Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

June 27, 2016

MHA Newsline: June 27, 2016

In this issue 

Lake Region Healthcare honored with MHA Community Benefit Award

The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) in May honored innovative programs and outstanding leaders in health care at its 32nd annual awards ceremony.   

Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls received the Community Benefit Award in the large hospital category, which recognizes hospitals for working beyond their physical walls to improve the health and well-being of their communities.

"Lake Region Takes Root" is part of Lake Region Healthcare's growing commitment to wellness and preventive health care. It is centered on the concept that to achieve optimal health, members of the hospital's community and region need access to affordable fresh produce.   

Through its community health needs assessment, Lake Region Healthcare learned that regularly accessing affordable produce was a concern for the community. To address this issue, Lake Region Healthcare leveraged a land donation of 1.5 acres in a residential neighborhood within the city limits to create a community garden used to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for families in Otter Tail County who have the most difficulty accessing healthy foods.   

Food grown at the garden is planted, tended to and harvested by volunteers and then donated to families participating in the Women, Infant and Children Program in Otter Tail County, as well as to three area food shelves. In 2015, Lake Region Healthcare grew 7,781 pounds of food, impacting 3,500 individuals in the community.   

Additional award winners will be profiled in upcoming issues of Newsline. To learn more about the award winners, visit the MHA websitereturn to top   

Bethesda Hospital registered nurse receives MHA Good Catch for Patient Safety award

Megan Rodger recognized for speaking up to prevent potential adverse health event   A Bethesda Hospital registered nurse has received the award that recognizes hospital professionals who demonstrate their commitment to keeping patients safe by speaking up to prevent a potential patient safety issue.   

Megan Rodger accepted the quarterly MHA Good Catch for Patient Safety award at a presentation on June 21.   

Rodger took action to prevent an error in the administration of an intravenous (IV) medication. While preparing IV tubing, she noticed that the medication bag that listed her patient’s name on its identification label also had an additional label with another patient’s name. A scan of the barcode revealed that the labeled medication was actually a different medication – for the other patient.   

Rodger returned to the medication refrigerator to check the other IV bags and found another medication bag correctly labeled for her patient. She gave the improperly labeled medication bag to the charge nurse and reported the discrepancy. Rodger’s patient received the correct medication thanks to her attentive work.   

“It is because of actions taken every day by dedicated professionals like Megan that Minnesota hospitals continue to be front-runners in patient safety,” said MHA Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety Tania Daniels. “Megan’s efforts remind us what a difference each person can make to keep patients safe.”   

The Good Catch for Patient Safety program recognizes hospital professionals for actions that protect patients. Individuals seeking to nominate an employee or team for the award can visit the MHA website to complete a nomination form.   

For more information, visit the MHA website or contact Tania Daniels, 651-603-3517, or Rahul Koranne, M.D., MHA’s chief medical officer, 651-659-1445. return to top   

MNCASA to offer sexual assault examination training webinars for MHA members

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. MHA encourages participation in these member-exclusive training opportunities to improve practices related to medical forensic exams for sexual assault victims.   

Two webinars this week 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. 

Access information for the June 29 and 30 webinars was distributed last week to those who signed up to attend. MHA members who still wish to attend a June webinar but did not yet RSVP or did not receive access information should email Sarah Bohnet, visual communications specialist, MHA.  

A three-part webinar series July 21, July 28 and Aug. 10 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. Learn more about the three-part webinar series on the MHA website.   

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.   

With questions about webinar content, please contact Linda Walther or Kari Ogrodowski. To RSVP for a webinar, email Sarah Bohnetreturn to top   

New workforce reporting and planning tools now available

MHA has developed new workforce data reporting and planning tools for members that will be reviewed during a webinar on June 30 at 1 p.m. Webinar registration information was distributed to human resources and data submission contacts at member locations participating in workforce data collection. To request to participate in the webinar, contact Nathalie Squire, workforce project manager, MHA.   

This webinar is open to all MHA members. However, the full functionality of the tool will only be available to participants from organizations that submitted workforce data.   

A new statewide summary of 2016 workforce data will soon be available on MHA’s website. Workforce information has been collected from participating members and compiled by MHA for several years. Through analysis, MHA has identified high-level trends that can help members with workforce planning efforts. An overview of 2016 workforce data trends will be published in a future issue of Newsline. return to top   

Patient and family engagement conference to be offered July 13-14

In collaboration with the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS), MHA will present a patient and family engagement conference called “Exploring Partnerships: Using the Include Always Model to Successfully Engage Patients and Families” on July 13 and 14 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth.   

At this interactive, experiential conference, participants will learn to use the Include Always patient and family engagement model to successfully engage patients, residents and families at all levels of your organization and across the continuum of care.   

The agenda for July 13 will include training sessions from 1-5 p.m. and a networking reception from 5-7 p.m. Facilitators will immerse participants in storytelling, interactive activities and coaching designed to help them develop and sustain a successful Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).   

A full-day session on July 14 will offer actionable learning about how patient and family engagement is transforming health care. Hospital leaders and patients will share their stories of engagement successes, challenges and lessons learned.   

For more information, view the brochure or the event listing on MHA’s Calendar of Events. Please note that you must log in to register for a program. return to top   

Infection control, discharge planning and nursing standards education programs to be offered July 28-29

MHA will offer full-day education programs on infection control, discharge planning and nursing standards July 28-29 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth. The programs will address updates to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) and The Joint Commission (TJC) infection control standards guidelines and CMS standards on discharge planning and nursing.   

The July 28 program, “Infection Control Issues for Hospitals,” will cover the CMS surveyor worksheet for accessing compliance and updates for both the CMS and TJC infection control standards. View the brochure.   

The July 29 program, “CMS Discharge Planning and Nursing Standards,” will cover changes to the discharge worksheet, proposed changes to the discharge planning standards and changes based on the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act. View the brochure.   

For more information, visit MHA’s website, click “Calendar of Events” and select the program title. Please note that you must log in to register for a program. return to top   

Honoring Choices annual conference to be held July 21

Honoring Choices Minnesota, an initiative of the Twin Cities Medical Society, is hosting its seventh annual Sharing the Experience Conference on July 21 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ramada Plaza Conference Center, 1330 Industrial Blvd. NE, Minneapolis. The conference brings together champions of advance care planning (ACP) from around the state, offering learning and networking opportunities to health care professionals and community members interested in promoting ACP to all Minnesotans.   

Rahul Koranne, M.D., chief medical officer, MHA, will share why health organizations across Minnesota should work to collaborate on ACP in service of their local communities.   

Learn more and register onlinereturn to top  

Comments on proposed CAH reimbursement rate reduction due by June 30

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has requested hospital input on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget proposal that would reduce Critical Access Hospital (CAH) reimbursement from 101 percent to 100 percent of reasonable costs. Both MHA and the American Hospital Association oppose this proposal, which would result in cuts of approximately $1.1 billion over 10 years.   

MHA encourages members to submit comments to CMS regarding this proposal along with specific examples of the impact the proposal will have on their individual hospital. CMS has requested hospital-specific examples in the following categories: 

  • Financial impact 
  • Access to care – what services are offered today that would be discontinued/reduced as a result of this cut 
  • Transformative services being offered that would be discontinued/reduced as a result of this cut 
  • Unique circumstances that may apply 

Comments are due to CMS by June 30 and must be submitted via email at [email protected]. MHA will be submitting comments opposing the proposed reduction. With questions, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA, 651-659-1415. return to top

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