In this issue
Regions
Hospital makes serving veterans a priority
Minnesota’s veteran population numbers nearly 370,000. Almost
three-quarters of those veterans were active during wartime and, as a result of
recent foreign conflicts, many men and women return home struggling with mental
health issues. Regions Hospital in Saint Paul has made it a priority to both
serve veterans and meet the demand for treating mental illnesses in the
community.
In June 2014, Regions Hospital launched the Lee and Penny Anderson HeroCare
program. A HeroCare advocate was hired to meet with each veteran who was
brought to their mental health facility. Partnering with the Veterans
Administration and the U.S. military, the advocate works with veterans
experiencing mental illnesses, substance abuse, homelessness and other issues.
“The rules have changed over the years,” said HeroCare advocate Christine
Dawson. “Many veterans don’t realize there are benefits that they have earned,
that they are entitled to.”
Within a few months of launch, the demand was much larger than expected.
HeroCare was prepared to assist 60 veterans in its first year, but final
numbers were nearly triple the estimate. Dawson also found that the need
expanded beyond just mental health.
“In 2015, we are on pace to help 135 veterans experiencing mental illnesses and
an additional 285 veterans across the hospital,” Dawson said. “Knowing that our
team is making a difference for those who have served their country is an honor
and a privilege.”
Visit the MHA website to learn more and read the full 2015 Community Benefit Report. return to top
March
31 is Mental Health Day on the Hill
Now is the time to voice your support for strengthening
Minnesota’s mental health system. The Minnesota Mental Health Legislative
Network is sponsoring the 2016 Mental Health Day on the Hill on Thursday, March
31.
A legislative briefing will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cedar Street Armory, 600 Cedar Street, Saint Paul. Visits to legislators will follow.
More information is available at Mental Health Day on the Hill and on the NAMI Minnesota website.
MHA’s top legislative priorities focus on mental health.
The Excellence in Mental Health Act will improve
the way Minnesotans access mental health and addiction treatment by creating a
“one-stop-shop” model of certified community clinics that will provide
comprehensive, coordinated and integrated care to children and adults with complex
mental and chemical health conditions. MHA also supports creating new
stand-alone and community-based competency restoration programs as well as
fully funding state hospitals so they are able to admit and appropriately treat
more patients.
MHA is partnering with the Mental Health Legislative Network in supporting
mental health legislation. Our efforts last year netted a historic investment
of $51 million in our state’s mental health system. This year we are working to
achieve another significant result.
The Mental Health Legislative Network has a number of legislative items in
addition to MHA’s priorities. Read more in this publication. return to top
Upcoming
education sessions designed specifically for rural hospitals
MHA will hold its annual “Health Care Delivery Strategies for
Rural Hospitals” sessions throughout the state April 26-27. Rural critical
access hospitals (CAH) and prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals are
invited to attend.
Topics to be covered include state/federal reimbursement, cost report issues,
Medicare and Medicaid billing updates, care and billing for victims of sexual
assault, Electronic Health Record reporting strategies and physician/clinic
billing.
Following each daily general session, separate breakout sessions will be
provided for both billing and finance issues. MHA Vice President of Finance Joe
Schindler and RSM US LLP Director Sue Ankeny will present the finance breakout
sessions and National Government Services provider outreach and education staff
Kim Thomas will speak at the billing breakout sessions.
The programs are co-sponsored by the Minnesota Chapter of the Healthcare
Financial Management Association. The locations are:
- Tuesday, April 26: Arrowwood
Lodge at Brainerd Lakes, Baxter
- Wednesday, April 27: Jackpot
Junction, Morton
Register on the MHA website or click here for the full
brochure. With questions, contact Christy Hammer, MHA education specialist,
651-659-1412. return to top
Plan
to meet with legislators during Easter recess
Legislators appreciate hearing from constituents with personal
expertise about health care issues and issues affecting their community’s
hospital. MHA members are encouraged to invite local legislators to hospitals
in their home districts for meetings during the legislative recess for the
Easter holiday, March 25-29. Please use the grassroots matching list found on
our Member Center to contact
your legislators’ offices to issue the invitation. For resources to support you
as you plan a legislative visit, visit the MHA Member Center. Our session priorities handout can provide a
discussion guide.
The Member Center is username and password protected. For login information,
contact Ashley Beno, member services and communications specialist,
651-603-3545. return to top
Last
chance to enroll in Minnesota Medicaid EHR Incentive Program
Program year 2016 is the final year in which eligible
professionals and eligible hospitals can begin to participate in the Minnesota
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program (MEIP). Providers that are
eligible to participate can receive up to $63,750 for full participation in the
program. This includes a payment in the first participation year of $21,250 to
adopt, implement or upgrade to a Certified Electronic Health Record Technology
(CEHRT) system.
The use of a CEHRT system can help achieve measurable improvements in patient
health care delivery and performance to promote better patient outcomes.
Improvements include:
- Diagnostic and patient safety
- Care coordination, including
electronic exchange of clinical information with other designated
providers
- Patient participation and
self-management
- Practice efficiencies and cost
savings, including documentation and coding
To participate in the EHR incentive program, an
eligible professional must be one of the following six types of Medicaid
providers: physician; dentist; certified nurse-midwife; nurse practitioner;
optometrist; or physician assistant practicing in a federally qualified health
center, a rural health center or a tribal or urban facility led by a physician
assistant. Other criteria must be met, including Medicaid Patient Volume
thresholds. To see if you are eligible, check the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) eligibility widget and then contact the MEIP
help desk staff at 855-676-0366 or dhs.ehr.incentives@state.mn.us
if you have any further questions regarding program eligibility.
To register and get started with your 2016 program year attestation, visit the CMS registration and attestation system page.
Once you have registered with CMS, visit the Minnesota EHR Incentive Program page for
information on how to register and attest through Minnesota’s online portal.
Additional resources are available on the CMS EHR Incentive Program website. return to top