A major goal of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is to disseminate educational scholarship and loan information to health professionals. In the past, respiratory therapists have not been well represented in this process, but that’s changing for the better.

Attendees at the AARC Congress in Las Vegas, NV, this Dec. 6–9, will hear from a leader in the research community, as Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the Department of Health and Human Services, takes the podium for the keynote address.

Respiratory therapists working in the ICU know ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) causes excess morbidity and mortality and adds thousands of dollars to the care of the patient.

While good news, it does not mean that the H1N1 flu virus has disappeared, only that its behavior is becoming more like seasonal influenza.

Check out our latest list of newsmakers.

The Advance Program for the 56th AARC International Respiratory Congress is now available including online registration and housing information.

The AARC has just formed a new Roundtable on Simulations. Individuals joining community will be discussing ideas related to the use of patient simulations in respiratory care education.

Members of the Long Term Care, Management, Neonatal-Pediatrics, Sleep, and Surface & Air Transport Sections can read the Summer issues of their Bulletins online now.

Yesterday was the AARC’s Virtual Lobby Day. On this one day RTs, pulmonary patients and our supporters from across the country focused our efforts on flooding Capitol Hill with emails and phone calls looking for Congressional support for HR 1077 and S 343, our Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative.

The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) today announced the appointment of Douglas Laher, MBA, RRT, to the position of Associate Executive Director effective September 1, 2010.

AARC President Timothy Myers, BSRT, RRT-NPS, has appointed Cheryl Hoerr, MBA, RRT, CPFT, FAARC, and Michael Tracy, BA, RRT-NPS, RPFT, to serve as interim section chairs for the Management and Diagnostics Specialty Sections, respectively, until newly elected section chairs are seated in early December.

Last year AARC reported twice that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) interpretation of its rules regarding orders for respiratory care services required a physician to co-sign such orders if written by a nurse practitioner (NPs) or physician assistant (PAs).

The marketing and promotion of tobacco products to youth and racial and ethnic minorities is a key concern of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. When the center requested input to help inform its decision-making process, the AARC joined 17 other leading organizations in signing on to a letter full of great information and advice.

On August 9th, 2010, from 2–3 pm EDT, there will be a free webcast presented by the “COPD Learn More Breathe Better” campaign.

We have another great list of newsmakers to share.

Respiratory therapists, pulmonary patients and RT supporters from around the country are invited to take part in the AARC’s Virtual Lobby Day on Wednesday, August 4.

A webcast announcing the AARC’s involvement in the DRIVE4COPD project will be held Monday, July 26 at 2:00 pm Eastern (1 Central, 12 Mountain, 11 Pacific). The webcast is free and there is no need to register.

The Adult Acute Care, Continuing Care/Rehabilitation, Diagnostics, Education, and Home Care Sections have just published the Summer issues of their Bulletins.

An inaccurate product promotion issued by Ford Health International has continued despite assurances by the company that they would correct the information on their website. On June 18, 2010 AARC had received assurances that the “erroneous marketing” would be remedied in June but this had not yet occurred.

The company, located in Humble TX, erroneously has implied that AARC supports their device and that their device is one that The Joint Commission mandates. Neither claim is true.

CMS’ proposed rules on the 2011 update to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) are on display at the Federal Register and are expected to be published August 3, 2010. A quick glance at the rules indicate several provisions that may be, or are of interest to our members. A thorough analysis and review will be ongoing. Comments are due to CMS by August 31, 2010.