events, please contact Liz Jennings.
THIE Staff
Deborah Samples
President/Chief Executive Officer
800/792-0060, Ext. 535
Tess Frazier
Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
800/792-0060, Ext. 524
Randal Wilkerson
Vice President, Claims
800/792-0060, Ext. 516
Liz Jennings
Senior Director, Marketing
800/792-0060, Ext. 525
Michelle Jennings
Senior Director, Underwriting
800/792-0060, Ext. 541
Dana McVey
Senior Director, Risk Management Services
800/792-0060, Ext. 505
THIE Board
John L. Simms
Chair
President/Chief Executive Officer
Trinity Medical Center, Brenham
Dan Stultz, M.D., FACP, FACHE
Secretary
President/Chief Executive Officer
Texas Hospital Association, Austin
Lance Gatlin
Administrator
Parmer County Community Hospital, Friona
Steve Hartgraves
Chief Executive Officer
Graham Regional Medical Center
Jim Smith
Director Emeritus
Goodall-Witcher Healthcare Foundation, Clifton
Kenneth Poteete
President Emeritus
Georgetown Healthcare System Foundation
Evan Moore, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
D.M. Cogdell Memorial Hospital, Snyder
Sandra Gayle Wright, Ed.D., RN
Chief Executive Officer
Tyler County Hospital, Woodville
Russell Tippin
Administrator/Chief Executive Officer
Pecos County Memorial Hospital, Fort Stockton
James Vanek
Chief Executive Officer
Lavaca Medical Center, Hallettsville
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