News & Press

Stakeholder Meeting - Payment Reimbursement

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 23:32:21 GMT

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority would like to invite you to attend a stakeholder meeting focusing on improving the payment reimbursement structure for the SoonerCare Choice program.

OHCA wants your input and suggestions for redesigning the quality measures component of our SoonerCare PCMH model. If you would like to attend one of these meetings, below is a list of dates.

*Online attendance is also available via webinar for the OKC meetings only.*

Tulsa location:

March 1, 2017        1:30-3:30 p.m.       University of Oklahoma – Tulsa Learning Center

4502 E 41^st St.

Tulsa, OK 74135

OKC locations:

March 1, 2017        8:00-10:00 a.m.      OHCA Charles (Ed) McFall Boardroom

4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., OKC, OK 73015

To attend the meeting via webinar, please register here.

March 2, 2017        1:30-3:30 p.m.        OHCA Charles (Ed) McFall Boardroom

To attend the meeting via webinar, please register here.

March 2, 2017        5:30-7:30 p.m.       OHCA Charles (Ed) McFall Boardroom

To attend the meeting via webinar, please register here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We hope that you can join in on this discussion.

Grants and scholarships

Thu, 26 Jan 2017 20:33:43 GMT

2017 Grants and Scholarship Application Cycle Announced - Applications for the 2017 AANP Grants and Scholarship cycle will open February 1 and close March 15. Grants are available to AANP members who are practicing in an NP role. Applicants must be certified nurse practitioners or graduate students expected to complete their projects in 2018. Scholarships are available to AANP members currently enrolled in an accredited graduate school in pursuit of an advanced degree or certification AND scheduled to complete an eligible NP program between Fall 2017 and Summer 2018. Scholarship applicants must be licensed as a registered nurse. Applicants may receive up to $2,500 in funding. Only completed applications will be accepted and reviewed. Please review the grant and scholarship information sheets to learn more about eligibility criteria and required documents. All application submissions must be made through the online system available February 1, 2017.

Oklahoma Prescription monitoring program - prescriber registration

Tue, 9 Aug 2016 18:59:44 GMT

Registration for the new Oklahoma Prescription Monitoring Program is underway. If you have not completed your online application, please do so immediately to ensure your access has been approved prior to the go-live date of August 30, 2016. Register NOW

The Oklahoma Prescription Monitoring Program will be moving from an in-house program to Appriss PMP AWARxE software. This change allows Oklahoma to exchange information with other states easily. It also means that you have to re-register for the Prescription Monitoring Program, as your information will not be carried over from current/existing system.

Read this document for more information....

New Study Shows Low-value Care Rates Similar for Advance Practice Clinicians (APCs) and Physicians

Fri, 5 Aug 2016 15:09:52 GMT

According to a new study, APCs (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) provide equivalent amounts of low-value health services in primary care in both hospital and office-based settings. The authors explain that this finding is important because, “according to a recent national survey, most physicians believe that APCs provide lower-quality care than they do, and nearly one quarter think that expanding their roles in U.S. practice would decrease the efficiency and value of health care.”

Using national data on ambulatory visits, researchers compared the use of potentially low-value health services, including use of antibiotics, plain radiography, advanced imaging and referrals to other physicians, between APCs and physicians in how they managed upper respiratory infections, back pain and headache. Researchers examined 12,170 physician and 473 APC office-based visits and 13,359 physician and 2,947 APC hospital-based visits.

According to researchers, the finding that “APCs order antibiotics, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, radiography and referrals as frequently as physicians is reassuring given recent efforts to expand the number of APCs, as well as their role, to meet the increasing demand for primary care.”

Click here to read the full article from the Annals of Internal Medicine "Comparing Use of Low-Value Health Care Services Among U.S. Advanced Practice Clinicians and Physicians”.

APRN opportunity to serve on the Oklahoma Board of Nursing

Mon, 4 Apr 2016 19:34:58 GMT

Governor Fallin will be appointing an APRN to the Oklahoma Board of Nursing in May/June 2016 to fill current terms, which end May 31, 2016.

Qualifications for the next appointments [59 O.S. § 567.4] are as follows: read more ....

Affordable Care Act - State by State

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published an interactive map that allows users to view how the Affordable Care act is helping residents in each state.

AHRQ Launches Regional Partnership Development Initiative to Promote Comparative Effectiveness Resea

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMT

The Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently launched efforts to promote comparative effectiveness research (CER), a type of patient-centered outcomes research, in patient and professional communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories. AHRQ has established five Regional Partnership Development Offices that are cultivating sustainable partnerships with hospitals and health systems, patient advocacy organizations, businesses, and other groups that serve clinicians, consumers, and policymakers. You're invited to learn more about CER and to partner with AHRQ by using and encouraging others to use free CER reports and materials, which support efforts to improve the quality of health care in communities.

What is comparative effectiveness research?

Comparative effectiveness research provides information that helps clinicians and patients work together to treat an illness or condition. CER compares drugs, medical devices, tests, surgeries, or ways to deliver health care. The research findings don't tell clinicians how to practice medicine or which treatment is best, but they provide evidence-based information on the effectiveness and risks of different treatments. Clinicians and patients can use this information to support their treatment decisions based on each individual's circumstances.

AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program works with researchers, research centers, and academic organizations to conduct the research and focuses on 14 priority health conditions, including: cardiovascular and related diseases, diabetes, arthritis, mental health disorders, and pregnancy. The full research reports are made available, and findings are translated into practical patient and clinician materials, that include:

Patient treatment comparison summaries (English and Spanish)
Clinician research summaries
Executive Summaries
Faculty Slide Sets
Continuing education (CME/CE) Modules
Podcasts

Click here for free AHRQ resources.

5 Tips for Busy Nurses

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMT

By Connie Merritt, RN, BSN, PHN

As nurses we have a great commitment to our profession in the care of our patients but often we don't take care of our OWN lives. It is widely reported that we sacrifice a little of ourselves: our time, our energy, our lunch, and yes, our needs. Almost all of us know the challenge of back-to-back shifts! Inconsistent work schedules! Eating on the run! Standing on our feet too long! The stress of work obligations, family demands, and professional responsibilities often interferes with nurses' ability to do what's right for their own health.

As a nurse and business owner, I have seen the physical and the practical symptoms of America's busyness and stress epidemic. I am on a mission to help people maintain their spark for life. Here are some practical tips from my recent research and book released from McGraw-Hill: TOO BUSY FOR YOUR OWN GOOD that help unravel the issues to reduce stress levels and make a positive difference with your career, family, health, relationships and finances.

TIP 1: ACCEPT IT! Your care starts with YOU! Accept it's your responsibility to help reduce stress and manage busyness and that you can manage it! (Even if you are getting multiple demands from different areas.) By taking responsibility for your time, it enables you to find the solutions far more quickly and you're more likely to have the life you want this year.

TIP 2: BE PRESENT Nurses live in a world that is always "on." Hospitals and healthcare needs never close. It's up to you to work your hours and then leave your concerns and worries. This involves confidence in your coworkers and strong interpersonal communications skills. An exercise you must commit to in order to be successful to reduce stress and insure balance in your life is to be PRESENT:

Prioritize what's important for your purpose
Rest and restore your body
Eliminate clutter and enjoy what you have
Set "smart" goals ("specific, measurable, attuned to your life, realistic, with a timetable")
Encourage harmonious relationships
No, politely needs to be communicated more often
Trust in something greater than yourself

This is a vital exercise that needs to be reviewed almost daily! In fact, when you read the exercise – did you make plans to work through being PRESENT? Or, are you glossing over the exercise thinking you could not possibly fit this into your schedule? This is about you and your essential energy for life – your spark! When you live in the present, you are living where life is happening – and living in the present will change your life. Promise yourself you will do the work to be PRESENT.

TIP 3: ADMIT IT! Admit that you can do it – it's possible – you can take control.

TIP 4: LET GO! What can you let go of ? This one takes some figuring out – what and how to let go. Take the time and make the necessary changes (that includes people, places and things).

TIP 5: SAY NO! A big part of letting go is saying NO. No, may be the most powerful word to use to help relieve stress and find more time to take care of things that matter most to you. No, can save you time, enable you to focus on what's important to you and – protect you from your own good-heartedness! While saying 'no' can be a challenge, you can express it pleasantly with a smile (in your heart and tone) with these "no" phrases:

"I have a prior commitment."
"Sorry, can't – let me know how it goes."
"I am tempted, but I'll have to pass."
"You know I'd never refuse you if I could help it....but I'm afraid that won't work for me."

Research indicates that we all get busy and do not take the necessary time to do what we really need to do to manage our lives. Busyness destroys our balance, scrambles our priorities and leads us into stress and a cluttering of our lives with too many activities, endless to-do lists and not enough time to re-charge to do the things we really need to do. These tips will help you manage your time, make good choices with less stress and more balance– enabling you to take better care of you and your special spark for life!

Medicare Fee-for-Service Health Care

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMT

As a condition for payment, the Affordable Care Act mandates that prior to certifying a patient's eligibility for the home health benefit, the certifying physician must document that he or she, or an allowed non-physician practitioner (NPP) has had a face-to-face encounter with the patient. Documentation regarding these encounters must be present on certifications for patients with starts of care on and after January 1, 2011.

Pharmacy Board Rule As It Pertains To Prescriptive Authority And APRNs

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:00:00 GMT

53.1a. Advanced practice nurses - Prescribing authority. Prescribing authority shall be allowed, under the medical direction of a supervising physician, for an advanced practice nurse recognized by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing in one of the following categories: advanced registered nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, or certified nurse midwives. The advanced practice nurse may write or sign, or transmit by word of mouth, telephone or other means of communication an order, for drugs or medical supplies that is intended to be filled, compounded, or dispensed by a pharmacist. The supervising physician and the advanced practice nurse shall be identified at the time of origination of the prescription and the /name of the advanced practice nurse shall be printed on the prescription label.

Nurse Practitioner Stacy Tomberlin Selected for AANP Future Leaders Program

Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:00:00 GMT

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the largest national professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties, is pleased to announce that AONP member, Stacy Tomberlin, has been selected to participate in the prestigious AANP Future Leaders Program. Click here to read the press release.

AANP CMV Medical Examiner Training Program

Fri, 1 Aug 2014 05:00:00 GMT

The AANP CMV Medical Examiner training program is now LIVE in the AANP CE Center! The AANP program, presented by Nurse Practitioners, will enable medical examiners the ability to interpret and apply the FMCSA rules and will prepare the medical examiner for the NRCME certification exam. Training consists of approximately nine hours of online instruction and offers AANP CE Credit. After successful completion you can immediately print your Certificate of Completion.

Latest effectiveness research summaries on the subject of childhood obesity and bariatric surgery.

Mon, 3 Feb 2014 05:00:00 GMT

The Effective Health Care Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published several summaries on the comparative effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention programs and bariatric surgery. Click on the titles below to read these summaries.

Obesity Prevention Programs - for clinicians
Obesity Prevention Programs - for consumers

Bariatric surgery - for clinicians
Bariatric surgery - for consumers

Nurse Practitioner and Advocate of the Year Awards

Mon, 3 Feb 2014 05:00:00 GMT

AONP congratulates these outstanding Oklahoma NPs and AONP members. You are a wonderful assest to Oklahoma and we are proud to have you in our ranks.

The 2014 AANP State Award for Excellence: NP OF THE YEAR winner is Kerri Ellis, of Sapulpa. The NP State Award for Excellence is given annually to an outstanding NP who has demonstrated excellence in NP clinical practice.

2014 AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence: ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR winner is Tricia Butner, of Seminole. The Advocate State Award for Excellence is given annually to an outstanding NP who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and acceptance of NPs. Examples of past recipients have been physicians, legislators, educators, etc. NPs are also eligible for the advocate award for non-clinical practice initiatives related to leadership, precepting, policy, politics, research, education, or community affairs.

2013 National Salary Survey Results

Mon, 3 Feb 2014 05:00:00 GMT

This year, nurse practitioners and physician assistants have reason to rejoice: Both groups experienced increased full-time salaries in 2013, with the only dip reported in hourly wages for PAs.

According to the 2013 National Salary Survey of NPs & PAs, conducted annually by ADVANCE for NPs & PAs, full-time salaries rose more than $5,000 for each profession.

Click here to read the full survey results.