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Notepads are 5 for $2.00. Size: 3 X 3, 25 sheets per pad. Shipping cost $1.60 for 5-10 pads, $3.30 for 11-25 pads. We will calculate shipping for larger orders. If you would like to order, email Karen Schuiteman or call her at (712) 722-8113. Her address is available in the Membership Directory - members will need to log in to access it. Checks should be made payable to IACPR. We will complete your order when we receive your check.
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This one-day workshop for healthcare professionals is designed to provide both background and current infomation on clinical practice related to the care of patients with obesity-related lung disease. CEU's are available for dieticians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists.
(brochure no longer available)
We have what may be the last chance to get the Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation Act of 2007 (S 329) into legislation.
In prior emails, we have asked you to write to your legislators for co-sponsorship of this bill. The message has changed – if you previously contacted your legislators, this is a new request. Now we need you to solicit Senator Harkin’s support as a co-sponsor and Senator Grassley’s support as the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and let them know that you, as a cardiac/pulmonary rehab professional and a constituent, want to continue to have those services available to your patients! Without this legislation, Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs may no longer exist, and Cardiac Rehabilitation programs will continue to exist under the â€incident to†clause which is confusing and contradictory.
If you need more background and understanding, visit Immediate Call for Action
This Call for Action includes your staff, physicians, patients, administrators, and any other people who are willing to communicate with our legislators to get this bill through.
WHAT ARE MY NEXT STEPS?
1. Contact Senator Grassley by email, fax, or phone. Click here for a sample letter, but please personalize your message. You can copy and paste this into the email link below. If you are calling, ask to speak to Sue Walden and convey the message, or leave a message on her voice mail. The script is included in this attachment.
Email Chuck Grassley, Phone (202) 224-3744, or Fax (202) 224-6020
2. Contact Senator Harkin. Click here for a sample letter, but please personalize your message. You can copy and paste this into the email link below. If you are calling, ask to speak to Janelle and convey the message, or leave a message on her voice mail
Email Tom Harkin, Phone (202) 224-3254, Fax (202) 224-9369
3. Ask your patients to send letters, emails, or phone. Use the “Sample Patient Letter†as your guide. Offer to fax the letter for them. If all they have to do is sign the letter, you’ll get more participation than if you send them home to do it. If you like, you may put out the petition for your patients to sign. We have provided you sample documents that will require very little editing on your part: Patient Letter to Grassley, Patient Letter to Harkin, Petition to Grassley, and Patient Script. Simply fill in the blanks!
KEY POINT TO REMEMBER – THE NUMBER OF CONTACTS OUR SENATORS RECEIVE IS KEY TO THIS BILL BECOMING LAW. RECRUIT EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO FAX, EMAIL, OR CALL THE SENATORS BEFORE THE END OF AUGUST - THE SOONER THE BETTER!!! When our Medicare Administrative Contractor is implemented less than a year from now, Pulmonary Rehab programs may no longer exist since CMS has refused to issue a National Coverage Determination. This bill will also remove the confusing regulatory environment of “incident to†services for Cardiac Rehab and clearly create it as a specific Medicare benefit.
Questions? Contact Janie Knipper, Susan Siefkas, or Candy Steele. We would rather have lots of questions (there’s no such thing as a “dumb†one) rather than no response from our IACPR members.
Our friend and colleague Eileen Davey died Monday, July 23 after a courageous battle with systemic scleroderma. Eileen was a nurse for 34 years. She graduated with her A.A. in nursing from Iowa Tech Community College in 1973. She worked at the Clarinda Regional Health Center for 12 years and most recently in Cardiac Rehab. She retired in January 2006 due to her illness. She was an active member in IACPR and the Southwest Iowa district, served on the Education Committee, and participated in the Heart and Lung Games as a volunteer and patient chaperone. She was very active in her community as a volunteer for many causes.
The Eileen Davey Memorial Fund has been established. Memorials and condolences can be sent to her husband James Davey, 1200 S. Elm St., Shenandoah, IA 51601-2222.
You can read about Eileen's story at the CaringBridge website. Type "eileendavey" in the site name (no quotes).
Our thoughts and prayers are with Eileen's family during this difficult time. We will all miss her.
FOLLOW-UP TO OUR MEMBERSHIP MEETING IN SIOUX FALLS:
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN FOR SUPPORT OF THE CARDIAC AND PULMONARY REHABILITATION LEGISLATION!
When we surveyed IACPR members at the membership meeting in Sioux Falls, many of you said you did not know how to contact your legislators, did not understand the need for legislation, or were just not motivated to do it. PLEASE take the time to take action now! Remember, incident-to services are on the OIG 2007 Workplan.
In March, IACPR sent 3 representatives (Candy Steele – District 1, Janie Knipper – District 2, Susan Siefkas – District 3) to AACVPR’s Day on the Hill 2007 to meet with legislators and their staff to garner support for S.329 and HR 552. We are asking each one of you to write to your Senators and Congressmen so that when we go to Washington, DC they will understand this is an issue that is very important to their constituents, Iowa Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab programs, and Iowa patients. Please understand that the existence of our programs may be dependent on the passing of this legislation.
All members of the Senate and the House of Representatives need to be asked to co-sponsor this legislation. Please help make this grass roots campaign effective by contacting our Senators and the Congressman who represent the district in which you live and/or work. If we all do our part, we can make a difference as professionals who care about our patients and who want our programs to remain viable.
Instructions for contacting your Senator/Representative (do not send “snail mail†- only send letters via faxes, email, or through the legislator’s web contact form)
Step 1: Identify your Senators and Congressmen
The document IA House and Senate lists counties represented by the our legislators. The contact information for Senators Grassley and Harkin are listed, as well as hyperlinks to their web contact forms if available.
Step 2. Compose and send letters
Sample letters to your Senator and Congressmanare available for you to use as starters. You can copy and paste this information into your email, letter to be faxed, or the web contact form. Please personalize and modify to fit your demographics, including mentioning your hospital and community.
In Senator Harkin’s letter, remind him that he was a co-sponsor last year for S.1440 (which is now S.329 in the 110th Congress) and you hope he will again decide to sponsor this same bill.
Step 3. Request your medical directors and hospital CEO to also send letters.
You can draft the letter on hospital letterhead using the above sample and have them sign it.
Step 4. Let IACPR know how many letters were sent.
When you send letters, please go to the IACPR “Contact Us†page and let us know to whom you sent letters, and if you were able to get your colleagues, medical directors, CEOs, etc. to send letters also.
Step 5. Follow up with a phone call to the Washington office in a week
Tell them that you sent a letter requesting support for S.329/HR 552 and tell them how important it is to you that the Senator/Congressman signs on as a co-sponsor.
Congressmen Braley, Loebsack, King, and Latham have signed on as co-sponsors - please send them a note of thanks if they represent the district in which you live or work!
Other helpful background information is available at the AACVPR website, including the Cardiac/Pulmonary Issue paper which gives the background for this initiative. If you have any questions, please contact one of us and we will be glad to clarify any questions you have.
WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
We would like to have a reimbursement representative from Districts 4 and 5, so if you live or work in either of those districts (see attachment) and would like to be a part of our team, please let us know.
Learn some Grass Roots Strategies!
Local Town Hall Meetings
Many legislators hold Town Hall meetings – it’s a great chance to get our message out to them! Watch your local paper for meetings held by your legislator. Contact the district office to find out when your Congressman will be back in the district and ask if you can make an appointment to see him. If you want assistance at this appointment, please Contact Us.
Face-to-face opportunities are a great chance to let them know how important this legislation is to our programs and patients!
We have held these workshops in the past, and if there are enough interested programs, we will hold one again, possibly in Spring 2007. Please Contact Us if you are interested. Make sure your program meets the AACVPR guidelines - we can help you with the process!
If you are interested in participating in this exciting effort, please contact Janie Knipper or Candy Steele. We will coach and train you in the information you need to know. Your participation will help us pass much needed legislation for our cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs, and could even mean a trip for you to Washington, DC!
We need your help for Legislative Action!
We've provided two sample letters you can simple copy and paste:
1. To Senators re: Senate Bill #1440 (S 1440)
2. To Representatives re: house Bill #4824 (HR 4824)
Address your letters as follows:
To a Senator
To a Representative
The Honorable ( full name )
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Given the number of cardiac & pulmonary rehab programs and patients in Iowa, we should be able to get our elected officials to show more support! Please persuade them to do so by either fax or email. Due to anthrax and other terrorist threats, paper mail is not accepted.
Click here for listing of Senators and Representatives with their contact information.
Thank you for your participation in this effort to permanently secure
Medicare coverage for Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation!
Your letters will count!!
October 27, 2006
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Iowa Health Des Moines Cardiac Rehabilitation Department
Location: Cardiac Rehabilitation Department at Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Des Moines
Purpose and Intended Audience
This one-day workshop is designed to provide healthcare professionals with basic information and resources to handle day-to-day operations in an outpatient hospital-based cardiac rehab program. Information will be provided to assist participants in compliance with CMS regulatory guidelines and JCAHO standards. Participants will gain knowledge of necessary program components, and receive a brief introduction to the AACVPR Program certification process.
This workshop is appropriate for RNs, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and other allied health personnel who will be responsible for direct patient contact within the cardiac rehab setting. This workshop may serve as a formal orientation to cardiac rehab and is valuable for the health professional who is new to this specialty area.
Education Credits
CEUs have been applied for by Iowa Approved Provider #31, Central Iowa Health System.
Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop, the participant should be able to:
Faculty
Laura Mackaman, RN, BSN, MS
Laurin Norland, RN-C, BSN, MS, ACCN-C
Marcia Pitcock, RN, BSN, MS, FAACVPR
Susan Siefkas, RN, BSN
Location and Fees
Class size is on a first-come, first-served basis, and limited to the first 12 registered participants. Registration deadline is October 13, 2006.
The cost for this workshop is $110 per person and includes all materials, a lunch voucher and afternoon refreshments. Inquiries regarding program or registration may be directed to Susan Siefkas at (515) 263-5488 or e-mail email Susan here. Confirmation will be emailed to all registrants prior to the workshop date.
The workshop will be held in the Cardiac / Pulmonary Rehab Department at Iowa Lutheran Hospital, 700 E University Ave., Des Moines, Iowa. Detailed directions will accompany the confirmation email.
