In 2008, Minnesota enacted a health care reform law calling for:

• the certification of health care homes that deliver enhanced primary care and care coordination,
• the defining of seven "baskets of care" to begin bundling payments for certain treatments so episodes of care involving multiple providers are better coordinated,
• the funding of grants to local communities to reduce tobacco use and obesity, and
• the creation of a standard, statewide set of quality measures and associated quality payment incentives.
  

Minnesota's hospitals are pressing forward with these initiatives to further Minnesota's health care reform efforts. The Minnesota Hospital Association is a strong partner in implementing these reforms and will continue to work with all the key stakeholders to work on health care reform efforts that could serve as a model for other states.

Tools & Resources:

Timelines of reform events

• Starting the Health Care Reform Journey," highlights elements of the health care reform bill and a 2008-2012 timeline of events: [PDF]
• Health Care Reform Timeline of Events, 2009-2011: [PDF]

State reform legislation

• A summary of S.F. 3780, the Health Care Reform Bill signed June 12, 2008
• A summary of the progress of approx. 25 workgroups and committees that are addressing various aspects of implementing the 2008 Minnesota health care reform bill, updated Oct. 19, 2009: [PDF]
  

Comments, Responses

• Health Care Homes Payment Methodology
  • Dec. 4, 2009 - MHA comments to DHS on its health care home payment methodology recommendations: [PDF]
    
• Provider Peer Grouping
  • Dec. 1, 2009 - MHA comments to the state advisory group about its draft provider peer grouping recommendations of Oct. 23: [PDF]
• Essential Benefit Set
  • Sept. 30, 2009 - In an e-mail to the Minnesota Department of Health, MHA offers three points it would like members of the Essential Benefit Set Work Group to consider as they go about the task of defining an essential benefit set: [PDF]
• Health Care Home certification rule
  • Aug. 6, 2009 - In order to address potential problems before the final health care home rule is adopted, MHA has submitted comments to the state departments of Health and Human Services regarding an earlier draft of the rule: [PDF]
  • Dec. 10, 2008 - MHA comments to ICSI on outcome measures for health care homes: [DOC]
• Baskets of Care
  • 1/4/10: MHA comments further to MDH on the baskets of care proposed rule: [PDF]
  • MHA comments to MDH and ICSI on the baskets of care operations and administrative challenges. See Phase II comments (Oct. 8, 2009) - [DOC]; and Phase I comments: (Aug. 11, 2009)- [DOC]
  • 9/7/09: MHA has responded and will continue to respond to MDH and ICSI on the seven baskets of care proposed quality measures. See responses: Asthma: [PDF]; Preventive care of children: [PDF]; Preventive care of adults: [PDF]; total knee replacement: [PDF]; OB-prenatal care: [PDF]; low back pain: [PDF]; diabetes: [PDF] and pre-diabetes: [PDF].
    See forms for submitting comments: Asthma: [DOC]; Preventive care of children: [DOC]; Preventive care of adults: [DOC]; knee replacement: [DOC]; obstetrical care: [DOC]; low back pain: [DOC]; diabetes: [DOC].

As health care reform moves quickly at the federal level, the Minnesota Hospital Association will actively support:

• reducing Medicare geographic payment disparities,
• creating a value-based purchasing program that would allow for high-quality, low-cost providers to be financially rewarded for their achievements rather than simply earning back a portion of their payments,
• protecting hospitals' tax-exempt status,
• protecting medical education funding and disproportionate share hospital payments, and
• ensuring appropriate safeguards in a national health plan.
  

Tools & Resources:

• MHA's Federal Health Care Reform Priorities and Principles: [PDF]
• Federal Payment Reform - Congressional Leaders Comparison (updated 1/5/2010): [PDF]
• "Health Care Reform" May 2009 fact sheet distributed to Minnesota's congressional leaders: [PDF]
• Congressional support for health care reform:
  • Jan. 6, 2010 - MHA President Lorry Massa asks Minnesota's U.S. House members for their support of a provision in the Senate bill that will allow states to begin enrolling childless adults at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level into Medicaid beginning April 1, 2010: [PDF].
  • Sept. 17, 2009 - In a letter to President Obama, 28 senators, including Minnesota Sens. Klobuchar and Franken, emphasize the need to improve Medicare's efficiency in a way that reduces cost and promotes better quality in the health care industry: [PDF]
  • Sept. 15, 2009 - MHA and 18 other health care organizations encourage the Senate to consider reform that includes a value-based payment system that rewards the provision of high value health care, not high volume health care: [PDF].
  • July 22, 2009 - In a letter to President Obama, Minnesota's entire congressional delegation urge him work with them to fix the payment inequities in the Medicare reimbursement formula: [PDF].
  • June 26, 2009 - U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-4th District) asked her colleagues to join her in sending a letter to the House leadership and to the committees of jurisdiction urging them to address Medicare geographic payment inequities as part of health care reform. 23 members of Congress from 10 states signed on. See letters to House leadership [PDF]; committee members: [PDF] and a McCollum news release: [PDF].
  • June 12, 2009 - MHA, along with the Minnesota Medical Association and Minnesota Council of Health Plans sent a letter to 11 U.S. legislators and to the White House Office of Health Reform urging lawmakers to find an "equitable, sustainable, value-based payment system for any publicly supported health care program, including Medicare." The letter stressed that the current Medicare funding system financially penalizes -- instead of rewards -- states like Minnesota, that provide high-quality, low-cost care. (See PDF of letter and tables detailing the financial disparities: PDF).
  • June 10, 2009 - U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar urges her colleagues to address Medicare geographic payment inequities as part of health care reform. See letter to Senate Finance Committee leadership, which was signed by 12 senators. [PDF].
• MHA comments to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee regarding:
  
• May 26, 2009 - savings and revenue options for financing comprehensive health care reform: [PDF]
• May 22, 2009 - expansion of affordable health care coverage to all Americans: [PDF]
• May 15, 2009 - transforming the health care delivery system: [PDF]