In this issue
AHA
releases opioid toolkit; MHA to develop new resources
The American Hospital Association
(AHA) on Oct. 23 released a new opioid toolkit to provide guidance and
information to hospitals and health systems on how they can work with
patients, clinicians and communities to stem the opioid epidemic.
The opioid toolkit reviews the multifaceted role of hospitals and
health systems in fighting the epidemic; reiterates the key activities
that every hospital should be undertaking; and offers sources of
expertise, ideas and resources to assist hospitals in fulfilling their
roles. Essentia Health’s chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT) program,
CHI St. Gabriel’s Health and Morrison County’s Prescription Drug Task Force and MHA’s
neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) toolkit
are included in the AHA toolkit as best-practice examples.
Through a partnership with the Department of Human Services (DHS), MHA
is convening a subgroup to develop a road map building on the NAS
toolkit to support better identification, screening and treatment of
NAS. MHA is seeking broad-based representation to comprise the
subgroup, including the expertise of obstetricians, perinatologists,
neonatologists, pediatricians, and other multidisciplinary leaders.
With questions or to indicate your interest in participating, contact Susan Klammer, quality and process improvement specialist, MHA,
651-603-3529. return to top
Congress
approves budget resolution, streamlining legislative process for tax
reform
The House on Oct. 26 approved the
Senate’s budget resolution, which includes reconciliation instructions
for reforming the tax code. The reconciliation rules will allow the
Senate to approve a tax reform bill with a simple majority, not 60
votes as required under regular order.
The budget resolution allows up to $1.5 trillion in additional deficits
over the coming decade to pay for tax reform and does not require $203
billion in cuts to entitlement programs, including Medicare and
Medicaid. The House's previous deficit-neutral budget plan required
entitlement spending be reduced by $203 billion. The budget resolution
does not contain reconciliation instructions to repeal the Affordable
Care Act (ACA).
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to release the tax
reform bill later this week and to begin consideration of the bill the
week of Nov. 6.
The budget resolution is not binding law, but instead provides insight
into Republican policy priorities. It calls for $473 billion in cuts to
Medicare and an additional $1 trillion deduction in funding for
mandatory programs. It does not include details of how the spending
reductions would be implemented.
MHA will work closely with the members of the Minnesota delegation to
oppose the use of Medicare and Medicaid funding to pay for tax reform.
Congress has a long list of legislation to address before its scheduled
adjournment on Dec. 15. Congress must reach agreement on how to fund
the government beyond Dec. 8 and address the debt ceiling, also expiring
on Dec. 8. Legislative action is needed on a variety of health
care-related issues, including potentially restoring the ACA
cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, extending funding for the
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and renewing the so-called
“Medicare extenders.” Read more about the year-end
congressional outlook. return to top
Annual
community benefit survey issued to members
MHA requests hospitals submit data by
Friday, Nov. 3
MHA has initiated community benefit data collection for fiscal year
2016. The data is presented in MHA’s Community Benefit Report.
Chief financial officers and other finance contacts were emailed
instructions and a link to the survey system used to collect the data.
Participation by all member hospitals is requested; the more hospitals
that participate, the more the representative and accurate the final
report will be. The deadline for submitting data is Friday, Nov.
3.
If your hospital did not receive emails regarding the survey, please
contact Bonnie Terveer, MHA data operations
assistant, 651-603-3520. return to top
Register
for Nov. 1 webinar on DHS admission, discharge, transfer alerts
MHA will host an informational webinar
on Nov. 1 from 9-10:30 a.m. regarding implementation of the Minnesota
Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Medicaid Encounter Alerting Service
(EAS), which will enable providers to receive real-time alerts for
beneficiaries who have been admitted, discharged or transferred from a
hospital, emergency department or other care setting.
This project is part of the DHS Integrated Health Partnerships (IHP)
value-based care delivery initiative funded through the federal State
Innovation Model (SIM) project. Representatives of DHS and the state’s
chosen EAS vendor, Audacious Inquiry, will be the webinar presenters.
The EAS helps providers identify where patients are receiving care
throughout the state, regardless of electronic health record vendor or
hospital system or network. The service will improve the timeliness and
ease of receiving critical health notifications for patients, improve
care coordination, reduce hospital readmissions, obtain better outcomes
for high-risk populations and improve patient and provider
satisfaction.
The webinar is intended for hospital and health system CEOs, CFOs and
CIOs. To register, provide your name, title and hospital or
organization to Jenny Sanislo, division assistant,
MHA, 651-659-1440. return to top
MHA
Winter Trustee Conference registration opens
Registration is open for the MHA
Winter Trustee Conference, which will be held Jan. 12-14, 2018, at the
Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park.
This year’s conference, themed “Connecting Care & Communities,”
will offer participants eight general sessions and 15 breakout sessions
on issues of mental and behavioral health, finance, patient safety and
the future of health care. Friday will also feature the popular
Training Camp for Rookie Trustees.
For more information or to register, download the conference brochure. Print copies of
the brochure will be mailed to member trustees and chief executive
officers this week. Group rate accommodations at the Minneapolis
Marriott Northwest can be booked online. return to top
UnitedHealthcare
begins provider network development in Minnesota
Representatives from UnitedHealthcare
(UHC) sat down with MHA leaders to outline the company’s efforts to
build a provider network in anticipation of selling health insurance
products in Minnesota.
Earlier this year, the Minnesota Legislature removed legal restrictions
on the sale of certain products by for-profit health insurers. UHC and
other for-profit health insurance carriers that offer coverage in other
states are now able to sell plans to individuals and employers in
Minnesota for the first time in many years.
Kevin Carlson, UHC’s regional vice president of provider network
management for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, explained that
he and his colleagues are meeting face-to-face with executives from
MHA’s members, as well as specialty groups and unaffiliated clinics,
throughout the state.
UHC is evaluating whether it will offer products in Minnesota’s
individual market. Because the company is building its provider
networks from the ground up, it does not expect to have policies in
place and claims from providers at the start of 2018. Instead, it plans
to begin covering employees in Minnesota’s fully insured large employer
market by July 1, 2018, and then in the state’s small employer and
self-insured employer markets by Jan. 1, 2019. return to top