HHS awarding $25 million in emergency care grants
Hospitals are eligible to apply for shares of $25 million in grants the Department of Health and Human Services will award for improvements to emergency care. The deadline for applying for grants is Sept. 7. The money will be awarded via a competitive emergency care grant program focused on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. The initiative addresses emergency care issues highlighted in the June 2006 Institute of Medicine’s Future of Emergency Care Reports. “By identifying new projects that could be replicated across the country, we are looking to strengthen the overall resiliency of our nation’s emergency care,” said W. Craig Vanderwagen, MD, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
Expert: Funding plans may need reconsideration
The recent rise in 10-year U.S. Treasury yields should prompt some senior housing and healthcare borrowers to rethink their long-term debt strategy, says Cambridge Realty Capital Companies Chairman Jeffrey A. Davis. He said interest rates on popular FHA-insured HUD loans typically move in tandem with yields on 10-year Treasury notes. In recent weeks, rates on 10-year Treasuries have jumped from 4.84 percent to 5.14 percent, an increase of 300 basis points. “Because they’re on a similar trajectory, HUD rates are also up about 0.3 percent. On a $10 million loan, this roughly works out to about $30,000 per year, or $330,000 over 10 years,” he noted. “But the impact of the increase is even greater because it significantly impacts the potential loan proceeds available to a borrower.”
Surveys: SSO technology has increased dramatically
A series of surveys of CHIME members shows that Single Sign-On technology implementation has increased dramatically during the last four years, and results suggest that the trend can be expected to continue. The first survey, conducted in 2003, showed that 13 percent of CHIME members had implemented SSO technology. By 2005, 18 percent were reporting use of SSO, and the 2006 and 2007 surveys showed that 36 percent of respondents reported implementing or testing SSO technology. Another 24 percent reported on this year’s survey that their organizations are selecting an SSO solution; 39 percent said SSO technology was not applicable to their organization.