Dear Reader,

One month to go! Be sure to register now (PDF, 28KB) for our fall meeting in St. Louis, October 22-25 (see below for more details). Also, check out the meeting's draft agenda (PDF, 15KB).

See you in St. Louis!

Best regards,
HPN Board of Directors

Contents

1. Register now for St. Louis meeting
2. American Airlines offering special discount for HPN meeting
3. Featured profession: Certified medical assistant
4. Lots of health professions celebrations coming in October
5. HPN Advocacy Update
6. Join HPN in celebrating Allied Health Professions Week, November 2-8

1. Register now for St. Louis meeting

Our schedule for the HPN fall meeting, October 22-25 in St. Louis, is firming up nicely. (Note: Speakers and topics are subject to change). Be sure to complete your registration form (PDF, 28KB) now for this important event.

• Changes That Will Impact the Delivery of Health Care (Electronic Video Telecast)
  Ed O'Neil, Director, Center for the Health Professions
• Reimbursement- Who Decides: A CMS Perspective
  Robert Epps, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Update on HPN Health Professions Awareness Campaign (HPAC)
• HPN Business Meeting (including voting to approve key bylaws changes)
• The Impact of Healthcare Policy on Scopes of Practice
  Jayme Matchinski
• Pulling Regulatory Levers to Improve Health Care
  Catherine Dower
• Looking at the AMA's Scope of Practice Partnership
  Rebecca Patchin, MD
• The Coalition for Patient's Rights: Life Support for Patient Choice
  Rose Gonzalez

Reminder: In addition to our fall meeting, the following dates are scheduled for 2009:

• April 14-17, 2009, Fort Worth, TX (Note: Tuesday-Friday)
• September 23-26, 2009, Tampa, FL

Be sure to mark your calendars now!

2. American Airlines offering special discount for HPN meeting

American Airlines is offering a special discount for the HPN meeting in St. Louis: Airfare of $275.00 (plus applicable taxes and fees).

For fare and schedule information and to make your zone fare or discount reservations, 800 433-1790 and reference "Site 186" any day from 6 AM to 12 midnight Central Time. This ticket is nonrefundable once ticketed and is valid for travel to this meeting only.

The discounted rate is available only through October 3, 2008, and is valid for travel October 19-28, 2008 to St. Louis. The discount applies to all eligible applicable fares that are available for your dates and times of travel.

3. Featured profession: Certified medical assistant

This month's featured profession on the HPN Web site is the certified medical assistant (CMA).

CMAs are multiskilled practitioners who assume a wide range of roles in physicians' offices and other health care settings, and are viewed by physicians as vital partners in increasing medical office productivity. In small practices, CMAs are usually "generalists," handling both administrative and clinical duties and reporting directly to an office manager, physician, or other health practitioner.

Learn more about the field's education, certification, and practice.

Also, be sure to consult the AMA's chart of health care career income ranges, for salary in this and other health professions fields.

4. Lots of health professions celebrations coming in October

Besides Halloween, the month of October hosts a plethora of health-related events in honor of various health professions . . .

Medical Assistants Recognition Week, October 20-24
Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month
National Medical Librarians Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Physician Assistant Week, October 6-12
National Surgical Technologist Week, September 21-27
Nuclear Medicine Week, October 5-11
Respiratory Care Week, October 19-25
Sleep Technologist Appreciation Week, October 6-12

For more information on other upcoming events, consult the HPN calendar.

5. HPN Advocacy Update

According to Health Professions and Nursing Coalition (HPNEC) and other sources, the future of the Appropriations cycle is currently up in the air. It appears, however, that a Continuing Resolution (CR) could pass both houses as soon as September 27. As of September 26, it appears this CR will last until March 2009. The CR will likely temporarily continue funding at FY 2008 levels, with the goal to complete work on the spending bill at a later time.

HPNEC is creating "Profiles of Success" for all Title VII and VIII programs. These profiles will serve as advocacy tools for meetings on the Hill. To get a copy of the questionnaire, please contact Abigail Schopick at aschopick@aamc.org or (202) 828-0558. You can share the questionnaire with your membership. Note: To answer this questionnaire, your programs must be a recipient of Title VII or Title VIII program money.

The peer-reviewed journal Academic Medicine is devoting the November issue entirely to Title VII. The issue will contain 18 articles, including an editorial, commentaries, and other items. This could be a great advocacy tool for HPNEC and for many member organizations.

Please contact HPNEC if your organization would be interested in purchasing bulk quantities of the November edition of Academic Medicine.

6. Join HPN in celebrating Allied Health Professions Week, November 2-8

Wondering how to celebrate Allied Health Professions Week (AHPW) on November 2-8? Let us count the ways . . .

For professional associations . . .

• Advertise the dates and a description of allied health professions in your publications
• Sponsor an organizational activity to celebrate the event
• Distribute AHPW information to your membership and regional, state, and local chapters.
• Recognize and reward those who initiated or supported outstanding contributions to AHPW

For health care facilities and allied health education programs . . .

Recognize staff and students:

• Designate an allied health professional or student to be honored each day of AHPW
• Sponsor a luncheon to recognize honorees and invite allied health leaders/faculty from area institutions
• Invite a guest speaker to discuss the contributions of the allied health workforce to health care
• Host a breakfast with the CEO/President and a group of allied health staff to discuss allied health contributions and challenges in the institution
• Ask the CEO/Vice President(s) to visit allied health departments and express thanks to staff
• Invite allied health staff to an appreciation reception with the institution's leaders and present attendees with a small gift
• Arrange panel discussion for institution's allied health leaders to discuss current issues in each of their professions and invite all health care colleagues
• Organize a picnic, potluck dinner, softball game, etc, for allied health professionals

Increase public awareness:

• Distribute a news release to local media and request announcement of AHPW celebration
• Create a display in a prominent area of the facility for weekly recognition of allied health professions
• Profile a variety of allied health professionals, educators, and students in the institution's newsletter
• Contact local newspapers with idea(s) for an article(s) about AHPW and/or about local citizens who fill prominent allied health positions in local health care institutions
• Make table tents for the cafeteria that highlight different allied health professions
• Set up a display table in a central location, staffed by allied health providers or educators, to distribute promotional literature, provide brief demonstrations, and highlight the various allied health professions
• Invite high school guidance counselors to a luncheon with allied health department leaders/educators to discuss career opportunities in allied health
• Invite a select group of local high school students to shadow allied health professionals for a few hours to gain firsthand experience and knowledge

Be a part of Allied Health Professions Week and help grow our professions!

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:

• Identifying issues of common interest
• Communicating these issues to all participants
• Seeking consensus and facilitating responses
• Advocating on behalf of health care professionals to the public, professional associations, and federal and state policy makers

Values

The HPN affirms that effective collaboration among health care professions is based on the values of:

• Commitment to the HPN
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Diversity
• Respect