In this issue
John
Fossum honored with Stephen Rogness Distinguished Service Award
The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) on May 20 honored
innovative programs and outstanding leaders in health care at its 32nd
annual awards ceremony.
Seventeen awards were given for extraordinary achievement in categories ranging
from advocacy on behalf of hospitals and volunteerism to innovation and
improvement in patient care and patient safety.
John Fossum, chief executive officer of Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital,
received the Stephen Rogness Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes an
executive at an MHA hospital who has demonstrated a history of significant
leadership beyond his or her hospital or system.
Fossum has served in his current leadership role since 1998. Prior to becoming
CEO at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, he was CEO of Madison Hospital and
Madison Lutheran Home in Madison, Minnesota, from 1992 to 1998.
Throughout his career as a hospital leader, Fossum has served as a strong and
committed advocate with a passion for protecting access to rural health care.
Fossum has a long history of involvement with MHA, both at the regional level
and statewide. While CEO in Madison, he served as MHA Region 5 chair. During
his time as CEO at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, he has served two terms
as MHA Region 2 chair and participated on several MHA subcommittees. Fossum is
currently a member of MHA’s Board of Directors and participates in the
Strengthening Healthy Communities Campaign Steering Committee, MHA Annual
Meeting task force, Small Rural Hospital Committee and the MHA Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Minnesota CEO Council.
In addition, Fossum is an involved member of his community, serving on the Ely
Area Joint Powers Economic Development Committee and the City of Ely Charter
Committee. He also was appointed by the Minnesota Department of Health to serve
as Level 4 Hospital Representative to the State Trauma Advisory Committee,
where he provides the sole voice for rural communities.
Fossum has demonstrated consistent passion for strengthening the health of
rural communities across the state through the delivery of high-quality health
care.
Additional award winners will be profiled in upcoming issues of Newsline. To
learn more about the award winners, visit the MHA website. return to top
MHA
legislative update
As reported last week, the legislature completed work on the
supplemental budget bill HF 2749. MHA is pleased that several of our spending
priorities for mental health were included in the bill, including MHA’s highest
legislative priority, the Excellence in Mental Health Act. Governor Dayton has
14 days after the legislative session ended to either sign or veto the bill. At
this time, MHA is still awaiting the governor’s action.
For additional information, contact Mary Krinkie, vice president of government
relations, or Kristin Loncorich, director of state
government relations, MHA. return to top
MNCASA
to offer sexual assault examination training webinars
With support from MHA, the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual
Assault (MNCASA) will offer five webinars this summer on providing medical
forensic exams for sexual assault patients.
Two webinars will provide overview information for chief nursing officers and
finance staff. Sessions include:
- June 29, 10-11 a.m.: Medical
Forensic Exams for Sexual Assault Patients: An Overview
- This webinar will provide an
overview of medical forensic exams for sexual assault patients, including
information that chief nursing officers should know regarding sexual
assault patient response. The webinar will review the aspects of an exam,
the role of the health care provider conducting the exam, the laws around
sexual assault patient care, the minimum requirements and tools needed to
conduct a quality exam, best practices for patient response and The Joint
Commission standards for sexual assault patients.
- June 30, 11 a.m. – noon:
Billing, Insurance and Other Laws Regarding Sexual Assault Patient Care
- This webinar will describe
state and federal laws related to medical forensic exam billing and
payment, as well as additional laws regarding sexual assault patient
care. Best practices for exam billing and payment processes will be
provided. Participants will be able to determine whether their hospital
policies meet federal and state statutes.
A three-part webinar series will provide sexual assault nurse
examiner (SANE) training using medical forensic exam curriculum that was
developed for emergency department nurses. Participants who complete this
series will be better equipped to perform medical forensic exams. Sessions
include:
- July 21, 2-3 p.m.: SANE
Training 101: Part 1 – What is Sexual Assault?
- Part one of this series will
teach context around sexual assault, best practices around hospital
responses to sexual assault patients and how to document the patient’s
account of the assault. Participants will have a deeper understanding of
what the crime of sexual assault encompasses, the impact on victims, the
importance of engaging with community partners, health care providers’
best reactions to patients who have been assaulted and how to facilitate
and document the patient’s account of incident.
- July 28, 2-3 p.m.: SANE
Training 101: Part 2 – The Exam
- Part two of this series will
describe the aspects of a medical forensic exam and explain how to
complete each component. Participants will have a better understanding of
evidence collection, injury identification and the physical exam.
- Aug. 10, 2-3 p.m.: SANE Training
101: Part 3 – Discharge and Follow-Up
- Part three of this series will
cover sexual assault patient discharge, follow-up and reporting to law
enforcement. Topics such as sexually transmitted infection (including
HIV) prophylaxis and pregnancy prevention will be discussed.
Webinars will be facilitated by Linda Walther, a SANE practicing
in the Twin Cities and the clinical coordinator for the Statewide Medical
Forensic Policy Program, and Kari Ogrodowski, the policy coordinator of the
Statewide Medical Forensic Policy Program.
MHA encourages members to participate in these training opportunities to
improve practices related to medical forensic exams for sexual assault victims.
Read more about how SANE training can help hospitals better serve patients in
an article featuring Stevens County Medical
Center’s coordinated team approach to sexual assault response.
With questions about webinar content, please contact Kari Ogrodowski.
To RSVP for a webinar, email Sarah Bohnet, visual communications
specialist, MHA. return to top
Rep.
Paulsen supports Ways and Means hospital bill
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation
last week with several provisions affecting hospitals. Rep. Erik Paulsen,
representing Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, is a member of the
committee and supported the legislation.
The bill contains two provisions that have been key federal priorities for MHA.
The first would adjust the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program to account
for socioeconomic status, reducing the penalties for hospitals that serve large
populations of low-income patients.
The second provision extends, for an additional five years, the Rural Community
Hospital Demonstration Program, which allows PPS hospitals with fewer than 51
acute care beds to test the feasibility of cost-based reimbursement. The
extension would allow additional hospitals to participate in the program.
The bill also contains an American Hospital Association-supported provision to
reverse a cut in reimbursement for off-campus hospital outpatient departments
(HOPDs) that was adopted by Congress last year. Under current law, HOPDs that
were not billing for services as of Nov. 2, 2015, would be paid at the lower
Physician Fee Schedule rate instead of the hospital outpatient rate. The
legislation passed by the committee would allow those facilities that begin
operation before Dec. 31, 2016, to eventually bill at the higher hospital
outpatient rate. In order to pay for the increased payments to HOPD, the bill
would reduce the MACRA hospital update from 0.5 percent to 0.4590 percent for
2018, or approximately $750 million for across the hospital industry.
Thereafter, hospitals would get the full 0.5 percent update as provided under
current law.
The bill, known as the Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care (HIP-C) Act (HR 5273) also contains minor provisions affecting stand-alone cancer hospitals,
long-term care hospitals and certain physicians at ambulatory surgery centers.
It is likely to be considered by the full House of Representatives in
June. return to top
Michael
Rock receives AHA Board of Trustees Award
The American Hospital Association (AHA) at its Annual Membership Meeting in May
presented its 2016 Board of Trustees Award to Michael G.
Rock, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery and former chief medical officer,
Mayo Clinic Hospitals/Mayo Foundation. The award honors individuals or groups
who have made substantial and noteworthy contributions to the work of the AHA.
A former member of the AHA Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, Rock
currently chairs the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) and serves on
the AHA Committee on Research. He has been active in AHA’s physician outreach,
serving as a member and chair of the AHA Physician Leadership Forum Advisory
Committee and member of the Committee on Clinical Leadership. Other AHA
leadership roles have included chairing the AHA Section for Health Care Systems
Governing Council and serving on the Committee on Performance Improvement and
other committees and task forces. return to top