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| Health Professions Network News March 2008 | |
Dear Reader, It's not too late to register for the spring meeting of the Health Professions Network (HPN) in Baltimore, MD, April 2-5! We have 50 confirmed attendees and speakers from a wide variety of health professions. You won't want to miss this important event, as we discuss the status of the HPN's exciting new promotional project to raise the public profile of all health professions. And remember, all hotel accommodations and meals for the meeting are complimentary, with a low $150 registration fee.
HPN Board of Directors Contents
1. Register now for the HPN spring conference, April 2-5, Baltimore, MD Join us at the HPN Spring Conference, "The Changing Face of Healthcare," on Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5, Baltimore, MD (updated agenda available online). Conference presentations will include:
Thanks to the generosity of our host, the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association, all hotel accommodations and meals are complimentary. In addition, discounted shuttle service will be provided to and from Baltimore/Washington International airport to the host hotels. Please complete the registration form and return with your $150 registration fee, via fax to Nikki Wenzel at 703 708-9020. Questions? Call Nikki at 703 708-9000 x1227 or e-mail her at nwenzel@snm.org. 2. Who's coming to the HPN meeting? A wide range of health care organizations will be represented at the upcoming spring meeting of the HPN in Baltimore. These include:
3. Celebrate National AHEC Week, March 24-28 Inequities in access to and quality of health care services. Racial and ethnic disparities in health status. Under-representation of minority and disadvantaged individuals in the health workforce. Helping redress these vexing systemic problems are the AHEC (Area Health Education Center) and HETC (Health Education Training Center) programs throughout the country. Through community-based interdisciplinary training programs, AHECs and HETCs identify, motivate, recruit, train, and retain a health care workforce committed to underserved populations. They are joined in this important work by approximately 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and allied health schools. Please join us in recognizing the many contributions to the nation's health of AHECs and HETCs. Visit the Web site of the National Area Health Education Center Organization (NAO) to learn more. 4. HPN to meet in Tampa Bay, September 2009 The fall 2009 meeting of the HPN will take place in Tampa Bay in September. Dates and venue for our spring 2009 meeting are still being negotiated. And don't forget—this fall, HPN is meeting in St. Louis, October 8-11. 5. Definition of "allied health" finalized In late-breaking news, a federal commission has finally and definitively resolved the age-old question of defining allied health. Meeting in Washington, DC, the National Allied Health Definition Commission announced that henceforth, "Allied health will be defined as including all health care practitioners except for physicians and nurses." In announcing the decision at a press briefing, commission chair and Undersecretary of Allied Health Affairs M. Hadley Underwood, EdD, noted that the new definition reflects the spirit of the Federal Paperwork Reduction Act and the K.I.S.S. concept (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Less K.I.S.S.-able, in the minds of some observers, is an addendum to the commission's decision that "Any patient spending more than 33 1/3 minutes per month (within any 1 [one] federal fiscal year) to consult the Internet and/or post content in online forums and blogs related to that patient's acute and/or chronic illness, injury, disease, or condition will be considered an allied health patient and accordingly subject to federal and state laws/regulations." In addition to these "allied health patients," a related category, "allied health friends and family," will be established to cover individuals who visit designated allied health patients in hospitals that receive Medicare/Medicaid funding. All individuals in either category will be required to submit annual documentation in this regard verifying their proper use of the term "allied health" to the Committee on Review of Your Proper Terminology in Care (CRYPTIC). Undersecretary Underwood also noted that a third category, "allied health animal companions," is under consideration for those domestic pets that provide clinically verifiable amelioration of disease/disability symptoms. The decision is effective as of 11:59 pm April 1. To learn more, see: http://tinyurl.com/33t3jb About us The Health Professions Network (HPN) includes provider organizations, educators, accreditors, credentialing agencies, and administrators. The group works together in a cooperative and interactive manner on issues relevant to workforce development and the delivery of health care in the United States. Identity Statement The HPN is a volunteer-run association representing health care professional associations and other organizations interested in interdisciplinary communication, discussion, and collaboration. Participants meet at least annually to discuss issues relating to health care and to serve as a conduit for interdisciplinary problem solving and preparation for future health care delivery. Vision The HPN is the premier network of health care professions working to positively influence the delivery of quality health care. Mission The HPN provides a forum for collaboration among health care professions on issues of common interest. The HPN will accomplish this mission through:
Values The HPN affirms that effective collaboration among health care professions is based on the values of:
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| Communication, consensus, and advocacy on behalf of allied health professionals. |
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