In this issue
Hospital
spotlight: HCMC program makes exercise fun and food delicious
Over the past five years, Hennepin County Medical Center’s
(HCMC) Taking Steps Together (TST): Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle Program has
served more than 450 HCMC patients and family members. TST offers
community-based, culturally appropriate, bilingual programming. Each week,
families cook, eat, play and learn together. They also work together to develop
strategies for healthful decisions at home. TST is evidence based, rigorously
analyzed and has demonstrated positive results for participants. Everything
about TST is patient centered; from the program’s location at neighborhood
community centers, to the recipes, languages and activities that are selected.
HCMC’s efforts are another example of how hospitals recognize that health also
happens outside of the doctor’s office. Learn more here. return to top
Progress
made at Capitol on Provider Peer Grouping bill
Even though the 2014 legislative session has just begun, the
pace is already frantic with the first committee deadline on Friday, March
21. That is the date by which policy bills are supposed to pass in all
policy committees of either the House or Senate. MHA is pleased to report
progress is being made on at least one of our priority issues — a bill that
would suspend the Provider Peer Grouping (PPG) program and open up the
All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) for limited study purposes.
Last week, SF 2106 was heard and given approval in the
Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Policy Committee and the Senate
Judiciary Committee. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor. The
House version of the bill, HF 2656, has been heard and approved in the
House Health and Human Services Policy Committee but awaits consideration by
the House Civil Law Committee. MHA has testified on behalf of the
legislation at three committee hearings, joining with representatives from the
Minnesota Medical Association and the Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH).
The bill does the following:
- Suspends the Provider Peer Grouping program indefinitely unless
or until the Legislature takes affirmative action to lift the suspension;
- Establishes a work group comprised of representatives from
multiple stakeholders to develop recommendations for legislation establishing
the future governance and expanded uses of the APCD; and
- Authorizes MDH to use the APCD for four new purposes, including:
evaluating the Health Care Home initiative; studying readmission trends and
rates in consultation with the Reducing Avoidable Readmissions Effectively
(RARE) Campaign; studying variation in health care cost, quality, utilization
and illness burden on the basis of geography or populations until July 2016;
and evaluating the State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative. MDH is not
allowed to publish any reports or studies from its work that identify
individual providers, clinics or hospitals.
MHA is hopeful that thoughtful uses of the APCD will support
hospitals’ goal of advancing the Triple Aim: better care, lower cost per capita
and a healthier population.
For questions, contact Mary Krinkie,
MHA vice president of government relations, 651-659-1465 or Kristin Loncorich, MHA director of government relations, 651-603-3526. return to top
Governor’s
supplemental budget proposal skimpy on health care dollars
Last week, Gov. Dayton released his recommendations for
supplemental spending to the current 2014-15 biennial budget. Mary
Krinkie, MHA vice president of government relations, testified in both the
Senate and House Health and Human Services Finance Committees regarding MHA’s
concerns with the governor’s health and human services initiatives,
specifically the “Health Care Payment Modernization” proposal.
“This is a very complex initiative that represents significant changes in how
inpatient Medicaid fee-for- service hospital payment rates are calculated,”
said Krinkie. “Regretfully, this proposal will be arriving late in the
legislative process and will be extremely difficult for hospitals and the
health care community to evaluate its impact.”
The testimony explained that the legislation coming from the Minnesota
Department of Human Services (DHS) will likely contain five components,
including:
- As mandated by the federal government, implementation of the
ICD-10 codes, starting on Oct.1, 2014.
- Potentially moving forward with a new “grouper” which will allow
Minnesota’s Medicaid program to bill more similarly to the Medicare program;
using what is known as an All Patient Refined — Diagnosis Related Group.
- Implementing budget neutral rebasing. This would likely
result in some hospitals having an improved Medical Assistance rate of payment
and other hospitals having a negative financial impact from this process. This
provision was part of the 2011 Omnibus Health and Human Services legislation and
was supposed to have had an implementation date of January 2013.
- Possible elimination of some of the various add-on payments
currently in law for inpatient fee-for-service rates. DHS is looking at how
those payments could potentially be embedded into new rates.
- Discussion of hospitals’ good work in meeting readmission
targets. Krinkie noted that current law calls for half of the most recent
10 percent ratable reduction to be eliminated if hospitals collectively meet
specific readmission targets. This “buy back” of the rate reduction was
supposed to have started July 1, 2013. Implementing it now could help
mitigate some of the negative impact of budget neutral rebasing.
Joe Schindler, MHA vice president of finance, will be working
very closely with DHS staff on how best to construct this
legislation. While the Department has missed several deadlines, there is a
sincere effort to involve MHA and its members in this complex process. Some of
the impacts will be initially unknown and follow-up changes and additional
resources may be needed in 2015.
Contact Mary Krinkie, 651-659-1465, about the legislative process or Joe Schindler, 651-659-1415, about the DHS rebasing outreach efforts. return to top
CMS
delays PSO requirement until at least 2017
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a
final rule delaying until at least 2017 an Affordable Care Act provision that
some believe requires hospitals with more than 50 beds to contract with a
Patient Safety Organization (PSO) that has been certified by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
The CMS final rule is consistent with advice provided by the American Hospital
Association and supported by MHA. Some hospitals had expressed concern about
the PSO requirement and potential conflicts with other federal and state
laws.
A copy of the final rule is available here. For questions, contact Ben Peltier,
MHA vice president of legal services, 651-603-3513. return to top
Upcoming
education sessions designed specifically for critical access hospitals
MHA will hold its annual “Health Care Delivery Strategies for
Critical Access Hospitals” throughout the state April 29 – May 1.
Topics include state/federal reimbursement, cost report issues, billing/payment
updates, recovery audit contractor strategies, reporting requirements, and
physician/clinic concerns.
Following each daily general session, separate breakout sessions will be
provided for both billing and finance issues. MHA Vice President of Finance Joe
Schindler and McGladrey LLP Director Sue Ankeny will present the finance
breakout session and National Government Services provider outreach and
education staff Kim Thomas will speak at the billing breakout session.
The programs are co-sponsored by the Minnesota Chapter of the Healthcare
Financial Management Association. The locations are as follows:
-
Tuesday, April 29, Timberlake Lodge, Grand Rapids
- Wednesday, April 30, Best Western Plus Kelly Inn,
St. Cloud
- Thursday, May 1, Jackpot Junction, Morton
More information and registration materials are available on the
MHA website or click here for the full
brochure. For questions, contact Christy Brager, MHA education specialist,
651-659-1412. return to top
Fairview
Health Services names Carolyn Wilson executive vice president and COO
Fairview Health Services has named Carolyn Wilson, RN, to the
newly-created position of executive vice president and chief operating officer
(COO), as of March 1. As COO, Wilson has operational accountability for the
entire Fairview system, including its five community hospitals and the
University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview in Minneapolis.
Wilson also serves as co-president of University of Minnesota Health with Bobbi
Daniels, MD, University of Minnesota Physicians. University of Minnesota Health
is a recently announced name for all the University of Minnesota-branded
facilities and services jointly operated by University of Minnesota Physicians
and Fairview. MHA congratulates Wilson on her new position. return to top
In
memoriam: Former MHA employee Dan Malone
Former MHA employee, Dan Malone passed away last
week after battling an aggressive form of Leukemia. Dan worked at MHA for
over 10 years auditing hospital annual reports. He spent most of his career in
hospitals, starting with Gillette’s Children’s Specialty Hospital. He is
remembered by MHA Vice President of Finance Joe Schindler as a man with a great
sense of humor, great character and a positive attitude. Last fall he was
diagnosed with Leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant in November. After
being discharged just before Christmas, he was readmitted in February with an
aggressive return of the cancer. You can read Dan’s obituary in the Star Tribune. return to top