Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

April 16, 2018

MHA Newsline: April 16, 2018

In this issue 

Phillips Eye Institute staff members receive MHA’s Good Catch for Patient Safety award

Two Phillips Eye Institute care team members have 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.   

Registered nurse Melissa Ruud and certified surgical technologist Theresa Silge accepted the quarterly Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Good Catch for Patient Safety award at a presentation on April 11.   

Ruud and Silge were preparing to conduct an eye procedure on a patient. While setting up the operating room, they did verbal verification of the procedure to be conducted, a two-person process recently implemented by Phillips Eye Institute to enhance patient safety. Ruud noted that the lens implant selected for the patient was for the left eye, but the surgery consent was for the right eye.   

Ruud brought this information to the attention of the surgeon, who referred to her office documentation to verify that the lens selected was indeed incorrect. The surgeon informed Ruud which lens she wanted and the correct lens was selected and again verified by the surgeon’s documentation before the procedure was conducted.   

“Continuous improvement in surgical and procedural safety is one of the priority focus areas for Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems, as well as for MHA. This good catch exemplifies the types of best practices that we are working to spread across the state to enhance patient safety,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, MHA’s chief medical officer. “Good teamwork across all disciplines is essential to taking care of patients undergoing any type of surgery. Nurses, surgeons, surgical techs, anesthesiologists and many other care team members play central, active roles in keeping patients safe.”   

The Good Catch for Patient Safety program recognizes hospital professionals for actions that protect patients. All award winners are entered into the running to receive the quarterly Good Catch for Patient Safety award. Quarterly winners are eligible to be honored with the annual Good Catch for Patient Safety award presented at the MHA Annual Awards banquet in the spring.   

Individuals seeking to nominate an employee or team for the award can visit the MHA website to complete a nomination form. To learn more, contact Tania Daniels, vice president, quality and patient safety, MHA, 651-603-3517, or Dr. Rahul Koranne, 651-659-1445. return to top  

Legislators release supplemental budget targets

The Legislature returned to St. Paul last week after its spring recess. Thank you to MHA members who met with or contacted legislators during the recess. We heard from a number of you and appreciate your advocacy.   

The House of Representatives majority released its proposed supplemental budget targets. Under the House Republican proposal, the health and human services budget area would receive an increase of $10 million over the base funding for the rest of the current biennium. This is a very small amount compared to the $13.86 billion health and human services two-year appropriation bill passed last year. Funding for the opioid crisis, elder abuse and other legislation will be funded out of a $50.6 million budget target. The Senate majority has yet to announce its budget targets for this year. Supplemental budget bills are scheduled to be heard this week and passed out of their respective finance committees by April 20.  

Last week, an informational hearing was held in the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee on SF 2161, authored by Sen. Dave Senjem (R-Rochester). This bill is a $30 million bonding request to create and fund the infrastructure for regional behavioral health crisis centers. If the full amount is included in the 2018 capital investment bonding bill, up to six communities may be selected to build a crisis center. MHA is in full support of this legislation and several MHA members are actively engaged with their counties in developing these regional crisis centers.   

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 2018 legislative bills MHA is tracking, visit the MHA Member Center. For assistance accessing the Member Center, contact Ashley Beno, member services and communications specialist, MHA, 651-603-3545. return to top   

MHA commits to reducing clinician burnout

MHA’s Chief Medical Officer Group burnout subcommittee has released a public statement committing to its focus on bending the burnout curve across Minnesota. Posted by invitation as part of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience, the MHA statement is one of only two hospital association statements.   

MHA is committed to collaborating with the National Academy of Medicine and believes that the inclusion of the well-being of health care workers is critical to improving quality of care, enhancing population health and reducing cost of care for all Minnesotans. To learn more about MHA’s efforts, contact Heather Britt, senior director of research and development, health care burnout, MHA, 651-659-1439. return to top   

SAMHSA offers Improving Access to Overdose Treatment grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for Improving Access to Overdose Treatment (Short Title: OD Treatment Access) grants totaling up to $4.7 million over the next five years. Applications are due June 4.   

SAMHSA will award OD Treatment Access funds to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), opioid treatment programs or practitioners who have a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to expand access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs or devices for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. The recipients will partner with other prescribers at the community level to develop best practices for prescribing and co-prescribing FDA-approved overdose reversal drugs. After developing best practices, the recipient will train other prescribers in key community sectors as well as individuals who support persons at high risk for overdose.   

SAMHSA expects to fund up to five grantees with up to $200,000 per year for up to five years. The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds. Learn more on the SAMHSA websitereturn to top   

Minnesota PIPELINE Program training grant application now open

The Minnesota PIPELINE (Private Investment, Public Education, Labor and Industry Experience) Program is an innovative approach to address current and future workforce needs for high-growth industry sectors, including health care services. It serves as a catalyst for developing industry-based, employer-driven, dual-training programs throughout the state.   

Dual training, like apprenticeship, is an earn-as-you-learn approach where the employer invests in its employee by building a training infrastructure, developing career pathways and investing in the employee’s education. By leveraging Minnesota’s success with registered apprenticeship and focusing on the targeted industries, the PIPELINE Program is assisting employers to change the question from “How do we get workers with the skills we need?” to “How do we give workers the skills we need?”   

The Dual-Training Grant program can be used to pay for the costs of an employee’s education and related instruction with a maximum annual award amount of $150,000. The application window for the current round of grants is open through May 21.   

With questions about PIPELINE Dual-Training grants, contact Jacquelynn Mol Sletten, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, 651-355-0609. return to top

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