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