IHA Daily Briefing: April 9
In Today’s Issue
HRSA Announces Increase in Loan Repayment for Primary Care Workforce
CMS Revises Informed Consent Guidance for Hospitals
IDPH ALERT: Illness Resembling Botulism from Possible Counterfeit Botox
Class I Recalls: Ventilator Kits, Neurovascular Catheters
COVID-19 Information
Briefly Noted
Leading the News
HRSA Announces Increase in Loan Repayment for Primary Care Workforce
Recently, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced that it has increased by 50% the initial loan repayment amount available to primary care providers through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. This includes OB-GYNs and pediatricians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants who commit to practicing in areas with significant shortages of primary care providers. Providers could receive up to $75,000 in loan forgiveness in exchange for a two-year service commitment.
HRSA also is offering up to an additional $5,000 in loan repayment to all NHSC Loan Repayment Program participants who can demonstrate fluency in Spanish and who commit to practice in a high-need area serving patients with limited English proficiency. Providers will demonstrate language proficiency through an oral exam administered through an accredited language assessment organization. Click here to apply. HRSA is accepting applications through May 9, 6:30 p.m. CT.
CMS Revises Informed Consent Guidance for Hospitals
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced new guidance to its Hospital Interpretive Guidelines for Informed Consent to clarify the need for hospitals to obtain informed consent from patients before performing sensitive or invasive examinations or procedures, such as breast, pelvic, prostate and rectal examinations—particularly on anesthetized patients.
In an associated letter sent to teaching hospitals and medical schools, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services said, “It is critically important that hospitals set clear guidelines to ensure providers and trainees performing these examinations first obtain and document informed consent from patients before performing sensitive examinations in all circumstances. Informed consent includes the right to refuse consent for sensitive examinations conducted for teaching purposes and the right to refuse to consent to any previously unagreed examinations to treatment while under anesthesia.”
The issue of informed consent is addressed in Illinois’ Medical Patient Rights Act (410 ILCS 50/7), which states, “Any physician, medical student, resident, advanced practice registered nurse, registered nurse, or physician assistant who provides treatment or care to a patient shall inform the patient of his or her profession upon providing the treatment or care, which includes but is not limited to any physical examination, such as a pelvic examination. In the case of an unconscious patient, any care or treatment must be related to the patient's illness, condition, or disease.”
IDPH ALERT: Illness Resembling Botulism from Possible Counterfeit Botox
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) is alerting healthcare facilities, and particularly emergency departments, to be on a heightened lookout for patients who present with symptoms similar to botulism. IDPH said following injection with either Botox, or possibly a counterfeit version of the product, two individuals in LaSalle County reported symptoms similar to botulism, including blurred/double vision, droopy face, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and a hoarse voice. Both individuals in Illinois required hospitalization. Both had received injections from a licensed nurse in LaSalle County who was performing work outside her authority.
The Department is also urging providers to record a thorough history on any recent receipt of botulinum toxin products, including purpose (e.g., cosmetic), name and address where the administration occurred, injection sites, number of doses administered, product used, date of administration and person who administered the injection. IDPH said providers should immediately report any such cases to their local health department for further investigation.
Class I Recalls: Ventilator Kits, Neurovascular Catheters
The Food and Drug Administration has identified two Class I recalls, the most serious type of recall, because use of these products may cause serious injury or death. Medos International Sàrl is recalling 1,343 Cerenovus CEREBASE DA Guide Sheaths. The use of the affected product may result in surgical procedural delay, vascular injury or hemorrhage, and in extreme rare occasions may result in embolism. There have been three reported injuries, and no reports of death.
Smiths Medical recalled 2,906 PneuPac paraPAC Plus 300 and 310 Ventilator Kits after receiving reports that patients may not receive the right amount of ventilation or enough oxygen. The issue may also cause a complete or partial airway obstruction. Smiths Medical has reported eight reports of serious injury related to this issue. There are currently no reported deaths.
COVID-19 Information
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a weekly Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard that will be updated weekly on Friday. This report provides the public with the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data.
Click here to visit the IDPH COVID-19 resources webpage. IDPH will continue to report the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, with COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information also reported through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
Gov. JB Pritzker announced yesterday that Illinois Dept. of Insurance (DOI) Director Dana Popish Severinghaus will step down from her role on April 15. Gov. Pritzker has appointed State Sen. Ann Gillespie as new Acting Director of DOI, pending Senate confirmation. Gillespie will begin serving in an Acting Director role in mid-April. Gillespie, who will resign her state senate seat, has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2019 representing Chicago’s northwest suburbs.
5 recent Joint Commission moves
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/8) that, “The Joint Commission has recently published a list of the most compliance standards that were most challenging for hospitals to meet in 2023, tweaked its hospital survey process and named an inaugural ‘president’s fellow.’”
Hospitals’ Medicare Advantage problem hits an inflection point
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/5) that, “As Medicare Advantage enrollment climbs to nearly 34 million people and the federal government implements new insurance policies, the scene has been set for tensions between hospitals and payers to intensify.”
States with the most, fewest RNs per capita
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/8) that, “The District of Columbia has the most registered nurses per capita, and Idaho has the fewest, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”