In
this issue
DHS
issues Mental Health Innovation Grant Program RFP
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a qualified
grantee to improve accessibility and quality of community-based outpatient
mental health services and reduce admissions to and stays beyond medical
necessity in regional treatment centers and Community Behavioral Health Hospitals.
The development of this grant program was one of MHA’s top priorities during
the 2017 legislative session.
Eligible applicants include counties, tribes, mental health service providers,
hospitals or community partnerships. Half of all grants will be awarded to
eligible applicants in the metropolitan area and half to eligible applicants
outside the metropolitan area. Work is proposed to start in January 2018.
Responses to the RFP are due no later than 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2018. Instructions
for submission are outlined in the RFP.
A RFP responders’ conference will be held Dec. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Elmer L.
Anderson Human Services Building, Room 2333, 540 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN
55155. Attendance is not mandatory but is recommended. Responders may attend
via conference call; contact Amanda Calmbacher, Mental Health Division,
DHS, 651-503-4050, for more information.
To learn more, visit the DHS website or
contact Amanda Calmbacher, 651-503-4050. return to top
Winter
Trustee Conference receives approval for continuing education for nursing home
administrators
Hotel nearing capacity for accommodations
The content of the Winter Trustee Conference has been approved by the Minnesota
Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for up to eight clock hours.
The conference is scheduled for Jan. 12-14 at the Marriott Minneapolis
Northwest in Brooklyn Park. To learn more, view the brochure.
The Minneapolis Marriott Northwest is nearing capacity for overnight
accommodations, so please reserve soon if you plan to stay overnight. Make your
reservation online or call the
Marriott at 763-536-8300. return to top
MHA,
other hospital associations to file brief in lawsuit opposing 340B cuts
MHA and other hospital associations around the country are
joining together to prepare and file a brief as amicus curiae, or
friend-of-the-court brief, in the federal court case filed by the American
Hospital Association (AHA) in opposition to recent cuts to 340B hospitals
imposed by the Trump administration.
The new proposal cuts Medicare payments to some hospitals for non-pass-through,
separately payable drugs and biologics purchased under the 340B Program and
dispensed to 340B hospital outpatients. Payments will be reduced from the
current rate of Average Sales Price (ASP) plus 6 percent to ASP minus 22.5
percent. The cut will not apply in 2018 to Critical Access Hospitals, children’s
hospitals and certain other specialty hospitals.
In order to provide additional information to the attorneys preparing the
amicus brief, MHA sent a survey to the presidents of potentially affected
hospitals seeking information about the potential impact of the cuts on
specific hospitals. Survey responses are due by tomorrow, Nov. 28.
The AHA case has been filed in the United States District Court of the District
of Columbia and captioned The American Hospital Association, et al. v. Eric D.
Hargan.
For additional information about the case or 340B cuts, please contact Ben Peltier,
vice president, legal and federal affairs, MHA, 651-603-3513. return to top
House
Ways and Means Committee reaches bipartisan agreement on Medicare extenders
The House Ways and Means Committee has reached a bipartisan
agreement on a package of Medicare extenders and identified offsets for the
cost of the expiring provisions, including modifying Medicare payments for
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) swing beds. Under the agreement, Medicare
payments for CAH swing beds would be reduced from 101 percent of reasonable
costs to 100 percent of reasonable costs.
The agreement would extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-Volume
Adjustment programs for two years and add-on payments for ground ambulance and
rural home health services for five years. The annual Medicare limit on
per-patient therapy expenditures would be permanently repealed.
MHA supports straight extensions of the MDH and Low-Volume Adjustment programs
and repeal of the therapy caps; however, the provisions should not be paid for
with Medicare payment cuts to rural hospitals.
The Senate Finance Committee agreed to a similar package of Medicare extenders,
but did not identify offsets. Medicare extenders will likely be included in a
large end-of-the-year legislative package. MHA will continue to update members
as Medicare extenders move through Congress. return to top
AHA
NOVA Award applications due Dec. 8
The American Hospital Association (AHA) invites
hospitals and health systems partnering with community organizations to help
residents be healthier to apply for the AHA NOVA Award. The award recognizes
effective, collaborative programs focused on improving community health status.
CHI St. Gabriel’s Health in Little Falls received a 2017 AHA NOVA Award for its
Morrison County Community-Based Care Coordination
program. The award was featured in the Aug. 7 issue of Newsline.
Other previous award recipients have organized a health and wellness alliance
to fight childhood asthma, operated a mobile medical clinic to serve
lower-income children and worked with community partners to expand emergency
and preventive dental care for uninsured residents.
The application deadline is Dec. 8. Awards will be presented at the 2018 AHA
Leadership Summit in San Diego. Learn more and apply on the AHA website. return to top