Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

December 10, 2018

MHA Newsline: Dec. 10, 2018

In this issue 

MHA provides guidance on CMS price transparency rule effective Jan. 1

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) FY2019 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule effective Jan. 1, 2019, will require hospitals to post their chargemasters and standard charges on their websites in a machine-readable format.   

MHA convened a task force to examine the new regulation and develop recommendations for members. These resources were provided last week by email to member chief executive officers, chief financial officers, task force members and primary communicators.   

MHA expects to see ongoing clarifications and further price transparency efforts from CMS in the future. In addition, a new state law will take effect July 1, 2019, requiring clinics to post average payments for the most common procedures. MHA will provide guidance on this requirement in the coming months.   

With questions, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA, 651-659-1415. return to top   

MHA Winter Trustee Conference scheduled for Jan. 11-13

The MHA Annual Winter Trustee Conference, themed “Connecting Care and Communities,” will be held Jan. 11-13 at the Marriott Minneapolis Northwest in Brooklyn Park. Seven general sessions and 17 breakout sessions will focus on issues of mental and behavioral health, finance, patient safety and the future of health care. For more information or to register, download the conference brochure or visit the MHA website.    

Conference highlights include presentations from best-selling author, documentarian and mental health advocate Kevin Hines and “Survivor” alumna Holly Hoffman.   

Two years after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 19 years of age, Kevin Hines attempted to take his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. One of only 34 people to survive the fall, Hines shares the story of his unlikely survival and strong will to live and spreads the message of living mentally healthy around the globe.   

Holly Hoffman will share her experience of being on the reality TV show “Survivor” and encourage listeners to think about how to decide to survive daily. She will share how adversity is not so much contending with problems as it is learning more about who you really are and what is inside of each of us.   

Continuing education
The content of the Winter Trustee Conference has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for up to 7.5 clock hours.   

Hotel at capacity
The Marriott Minneapolis Northwest is at capacity. Please call reservations coordinator Dana Madich at 763-536-3332 and ask to be added to the waiting list in case rooms become available.   

Reservations are available at the nearby Courtyard Minneapolis Marriott Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes at 763-425-5355; you will be able to cancel these reservations if you are moved to the conference hotel. return to top   

2019 Rural Residency Planning and Development Program applications due March 9

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the FY2019 Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program.    

The purpose of this grant program is to develop new rural residency programs or Rural Training Tracks (RTT) in family medicine, internal medicine and psychiatry to support expansion of the physician workforce in rural areas. The new rural residency programs or RTTs are intended to be sustainable through separate public or private funding beyond the three-year RRPD grant period of performance. Up to 28 awardees also will receive technical assistance from the Rural Residency Planning and Development – Technical Assistance Center, which was awarded via cooperative agreement in September 2018, for the duration of the project period.   

Hospitals, medical schools and community-based ambulatory settings that have a rural designation along with consortia of urban and rural partnerships are eligible to apply for a grant award. Applications are due March 9, 2019.

HRSA will hold a technical assistance webinar on Dec. 17 from 1-2:30 p.m. The webinar will provide an overview of pertinent information and an opportunity for applicants to ask questions.   

Questions about this grant opportunity can be directed to Tracey Smith and Jemima Drake at HRSA. return to top