Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

February 03, 2014

MHA Newsline

In this issue

Hospital spotlight: Building a culture of safety in the operating room

At the foundation of successful patient safety and quality improvement effort is a culture of patient safety within the hospital or surgical center. A strong safety culture can help minimize medical errors and strong support from leadership is crucial to truly moving the needle on patient safety and quality. Dr. Mark Migliori, chair of the perioperative safety committee at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, part of Allina Health, believes a culture of safety is a prerequisite for delivering good care for every patient, every procedure, every time. Read how Dr. Migliori’s leadership helps create this experience for surgical patients at Allina Health. return to top  

Nominate your hospital or program for a 2014 MHA Award

Nominations due Friday, Feb. 14

Is your hospital a best Minnesota workplace? Do you have an innovative patient safety program or exemplary caregiver who deserves recognition? If so, consider submitting a nomination for MHA’s annual awards program. For the past 30 years, the MHA Awards have celebrated outstanding work by Minnesota hospitals and health systems and we want to honor you.  

MHA award categories recognize excellence involving community health, workforce issues, patient care and career promotion, for example. Honors for individuals recognize trustees, volunteers, hospital executives, caregivers and public officials. Additional information on the categories and judging criteria can be found on MHA’s website.  

Entries are due by Friday, Feb. 14; find the entry form here: MHA Awards: Nomination Form 

MHA will notify all entrants whether they have won in mid-March. A reception and dinner will take place Friday, April 25 at the Metropolitan Ballroom in suburban Minneapolis. All MHA members and associate members are invited and encouraged to attend the awards ceremony. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this celebration of excellence in Minnesota health care.  

For more information, contact Sarah Bohnet, MHA visual communications specialist, 651-603-3494. return to top  

MHA member to chair AHA long-term care/rehab section

Catherine Barr, president of Bethesda Hospital and senior vice president of community services for HealthEast Care System in St. Paul, is 2014 chair of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Section for Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation. As chair, Barr will lead the section’s governing council on public policy issues of concern to post-acute and continuing care providers and on AHA member service strategies. For more on the section and its governing council, see the AHA news release. return to top

MHA members encouraged to attend AHA annual meeting

MHA will coordinate visits with Minnesota’s members of Congress

The political stakes will remain high for hospitals and health systems this spring as Congress continues to look for savings to address budget shortfalls. MHA members’ help is needed to deliver a unified message during the American Hospital Association (AHA) annual meeting in Washington D.C., May 4 - 7.  

AHA will host a strong lineup of speakers who will address the most pressing issues facing hospitals and health systems, and with approximately 1,500 attendees this is a unique opportunity to network with peers from across the country. In addition, MHA will schedule congressional office visits and help prepare MHA members for those visits during a special briefing.  

To register for the meeting, visit the AHA website. About a week prior to the meeting, MHA will send participants additional information on special “Minnesota-only” events.  

For more information please contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal relations and workforce, 651-603-3527. return to top  

Healthcare Leadership Institute to offer participants ACHE Face-to-Face credit

This year’s MHA Healthcare Leadership Institute will have two sessions co-sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Minnesota Health Care Group. Both sessions have been approved by ACHE for 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face credits.  

Hospital leaders participating in a panel on “Successfully Leading Change in Health Care” will share major change implementation approaches that were successful and those that impeded change. They will also discuss how they perceive changes coming from health care reform and what they look at in leading their organizations through change. Panelists include:

  • Mark B. Koch, chief administration officer, Mayo Clinic Health System, Rochester;
  • Kenneth Paulus, president and CEO, Allina Health, Minneapolis; and
  • Rulon Stacey, president and CEO, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis.

The panel discussion, “The Role of the Media in Shaping the Public’s Perception of Health Care,” will focus on the public’s perception of hospitals, health care delivery and the impact of the Affordable Care Act. The panel will discuss effective tactics for managing communication channels and positive messaging when working with the press. Panelists include:

  • Adam R. Bauer, manager, Strategic Communications, HealthPartners, Minneapolis;
  • Kevin J. Burns, regional director, Public Affairs, Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato; and
  • Mary Rains, marketing manager, Mille Lacs Health System, Onamia.

The conference, themed “Daring to Lead in Times of Change,” will also feature sessions on health care reform and state and federal legislative updates among other topics. The program will take place March 5-7 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth.  

For information on institute programs and sessions, download the brochure here. return to top  

Physicians urged to be vigilant of durable medical equipment scams

The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors for the Centers for Medicare (DME MAC) and Medicaid Services sent a notice to physicians to watch out for marketing schemes from durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. The schemes are designed to gain approval for unnecessary medical equipment and supplies. The DME MAC is asking physicians to:

  • Pay careful attention to orders and before signing, and ask staff to provide the patient’s medical record for review.
  • View with a skeptical eye unsolicited orders for patients no longer in their practice or who have not been seen in a long time.
  • Document in patients’ medical records the medical justification for any item of DME ordered for the patient.

Read the full message to physicians here. return to top  

Register for Building Collaborations for Local Community Health program

Hospital community health needs assessment staff and community benefits and outreach staff are encouraged to attend “Building Collaborations for Local Community Health,” an interactive program that will feature a keynote presentation by Julia Joh Ellingers, MPH, director, Assessment, Planning & Workforce Development at the National Association of County and City Health Officials.  

The program will feature a discussion with successful collaborations between local public health agencies and hospitals in Minnesota, and opportunities to explore community health needs assessments and strategies for leveraging local resources for improving population health.  

The program will take place on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Dakota Lodge in West St. Paul. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and the program is from 12:30 to 3 p.m. with lunch provided. You must be an MHA member to register and space is limited to 50 MHA members so register early. Registration is $30 per person on or before Feb. 7. After Feb. 7, registration is $40 per person.  

For more information or to register, visit MHA’s website or download the brochure. return to top