Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

March 04, 2013

MHA Newsline

In this issue:


Minnesota loses outstanding health care leader

The Minnesota hospital community lost an outstanding leader today.

Jeff Peterson, Allina Health executive vice president and MHA board member, passed away this morning. Jeff previously served as president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital for five years. He was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in the fall.

Jeff was always proud to say that he had started his career in health care as a dietary utensil sanitizer at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich. “That was a pretty fancy title for my work as a dishwasher,” he said. He later got a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa. Jeff came to Abbott Northwestern from St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Ohio where he served as president and chief executive officer.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Michele; three sons, Kyle, Quinn and Connor; his parents and many family members and friends.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

According to colleague Ben Bache-Wiig, MD, CEO at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, “Jeff was a steady and dependable leader, whose clear direction and matter-of-fact style helped us focus on our mission. He was a man of integrity who set a direction and drove for results, while celebrating the accomplishments of everyone involved.” Lawrence Massa, MHA President and CEO added, "Jeff was passionate about health care and the people who make a difference for their patients every day. He was a common sense leader and a great team player.” In addition to his service on the MHA board, Jeff served on a variety of MHA committees and task forces.

He will be missed. ^top of page

National Patient Safety Week recognizes hospitals’ commitment to safe care

This week is National Patient Safety Awareness Week, a time to educate and increase awareness of patient safety activities throughout the health care continuum. Hospitals across the state are holding activities that highlight the theme and their year-round commitment, Patient Safety 7/365: 7 days of recognition, 365 days of commitment to safe care. Hospitals should promote this celebration and your good work to keep patients safe through events, social media and stories in your local media and on your website.

We are asking that you share with us your plans to celebrate this week as well as any patient safety milestones or new initiatives that you’re working on so we can amplify your work statewide. For example, at HealthEast Care System in St. Paul, they are using social media and posters in the cafeteria to ask patients to share one way they play an active role in their care. They will share the stories they collect through articles in their weekly newsletter.

For more information, visit the National Patient Safety Week website. ^top of page

February forecast shows smaller state deficit for FY 2014-15

Increased revenues and decreased spending in Medical Assistance (Medicaid) have increased the Fiscal Year 2012-13 budget balance to $295 million and decreased the forecasted deficit in FY 2014-15 to $627 million. The November forecast had predicted a $1.1 billion deficit for the 14-15 biennium.

By law, the $295 million balance will go to pay back part of the school payment shift as well as to the state’s reserve fund.

Lower spending in Medical Assistance resulted from lower negotiated rates with managed care for FY 2013. In the next biennium, Medical Assistance spending increases in some areas while decreasing in others, thanks to the recently-signed law expanding MA eligibility to 138 percent of poverty. While the federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost for adults without children until FY 2017, Minnesota and the federal government will still pay 50 percent each to cover parents, relative caretakers, and 19- and 20-year-olds. ^top of page

State House Committee advances MHA diagnostic imaging legislation to full House

Legislation clarifying a 2012 law requiring Minnesota hospitals to undergo duplicative accrediting requirements for MRI, CT and nuclear medicine equipment passed the House committee of jurisdiction last week.

On Feb. 27, the House Health and Human Services Committee adopted legislation promoted by the Minnesota Hospital Association (S.F. 493/H.F. 582) to exempt Minnesota hospitals from new state-imposed accreditation requirements on advanced diagnostic imaging. The new requirements are duplicative of current safety surveys performed on the equipment used by hospitals.

This is the second committee in just over a week to pass the legislation by voice vote, following last week’s action in the Senate. The bill has been referred to both the House and Senate floor for final consideration. MHA members should continue to reach out to members of the Legislature encouraging support for S.F. 493/H.F. 582.

For additional information about this issue, or for assistance in contacting state legislators, please contact Ben Peltier, MHA vice president of legal services, 651-603-3513. ^top of page

Rural health information technology workforce grant available

The federal government is soliciting applications for the Rural Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Program. The purpose of this program is to support formal rural health networks that focus on activities relating to the recruitment, education, training, and retention of HIT specialists. This program will also provide support to rural health networks that can leverage and enhance existing HIT training materials to develop formal training programs, which will provide instructional opportunities to current health care staff, local displaced workers, rural residents, veterans, and other potential students.

These formal training programs will result in the development of a cadre of HIT workers who can help rural hospitals and clinics implement and maintain systems, such as electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, home monitoring and mobile health technology, and meet EHR meaningful use standards. Click here for more information. ^top of page

Hospitals reminded that adverse events must be reported within 15 working days

The Minnesota Department of Health issued a letter to hospital and ambulatory surgical center administrators reiterating that the law requires that any of the 28 reportable adverse health events must be reported “as soon as is reasonably and practically possible, but no later than 15 working days after discovery of the event.” According to MDH, in 2012 a higher than usual number of events were reported beyond the 15-day window, in some case weeks or months after the event was discovered. Hospitals are encouraged to examine your review process and ensure it meets the statutory requirements for timely reporting. Read the letter to administrators here.

For questions, contact Tania Daniels, MHA vice president of patient safety, 651-603-3549 or Julie Apold, MHA senior director of patient safety, 651-603-3538.^top of page

Regional patient safety meetings coming up

MHA and Stratis Health will host annual regional meetings for quality and patient safety. The meetings feature safety and quality updates and discussions about issues, barriers and successes. The meetings are a great opportunity to network and problem-solve with your peers. A $20 registration fee covers lunch, beverages and materials. The schedule is as follows:

  • April 10, Wednesday, Canal Park Lodge, Duluth (Region 2)
  • April 11, Thursday, Hampton Inn & Suites, Bemidji (Region 1)
  • April 17, Wednesday, Minneapolis/St. Paul Hilton Airport, Bloomington (Region 4)
  • April 18, Thursday, Owatonna Hospital, Owatonna (Region 6)
  • April 24, Wednesday, Holiday Inn & Suites, St. Cloud (Region 3)
  • April 25, Thursday, Redwood Falls Area Community Center, Redwood Falls (Region 5)

View the agenda or click this link to register. Contact Mary Montury at Stratis Health with questions, 952-853-8541.^top of page

Cambridge Medical Center names new president

Allina Health has named Gary Shaw as the new president of Cambridge Medical Center. Shaw has more than 25 years of health care leadership experience and is currently the administrator of the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, a 150-bed level II trauma center. Prior to his position in Alaska, Shaw was the vice president of operations at Bayhealth Medical Center, Delaware. He served as the CEO of Billings Clinic/North Big Horn Hospital in Lovell, Wyoming and later as the corporate director, regional operations for the same system of hospitals and clinics. Shaw began his health care career as a Navy corpsman and traveled all over the world during his military service. He spent many years as a naval officer and administrator of Navy hospitals in Florida and Tennessee. ^top of page

MDH mini-grants will support prevention of adverse health events

In June, 2013, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) plans to award up to $30,000 in patient safety/quality improvement mini-grants to support new practice implementation projects focused on prevention of reportable adverse health events. This is the second annual offering from MDH, and challenges the health care community and the ability of organizations to develop new solutions to clinical scenarios in which adverse events could occur. The goal of this grant program is for the tools and procedures that emerge from these projects to be shared across the state to improve quality and patient safety at Minnesota hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers.

The mini-grant application deadline is April 30. Click here for the request for proposal. For questions, contact Rachel Jokela at MDH. ^top of page

Nominations sought for Outstanding Nurses Awards

Mpls.- St. Paul Magazine is accepting nominations for the second annual Outstanding Nurses Awards. The awards honor nurses who are exceptional in their profession, going above and beyond in their work in the following categories: hospital setting, clinic setting, nurse practitioner, nurse educator, administrative leadership, student nurse (pre-board certification), women’s health, emergency situations, children’s health, long-term care, cancer treatment, and school nurse (K-12).

The magazine will also award a Rising Star Award to a nurse with fewer than five years since certification, and a Lifetime Achievement Award to a nurse with 20 years or more since certification. Nominations are due by April 1 so please consider nominating your exceptional nurses. Nominations can be completed online. ^top of page

Annual CEO, CFO and CNE online salary surveys deadline extended

The deadline for submitting this year’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief nurse executive online compensation surveys has been extended until Friday, March 8.

The broader the survey participation base, the more representative the results. The survey results will highlight salary averages by budget size, years in health care, geographical region, and years in current positions.

As always, the reported information will be kept confidential. Results will be reported in summary form only, with no individual responses identified. Please make sure to specify the email addresses the reports should be sent to at the end of the surveys. The reports will be sent to participants the beginning of May.

Members were emailed information on how to confidentially complete the surveys on the MHA members-only website on Feb. 11. If you have questions regarding the survey, contact Jonathan Peters, MHA director of data and finance policy, 651-641-1121. ^top of page