Article by John Pratt Published

John Pratt co-wrote an article with Marianna Grachek that was published last month in the Long-Term Care Living magazine.  The article was titled "The Path to Leadership" and it discussed the importance of continuous education for leaders.  The article identified some common characteristics of long-term care leaders and suggested the type of learning environment they might find most beneficial!  The article is very well done and we're glad that John is our Assistant Program Director!  If you would like to read the entire article it is linked here - you just click on the title of this blog!

SJC students are amazing!

We've recently learned that one of our current students did an interview at the Florica State Capital with the Executive Director of the Florica Health Care Association.  Debbie did an excellent interview with regard to recent CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) updates and the potential impact on the quality of patient care.  We're proud to note that she's in our health administration program!!!  Check it out here  Great job Debbie!

Schedule for the Annual Health Administration Symposium July 25-29

The schedule of presenters for the 4th Annual Health Administration Symposium at Saint Joseph's College of Maine has been announced!  Join us for the entire week or a single day to learn more about the future of the provision of health care services in the United States!

Monday   7/25/2011

• 8-11AM Healthcare Reform Impact to Medicare and Medicaid with Jay Dennard of Gwinnett Medical Center
• 1-4PM Workforce Challenges with Jay Dennard of Gwinnett Medical Center

Tuesday   7/26/2011

• 8-11AM Concepts to Improve Efficiency with Don Lyons of InterOPERANT
• 1-4PM Roadmap to Sustainability with Walter Vernon of the Green Guide for Healthcare and Laura Brannen of Hospitals for a Health Environment

Wednesday   7/27/2011

• 8-11AM Measuring Quality with Tanya Zucconi of Birham and Women's/Faulkner Hospital
•  1-4PM Chaos to Calm: Effective Leadership with Susan Gilster of Alois Alzheimer Center

Thursday   7/28/2011

• 8-11AM Health Care’s 2nd Curve: Where Will You Be?  with Dr. Martin Merry General Internist specializing in the transformation of health care
• 1-4PM Leadership Competencies for Success with Jon Abeles of Catholic Health Partners

Friday   7/29/2011

• 8-11PM Innovative Initiative Implementation with Gerhard Friedrich of the Consortium for Optimizing Healthcare Performance
• 1-4PM Transforming Healthcare with Jon Abeles of Catholic Health Partners

Great Article by our Faculty Member about Online Learning!

Soon-to-be Dr. Valerie Connor has an article published in USA Today blog about online learning and the benefits of this modality!  Valerie has done an excellent job of capturing the the real advantages of online learning!

2011 Health Administration Symposium

We are pleased to announce that the Saint Joseph's College of Maine Health Administration Symposium will be held on campus from July 25th through 29th this year!!!!  The topic will be:

Healthcare in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Opportunities

We will post more detail as it becomes available, but we're putting together an amazing lineup of national speakers to bring their expertise to us about a range of issues related to the provision of health care services!!! 

Save the date!

The Future of Long-Term Care!

Dale Thompson and Becky Urbanski, of Benedictine Health Systems, published an article in the Catholic Health Association’s magazine, “Health Progress” last year that sounds the call for the future of healthcare in the US. We’ve have included an excerpt here for your reading pleasure!


Leaders in health care are bracing for the impending “Large wave” — the large group of aging adults of the baby boomer generation who will enter health care systems in ever larger numbers in the next 20 to 30 years. Unsurprisingly, these men and women, accustomed as they are to shaping change and progress over the past four decades, harbor heightened expectations for their health care and lifestyles as they age and are likely to have significant effects on the way health care services are delivered. It is clear, for instance, that boomers expect to continue to participate and contribute to society and enjoy life, preferably at home. For the most they are expected to demand continuation of their current living arrangements with adjustments for ability as needs arise. Eventually, though, many will enter long-term care facilities, and there too, they are expected to require innovative care. Their needs and desires, combined with a strong desire on the part of religious sponsors to see their ministries continue well into the future, pose pressing challenges for delivery of health care across the spectrum and are prompting long-term care facilities to look ahead and think creatively. For those in the field, heads are often spinning.

Please click the link below to access the entire article:

http://www.chausa.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=6406

Who is Paying for Healthcare?

Written By Kathy H. Wood, PhD, FHFMA

Healthcare, and how to pay for it, is constantly in the forefront of the news and political campaigns. Here are some interesting facts about the healthcare system in the United States: a) the number of uninsured or underinsured patients continues to rise, particularly given the economic and employment situation currently taking place in the United States; b) the uninsured population does not have the same access to care as those who are insured; c) uncollectable accounts impact the revenue cycle; and d) some people view healthcare as an entitlement.

The current healthcare reform proposals and the regulatory environment have an impact on the bottom line for healthcare facilities and providers. Although many people believe that universal healthcare is free, it definitely is not a free option. Individuals pay for healthcare in the United States through lower wages and higher prices. Government has no source of funds other than taxes or borrowing to pay for health care. Supporters of the healthcare reform believe healthcare is a basic human right and providing the care to maintain health, restore health, and prevent illness is a “responsibility each person owes others and government owes to all”. Opponents, however, are mostly against this bill in particular, not healthcare reform itself or working to seek coverage for all Americans. They believe it is too great an expansion of government, that it imposes on American freedoms and it includes too great a financial burden for our country to bear. Review the bill and decide for yourself how you think it will impact the nation.



References:

Faithlink, Volume 16, Number 1, May 2, 2010. Cokesbury.

Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). www.hfma.org

New Program Advisory Committee Members

We are proud to announce that we have added two new members of the Health Administration Advisory Committee at SJC! Jon Abeles (above left) and Mattew Kirk (above right) will each serve a three year term. Matthew is currently a student in the BSRSA program online, while working at Maine Medical Center. In this capacity, he will bring expertise to the committee from the student perspective, as well as from the radiologic science administration context. Jon is the Senior Vice President of Talent Management, Diversity with Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP). He has been in this role since 2005. He holds a doctorate degree in education and has been instrumental in implementing human resources and learning/development strategies within CHP. Jon brings his experience and expertise in developing health care leaders to the committee, as well as the Catholic health care context.

We are very pleased to have both of these two individuals working with the committee!

3rd Annual Health Administration Symposium

The 3rd annual Health Administration Symposium held at Saint Joseph's College of Maine was a tremendous success!

44 individuals attended the symposium, with 11 presenters. The topics were relevant and engaging, and attendees participated with gusto!

Here are a few comments from attendees:

"I wish I had known about these symposia before. I will be back next year."

"I feel that members in attendance were knowledeable and feel that the questions raised by them during the sessions were relevant and insightful."

"This presenter was a masterful communicator with a great sense of humor! I really enjoyed
how he related every one of his slides to real life scenarios. He brings his topic to life by providing relevant examples that we can relate to! I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation!"

SAVE THE DATE!

Next year's symposium promises to be equally relevant and engaging!!! It will be held July 25th through 29th, 2011 on the SJC compus!

Saint Joseph's College Has a New Educational Partner!

Saint Joseph’s College has partnered with The Avila Institute of Gerontology in Germantown, N.Y., to create a customized online program focused on leadership for the organization’s staff. The institute is connected to the Carmelite Sisters, who operate 18 long-term care facilities, and provides high quality, affordable educational programs related to the care of the elderly. Avila employees can take online courses at lowered tuition through the Saint Joseph’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Depending on their previous education, Avila employees who complete the Leadership Certificate may transfer with advanced standing into the Saint Joseph’s Master in Health Administration program or the B.S. in Long-Term Care Administration program. The Leadership Certificate offers non-credit modules adapted from the Master in Health Administration courses. In addition, any Avila employee may also sign up for any individual course or degree program, independent of the leadership program, and still receive the partnership benefits.