In
this issue
No
agreement on HHS omnibus bill
The regular legislative session ends today, May 22, at midnight.
While work took place at the Capitol over the weekend and continues today, with
progress being made in some areas, no final agreement on the health and human
services omnibus bill had been reached at the time of publication of this
edition of Newsline.
MHA continues to advocate for legislative priorities, including hospital
rebasing and no cuts to providers. It is anticipated that a short special
session will be necessary to pass final bills.
Once an agreement has been reached, MHA legislative staff will send a summary
to MHA members.
With questions, contact Mary Krinkie, vice president of government
relations, MHA, 651-659-1465, or Kristin Loncorich, director of state government relations, MHA,
651-603-3526.
Session bill tracker
For a complete list of 2017 legislative bills MHA is tracking, visit the MHA Member Center. For assistance accessing the
Member Center, contact Ashley Beno, member services and
communications specialist, 651-603-3545. return to top
CMS
holds listening session on rural hospital impacts of direct supervision
requirement for therapeutic services, other regulatory burdens
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator
Seema Verma on May 16 led a listening session focused on the direct physician
supervision of outpatient therapeutic services issue and its impact on rural
hospitals. Representatives from the American Hospital Association, the
National Rural Health Association and several state hospital associations,
including MHA, participated in person or by phone describing concerns over
cost, patient access and the administrative burden of CMS’ current
interpretation.
Verma was sympathetic to rural hospital needs and said CMS will be placing
greater emphasis on the unique challenges facing rural hospitals. Though there
was no specific commitment to address the direct supervision issue, it was
noted as a high-priority concern. Other areas of potential regulatory relief
for rural hospitals cited during the meeting included proposals to cancel the
Stage 3 “meaningful use” program, expand Medicare coverage of telehealth
services, allow flexibility for providers who want to share treatment space and
loosen restrictions associated with the 96-hour condition of payment.
For more information about the meeting, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA, 651-659-1415. return to top
Upcoming
trustee conference receives approval for continuing education for nursing home
administrators
The MHA Annual Summer Trustee Conference, themed “Strategies for
Effective Governance,” will be held July 14-16 at the Arrowwood Resort and
Conference Center in Alexandria. The content of the Summer Trustee Conference
has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home
Administrators for up to 8.75 contact hours.
A total of six general sessions and nine breakout sessions at the conference
will focus on areas such as transformation, reform, patient safety and the
future of health care. All sessions were approved for credit.
For more information or to register, download the conference brochure or
visit the MHA website. return to top
DHS
requests 2018 proposals for next generation of Integrated Health Partnerships
program
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) released a
Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting health care delivery systems to join the
next generation of the Integrated Health Partnerships (IHP) program.
Over the past five years, DHS has contracted with innovative health care
delivery systems to provide high-quality, efficient care to Minnesota’s
Medicaid population. Under this program participating providers enter into an
arrangement with DHS, by which they are held accountable for the costs and
quality of care their Medicaid patients receive. Providers showing an overall
savings across their population, while maintaining or improving the quality of
care, receive a portion of the savings. Providers who cost more over time may
be required to pay back a portion of the losses.
Beginning in 2018, DHS will be expanding and enhancing this model in several
important ways. DHS will introduce multiple tracks to accommodate a diverse set
of provider systems, add a quarterly population-based payment to support care
coordination and infrastructure needs and modify the quality measurements
methodology.
DHS encourages current IHP participants, health care homes and other innovative
provider systems to apply. The RFP is available through the program’s webpage or
through DHS’s Grants and RFPs website.
Letters of intent to apply must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 18.
Applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1.
Informational webinars will be scheduled throughout the open response period
prior to the application due date. The dates of these webinars will be
announced 10 days prior to their delivery through the DHS IHP listserv and on
the IHP website. To be added to the DHS IHP Listserv, please email dhs.ihp@state.mn.us
or sign up online.
For further information, please contact Mathew Spaan,
DHS, 651-431-2495. return to top
USDA
accepting applications for rural telemedicine grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting
applications for rural telemedicine grants through July 17. Grants of up to
$500,000 each for equipment and technical assistance to provide telemedicine
services in rural areas will be available to hospitals and other eligible
providers. The grants, which are awarded through a competitive process, may be
used to fund telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment,
and related advanced technologies that extend educational and medical
applications into rural areas.
Grants are intended to benefit end users in rural areas, who are often not in
the same location as the source of the educational or health care service. Of
the funds made available, $1.6 million will be prioritized to provide for
communication upgrades between ambulances, emergency transportation vehicles
and medical facilities. Applicants must serve a rural area, demonstrate
economic need and provide at least 15 percent in matching funds. Grants are
provided through the Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine
Grant Program, which provides funds to improve telemedicine and distance
learning services in rural areas. For more information and to apply, visit www.rd.usda.gov. return to top
AHA
launches campaign to combat violence
On June 9, hospitals nationwide will call attention to ending
all forms of violence through a digital media campaign sponsored by the
American Hospital Association (AHA): #HAVhope. Violence is one of the country’s
major public health and safety issues in homes, workplaces and communities.
According to the CDC, more than 2.3 million people are treated in U.S.
emergency departments each year for violent injuries. Violence costs more than
$85 billion annually in medical expenses and lost productivity.
#HAVhope National Day of Awareness encourages local and national organizations
to unite via shared tweets, posted photos and other online efforts. To become
an organizational supporter, sign up on the #HAVhope website. Supporters only need to
share a photo holding hands with colleagues or community partners, along with a
short description of their commitment to combating violence and a link to their
website.
For more information, visit the #HAVhope website. You also can download AHA’s digital toolkit for sharing messages on social
media. return to top
UMHLPLC
annual conference to be held June 1
Registration is now open for the 2017 Upper Midwest Healthcare
Legal Partnership Learning Collaborative (UMHLPLC) annual conference, “From Aim
to Impact,” which will be held June 1 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the
University of Minnesota Continuing and Education Conference Center in St. Paul.
The conference will explain how Healthcare Legal Partnerships (HLPs) can
improve health and how interested health care and legal service providers can
collaborate on reducing negative social determinants of health in primary and
specialty care practice settings.
The keynote speaker is Frank Cerra, M.D., McKnight Presidential Leadership
Chair, emeritus professor and dean of the Medical School, former senior vice
president for health sciences and senior advisor to the Center for
Interprofessional Practice and Education, University of Minnesota. The event
also features Chris Wendt, J.D., chair, Minnesota Legal Services Advisory
Committee, and legal counsel, Mayo Clinic.
Learn more and register online. With questions, contact Lynn Lederman, conference planner. return to top
Next
issue of Newsline will be published May 30
Newsline will not appear on May 29 due to the
Memorial Day holiday. The next issue of Newsline will be published on May
30. return to top