Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

September 23, 2013

MHA Newsline

In this issue

Hospital spotlight: Buffalo Hospital creates a culture of safety

Buffalo Hospital, part of Allina Health, recognized a few years ago that the concept of patient safety needed to be more than just buzz words within their facility. Buffalo Hospital made it a priority to embrace a safety philosophy that empowered, motivated and rewarded leaders and staff for speaking up and stopping the line when something just didn’t feel right and have since seen a significant increase in near-miss reporting and staff involvement in process improvement, a decrease in harmful events, and an improvement in patient outcomes. Its efforts earned Buffalo Hospital the MHA Patient Safety Improvement Award for a small hospital earlier this year.  

In December 2012, Buffalo was the highest scoring hospital in Allina for overall perception of safety. Leadership has been recognized for changing the culture of the hospital to one in which teamwork and a multidisciplinary approach to patient care through strong physician leadership and involvement is a priority. Watch this short video to learn more about their journey.



 

 

 

return to top

MHA thanks members of Congress for supporting critical access hospitals

Several members of Congress from Minnesota, led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, penned a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing their opposition to the Office of Inspector General’s recommendation that CMS seek legislative authority to remove the “necessary provider” designation for critical access hospitals.  

MHA appreciates the support of our members of Congress in helping to preserve access to high quality care in Minnesota’s rural communities. Joining Sen. Klobuchar in signing the letter were Sen. Al Franken and Reps. Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Rick Nolan and Tim Walz. return to top

Member news

Fairview Health Services names new CEO

Fairview Health Services has named Rulon Stacey, PhD, FACHE, as its next president and chief executive officer. Stacey will assume leadership on Nov. 4. Currently, Stacey is president of University of Colorado Health, a partnership that combines one of the nation’s top-performing community health systems with one of its highest-ranked academic medical centers.  

Stacey holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in health administration from Brigham Young University and a doctor of philosophy in public administration from the University of Colorado. He is a past chairman of the 43,000-member American College of Healthcare Executives and was appointed earlier this year by the United States Secretary of Commerce as the Chair of the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. return to top 

CentraCare Health names new VP

CentraCare Health has named Joe Hellie to the position of vice president of strategy and network development, effective Jan. 1, 2014. Hellie joined St. Cloud Hospital in 1992 as director of planning and network development. He later led what then was known as the Mid-Minnesota Family Medicine Center and the family practice residency program. Since 2000, Hellie has directed St. Cloud Hospital’s Emergency and Ambulatory Services. He also has directed efforts to plan and respond to major incidents involving health care facilities in 22 counties. Hellie holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. return to top 

MNsure resources available on MHA website

MHA has created a webpage with resources and the latest information we have available to assist hospitals in preparing for open enrollment to Minnesota’s health insurance exchange, MNsure, on Oct. 1. As more information and resources become available, we will post them on this page and inform members. return to top