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 website. return 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