Events
Nov. 4-5 patient safety event in Brooklyn Center to be accompanied by Nov. 3 preconference
Registrations are now being taken for the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) "People
and Partnerships: Bridging the Gap for Patient Safety" conference Nov. 4-5 in Brooklyn Center.
A preconference will also take place Nov. 3.
As always, this year's conference is designed for health care professionals, leaders, managers,
educators and others interested in improving patient safety in all clinical settings. The event will
focus on the key elements related to technical and cultural changes that drive and lead patient
safety improvement. Presenters will build on the creation and measurement of high reliability in
delivering safe patient care that goes beyond technical fixes to address adaptation and change.
Speakers and breakout sessions are all designed to give participants the strategies and tools to
enhance and sustain patient safety efforts.
Register for the conference and/or preconference in any of the following ways:
- Download the conference brochure and registration form: [PDF] and fax or mail the form
to the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) at the address indicated; or
- Visit the MHA Events site and log-in to register online. (You may obtain a user ID and
password by contacting MHA at this e-mail address.
Also, award entries are being accepted until Sept. 15. Visit the MAPS Web site for more information.
For more information, contact Tania Daniels, MHA vice president of patient safety, at (651) 603-
3517.
Event set for Friday, Sept. 24
Together, the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) and Aging Services of Minnesota on Sept.
24 plan to host a debate among Minnesota's gubernatorial candidates as part of the
organizations' annual meetings.
The three major-party candidates, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano), former U.S. Sen.
Mark Dayton, a Democrat, and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner have been invited to
discuss their views on health care in Minnesota.
The MHA Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 22-24 at Madden's on Gull Lake in Brainerd.
Madden's is near capacity
The deadline for reservations for overnight accommodation at Madden's is Aug. 24. Only a
limited number of rooms are still available, so members are advised to make their reservations
immediately. Reservations can be made at www.mha.maddens.com.
For more information, visit MHA's Events Web site and log in to register or see conference brochure: [PDF].
A total of 90 participants hit the links Tuesday in support of state's hospitals
Ninety Minnesota Hospital Association members and health care supporters hit the links Tuesday
to bolster the mission of Minnesota hospitals and help raise funds for the Minnesota Hospital
Political Action Committee (PAC) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) PAC.
Proceeds from the event help state and federal candidates from both political parties who support
the goals of hospitals.
The Minnesota Hospital PAC and AHA PAC would like to congratulate the following 2010
tournament winners:
Individual competition
- Longest putt (women's) - Deb Boardman, president and chief executive officer, Fairview
University Medical Center - Mesabi, Hibbing
- Longest drive (women's) - Meghan Goldammer, health policy analyst, Sanford Health,
Sioux Falls
- Longest putt (men's) - Scott Sisel, partner, Eide Bailly LLP
- Longest drive (men's) - Chris Champ, principal, Eide Bailly LLP
Team competition
- First place, with a score of 58, Scott Sisel, partner, Eide Bailly LLP; Dan Rohrbach, CEO, Bridges Medical Center, Ada; Jason Carlson, CEO, Appleton Area Health
Services; Ryan Hill, chief financial officer, St. Mary's Innovis Health, Detroit Lakes.
- Second place, with a score of 60, Chris Champ, principal, Eide Bailly LLP; Brad Beard,
president, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina; Douglas Olson, Minneapolis Radiation
Oncology, Minneapolis; Mary Edwards, vice president, public policy, Fairview Health
Services, Minneapolis.
- Third place - in a score card playoff - also with a score of 60, Robert Wieland, M.D.,
executive vice president, ambulatory services, Abbott Northwestern Hospital,
Minneapolis; Jay Christiansen, partner, Faegre & Benson LLP, Minneapolis; Steve
Lokensgard, special counsel, Faegre & Benson LLP, Minneapolis; John Stoltenberg,
M.D., vice president, medical affairs/interim president, Unity Hospital, Fridley.
The event, which landed on a beautiful Minnesota summer day, was held at the Prestwick Golf
Club in Woodbury. Members of the Minnesota Hospital PAC Board would especially like to
thank Mark Skubic - who helped arrange use of the facility as a member of Prestwick - and
the numerous sponsors of the event.
If you missed the tournament, it is not too late to participate in the Minnesota Hospital PAC. The
organization will hold its fourth-annual silent auction during the Minnesota Hospital Association
Annual Meeting Sept. 22 at Madden's in Brainerd.
For more information about the PAC, contact Ann Gibson, MHA federal relations director, at
(651) 603-3527 or Mary Krinkie, MHA vice president of government relations, at (651) 659-1465. Also, visit www.minnesotahospitalpac.com.
With less than a month remaining before the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Annual Meeting, many key sponsors have already committed to helping MHA deliver another high-quality program.
MHA would like to thank the sponsors listed below for their generosity and continued commitment to Minnesota health care. For more information about sponsorships, contact Cari Kronschnable, MHA program coordinator, at (651) 659-1428.
Gold Sponsors
- LarsonAllen LLP
- McGladrey
Silver Sponsors
- eDocument Resources, LLC
- Eide Bailly LLP
- Experienced Resources, LLC
- FriedemannFoarde PLLC
- Healthland
- HGA Architects & Engineers
- Knutson Construction Services Inc.
- Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
- Leonard, Street and Deinard, P.A.
- Marsh Inc.
- McGough Construction
- Memorial Blood Centers
- Meridian Leasing Corporation
- Mortenson Construction
- NOR-SON Inc.
- Wipfli LLP
- Witt/Kieffer
Bronze Sponsors
- ACT Services LLC
- Ellerbe Becket Inc., an AECOM Company
- JE Dunn Construction
- MMIC Group
Event set for Oct. 28, 29 in St. Louis Park
The fifth annual "Many Faces of Community Health" conference will take place Oct. 28-29 in St. Louis Park.
The event will explore ways to improve care and reduce health disparities in underserved populations and among those living in poverty, organizers say. It is hosted by the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Neighborhood Health Care Network.
"Time of Transformation: Roots and Redesign" will emphasize sharing practical tools, tips and resources and providing inspiration and networking opportunities.
For more information and to register online, visit www.manyfacesconference.org.
Registration deadline extended to Tuesday, Aug. 10
Registrations for the Minnesota Hospital Political Action Committee's (PAC) premiere fundraising event, the golf open, are filling quickly. The deadline to register for the annual day of golfing, food, networking and fun has been extended to Tuesday, Aug. 10.
The 2010 Minnesota Hospital PAC and American Hospital Association PAC event will take place Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury.
Hospital chief executive officers must contribute at a "club level" to participate. Hospital employees, trustees and other guests can attend for $200 per person. Please contact Carol Eshelman, Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) PAC coordinator, for a registration form by Aug. 10. She can be reached at (651) 603-3539.
Members who already contributed at a club level earlier this year are invited to participate at no extra charge, but they are asked to register with Eshelman.
For more information contact Ann Gibson, MHA federal relations director, at (651) 603-3527, or Mary Krinkie, MHA vice president of government relations, at (651) 659-1465.
Nominations are due Sept. 15
The Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) is seeking nominations for its 2010 Patient Safety Awards, the organization's fifth annual awards program.
Completed nominations and supporting information are due Sept. 15.
Winners will be announced at the Nov. 3-5 MAPS Patient Safety Conference in Brooklyn Center. The following link connects users to the Call for Entries brochure for details: [DOC].
As always, this year's conference is designed for health care professionals, leaders, managers, educators and others interested in improving patient safety in all clinical settings. "People and Partnerships: Bridging the Gap for Patient Safety" will focus on the key elements related to technical and cultural changes that drive and lead patient safety improvement. Presenters will build on the creation and measurement of high reliability in delivering safe patient care that goes beyond technical fixes to address adaptation and change.
Speakers and breakout sessions are all designed to give participants the strategies and tools to enhance and sustain patient safety efforts. The following links lead to the "save the date" e-card and preconference flyer.
-Save the date flyer: www.mnhospitals.org/inc/data/tools/std.html
- Preconference flyer: [PDF]
For more information, contact Tania Daniels, MHA vice president of patient safety, at (651) 603-3517.
General
The Health Care Auxiliary of Minnesota's (HCAM) August 2010 newsletter is now available
here: [PDF].
The issue covers topics like the organization's conference next month, new leadership
development education sessions and new members that have joined the organization.
Previous editions of the Quarterly can be found at www.mnhcam.org/quarterly.asp.
Requirement takes effect Oct. 1
Medica health insurance company announced this week that beginning Oct. 1, it will require new medical credentialing requests, or initial applications, to be conducted online through the Minnesota Credentialing Collaborative (MCC).
Starting in 2011, Medica will also require that the MCC's online application process be used for recredentialing.
While all major Minnesota health plans accept applications processed through the MCC, Medica is the second health plan to require its use. PreferredOne recently made the system part of its standard process.
"It's clear that the online application process is becoming the statewide standard, and it will replace the paper Minnesota Uniform Credentialing Application," said Richard Kreyer, MHA vice president of work force. "We want to get the word out to hospitals and clinics so that they are ready for the move to the online process."
The MCC utilizes ApplySmart, a centralized, Web-based clearinghouse for information used in credentialing. The tool is an easy-to-use process to prepare, save and send credentialing applications that are accepted by Minnesota health plans and hospitals. The MCC process is available to all individual providers, clinics and hospitals.
In Medica's recent announcement, the company directed providers to:
- learn more about ApplySmart on the MCC Web site at www.mncred.org;
- visit the site for a credentialing overview here; and
- see the Medica Provider Administrative Manual for credentialing requirements here.
The MCC and ApplySmart are intended to streamline and simplify the credentialing application process, as providers need only enter the application information once in order to submit an application even to multiple organizations.
The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) was a founder of the MCC, and the Minnesota Medical Association, the Minnesota Council of Health Plans and the Minnesota Medical Group Management Association are partners. Becky Swenson provides customer service and training support for MCC clients. Learn more about the collaborative and ApplySmart at www.mncred.org.
Deadline to apply for state's top environmental award is Sept. 15
The state of Minnesota is now seeking nominations and applications for the 2010-2011 Minnesota Governor's Awards program, which includes pollution prevention awards. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is accepting applications for projects that reduce waste and pollution at the source, conserve natural resources, protect groundwater, save energy and practice sustainability.
Three categories of the awards honor businesses/nonprofits, government and partnerships between nonprofit organizations, businesses, public agencies and institutions.
The application deadline is Sept. 15.
Entries will be judged on:
- benefits to the environment;
- economic efficiency;
- level of commitment and leadership;
- partnerships (when applicable);
- innovation; and
- ability of the project to serve as a model for others.
For more information, including online applications, examples of past winners and assistance, visit the MPCA Web site or contact Peder Sandhei at (651) 757-2688.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is conducting a survey to identify best practices hospitals implement to collect and use patient race, ethnicity and primary-language information in an effort to help eliminate health disparities.
Survey results will be shared with hospitals and other health care-related organizations.
The survey was mailed to hospital chief executive officers Aug. 4.
"In order to effectively address health-care disparities, hospitals need to have access to meaningful and complete data about their patients, outcomes and evidence-based methodologies for addressing health care disparities," AHA materials said.
The survey asks for information on:
- current practices for collecting patient race, ethnicity and primary-language information at each hospital; and
- other important considerations for patient race, ethnicity and primary-language data collection.
The survey should take fewer than 15 minutes to complete. Responses are voluntary and confidential; no individual or hospital will be identified in any reports or publications resulting from the survey.
The deadline for completing the survey is Sept. 1.
Document complies with EMTALA requirements
The Minnesota Hospital Association offers posters that help member hospitals tell patients with emergent conditions - including women in labor - about their rights. The posters, designed for use in not-for-profit hospital emergency rooms, comply with requirements under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).
The statute imposes specific obligations on Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services. The $12 poster says that patients with emergent conditions have the right to receive, within the capabilities of the hospital's staff and facilities:
- an appropriate medical screening examination;
- necessary stabilizing treatment (including treatment for an unborn child); and, if necessary,
- an appropriate transfer to another facility.
The poster also says that the hospital will provide those services even if the patient cannot pay or does not have medical insurance, or if the patient is not entitled to Medicare or Medicaid.
Lastly, the document says that the hospital where it is posted participates in the Medicaid program.
The poster is available in both English and in Spanish, and it measures 17-1/2 inches by 22-1/2 inches. To order one or more, contact Sarah Bohnet, MHA work force and communications divisions assistant, at (651) 603-3494.
Also, starting in June, interactive sessions to be switched from Fridays to Wednesdays
Now that the 2010 Minnesota legislative session has ended, after today the Minnesota Hospital
Association will broadcast its Internet briefings monthly, instead of weekly. Also, the 2 p.m.
briefings will take place on Wednesdays instead of Fridays.
Besides today's wrap-up, the remaining 2010 Webinars will take place:
- June 23;
- July 21;
- Aug. 18;
- Sept. 29;
- Oct. 27;
- Nov. 17; and
- Dec. 22.
Members may join the webinar by visiting dimdim.com, clicking the "join meeting" button, and entering "minnesotahospitalassociation" as the room name, then clicking "join."
Hospital News
After today, the hospital will not accept new patients under the new health care program for the poor
The University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview has exceeded its client enrollment limit as
a coordinated care delivery system (CCDS) under the new General Assistance Medical Care
(GAMC) program.
As a result, the state will suspend new GAMC client enrollment for the hospital after today,
Aug. 27.
A CCDS is a care model, operated by a hospital that may include services by area clinics and
other providers as part of a coordinated system to care for some of the state's poorest residents.
Eligible enrollees who have signed and dated their enrollment forms by Aug. 27 can still enroll at
the U of M Medical Center.
On Aug. 6, North Memorial Medical Center's participation as a CCDS was suspended because it
had also reached its limit.
In related news, state officials told the Star Tribune Monday they will re-evaluate the enrollment
patterns and payment formula for hospitals participating in the experimental health plan. The
state revised its GAMC program last spring. However, only four of 17 eligible Minnesota
hospitals elected to participate because the program was underfinanced and not reasonable from
the beginning, said Minnesota Hospital Association President and Chief Executive Officer
Lawrence Massa.
"The hospitals that agreed to become a coordinated care delivery system are reaching their
enrollment limits after fewer than three months, and therefore tens of thousands of GAMC-
eligible patients remain without any practical access to health care other than through their
community hospital's emergency room," he said. "Hospitals across the state deserve credit for
doing their best under the circumstances, but it is painfully clear that this GAMC experiment is as
unworkable and underfinanced as predicted."
The revised program was created under a compromise negotiated in the final hours of the state
legislative session in May.
The other two CCDS organizations - Hennepin County Medical Center and Regions Hospital
- remain open to new GAMC clients. Obtain details at the Minnesota Department of Human
Services' Web site, or by calling (651) 431-2670 or (800) 657-3739.
HealthEast Medical Transportation (HEMT), a provider of emergency medical care, marked the
official opening of its new 46,000-square-foot headquarters Aug. 18 with dignitaries celebrating
HEMT's contributions to communities, patients and St. Paul's East Side.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman hailed HealthEast Care System's redevelopment of a former 3M
property that covers 46 acres. He was joined by St. Paul Port Authority President Louis Jambois
- the port authority helped facilitate the project.
The new facilities include a training center that can accommodate up to 150 students in the
HEMT EMS Academy, an emergency communications center, a service center for HEMT and
other vehicles and administrative offices.
"The people who will benefit the most from what happens inside this building will never see the
inside of this building," said Ann Schrader, HealthEast chief operating officer. "It's the
education and training and the professional services that will serve them, from the moment the
call for emergency medical services comes in to the moment we bring patients to the hospitals."
HEMT employs more than 120 full-time employees and transports more than 30,000 patients
yearly.
HealthEast provides emergency 911 ambulance service for 10 communities in the northern half of
Dakota County. The organization grew out of its former EMS facilities.
Paynesville Area Hospital Foundation has received a $25,000 grant to help drive improvements through medication safety.
The project, called "Bridging Medication Reconciliation Gaps in our Community," won the
award from the Cardinal Health Foundation of Dublin, Ohio. Cardinal announced Aug. 11 it had
awarded more than $1 million in grants to help more than 40 U.S. hospitals, health systems and
community health clinics. Projects are aimed at improving medication and operating room safety,
efficiency and quality of care.
Under the project at Paynesville Area Health Care System, a multi-disciplinary team will connect
the community partners involved in each patient's medical care, such as representatives of home
health organizations, retail pharmacies and health care providers. The caregivers will have access
to each patient's current medication list, allergy information and immunization history, thus
ensuring better coordination of medication and avoidance of adverse medication reactions.
U of M Medical Center's work on time-outs included MHA measures
An American Hospital Association (AHA) publication recently featured a Minnesota hospital's
wrong-site surgery prevention efforts, which included use of Minnesota Hospital Association
(MHA) safety protocols.
AHA Chairman Richard de Filippi began his July 26 "Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence" column
by saying the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview was spurred into implementing
the Safe Surgery Process in January 2009 after a wrong-site surgery occurred on a patient's toe.
A root-cause analysis of the adverse health event revealed that time-out practices varied widely
at the Minneapolis medical center, even though the hospital had been using a time-out policy for
several years, de Filippi wrote.
The organization subsequently "developed a new, standardized safe-surgery process that used
human factors systems methodology to build a new framework for pre-surgical time-outs. As a
result, the hospital had experienced no wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure events
related to the time-out process between Jan. 1, 2009 and today. The medical center has also
steadily improved its compliance rates with every step of the safe surgery process.
Today, the U of M Medical Center is a key advisory member of MHA's Surgical Advisory
Committee. And the organization is a valuable asset to Minnesota hospitals' work to keep patient
safety in the operating room at the forefront, said MHA Patient Safety Director Julie Apold.
"Fairview's University of Minnesota Medical Center has provided meaningful learnings for the
SAFE SITE initiative as the work continues on surgical safety practices across the state," she
said.
Carol Hamlin is the U of M Medical Center's director of departmental performance for
perioperative services, an R.N., and she has a master's degree in nursing. Hamlin explained in an
interview that the hospital has also worked on surgery safety issues in consultation with Kathleen
Harder, Ph.D. Harder is director of the Center for Design in Health at the University of
Minnesota's College of Design. Her research has involved investigating how various systems can
be designed to enhance human performance.
Before the U of M Medical Center put its new time-out process in place, the organization had
used a process that attempted to check or verify too many elements, such as whether the patient
had allergies or needed surgical implants, Hamlin said.
"We were trying to include too many things into the time-out," she said. "And so the safety
measure began to lose the focus for its intended purpose."
Harder and one of her colleagues also noticed other problems with the old process.
"People were not clear on who should initiate the time-out," Hamlin said. "And the role sequence
in the time out of checking things defeated the ability of the process to accomplish its goal: If the
surgeon goes first in his or her verification of procedure plans, staff is less likely to challenge the
surgeon."
Addressing those sorts of "human factors principles" is "sort of like a therapy session," Hamlin
said with a laugh. Acknowledgment of the importance of clear, effective communication and
implementation of methods to accomplish it is essential, she added. The exercise also involved
figuring out ways to eliminate interruptions in the time-out. Defining roles for each member of
the team, assigning specific duties to each and decreasing the variability of those tasks were
additional recommendations from Harder.
"After she put it all together and explained it, the logic was obvious," Hamlin said. "But we
didn't really appreciate what we needed to know until we broke it out."
Today, the hospital is focusing on another aspect of the Safe Surgery Process - refining its
"briefings." During a briefing, surgical team members greet one another or introduce themselves
if they haven't already met and discuss any concerns or questions and any last-minute issues that
have arisen that might affect surgery plans.
"Briefings allow for that socialization to occur," Hamlin said. "Literature has shown that people
who are invited to introduce themselves and are invited to speak up - guess what - they will!
They're much more likely to do it. It really levels that playing field and makes everyone feel part
of the team."
Safety leaders at the U of M Medical Center observe an average of 24 safe surgery processes at
the hospital every month to allow for auditing, coaching and learning, Hamlin said.
Overall, the hospital has seen great improvement by its caregivers and other staff members to
raise the bar for safe surgeries, she said.
"Our success has been based on phenomenal physician, nursing, administrative and human
factors leadership on this project," Hamlin said. "Cultural change is at the core of it all."
UnitedHealthcare is donor of largest gift in health system's history
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has received a $17.5 million gift - the largest in its history - to help create a Level I pediatric trauma center at the health system's Minneapolis campus.
The grant, from Minnetonka-based health insurer UnitedHealthcare, was announced Wednesday.
Level I trauma centers offer the highest level of trauma care and specialist surgeons available at all times. Children's is working on attaining its Level I certification from the American College of Surgeons by early 2013. The hospital will immediately begin using the funds to help it fulfill the necessary requirements, such as:
- recruiting additional pediatric specialists in areas such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery and anesthesia;
- expanding training and education opportunities for pediatric specialists and emergency medical services personnel in the five-state region through continuing medical education offerings and three annual conferences;
- developing injury-prevention public-education programs.
The gift also will fund a significant part of the pediatric emergency department. Key features will include:
- a new ambulance bay with 100-percent increased capacity compared with the old facility;
- capacity for two additional trauma bays;
- a new triage area;
- four new procedure rooms - an increase of 50 percent compared with the old facility;
- additional patient-treatment rooms;
- new safe rooms for patients experiencing mental health crises; and
- a new communications dispatch center.
Take an online virtual tour of the emergency department at www.UnitedAroundChildren.org.
Research
"Trend Points" includes member survey results on predictions
This fall the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) published a report examining what the
future might hold for health care in Minnesota. The 57-page "Trend Points" was sent to members last month.
Written by Lake Oswego, Ore.-based health care consultant Larry Walker, the study includes
MHA members' ratings on the likelihood of various predictions for health care in Minnesota by
2012. In addition, MHA surveyed members in June/July 2009 about what they think the future
might hold for health care in Minnesota during the next five years. Many agreed that, for
example:
- federal and state health regulation will increase with health care reform;
- reform will only be successful by addressing the underlying issues of health care costs
and delivery;
- reimbursement will not improve as a percentage of cost; and
- work-force shortages will be an increasing challenge for hospitals due to new
requirements and increasing demands for care.
Trend Points also includes June 2009 statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation's
statehealthfacts.org on Minnesota's:
- demographics;
- economy;
- health status;
- health costs and budgets;
- health coverage and the uninsured;
- Medicare;
- Medicaid; and
- providers and service use.
Access the document here: [PDF].
Federal Policy
The federal government recently proposed modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA), largely to implement changes necessitated by the Health
Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed revisions, published July
14 in the Federal Register, would:
- limit or otherwise affect the use and disclosure of individuals' protected health
information;
- require business associates to comply with specific HIPAA privacy and security
requirements and impose direct liability for their noncompliance; and
- alter slightly HHS' complaints investigation procedures and offer additional clarity about
HITECH-imposed culpability and the imposition of civil money penalties for HIPAA
violations.
The proposed revisions would impose significant changes on hospitals' use and disclosure of
protected health information, necessitating changes to policies and procedures and amendments
to the Notice of Privacy Practices, an Aug. 11 American Hospital Association legal advisory said.
The revisions also will affect hospitals' business associate relationships, requiring the amendment
of existing agreements and ways to ensure compliant provisions are included in any future
agreements.
While the majority of the HITECH-mandated changes already took effect Feb. 18, the HHS
"recognizes the difficulties of complying before a final rule is issued," AHA said. HHS also
hopes to alleviate some burdens of having to change business associate agreements through a
grandfather proposal, the advisory said. However, the enforcement rule modifications generally
would apply at the time a final rule takes effect.
Comments on HHS' proposals are due by Sept. 13.
For more information, contact
Mark Sonneborn, MHA vice president of information services, at
(651) 659-1423.
FMAP provision passed by House hours earlier
President Barack Obama signed a bill into law Tuesday that extends enhanced Medicaid payments for states, or the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), through mid-2011.
Hours earlier, the House had passed the bill 247-161.
Since 2009, the federal government has been paying 6.2 percent more of its share of Medicaid to help states grappling with the weak economy. Under the new law, the enhanced payments would phase down over two quarters in 2011, first to 3.2 percent and then to 1.2 percent through June.
The cost for the pared-down provision is $16.1 billion, down from an original $24 billion. The law calls for the measure to be fully paid for over 10 years through a combination of tax increases and rescissions. Cuts would include, for example, returning food stamp benefit levels to those in place before the stimulus law passed, reducing spending for programs that no longer require funding or have sufficient funding, and closing foreign tax loopholes.
Under the law, states like Minnesota with high unemployment will continue to receive enhanced funding, just as they do under the current FMAP provisions.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has estimated that under the new matching rate, $263 million of additional funding will be made available to Minnesota's Medicaid program. Though there has been no official announcement, it is likely the additional federal dollars will be used to offset the state's existing funding obligations instead of being used for additional payments to health care providers.
The passage of the law is welcome news in Minnesota, said Minnesota Hospital Association President and Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Massa.
"This Medicaid extension will help our state's hospitals care for needy residents at a time when that need is far greater than usual," he said.
Minnesota's U.S. House representatives delegation voted thusly on the bill:
Yea
Tim Walz (D)
Betty McCollum (D)
Keith Ellison (D)
Collin Peterson (D)
Jim Oberstar (D)
Nay
John Kline (R)
Erik Paulsen (R)
Michele Bachmann (R)
The Senate passed a similar measure about two weeks ago, forcing the House to interrupt a scheduled five-week break and return to Washington for the vote last week.
Notice points out federal health reform provisions in proposal for calendar year 2011
The American Hospital Association issued a regulatory advisory Aug. 6 spelling out some of the federal health reform measures that are part of the government's proposed rule on physician fees.
The proposal, issued June 25 and governing calendar year 2011, would implement the following provisions of the reform law, the advisory said:
- a 10-percent primary-care incentive payment;
- a provision permitting physician assistants to order post-hospital extended-care services;
- enhanced payments for certified nurse midwife services; and
- elimination of beneficiary cost-sharing for most preventive services (including new "annual wellness visits").
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule would also update the physician fee schedule payment weights and rates, and it would:
- rebase and revise the Medicare Economic Index;
- expand the 50-percent multiple procedure payment reduction to outpatient physical and occupational therapy services; and
- change the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, the physician resource use measurement and reporting program and the electronic prescribing incentive program.
While Congress enacted a 2.2-percent increase in Medicare physician payments that began to take effect June 1 and will extend through Nov. 30, beginning this Dec. 1, physician payments will be reduced 23.4 percent. In the rule, CMS indicates that the current sustainable growth-rate methodology will necessitate a further reduction of 6.1 percent beginning Jan. 1, 2011, resulting in a total decrease in payments to physicians in calendar year 2011 of almost 30 percent.
The proposed rule is available here: [PDF].
Comments about the measure are due to CMS by Aug. 24. A final rule on the matter will be issued by Nov. 1, and most changes will take effect Jan. 1, 2011.
Rule cuts funding by 0.9 percent, on average, but some hospitals would receive more reimbursements
The final rule outlining federal payments to acute and long-term-care prospective payment system hospitals for inpatient care was released Monday. Certain new federal health care reform law elements were included in the measure. Most of the payment and policy changes take effect Oct. 1.
Overall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule will decrease Medicare inpatient payments by an average of 0.9 percent, or $12.1 million total, for Minnesota hospitals. The rule incorporates the 0.25-percent rate cut that took effect April 1, under federal health reform.
Despite strong opposition from hospitals, CMS will cut 2.9 percent from the martketbasket update as recoupment of perceived coding adjustments. CMS contends that it overpaid hospitals in 2007 and 2008 after implementing Medicare-Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs). Based on analysis by the American Hospital Association, the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) and hospitals nationwide told CMS about numerous flaws in calculations used to justify the 2.9 percent cut.
The expansion of quality measures set forth in the rule was also cited by MHA as a major concern. Nevertheless, in 2011, four new quality measures will be added, and one will be retired, bringing the total number of measures PPS hospitals must report on to 45. Hospitals that do not submit their quality measures will have their payment rates cut by 2.0 percent. CMS did abandon its proposal to collect all private and public data for 55 MS-DRGs in deference to objections from MHA, AHA and hospitals around the country that such a requirement would be administratively burdensome.
One of the health reform measures that positively affects 13 Minnesota PPS hospitals is the nationwide distribution of $400 million to qualifying hospitals in counties that rank in the lowest quartile of Medicare per-beneficiary spending, adjusted by age, sex and race. (See June 4 story.)
Critical-access hospital payments
The final rule also ensures that critical-access hospitals (CAHs) that elect an "optional method" for billing for outpatient services will be paid 101 percent of reasonable costs, rather than at 100 percent, as previously proposed by CMS. CAHs that elect to use the optional method for billing can use a streamlined, continuous election process so they will not need to signal their intent to use that process every year.
Another strongly opposed proposal was maintained in the final rule; CMS will clarify which provider taxes assessed by states may be considered allowable as reasonable costs for CAHs to recover in the Medicare program. Minnesota's provider taxes have been ruled as an allowable cost, and MHA will continue to oppose any changes to that status.
Minnesota hospitals are disappointed with the outcome of the inpatient final rule, said Lawrence Massa, MHA president and CEO.
"Minnesota's providers have consistently delivered low-cost, high-quality care to Medicare beneficiaries," he said. "This rule is another step backward with one massive, across-the-board cut that is not based on any concrete substantiation or related to the efficiency of care our members provide."
For more information about these issues, contact Joe Schindler, MHA vice president of finance, at (651) 659-1415.
House members recalled from summer recess to vote on same measure; vote expected Tuesday
The Senate on Thursday passed a bill to extend by six-months - through June 2011 - Medicaid's temporary enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for states. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recalled House members from their summer recess to take up the same issue next week, likely on Tuesday.
Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken of Minnesota both voted to support the measure.
The federal government pays a portion of each state's Medicaid costs through FMAP payments. The extension amount was decreased from earlier proposals, to 3.2 percent for January-March 2011 and 1.2 percent for April-June 2011.
If the legislation is enacted as expected, states like Minnesota with high unemployment will continue to receive enhanced funding, just as they do under the current FMAP provisions.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) estimates that under the Senate bill's proposed new matching rate, $263 million of additional funding will be made available to Minnesota's Medicaid program.
The entire estimated cost for the pared-down FMAP provision set forth in the Senate bill is $16.1 billion, down from the original $24 billion. The bill calls for the measure to be fully paid for over 10 years through a combination of tax increases and rescissions.
Cuts would include, for example, returning food stamp benefit levels to those in place before the stimulus law passed, reducing spending for programs that no longer require funding or have sufficient funding, and closing foreign tax loopholes.
Though Minnesota did not factor the additional federal money into its current budget, the state faces more than $5 billion in projected deficits in the next biennium.
For more information, contact Joe Schindler, MHA vice president of finance, at (651) 659-1415 or Ann Gibson, MHA federal relations director, at (651) 603-3527.
Measure requiring identity theft prevention programs delayed for fifth time; new deadline is Dec. 31
For the fifth time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week again extended its
enforcement deadline for a regulation that requires creditors - such as hospitals - to implement
written identity theft prevention policies.
The new "red flags rule" enforcement deadline is Dec. 31, 2010, instead of June 1, 2010.
Under the rule, organizations that extend credit and have certain types of "accounts" must
implement practices to detect and respond to "red flags" that might indicate identity theft has
occurred. A red flag, for example, could be a debtor who presents identification documents that
appear to have been altered or debtor photographs that are not consistent with the debtor's
appearance.
The original deadline for the measure was Nov. 1, 2008. As in the past, the FTC said the latest
extension was requested by members of Congress.
The delay will allow Congress time to consider legislation that would affect the scope of entities
covered by the rule. Some congressional leaders have said that the FTC was interpreting the rule
as applying to organizations it was not meant to, such as health care providers.
A Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) template policy for members to use to draft their own identity theft prevention policies is available here: DOC.
Also, the FTC has provided guidance through materials posted on www.ftc.gov/redflagsrule and in speeches and seminars.
For more information, contact Matt Anderson, MHA vice president regulatory and strategic
affairs, at (651) 659-1421.
Financial
Measure is first step in rewarding low-cost providers
A recent federal proposal to award $400 million to U.S. hospitals in counties that had the lowest
Medicare costs per enrollee would increase funding to 13 prospective payment system (PPS)
hospitals in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) sent that message to leaders of those hospitals
Tuesday - the hospitals were listed in the proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) rule.
Under the rule, the 13 hospitals would qualify for lump-sum payments - for inpatient services - in both 2011 and 2012. The qualifying PPS hospitals are in U.S. counties where Medicare's
costs per capita are in the lowest quartile of the nation, when adjusted for age, gender and race.
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D) and others in the Minnesota congressional delegation advocated
for the provision in an effort to reward value in health care services rather than volume.
The proposal was released late last month. It incorporates federal health care reform law
provisions.
Also included in federal health reform legislation is an additional $400 million that will be
available for physicians. That provision will be outlined in a future CMS rule.
The 13 Minnesota PPS hospitals that would be affected under the proposed rule are:
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County
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Hospital
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City
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Nobles
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Sanford Regional Hospital Worthington
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Worthington
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Douglas
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Douglas County Hospital
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Alexandria
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Stearns
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St. Cloud Hospital
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St. Cloud
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Freeborn
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Albert Lea Medical Center - Mayo Health
System
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Albert Lea
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Winona
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Winona Health Services
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Winona
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Otter Tail
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Lake Region Healthcare Corporation
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Fergus Falls
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Steele
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Owatonna Hospital
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Owatonna
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Rice
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District One Hospital
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Faribault
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Crow Wing
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St. Joseph's Medical Center
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Brainerd
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Kandiyohi
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Rice Memorial Hospital
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Willmar
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Blue Earth
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Immanuel-St. Joseph's - Mayo Health System
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Mankato
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Becker
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St. Mary's Innovis Health
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Detroit Lakes
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Martin
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Fairmont Medical Center - Mayo Health System
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Fairmont
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MHA will submit comments on other aspects of the proposed rule soon. Members are welcome to send their comments about any aspect of the entire CMS IPPS proposed rule (it was released in
two parts) to MHA by June 15. Comments are due to CMS by June 18.
Read more information on the proposed rules here and here.
To submit comments or obtain more information about the matter, contact Joe Schindler, MHA vice president of finance, at (651) 659-1415.
People News
Kimber L. Wraalstad was CEO of a North Dakota hospital
Kimber L. Wraalstad was recently named administrator of Cook County North Shore Hospital &
Care Center in Grand Marais.
She replaces Diane Pearson, who is retiring as administrator after more than 20 years.
Wraalstad comes to Grand Marais from Rolla, N.D., where she was president and chief executive
officer of Presentation Medical Center, a 25-bed critical-access hospital. According to a news
release from the Grand Marais hospital, during Wraalstad's 16 years there, she, for example,
directed the conversion of the hospital to a critical-access hospital; coordinated a conversion of
the provider-sponsored rural health clinic to a federally qualified health center; led recruitment of
physicians and practitioners; and coordinated the development of a regional data center for nine
critical-access hospitals.
Wraalstad is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She holds a master of
health administration degree from St. Louis University in St. Louis and a bachelor of science
degree in business administration from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
A Winona Health certified nurse practitioner recently participated in a National Osteoporosis Foundation Capitol Hill event in Washington, D.C.
Ann C. F. Olson, who is also a Winona State University-Rochester associate professor, met with Rep. Tim Walz and with staff members of Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken to present the views of patients, family members, health professionals and others who are touched by the bone disease. Winona-area resident Kelly Hein accompanied Olson to provide a patient's perspective.
Olson is an advocate for osteoporosis prevention and was invited to "Strong Voices for Strong Bones" in part because of her bone health research study conducted in the Winona area, a Winona Health news release said. Winona Health supported the study by conducting the bone density screening for study participants, who included Hein.
"In our study of 150 Winona-area women aged 35-55, 32 percent were found to have low bone density, which is a significant risk for postmenopausal osteoporosis and subsequent fracture," Dr. Olson said in the release. "If women know their bone density at a younger age, many of these women are more likely to work with their health-care providers to reduce their risk of osteoporosis - which would decrease much of the pain and cost associated with osteoporotic fractures."
State Policy
Clinics operated by three health systems are among the first 11 to gain certification under the new model of care
Eleven clinics, including 10 operated by three Minnesota Hospital Association members, are the
first in the state to gain certification to provide coordinated care under the state's new "health
care home" model.
Minnesotans with complex and chronic conditions can now begin to enroll in the health care
homes, or "medical homes." Under the long-range, team approach to primary care, one member
of the team coordinates a patient's care with numerous different practitioners such as nurses,
specialists and pharmacists, over time. The coordinator might also streamline access to
appointments, improve communication with specialists and answer the patient's questions over
the phone.
The health care homes, in several regions of the state and encompassing both urban and rural
clinics, are:
- Christopher J. Wenner, M.D., Cold Spring
- Mayo Health System - Austin Medical Center
- Lakewood Health System-Staples Clinic
- Lakewood Health System-Browerville Clinic
- Lakewood Health System-Eagle Bend Clinic
- Lakewood Health System-Pillager Clinic
- Lakewood Health System-Motley Clinic
- Park Nicollet-Minneapolis Pediatric Clinic
- Park Nicollet-St. Louis Park Internal Medicine Clinic
- Park Nicollet-St. Louis Park Family Medicine Clinic
- Park Nicollet-St. Louis Park Pediatric Clinic
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) certifies the entities, which qualify to receive a
monthly per-person care-coordination payment for patients with multiple chronic conditions.
Eligibility for those payments may depend on a patient's health insurance plan.
For certification, providers and clinics must meet standards, complete an application and
participate in a site visit. Nearly 50 additional clinics across the state are in the process of
applying for certification, MDH said in a Tuesday news release. In addition, about 500 people
have attended certification training sessions at regional workshops around the state, and more
than 30 individual clinics and health systems have received a variety of mini grants to help them
move toward certification, according to the health department.
MDH seeks to certify up to 150 organizations by the end of 2011.
The 2008 state health care reform law called for the creation of health care homes.
"Having this first set of certified health care homes is a great step forward for Minnesota as we
strengthen the foundation of primary care in the state," Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr.
Sanne Magnan said in the release. "By focusing on better coordination of health care, we can
improve health and manage chronic conditions better, while addressing the cost of health care."
For more information, visit www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/homes/index.html.
Members of four work groups named; hospital representatives are included
State health care reform efforts were temporarily put on the public policy back burner as Minnesota lawmakers waited to learn what was included and excluded from the historic Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now, state legislators are moving forward with health care reform efforts, both in light of a pending $6 billion state budget shortfall as well as the need to look at what actions the state should take to respond to numerous initiatives and sweeping changes in the federal health care reform law.
Four work groups comprised of both state legislators as well as members of the public have been formed. The four work groups are:
- Payment Reform;
- Work Force Shortage;
- Health Insurance Exchange; and
- Small Group Insurance Market.
MHA is pleased to report that key hospital representatives are serving on three of the four groups: Payment Reform, Work Force Shortage and Health Insurance Exchange. Each of the four work groups has been charged with preliminary objectives and their work product recommendations will be forwarded to Minnesota's full Health Care Access Commission (HCAC).
The work of the HCAC will likely be included in legislative proposals that come forward during the 2011 Session, from Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth), assuming Berglin and Huntley retain their current positions as chairs of their respective health and human services finance committees.
Reform discussions get under way
In related news, a meeting of the state's full Health Care Access Commission (HCAC) has been scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18. The commission will be discussing the appointments and the objectives of the four work groups, as well as an overview of the Affordable Care Act Grants and the projected Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage funds and current allocation.
Also on Aug. 18, the first meetings of the work groups for both Payment Reform and Work Force Shortage have been scheduled. The Payment Reform Work Group's agenda includes the following:
- review of health care payment models currently used in Minnesota, both in public programs and private plans;
- discussion of other health care payment models that could be implemented in the state, such as those considered in Minnesota's 2008 reforms, those promoted under the Affordable Care Act and those used in other states or countries.
Following are details about each work group:
Payment Reform Work Group
Scope: To explore payment reform options for Minnesota. The group will:
- investigate waivers or pilot programs for payment reform;
- determine what Minnesota can do beyond federal payment reform;
- explore whether the rule allowing for only one Medicaid pilot project per area will apply to this and if waivers are possible;
- decide whether the advanced primary care pilot or other pilots are best for Minnesota.
Legislative members
- Sen. Tony Lourey, chair
- Sen. Rick Olseen
- Sen. David Senjem
- Sen. Linda Higgins
- Sen. Kathy Sheran
- Rep. Tom Huntley, chair
- Rep. Jim Abeler
- Rep. Maria Ruud
- Rep. Julie Bunn
Members of the public
- Anne Edwards, chair of pediatrics, Park Nicollet Health Services
- Charlie Fazio, chief medical officer and senior vice president, Medica
- Cindy Morrison, vice president of health policy, Sanford Health
- Daniel L. Svendsen, executive director, Generations Health Care Initiatives Inc.
- Don Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer, Hennepin Faculty Associates
- Douglas Wood, chair, division of health care policy, Mayo Clinic
- George Schoephoerster, geriatrician, Geriatric Services of Minnesota
- Heidi Holste, associate state director of advocacy, American Association of Retired Persons
- James Wuellner, vice president and chief financial officer, St. Luke's Hospital, Duluth
- Jim Przybilla, chief executive officer, PrimeWest Health
- Jonathan Watson, director of public policy, Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers
- Julie Sonier, deputy director, State Health Access Data Assistance Center
- Lisa Fink, staff attorney, Legal Services Advocacy Project
- Meg Hasbrouke, vice president, payer relations and contracting, Allina Hospitals and Clinics
- Michael Scandrett, president LPaC Alliance, Minnesota Safety Net Coalition
- Terry Carroll, senior vice president, transformation, and chief information officer, Fairview Health Services
Work Force Shortage Work Group
Scope: To thoroughly review issues and solutions for the health care work force shortage in Minnesota. The group will:
- identify current and anticipated health care work force shortages, by both provider type and geography;
- evaluate the effectiveness of incentives currently available to develop, attract and retain a highly skilled health care work force; and
- study alternative incentives to develop, attract, and retain a highly skilled health care work force and recommend whether to replace, enhance, or supplement current incentives with new ideas, including payment reform.
Legislative members
- Sen. Ann Lynch, chair
- Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, chair
- Sen. David Tomassoni
- Rep. Tina Liebling, chair
- Rep. Patti Fritz
- Rep. Jeff Hayden
Members of the public
- Ann C.F. Olson, associate professor and certified nurse practitioner, Winona State University-Rochester Health Services
- Bruce Nelson, chief executive officer, ARRM
- Deb Tauer, president, Minnesota Licensed Practical Nurses Association
- Heather Bidinger, founding PA program director, St. Catherine University
- Jon Marchand, programs administrator, Greater Minnesota Family Services
- Laura Beeth, system director, talent acquisition, Fairview Health Services
- Linda Slattengren, past president, Minnesota Nurses Association
- Macaran Baird, professor and head of family medicine and community health, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Mary Alice Mowry, director, pathways to employment, and manager of disability services, DHS
- Mary L. Chesney, director, doctor of nursing practice program, University of Minnesota School of Nursing
- Mary Rosenthal, director, health care reform, SEIU Health Care MN
- Meghan M. Goldammer, health policy analyst, Sanford Health Plan
- Phil Kibort, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer, Children's Hospitals and Clinics
- Randy Rice, physician and partner, Gateway Family Health Clinic
- Robert Lohr, medical director, Mayo Health System
- Sheila Riggs, chair, department of primary dental care, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
- Shelley Vogt, RN, BSN, PHN, Sound Objective Solutions LLC and Good Samaritan Society
- Trisha Stark, director of professional affairs, Minnesota Psychological Association
- Troy Taubenheim, executive director, Metro Minnesota Council on Graduate Medical Education
Health Insurance Exchange Work Group
Scope: To investigate possible funding and options available to states for studying and operating health insurance exchanges. The group will:
- determine how many exchanges are appropriate for Minnesota.
- determine whether Minnesota should have:
- an exchange for small businesses and another for individuals;
- enchanges for everyone;
- decide who should operate the exchange;
- consider whether a state agency or private/public nonprofit should operate exchanges;
- report on ways operating costs could be paid;
- determine the scope of products;
- determine whether Minnesota should include all products or a limited scope;
- determine whether different products should be available for different exchanges;
- determine whether it is best for Minnesota to create its own exchange or participate with a multi-state group;
- decide if plan subsidization is needed;
-determine whether Minnesota should provide a coverage wrap-around;
-determine whether Minnesota should subsidize beyond what the federal government does;
- assess the best time to start an exchange;
- determine whether Minnesota should start any exchanges before the mandated year of 2014;
- determine whether subsidies are available to start earlier; and
- determine if other studies have information on exchanges that would be helpful.
Legislative members
- Sen. Linda Berglin, chair
- Sen. Julie Rosen, chair
- Sen. Linda Scheid
- Sen. Mary Olson
- Rep. Paul Thissen, chair
- Rep. Erin Murphy
- Rep. Steve Gottwalt
- Rep. Diane Loeffler
- Rep. Tom Huntley
- Rep. Mike Obermueller
Members of the public
- Brian Rotty, executive director, Mayo Clinic Health Solutions
- Cecilla Retelle, manager, education and health policy, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
- Cheryl Froland, channel management executive, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
- Dannette Coleman, vice president of public policy and government relations, Medica
- Dave Dzuik, chief financial officer, HealthPartners
- David Knutson, co-director, center for care organization research and development, University of Minnesota
- Debra Holmgren, president, Portico Healthnet
- Greg Datillo, legislative chair, Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters
- Jean Abraham, assistant professor, University of Minnesota, division of health policy and management
- Jeanne Bailey, chief executive officer, United Family Medicine
- Lynn Blewett, director, State Health Access Data Assistance Center
- Maureen O'Connell, advocacy director, Legal Services Advocacy Project Michael Allen, chief financial officer, Winona Health
- Peter Nelson, policy fellow, Center for the American Experiment
- Phillip Cryan, organizing director, SEIU Health Care MN
- Roger Kathol, president, Cartesian Solutions Inc.
Small Group Insurance Market Work Group
Scope: To study and report on the options available to increase rate predictability and stability for groups of 100 or fewer employees. The group will:
- analyze implementation options in expanding the small group definition to 100 employees;
- research underwriting concerns and rating requirements and the implications of change in small group market size on the entire health insurance market, and limitations on renewal, enrollment methodologies and processes;
- study costs for employers, employees, brokers and health plans;
- determine how to assist employers in understanding the implications of employers migrating from fully insured to self insured and associated risks;
- create a uniform application form;
- research education and compliance issues related to the offering of Section 125 plans under Minnesota Statutes, Section 62U.07; and
- assure compliance with federal law, including expeditious implementation of federal health care reform requirements.
Legislative members
- Sen. Linda Scheid, chair, commerce and consumer protection
- Sen. David Senjem, minority leader
- Rep. Diane Loeffler, assistant majority leader
- Rep. Denny McNamara
Members of the public
- John Gross, director of health policy, Department of Commerce
- Nancy Nelson, vice president and chief actuary, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
- Joe Pupkes, vice president of underwriting and product development, Preferred One
- Greg Dattilo, Dattilo Consulting Inc.
- Tom Aslesen, Accord Benefit Resources Inc.
- Joseph Lotus, director of government relations, Assurant Inc.
- John Sjoberg, controller, Shaw-Lundquist, LLC
- Mike Hickey, NFIB/Minnesota State Director
- Sandra King, vice president operations, West Central Initiative
- Charles Terry, Terry's Hardware Inc
- Julie Pawlowski, director of human resources, Command Tooling Systems
- Alex Neutgens, director of finance, IMAGO North America (ADDCO is now IMAGO)
- William Gullickson, chief executive officer, MGK
- Suzette Frith, human resources manager, TSE Inc.
- Terese Pilaczynski, director of human resources, Lancet Software Development
- Scott Walker, Carpenters Union Member, St. Paul Linoleum and Carpet Compan
Minnesota Hospital Association staff members will be monitoring the meetings of the various work groups and coordinating communications with the hospital representatives selected to participate.
For more information, contact Mary Krinkie, MHA vice president of government relations, at (651) 659-1465.
After today, the hospital will not accept new patients under the new health care program for the poor
Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) officials said Wednesday that North Memorial Medical Center has exceeded the client enrollment limit set in its contract as a coordinated care delivery system (CCDS) under the new General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program.
As a result, DHS said it will suspend new GAMC client enrollment for the hospital after today, Aug. 6. In other words, after that date, North Memorial will not be available to serve any more new GAMC clients through its CCDS program. Eligible enrollees who have signed and dated their enrollment forms on or before Aug. 6 can still enroll at North Memorial.
DHS will provide information about the other three CCDS organizations - Hennepin County Medical Center, Regions Hospital and the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview - which remain open to new clients, via its Web site, www.dhs.state.mn.us/GAMC. The same information will also be provided through the Minnesota Health Care Programs at (651) 431-2670 or (800) 657-3739.
In addition, DHS enrollment forms and other materials will be revised to let potential enrollees know about the change.
Lastly, DHS will provide county officials, who help GAMC-eligible participants sign up for the program, with more detailed information about the enrollment process, DHS said. That information will be posted on the DHS Web site, too.
The agency said it will follow the same process if other CCDSs reach enrollment limits as stipulated in their contracts.
A CCDS is a care model, operated by a hospital, that may include services by area clinics and other providers as part of a coordinated system to care for GAMC patients.
Sessions to take place third Wednesday of each month
The Minnesota Department of Health will host monthly conference calls/Webinars throughout 2010 aimed at showing health care providers how to become certified as health care homes.
The first such event took place Wednesday and focused on how to use the certification assessment tool. The sessions will occur the third Wednesday of every month.
Applicants and potential applicants will be able to call in with questions. At the beginning of each call, MDH's health care home team or others will provide a brief update on health care home implementation and next steps. A brief presentation on a certification-related theme will follow - each month will focus on a different theme.
Registration is not required for the phone call, but a maximum of 50 callers may participate. The conference call number is: (877) 952-2089. When prompted, callers should enter the participant code 5411585.
Registration is required for the Webinars. Visit this site for instructions and other related information. Alternatively, contact MDH staff members at
this e-mail address for answers to questions related to the issue.
MDH issues report on health care homes
In related news, the MDH this week issued a report titled "Health Care Homes: Annual Report on Implementation." It is available here: [PDF].
Community Connections
Promotional campaign includes "turn-key" initiatives for hospitals; Webinar about the effort set for April 28
In an effort to increase the number of Minnesotans who are registered to be organ and tissue
donors - and thereby save more lives - the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) is teaming
up with the region's organ procurement organization on a promotional campaign.
Under the initiative with LifeSource, MHA challenges all member hospitals to educate their
employees and their communities about the importance of deciding to be a donor, said MHA
President and Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Massa.
"Though every hospital already has a donation program, this campaign offers an opportunity to elevate that partnership from the clinical realm to the public realm," he said. "Doing so will further fulfill hospitals' commitments to benefiting their communities."
Boosting organ and tissue donation is an MHA board priority for 2010. LifeSource, a nonprofit
organization based in the same St. Paul building as MHA, is also a tissue recovery agency.
To participate in the "Donate Life Minnesota Hospital Campaign," hospitals need only commit to
implementing at least one program element during the remainder of this year. The MHA is aiming
for at least one-quarter of members - or about 40 hospitals - to do so.
"We think we'll surpass that goal, because participation can be as simple as hanging the organ
donation flag outside your hospital or publishing an article about the campaign in an employee
newsletter," Massa said. "Members could also choose to do more by hosting an employee donor
drive, for instance."
Other elements of the campaign include customizable, ready-to-use public service announcements
and advertisements that hospitals can place on their Web sites. Hospital representatives can get
started by clicking on the graphic on the left.
Also, view this YouTube video in which Massa and LifeSource Chief Executive Officer Susan
Gunderson encourage participation in the project.
A Webinar about the initiative, aimed at MHA member hospital communicators, is scheduled for
Wednesday, April 28. Details on "Whose Line is it Anyway? Promoting Donation and
Transplantation in Good Times and Crisis Situations" will be published soon.
Some of the campaign materials explain that donations from just one person can benefit up to 60
others. They also show that in 2009 in the LifeSource region:
- donations from 175 people provided 597 organs for life-saving transplants; and
- tissue donations from 544 people aided more than 25,000 lives.
The kick-off of the program this week coincides with April's National Donate Life Month.
Ultimately, LifeSource hopes the partnership with Minnesota hospitals translates into 100,000
additional Minnesotans registered as donors, Gunderson said.
"Working together, Minnesota hospitals and LifeSource can have a tremendous effect on the
number of registered donors in the state," she said. "In doing so, we can bring hope to the more than 2,500 Minnesotans who, today, are awaiting a life-saving transplant."
For more information, hospitals may contact their LifeSource hospital liaison or Jan Hennings,
MHA communications director, at (651) 603-3549.