In
this issue
Mary
Grace St. Claire honored with MHA Volunteer of the Year Award
MHA on June 1 honored innovative programs and outstanding leaders in health
care at its 34th annual awards ceremony.
Mary Grace St. Claire of Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital received the
Volunteer of the Year Award, which honors hospital volunteers for their
important role in supporting a positive patient and family experience at
hospitals and health systems.
St. Claire is a vibrant part of the community of volunteers at Park Nicollet
Methodist Hospital. After experiencing a traumatic injury in 2003, she spent
time recovering at the hospital. Many volunteers came to check on her progress.
She told herself, “If I ever get the chance, I want to be that person for other
patients.” Now, she is that person every day.
After recovering from her brain injury, St. Claire devoted her time to
volunteering at the hospital. In the past 10 years, she has organized events,
served on executive committees, worked with patients and done data entry and
analysis.
St. Claire says she is grateful for all the opportunities and support that she
has received from Methodist, especially in the years after her accident. After
transitioning from male to female four years ago, her colleagues in The Park
Nicollet Foundation said that they would support her and “have her back” every
step of the way. She now shares her story during diversity and inclusion training
for new volunteers. Recently, she celebrated 11,000 service hours with
Methodist.
To learn more about the award winners, visit the MHA website. return to top
Election
overview with David Schultz to replace Annual Meeting gubernatorial debate
The previously announced gubernatorial debate scheduled for
Sept. 21 at the MHA Annual Meeting has been canceled due to candidate
scheduling conflicts. In place of this session, MHA and LeadingAge Minnesota
will feature Hamline University Professor David Schultz who will share his insight into the campaigns and what to expect in the next seven weeks
before the election.
A frequent commentator in the media, Schultz specializes in American politics,
including campaigns and elections; government ethics; public administration;
and health, economic and environmental policy. He is also professor at the University
of Minnesota and University of St. Thomas schools of law where he teaches
election law, state constitutional law, constitutional law, administrative law
and legal ethics. return to top
Minnesota
Hospital PAC Silent Auction to be held Sept. 19
MHA Annual Meeting attendees are invited to the Chair’s
Reception and Minnesota Hospital PAC Silent Auction on Sept. 19 from 8-10 p.m.
at Madden’s in the Town Hall Conference Center, lower level.
The Minnesota Hospital PAC is a voluntary, bipartisan political action
committee (PAC) that raises campaign funds for candidates running for state and
federal office in Minnesota. It is the voice for hospital advocates seeking to
help candidates who support the goals of hospitals.
With questions, contact Kristin Loncorich, director of state
government relations, MHA, 651-603-3526. return to top
Register
for trustee web conference on health care and 2018 elections
In October, MHA will offer a web conference on the effects of
the 2018 elections on health care featuring a presentation by Matthew Anderson,
J.D., senior vice president of policy and chief strategy officer, MHA.
The web conference will be offered on multiple dates and times to accommodate
participants’ schedules:
- Tuesday, Oct. 2; 5-6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 3; noon – 1
p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 8; 6-7 p.m.
Uncertainty in health care policy and financing at both the
state and federal levels creates a significant challenge for hospital and
health system trustees. As the 2018 elections approach, candidates’ divergent
approaches to health care policy will significantly affect Minnesota's
hospitals and health systems. Even before the votes are counted, trustees can
examine how election outcomes could impact their organizations and communities
and prepare for the adjustments necessary to succeed in 2019 and beyond.
Trustees who participate in this program will earn one credit toward the
Effective Governance (EG) component of MHA’s Board Education Certification
program.
To register, submit the registration form by
Oct. 1. There is a $25 registration fee per connection to cover program
expenses. Trustees should submit their registration through their hospital.
Those participating in a group should register the individual setting up the web
conference. Following the web conference, MHA will ask for a list of
participants to assign credit. return to top
MDH
to hold October rural health listening sessions
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) in October will hold rural health listening sessions to gather
information to inform its Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program and
other state Office of Rural Health and Primary Care projects. The Flex
Program was created to improve health care access and quality, focusing on
Minnesota’s critical access hospitals as the hub of rural systems of care.
MHA members are encouraged to attend the sessions and share their knowledge and
experiences related to rural health care.
Sessions are as follows:
- Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 4-6 p.m.
Beltrami Electric Co–op, 4111 Technology Dr. NW, Bemidji
- Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m.
– 2 p.m.
Minnesota Discovery Center, 1005 Discovery Dr., Chisholm
- Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 11
a.m. – 2 p.m.
MN Agricultural Interpretive Center (MAIC), 7367 360th Ave., Waseca
- Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 11
a.m. – 2 p.m.
Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, 300 S. Bruce St., Marshall
- Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 4-6 p.m.
Alomere Health, 111 17th Ave. E., Alexandria
For more information and to RSVP, contact Emma Distel,
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, MDH, 651-201-3528. return to top
Danielle
Ofri to speak at MAPS Conference
The Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) Conference is
Oct. 25-26 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park. For more
information, download the conference brochure.
Danielle Ofri, author and clinical professor of medicine at New York University
School of Medicine, will provide the opening keynote. During her presentation,
she will discuss patient safety and the human condition. There is, rightly, a
strong emphasis in systems approaches to improving medical care and decreasing
error. However, medicine is fundamentally a human endeavor, and in the end, it
is people, not systems, who cause medical errors. Ofri will bring attention to
the crucial human aspects of the medical enterprise — emotions, respect and
relationships.
With six general sessions and 12 breakout sessions, the conference, themed
“Reigniting Our Passion for Safe Care,” will disseminate leading-edge
practices, provide knowledge on critical topics in safe care and facilitate
creative and solution-oriented dialogue about how to make health care
sustainably and measurably safer in Minnesota.
To register, visit MHA's website, log in,
click “Calendar of Events” and select the program title. The cut-off date for
the group block at the Marriott is Oct. 3. return to top
New
educational videos for board meetings available on MHA’s website
MHA has added to our series of board education videos designed
as short introductions on specific health care topics to be shared during
hospitals’ board meetings or for individual use. MHA recently filmed eight new
videos. These new videos, as well as previously recorded videos, are available
on MHA’s website. Topics
and speakers include:
- Patient and Family
Engagement in Action
Joy Benn, MBA, CPXP, quality and process improvement specialist, Minnesota
Hospital Association, St. Paul, MN
- MHA Workforce Planning
Tool
Mark Sonneborn, vice president, health information and analytics, Minnesota
Hospital Association, St. Paul, MN
- Board Minutes and
Documentation Best Practices
Laura Leitch, attorney, Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, Milwaukee, WI
- MHA’s New Analytics
Platform
Mark Sonneborn, vice president, health information and analytics, Minnesota
Hospital Association, St. Paul, MN
- Designing Your Facility
with Brand Experiences in Mind
Jon Buggy, principal, RSP Architects, Minneapolis, MN
- A 2019 Legislative Session
Preview
Mary Krinkie, vice president, government relations, Minnesota Hospital
Association, St. Paul, MN
- Addressing the Opioid
Epidemic
Jennifer Schoenecker, senior director, quality and patient safety, Minnesota
Hospital Association, St. Paul, MN
- The Importance of
Strategic Planning for Hospital Trustees
Kari Larsen, area sr. vice president/consulting practice leader, health &
welfare consulting practice, Gallagher, Bloomington, MN
- Cyber Risk Management
Dave Wasson, vice president, cyber liability, Hays Companies, Minneapolis, MN
If you find other topics that you would like MHA to explore, please contact Peggy Westby,
vice president of education and membership services, MHA, 651-603-3518. MHA
adds additional videos at least once a year. return to top
MHA
comments on Medicare physician fee schedule proposed rule
MHA opposed CMS’ proposal to collapse Medicare
payments for the current five levels of evaluation and management (E/M)
services into two payment rates because it would remove providers’ ability to
distinguish services for patients who need different levels of resource use,
have more complex conditions or require greater intensity of care. The proposal
would disproportionately and negatively impact providers who provide specialty
services and those that treat more acute or complex patients.
In addition to several other topics addressed in its comment letter, MHA reiterated its strong
objection to CMS policies on “site-neutral” payments, including those reflected
in the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rule, and urged the agency
to reconsider the proposed reduction in payments for certain drugs.
MHA praised the agency for recognizing that using communication technology for
remote provider-patient check-ins and remote evaluation of “store and forward”
videos or images will make care more accessible, alleviate burdens on providers
and help reduce the growth in health care spending. MHA urged CMS to review and
revise how “originating site” and “distant site” are defined to better align
with current technology and reduce unnecessary barriers to adopting
telemedicine services, such as those that preclude reimbursement for
telemedicine based on where the provider or patient is located.
With questions, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA,
651-659-1415. return to top