Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

February 12, 2018

MHA Newsline: Feb. 12, 2018

In this issue 

Mental health training for every community

With mental health issues prevalent in every community, how do you meet the needs quickly? Since 2014, Fairview Health Services has offered the evidence-based Mental Health First Aid program to teach community members how to help someone in a mental health crisis, just as people would learn CPR to help when someone stopped breathing.     

To build capacity in short order, Fairview trained multiple staff and community members – 21 in all – to lead Mental Health First Aid courses within their communities in a culturally appropriate way. As a result, attendees feel more comfortable with talking about the topic and debunking the stigmas attached to mental health within their own communities.    

Visit the MHA website to learn more and read the full Community Benefit Reportreturn to top   

Healthcare Leadership Institute to explore generational diversity, multigenerational leadership, dyad partnerships

The MHA Healthcare Leadership Institute, themed “Health Care in Transition,” will be held March 7-9 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth. For more information or to register, download the conference brochure or visit MHA’s website. Reserve accommodations online.   

Concordia University of St. Paul Professor Richard Brynteson’s presentation, titled “Generational Diversity,” will examine the distinct generations in the workforce and explain what conflict points arise between them. He will also speculate on what the next generation will bring to the workforce.   

A panel presentation, “Multigenerational Leadership,” will explore the importance of developing open communications and deep understanding of varying perspectives. Panelists include: 

  • Deborah Dittberner, M.D., chief medical officer, Douglas County Hospital, Alexandria 
  • James Bymark, vice president, clinical development, Fairview Range Regional Medical Center, Hibbing 
  • Andrew Houlton, M.D., chief medical officer, North Memorial Health, Robbinsdale 
  • Amy Long, site administrator, Mayo Clinic Health System, Fairmont 

During the “Creating a Successful Dyad Partnership” panel presentation, CEO/physician leader teams Tim Rice and John Halfen, M.D, from Lakewood Health System in Staples and John Strange and Gary Peterson, M.D., from St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth will share how their organizations developed effective dyad partnership models by working together to build trust; open communication; a culture of cooperation; and a shared vision of how to deliver value to their organizations, patients and the communities they serve.   

The Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (MN BENHA) has approved the content of this Institute for 14.25 clock hours. return to top   

Allina Health’s “The Heart of New Ulm” program to be featured on PHF webinar

The Public Health Foundation (PHF) will host a webinar on March 21 from 12-1 p.m. featuring “Hearts Beat Back: The Heart of New Ulm,” a program led by Allina Health’s New Ulm Medical Center in partnership with Brown County Public Health, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, city leaders and government, local public schools, the local chamber of commerce and the local department of parks and recreation.   

The program successfully reduced heart attacks and improved heart disease risk factors in New Ulm. Over the first five years of the program, which included data on three-fourths of all community residents, results included significant improvements in blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. Improvements were largely driven by individuals at high-risk levels at the start of the program.   

Learn more and register for the webinar on the PHF websitereturn to top   

Congress approves short-term spending agreement, includes Medicare extenders

Congress approved a short-term budget agreement that included many health care-related provisions, including reauthorization of the Medicare extenders and funding for community health centers.   

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 includes the Medicare extenders; the Medicare dependent hospital adjustment, ambulance add-on payments and Medicare low-volume adjustment are extended for five years through 2022. However, the payment methodology for the low-volume adjustment will use total discharges, not Medicare discharges, beginning in FY 2019. Under the bill, the Medicare therapy caps are repealed for services provided on or after Jan. 1, 2018.   

The bill provides two years of funding for community health centers and extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for an additional four years through 2027. CHIP funding was extended for six years under the previous short-term spending bill. Funding for the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Center GME Program is also extended for two years.   

The bill extends the enforcement moratorium on direct supervision of outpatient therapeutic services for critical access hospitals and certain rural hospitals for 2017. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through rule-making extended the moratorium for calendar years 2018 and 2019.   

The Bipartisan Budget Act provides $6 billion over two years to address opioid abuse, including $4 billion to fight opioid abuse, expand substance abuse and mental health treatment, and support law enforcement activities. The National Institutes of Health is provided $2 billion for opioid-related research.  

The bill eliminates Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts for FYs 2018 and 2019 and repeals the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Independent Payment Advisory Board.   

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the Bipartisan Budget Act will reduce Medicare hospital payments when a hospital discharges a patient to hospice care early in their stay, similar to CMS’s post-acute care transfer policy.   

The bill removes the mandate that meaningful use standards become more stringent over time, providing relief from Stage 3 requirements. Additionally, the Bipartisan Budget Act extends the Medicare sequester for two years through 2027 and reduces funding for the ACA’s Prevention and Public Health Fund.   

From the Minnesota Congressional delegation, Sens. Klobuchar and Smith and Reps. McCollum, Nolan and Paulsen voted yes on the bill. Reps. Ellison, Emmer, Lewis, Peterson and Walz voted no on the bill. return to top

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