In this issue:
Hospital
spotlight: Children’s reduces medication errors, improves safety for patients
Earlier this year,
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota received the MHA Patient Safety
Improvement Award in the large hospital category. Children’s Hospitals and
Clinics of Minnesota incorporated virtually all medications, including
infusions, into a first-of-its-kind full-loop medication delivery system that
has helped avert potential medication errors and potentially serious adverse
drug events and has advanced patient safety throughout the hospital. In 2012,
Children’s completed a pilot study in its pediatric intensive care unit showing
the technology reduced adverse drug events by about 70 percent.
Please take a few minutes to watch this inspiring video and learn more about
what makes Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota a leader in patient
safety.
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Four
new events to be reported to Adverse Health Events system beginning in October
In May, the Legislature added four new events to the list of
reportable events under the Adverse Health Events law to reflect revisions
adopted by the National Quality Forum. These changes affect events that occur
on or after the start of the next reporting year on Oct. 7, 2013. The four
new reportable events are:
- Death or serious injury of a neonate associated with labor or
delivery in a low-risk pregnancy while being cared for in a health care
setting.
- The irretrievable loss of an irreplaceable biological specimen
(with or without injury).
- Patient death or serious injury resulting from failure to follow
up or communicate laboratory, pathology or radiology test results.
- Death or serious injury of a patient associated with the
introduction of a metallic object into the MRI area.
In addition, three events were deleted and minor definitional
changes were made to others. The Minnesota Department of Health has prepared a fact sheet highlighting the changes. MHA has
been working with MDH, Stratis Health and the Registry Advisory Council to
develop definitions and guidance around the new events. An informational webinar/teleconference is scheduled
for Oct. 1 from 2-3 p.m. The definitions and guidance will be
sent to primary patient safety contacts and registry users and will be
available on our website and in the registry toolkit. Below are details on how
to join the webinar:
- Dial 1-800-791-2345
- When prompted enter the teleconference code: 19524
- Go to www.telspan.com/express
- Enter the conference reference code: 397826
- Enter the conference code: 31470
- Enter your name and click “Join Meeting”
If you have any questions about the Adverse Health Event
reporting system, contact Julie Apold, MHA senior director of patient
safety, 651-603-3538. return to top
MNsure
resources available for hospitals
Open enrollment for Minnesota’s health insurance exchange,
MNsure, begins Oct. 1, 2013. MHA wants to help all of our members respond to
the questions that patients, families and communities will be asking. MHA also
wants to help ensure that as many Minnesotans as possible enroll in coverage so
our patients, communities, hospitals and health systems get as many benefits as
possible from additional coverage.
We’ve developed two documents we hope will be helpful for hospitals that are
participating in MNsure’s Consumer Assistance Partnership program AND those
that are not participating at this time. These have also been posted on our website homepage.
Please share widely with your employees to help prepare them for
their interactions with patients. Research shows that one of the following four
messages will reach 89 percent of consumers:
- All plans must cover the care
you need, including doctor visits, hospital stays, preventive care,
prescriptions, and more.
- Low-cost and free plans are
available, and financial help is available based on how much money you
make.
- No one can be denied coverage
because they have a pre-existing condition.
- There is no sales pitch or fine
print, just side-by-side comparisons of each plan.
If you have any
questions about MNsure, please contact Matt Anderson, MHA vice president of regulatory and strategic affairs or Jennifer McNertney, MHA policy analyst. return to top
CMS
to host call on exchange outreach strategies
The Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a Sept. 19 teleconference on
“Outreach and Education Best Practices for the Health Insurance Marketplace,”
which will feature health coverage strategies from Arkansas, Connecticut,
Kentucky and Minnesota. To participate in the teleconference, from 12-1 p.m.
Central Time, register online. return to top
MHA
staff shares key messages on budget, protecting CAHs and priority bills during
visits with congressional staff
Last week in Washington, D.C., MHA’s senior staff met with the
health care staff of Minnesota’s members of Congress. MHA covered key messages
on the federal budget; the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report recommendations
for critical access hospitals (CAHs); regulations regarding a 90-day grace
period when individuals miss premium payments after purchasing a subsidized
health plan through a health insurance exchange; and priority bills for which
we are seeking co-sponsors.
MHA staff outlined our opposition to cuts that are under consideration in the
following programs: graduate medical education; CAHs; outpatient and evaluation
management services; and Medicare bad debt payments.
MHA requested that our members of Congress sign onto a Minnesota delegation
letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to oppose recent
recommendations by the OIG that could devastate the rural health care delivery
system in Minnesota. Sen. Klobuchar led the letter and Sen. Franken and Reps.
Walz, McCollum, Peterson and Nolan all showed their support for Minnesota’s
CAHs.
MHA staff briefed staff about a new CMS regulation which only requires health
plans to pay for the first thirty days of the 90-day grace period when
individuals miss premium payments after purchasing a subsidized health plan
through a health insurance exchange leaving providers at risk for the remaining
60 days.
View a complete list of MHA’s priority bills and cosponsors-to-date here.
For more information on MHA’s work with the Minnesota Congressional delegation
please contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal
relations and workforce, 651-603-3527. return to top
DEED
announces grant for foreign trained health care professionals to earn state
licensure
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
(DEED) has announced the availability of funding to help foreign trained health
care professionals earn state licensure in their profession — $427,500 of
funding is available in state fiscal years 2014 and 2015. Interested parties
may apply for a one time allocation of up to $250,000. The deadline to submit
applications is 4 p.m.,
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013.
The goal of this project is to help foreign trained health care professionals,
including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, mental health
professionals, and other allied health professionals overcome barriers and earn
the state licensure necessary to practice their profession in Minnesota as well
as contribute to better health care delivery for all Minnesota communities.
The RFP can be downloaded here. For more information, email Ryan.Merz@state.mn.us.
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New
online mental health provider resource available
Fast-Tracker, an online mental health resource site, is
available. Mental health providers, care coordinators and consumers can go to www.fast-trackermn.org to
search for community mental health providers and information with a real-time,
searchable directory of mental health resources and their availability within
Minnesota. Fast-Tracker provides a companion service to the Minnesota Mental
Health Access (mnmhaccess.com), the online service offered by MHA and DHS that
provides information on available acute care and community based mental and
behavioral health services. return to top
Hospital
employee flu vaccine protects patients, staff
Hospitals
encouraged to join FluSafe
Last year, 73 percent of Minnesota hospitals participated in the
Minnesota Department of Health’s FluSafe program, which aims to vaccinate
health care workers against influenza. MHA’s board has a goal to have 100
percent of hospitals participate in this voluntary program that improves
patient safety.
Participants in FluSafe receive statewide recognition for achieving 70, 80 or
90 percent vaccination rates among staff (see last season’s ribbon-earning hospitals). Facilities that did not participate last year can
register for the 2013-14 influenza season by going to www.mdhflu.com and
clicking the FluSafe link in the right-hand column. If your hospital
participated last year, you will automatically be registered for this upcoming
flu season. Changes to your hospital’s information can be made on the
registration form or by contacting Jennifer Heath, MDH FluSafe coordinator. Visit
the MHA website for resources to help communicate
about FluSafe and influenza vaccination for health care workers. return to top
CMS
releases final rule on Medicaid DHS payment reduction
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has
released its final rule on payment reductions for the
Medicaid Disproportionate Share (DSH) program. The final rule provides a
methodology for reducing rates nationally by $500 million in fiscal year 2014
and $600 million in fiscal year 2015; a future rule will include the reduction
methodology for fiscal year 2016 and beyond. The rule establishes separate DSH
reduction pools for low-DSH states and non-low DSH states. The Affordable
Care Act required CMS to consider the following when creating the methodology:
- Low DSH states receive smaller
reductions.
- States with lowest percentages
of uninsured individuals receive larger reductions.
- States that do not target their
DSH payments to hospitals with high volumes of Medicaid beneficiaries
receive larger reductions.
- States that do not target their
DSH payments on hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care receive
larger reductions.
- States that have increased
coverage under section 1115 demonstrations as of July 31, 2009, and
adjusted their DSH allotments will have these adjustments taken into
account.
Minnesota is a low DSH state with one of the nation’s lowest
uninsured rates. In addition, Minnesota has taken advantage of the opportunity
to expand eligibility for Medicaid to 133 percent of poverty.
DSH payments are made to hospitals that serve high proportions of low-income
individuals. DSH payments are reduced in the Affordable Care Act to account for
the expected reduction in uncompensated care due to the expansion of Medicaid
and online insurance exchanges like Minnesota’s MNsure. For questions, contact Joe Schindler, MHA vice president of finance, 651-659-1415. return to top