RWJF Hosts Online Readmissions Discussion

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Human Capital Network is presenting an online chat on reducing hospital readmissions Monday, March 31, 2014, from 3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m., ET.

Issues surrounding improving care transitions in order to prevent avoidable hospital readmissions will be discussed. Recent research that highlights how nurse staffing rates can improve patient outcomes will be featured. Topics will include: the variables that cause readmissions; national trends in readmission rates; and interventions for preventing unnecessary readmissions.

Presenters include RWJF Senior Program Officer Susan Mende and Matthew McHugh, associate professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and an RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar.

McHugh’s research focuses on the effects of policy and organizational factors on nursing practice and health outcomes.

Mende is engaged in an RWJF national program effort to help consumers take an active role in improving the quality of health care in their communities.

Questions can be asked live during the event or in advance by emailing: hcfeedback@rwjf.org.

Registration for the chat is available here.

For more information contact Sue Stine, RWJF Human Capital Network Community Manager, (240) 221-4316; hcfeedback@rwjf.org.

Advancing the Role of Nurses: A Summit to Remember

Recently at the Campaign for Action National Summit in Washington D.C., more than 200 leaders gathered from state Action Coalitions—nurses, other health leaders, consumers, educators, business leaders and others who are working at the state level to advance nursing and improve health care. These Action Coalition leaders are experts and activists who shared innovative ideas for transforming health care and improving health, and to plan for the future. One of the attendees, Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Senior Adviser for Nursing and Director, Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, provides an inside look and summary of the summit. She, along with Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN,presented some imperatives for the Campaign for Action going forward, and said those working on the Campaign must:

•move beyond nursing;
•deliver short term results in the next 18 months, even as we develop long-term plans;
•have courage to place the right leaders at the helm and remove ineffective leaders;
•find the funding to sustain this work; and
•never ignore diverse stakeholders who are critical to our success.

Click here to read the article.
Click here to learn about an INQRI project contributing to the Future of Nursing.

INQRI Grantee on the Importance of Transforming the U.S. Health System

Continuing INQRI's contribution to RWJF's Human Capital blog carnival on "Health Care in 2013," INQRI grantee Robin Newhouse's post was featured today. Dr. Newhouse details her resolution for the U.S. in 2013: that the country "begin the transformation of health care systems to enhance high quality patient-centered care." Her post focuses on the importance of implementing evidence-based practices and the measurement and improvement of patient outcomes.

Click here to read Dr. Newhouse's piece.

INQRI Grantee on the "Zero-Risk Bias"

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Human Capital blog is in the midst of an exciting blog carnival, focused on "Health Care in 2013."  INQRI grantee Olga Yakusheva recently contributed an entry for this carnival, which outlines her wish for the U.S. health care system this year: "that we become more aware of the zero-risk bias" so that health care resources are used more effectively.

Click here to read Dr. Yakusheva's piece.

Follow RWJF at the 2012 APHA Annual Meeting

The American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting and Exposition begins tomorrow and runs until October 31, 2012. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will have a significant presence at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in San Francisco. This year’s theme, Prevention and Wellness Across the Life Span, will explore environmental, social, and behavioral issues that impact health across the life span.

There are a number of ways to connect with RWJF presenters throughout this year’s conference.

1. Attend a workshop. Here are a few of this year’s highlights:

• Nancy P. Hanrahan, PhD, RN, FAAN, INQRI grantee, A Randomized Control Trial Feasibility Study of a Transitional Care Model that Integrates Physical and Mental Health Care for Individuals Discharged from a Psychiatric Hospitalization (October 30)
• Monica Peek, MD, MPH, RWJF Harold Amos grant recipient, Shared decision-making: The importance of being actively involved in your own health care, Film and Discussion (October 30) 
• Robert Valdez, PhD, Director RWJF Center for Health Policy at University of New Mexico and Debra Joy Pérez, PhD, RWJF Assistant VP of Research and Evaluation, Health Equity for Latinos: Are We Making Progress (October 29) 
• Nina Wallerstein, DrPH, Senior Fellow, RWJF Center for Health Policy, Health Care Reform and Implications for Reproductive Health (October 29) 
• Daniel Howard, PhD, Director, RWJF Center for Health Policy at Meharry Medical College, Building A Successful Intervention to Address Mental Health Issues (October 30) 
• Lenard Lesser, MD, MSHS, RWJF Clinical Scholar, Rating Fast Food by Calories Purchased: Is Subway Healthier Than McDonald's (October 30) 
• Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD, New Connections alumnus, HIV Prevention Practices Promoted by African American Faith Leaders (October 31) 

 2. Follow the conference on Twitter. Follow the conference hashtag #APHA12 for the latest updates. You can also tweet to any of RWJF’s accounts: @RWJF, @RWJF_PubHealth, @RWJF_ChdObesity, @RWJF_HumanCap and @RWJF_VP.

3. Interact with RWJF through the Human Capital blog. Human Capital scholars and alumni will be blogging from the conference beginning Monday, October 29. Stay tuned for posts on both the Human Capital and New Public Health blogs.

Do Nurses Resist Implementing Evidence-Based Improvements to Patient Care?

This morning, several INQRI grantees were featured on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Human Capital blog, responding to a recent article which found that resistance from nursing leaders and other barriers prevent nurses from implementing evidence-based practices, even when those practices could improve patient outcomes.

Click here to read the post and leave a comment.

End of the National Survey on the Nursing Workforce

This year, the federal government did not continue a long-running survey of registered nurses that, since 1977, had provided a rich source of national data about nursing education and practice. Some nurse researchers are mourning the lapse of the survey, known as the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN). Joanne Spetz, PhD, FAAN, professor, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies & School of Nursing; and faculty researcher, Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco, explains why she is among them in a new interview posted on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Human Capital blog.

Click here to read the post and join the conversation.

INQRI's Mark Pauly on Nurse Scope of Practice Laws and Economic Motives

INQRI co-director, Mark Pauly, was featured today on RWJF's Human Capital blog with a piece titled, "Expanded Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Scope of Practice Laws: Can We Ignore Economic Motives and Effects?"

Mark's blog post discusses a recent article published in Nursing Research and Practice, by Patricia Pittman and Benjamin Williams, "Physician Wages in States with Expanded APRN Scope of Practice." Mark explains that while the Pittman/Williams article does not present a "smoking gun" in regards to the effect of expanding nurse scope of practice on physician salaries, it does move the discussion away from economics to a focus on quality and access to care.

Take a look at Mark's blog post and the original article and let us know what you think.

Two INQRI Blogposts To Help Ring In 2012

We are pleased to share with all of you two blogposts written by an INQRI grantee and INQRI's Program Associate that were recently featured on RWJF's Human Capital Blog.

The first blogpost is written by INQRI's Program Associate, Heather Kelley-Thompson, MA, whom many of you may have corresponded with over the years.

Click here to read Ms. Kelley-Thompson's collective New Year's resolution.

The second blogpost is written by INQRI grantee, Nancy E. Donaldson, RN, DNSc, FAAN. Dr. Donaldson's blogpost discussed how self-empowerment and the IOM's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report has, and will continue to shape her New Year's resolution through 2012.

Click here to read Dr. Donaldson's New Year's resolution.