Connect with us
Become a member

January-February 2014 FNPN Newsletter Bullets

Posted about 10 years ago by Regina Pommer

This announcement has 1 attachment:
FNPN_January_February_2014_News_Bullets.pdf (9.3 MB)
Good Morning!

We would like to bring you up to date on what's new in your own backyard of Florida. In this newsletter you will find the following:

Contents:
  • From the Board of Directors
  • Around the State and Around the Nation
  • AANP Announcement
  • Legislation Updates
  • Shining Stars
  • Education Updates
  • Membership Update
  • Job Announcement
  • FNPN PAC Update
  • News You Can Use

Quote of the Month:

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
- Albert Einstein

From the Board of Directors:

As the upcoming year brings time for renewal, we hope you will consider your pledge to not only the FNPN, but your local organizations as well. This commitment needed is not only financial, but of a promise to remain engaged, whether by keeping abreast with the changes on the legislative front, or finding opportunities for education in your own back yard and around the state and nation. We ask all members to consider 'bringing a friend' to the registration table and helping to build our organizations to where they should be. With the numbers of Advanced Practice Nurses nearing 16,000 in Florida, we should have a strength that can overcome any push from our medical community. We MUST stand up and learn to feel empowered to push back, but do so with professionalism, wisdom and conviction. We hope you will let us nurture that side of you if you need it and engage those around you to do the same. Please be sure to contact us should you have questions about legislation, membership, education and more. Our Executive Assistant, Regina, is always available either by phone, computer and even skype!

Around the State and Around the Nation:

Florida Nurse Practitioner Network Joins other Stakeholders Participating in Discussions on the Future of Florida's Health Care System Highlights 2014 Florida Health Care Affordability Summit

FNPN board members joined key health care industry leaders, innovators and legislators at the 2014 Florida Health Care Affordability Summit at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, January 29, 2014, through Friday, January 31, 2014. The Summit, hosted by the Foundation of Associated Industries of Florida (FAIF), holds a series of panel discussions that brought together some of the most instrumental decision makers and forward-thinking business and industry leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities to guide the future of Florida's health care system. FNPN is a member of the Associated Industries of Florida who is known as the "Voice of Business" throughout Florida.

Gail Sadler, AANP FL State Representative, Doreen Cassarino, President FNPN, Jean Aertker, Legislative VP FNPN and AANP Region 11 Director

Topics discussed ranged from new technologies that will deliver quality care and patient monitoring to a patient's home, to workplace incentives that can promote healthier lifestyles and a healthier workforce. Included in the 3 day panels were business leaders, insurance representations, advanced practice nurses, physicians and lawmakers who discussed the many tools within our health care delivery system that can be used to make health care accessible and affordable for Floridians. Dr. Taynin Koponos, AANP Vice President State Health Policy was invited to serve on the panel lead by Representative Jose Oliva, chair of the House Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation. This panel addressed "Meeting the Workforce demands of providing health care to all Floridians. Tay did an outstanding job of presenting the current research data, trends and rationale to remove all barriers to APRN practice.

The Summit opening keynote speaker and Health Policy Analyst Paul Keckley, Ph.D., provided a comprehensive and critical look into the current state of our national health care landscape and what possible solutions Florida lawmakers and providers can implement to lower costs and insure more and more Floridians. APRN's were included in his list of solutions.

There were several panels on Thursday engaging in discussions to address the tools of technology for health care access (moderated by Representative Jason Brodeur), medical innovation (moderated by Senator Anitere Flores), employer innovations (moderated by Representative Matt Hudson), health care workforce innovations (moderated by Representative Jose Oliva), and expectations for health care coverage (moderated by Senator Aaron Bean). Nancy M. Green, managing principal for Verizon Healthcare, also spoke on trends and challenges for use of new healthcare technologies.

Representative Jose Oliva, Chair Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation And Doreen Cassarino, Florida Nurse Practitioner Network

While moderating the employer innovations panel, Representative Matt Hudson from Naples stated, "49 other states can't be wrong" regarding nurse practitioner practice and the need to remove restrictive regulatory limitations in Florida.

Representative Matt Hudson, Chair Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee

Tay Kaponas, AANP Vice President for State Health Policy, was an outstanding participant representation nurse practitioner on the Health Care Workforce Innovations Panel during which she noted that, "We are at a disconnect between clinical care and state licensure laws, especially here in Florida." Representative Cary Pigman, Vice Chair of the Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation and a practicing emergency room physician stated regarding utilizing nurse practitioners to their full education "Shame on us..we can do so much better!" He also stated on the topic of supervision, I'll be blunt with you, we do it in the ER because we can charge more for care."

Doreen Cassarino, President FNPN, Gail Sadler, AANP FL State Representative, Tay Kaponas, AANP Vice President for State Health Policy, Jean Aertker, Legislative VP FNPN and AANP Region 11 Director

Concluding Thursday's events was a reception featuring keynote speaker Adam Putnam, Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who spoke on the importance of utilizing fresh Florida produce to mobilize schools to invest in the nutrition and wellbeing of our children.

On Friday, January 31, 2014, attendees heard from keynote speaker Dr. John H. Armstrong, Florida's Surgeon General and Secretary of Health, who spoke on the importance of maintaining a healthier weight and changing our environments both in the workplace and at home to promote and wellness. Friday's panelists then engaged in a discussion to address the high cost of poor health in Florida (moderated by Senator Joe Negron). Closing the Summit was keynote speaker David Chenoweth, Ph.D., president of Chenoweth & Associates, Inc., who focused on preventative measures for our children and the importance of mitigating risk factors that compromise health, such as child obesity and diabetes.

Overall the mood was very positive regarding all advanced practice nurses and bringing fresh new ideas to the forefront. But we realize there will be heavy resistance and pushback on any legislation going forward that changes the status quo. Therefore we need your help now. It is imperative that each and every ARNP in Florida to stop and call, visit, write your Florida Senator now. The Senate will hold the cards in this decision. Tell them that the time is now to stop and fix the outdated laws put into place over 40 years ago. If Florida is to succeed, they need us, and we need the legislature to help us now. Let us know what position your Senator has on this issue. You are key to making this happen. Do not let our positive momentum die off, you are the engine that will get us to the finish line. We are here to help and support you, just let us know what you need to make your Senator visit before March 1st.

Representative Matt Hudson, Chair Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Doreen Cassarino, President FNPN, Representative Cary Pigman, Vice Chair Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation

AANP ANNOUNCEMENT:

Jean Aertker, AANP Region 11 Director

2014 AANP NURSE PRACTITIONER STATE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE:

Our 2014 NP of the year is Cynthia Yvette Evans, ARNP, who works at the Bond Community Health Center Inc. in Tallahassee, Fl. Since 1984, this clinic has served the residents of Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Franklin, and Madison counties with a main center in Tallahassee and 5 additional satellite clinics. The dedicated staff provide quality health care and support services, ranging from eligibility assistance and transportation, if necessary, to helping you learn ways to eat healthier and live a longer, better life. Increasing access and improving health takes a team of people who are dedicated to understanding who you are, what you need, and how to get quality health care to you. At Bond, one nurse practitioner has been recognized by her peers for living that mission daily to improve the physical, spiritual, psychosocial, and psychological well-being of the residents of Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Liberty, Franklin and Madison counties. As a clinician she provides an access to the highest quality comprehensive family health services regardless of their ability to pay.

Nominated by her colleague, Mr. Andreas Ward, ARNP, who writes: "I have watched her perform the administrative job of three people while practicing in the specialty of Infectious Disease with a concentration of HIV. She provides care for the most vulnerable HIV patients, those without insurance with the assistance of the Ryan White Program and federal/state grants." Mr. Ward has witnessed care worldwide as a military flight nurse and ED military nurse yet recognizes the care of his colleague as second to none! Ms. Evans is also the Director of Clinical Operations and leads/manages over 40 nurses and medical assistants while performing her clinical duties..."I am in amazement of how she seamlessly transitions roles in the s[an of just minutes. Lastly she is our EMR Liaison and works closely with the users, developers ad technicians to keep updates fresh and the system on line everyday with only minutes of down time in 365 days"..."she is worthy of this recognition as she does not brag or even seek out recognition for her accomplishments."

Cynthia graduated from Florida A&M Masters in Nursing NP program in 2004 and is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as an Adult Nurse Practitioner. She is a longtime member of the Tallahassee's Council for Advance practice nurses, a member of Sigma Theta Tau, a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and supporter of the Florida A&M Alumni Society. Congratulations from all of us to Cynthia Evans, ARNP, our outstanding NP of the Year!

2014 AANP ADVOCATE STATE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE:

Four Years ago, Andrew Keller, entrepreneur and champion of NP's, launched his unique business serving NP organizations in Florida. He began with a vision to help the local independent county NP groups who struggled to achieve the same goal of internet networking and sharing. He pioneered a free, one –step turn-key solution for NP groups creating stand-alone websites. The vision has grown to offer membership support services and database management. The websites enable sharing of crucial professional topics, meeting dates, and job opportunities. ENP Network created the first statewide NP preceptor database enabling student NP's to match up to potential mentors. Andrew provides continued guidance to ensure his website designs meet the needs of the organizations.

The leadership of FNPN, as his first statewide client, worked with Andrew to develop a large Florida network that has since grown with amazing speed. Currently, the ENP Network team provides free websites to all 27 groups in Florida, with over 9,000 Florida NP's accessing and using this service.

The ENP Network website now provides services nationwide for 164 associations consisting of more than 45,000 NP members. Andrew has moved or NP profession at warp speed as his ENP Network created a jump drive for our NP community. Andrew is truly an outstanding advocate promoting all NP's.

Legislation Update:

Jean Aertker-VP Legislation

NP Practice Bill Out for Review from The Select Committe on Healthcare Workforce Innovation

This week the Select Committee on Health Care Work Force Innovation released their committee bill that greatly impacts your NP practice. While this is one of the most positive bills offered in many years supporting NPs we have some concerns. The diligent efforts of FNPN, FNA, AANP and several NP leaders and stakeholders in our state have proven the value of NPs to our state lawmakers and we like much of the bill. The bill redefines our legal title Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (AR... View the full announcement on our website

To visit our 2014 legislative page for more legislative updates - Click Here

The New White Paper is available for reading - Click Here

Shining Stars

Congratulations to FNPN Board Members Doreen Cassarino and Arlene Wright, both recently graduated from FAU with their DNP.

Education Updates:

Please check for important educational opportunities posted on our website at www.fnpn.org.

Job Announcements!:

There have been many new job postings around the state on our web site at www.fnpn.org for those of you that may have an interest. On our new website, the most recent postings are on the front page. A new feature will allow postings to be visible for 90 days. Please feel free to pass this along to your colleagues who may be interested in it as well, or who may have an interest in finding out more about our network. For those of you that have found jobs on our website, please be sure to let us know!

Do you know an employer who might find the FNPN Job posting a worthwhile site? If so, please be sure to tell them about the website and the fact that on average 20 or more jobs are posted each month. The traffic to our website is incredible and we have more and more folks seeking employment through this site than ever before. Let them know you saw it on the FNPN Website!

Membership Update:

Pamela Johnson-Membership Chair

Dear Members,

In order for us to have our voices heard in Tallahassee, we will need to increase our membership, at the same time working hard to retain current members. One of our goals this year will be to actively work on recruiting new members to FNPN to make our organization stronger.

Renewal Reminder-Membership in FNPN runs on an annual basis Jan-Dec. Please renew your membership today. Membership in FNPN can be as a group or individual member.

Individual members belong and receive many benefits as part of their membership-frequent communication during the legislative session (or special sessions), a paid lobbyist based in Tallahassee, access to posted job opportunities, access to posted upcoming conferences and many more benefits. If you belong to your local NP group you are not an FNPN member until you join FNPN individually, group and individual membership are two separate levels of membership. I encourage you to visit our newly redesigned web page today www.fnpn.org and while you're there you can renew online.

Group Presidents- please renew today and continue to be an integral part of our growing organization. We value our group members as this creates a vital network of NP groups throughout the state. These groups help disseminate information about trends, issues and changes impacting NP's at the state and national level. As a group member we will also assist with conference planning and obtaining approval for CEU's if offered. We will also assist with promoting your conferences and activities and can provide assistance or link you with support in web design.

FNPN now has several options for membership:

  • $70.00 - New Member /Renewing
  • $45.00 - Student / Retired Member
  • $120.00 - NP Group Member
  • $120.00 - Organization Member

As the Chair of the Membership Committee I am always open to suggestions and new ideas. If you have any questions, please contact me. This year, when joining/renewing, we also ask you to consider 'bringing a friend' to the registration table and helping build our organizations to where they should be. With the numbers of Advanced Practice Nurses nearing 15,000 in Florida, we should have a strength that can overcome any push from our medical community. We hope you will let us nurture that side of you if you need it and engage those around you to do the same. Please be sure to contact us should you have questions about legislation, membership, education and more. Our Executive Assistant, Regina, is always available either by phone, computer and even skype!

FNPN PAC Update:

As voters, we are in a position to support the candidate of our choice by promoting their campaign not only on Election Day but by participation and promotion of the candidate's campaign promises.

Advanced practice nurses in Florida have not been able to practice to the full extent of our scope of practice and education because of political restrictions imposed on us in the House and Senate.

Our PAC committee will be traveling throughout the state to raise money and participate in fund raising efforts to build OUR VOICE in the Florida political arena. We will also support the candidates that support our issues by monetary contributions to their campaigns.

We need your help! Money is Power!! A brilliant legislative session is expected and we are closer than ever to reach our goals. We have a lobbyist working with us. We are well informed and networked in Tallahassee. She keeps the constant flow of information current. We cannot achieve our goals with this disruption of policy and politics! Without you, your patients, family and community support we are invisible. Become a member of the FNPN PAC Committee.

Consider your commitment to our profession. We are ARNPs in private practice, hospital settings, colleges, universities and clinics throughout the state! We are YOU !

If each person in our membership donated $10 and asked 5 more people to donate $10 we would be on our way to political success! We have a membership of 4,300 ARNPs in Florida. We are solid, we are YOU! To make a contribution please click here

News You Can Use:

The Florida NP Network has taken the next step to keep our members informed. Keep abreast of changes in your practice around the state and around the nation. You can join us today on Facebook under Florida Nurse Practitioner and Twitter under FloridaNP. We hope to hear from you.

Send us your articles

It is wonderful to spotlight Nurse Practitioners and highlight happenings in your area. Please submit names and events to floridanpnetwork@gmail.com. FNPN newsletter welcomes your input!

Serving on a Hospital, Clinic, Community or Gov't Services Board? Tell Us!

Calling all APN's in Florida. Are you currently serving on a health care or other type of community board of directors or a committee? We would like to know the name of the board and your length of service and any brief information you can provide. We would like to recognize all those who are involved in community service and share with others on how to become a member. (IE: Dr. Doreen Cassarino, ARNP, DNP is the first NP on the NCH Physician Group, Naples Community Healthcare System Board of Directors and the first ACO established in FL.)

Florida Department of Health will now verify a practitioners continuing education records at the time of license renewal

The Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance will now verify a practitioner's continuing education record in the electronic tracking system at the time of renewal. This program is part of our commitment to expeditiously license health care professionals who meet statutorily mandated standards of competency

The CE/CME@Renewal program is being implemented in two phases to provide a smooth transition for all licensees and CE providers. During this phase, the Department encourages licensees to start learning about the Continuing Education Electronic Tracking System and reporting course completion. Licensees will be prompted, but not required, to self-report missing CE hours when they renew their license.

In Phase 2, the mandatory phase, all required CE hours must be reported to the Continuing Education Electronic Tracking System to renew a license. Once Phase 2 has begun, you must have reported course completion before your license can be renewed. The Department encourages licensees to login to the tracking system before applying for renewal to ensure their information is complete and accurate. Verifying compliance before renewal is key to a seamless renewal experience.

Please see the chart below for the Optional and Mandatory reporting cycles for your Profession.

PROFESSION OPTIONAL REPORTING CYCLE MANDATORY REPORTING CYCLE:

CE Broker is the official CE Electronic Tracking System for Florida's healthcare professionals and the Florida Department of Health. There is no cost for you to create a basic account, although additional subscription options are available to best meet your needs. The CE Electronic Tracking System is designed to simplify CE reporting for you. This easy and convenient system will help you gain peace of mind by tracking your CE history and digitally storing your hours and certificates. After your CE hours have been reported and verified, the licensure renewal process is quick and easy.

To learn more about CE/CME@Renewal, please visit www.FLHealthSource.com

Notice to Licensees about Fraudulent Documents:

Associations and Interested Parties: The Florida Department of Health (DOH) is requesting your assistance in reaching out to licensees with the following information. We were recently made aware that documents purportedly originating from DOH requesting information of a sensitive nature have been received by members of the profession. These documents request licensees share information that may be used to commit fraud against a licensee or patient. DOH is committed to protecting the sensiti...
View the full announcement on our website

Spreading Germs: Article on Proper Clinical Attire!:

In sharing from the abstract: The role of attire in cross-transmission remains poorly established, and until more definitive information exists priority should be placed on evidence-based measures to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This article aims to provide general guidance to the medical community regarding HCP attire outside the operating room. In addition to the initial guidance statement, the article has 3 major components: (1) a review and interpretation of the medica...
View the full announcement on our website

Florida Department of Health Webinars:

The Florida Department of Health will now verify a practitioners continuing education records at the time of renewal. The Department of Health will be holding webinars to communicate this change in our business process. The webinar features the Department's new approach to license renewal. Participants will learn how the Department will review continuing education records at the time of license renewal. You will see a demonstration of the continuing education tracking system, including h...
View the full announcement on our website

Comments

Only active members can comment on this announcement.

Learn more about membership