In this issue
Seeing
Sepsis highlights need to detect and treat sepsis early
Severe sepsis and septic shock can be associated with a mortality
rate of up to 50 percent in hospitals that do not utilize an early detection
and treatment bundle. Yet the urgency with which it must be detected and
treated has been underestimated. Hospitals need to start seeing sepsis as a
time-critical emergency, just like trauma, stroke or acute myocardial
infarction (MI). MHA, funded by the CMS’ Leading Edge Advanced Practice Topics
(LEAPT), has coordinated the development of the Seeing Sepsis tool kit to facilitate the
adoption of severe sepsis early detection tools and the Surviving Sepsis
Campaign three- and six-hour care bundles by hospitals of all sizes.
These bundles have helped St. Cloud Hospital decrease mortality due to severe
sepsis and septic shock by 49 percent. Read more about St. Cloud Hospital’s
efforts in this article from the St. Cloud Times.
Additionally, making early identification of sepsis in the emergency department
a priority helped Ridgeview Medical Center decrease mortality due to severe
sepsis and septic shock by 60 percent. St. Cloud Hospital and Ridgeview Medical
Center are two of the LEAPT mentor hospitals, contributing content and helping
create the tool kit.
Seeing Sepsis tool kits were mailed to patient safety contacts in every
Minnesota hospital the last week of March, and MHA held the statewide kickoff
calling on hospitals to participate in early April. Participating hospitals are
asked to implement the Seeing Sepsis early detection and treatment protocols,
and submit simple baseline and monthly outcome and process data measures. MHA
will provide one-to-one guidance on implementation including webinars, optional
site visits, mentorship from LEAPT pilot hospitals and data assistance. To join
Seeing Sepsis and help save lives and reduce health care costs, click here or contact Karen Olson,
MHA patient safety/quality coordinator, 651-603-3521. return to top
Task
force issues price transparency recommendations, consumer guide
A Healthcare Financial Management Association task force last
week issued price transparency recommendations for health plans, health care
providers and others, and a guide to help consumers estimate the cost of
care. According to the task force, health plans should serve as the principal
source of price information for insured patients, and providers for uninsured
patients and those seeking out-of-network care. Among other information, price
transparency tools for insured patients should include the estimated total
price and out-of-pocket costs for the service being sought and whether
particular providers are in the health plan’s network, while tools for
uninsured and out-of-network patients should clearly communicate pre-service
price estimates and which services are/are not included in the estimate, the
panel said.
MHA reminds members that Minnesota law requires physicians, hospitals and
health plans to provide consumers with a good faith estimate of the cost of
their care. In addition, Minnesota law requires hospitals to bill the uninsured
a discounted rate commensurate with what the largest commercial payer would pay
the hospital. To review Minnesota specific laws governing price transparency, click here. return to top
MDH
announces new Accountable Health Model RFP
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) requests proposals to
develop and disseminate Minnesota
e-Health Roadmaps to Advance the Minnesota Accountable Health Model
(e-Health Roadmaps) for the settings of long-term and post-acute care, local
public health, behavioral health and social services. Each e-Health Roadmap
will describe a framework and a path forward to enable providers in each
setting to effectively use e-health to participate in the Minnesota Accountable Health Model.
There is up to $600,000 available to be distributed competitively through the
e-Health Roadmap Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposals are due June 19, 2014. Visit
the Minnesota Accountable Health Model RFPs
webpage for more information or contact Kari Guida at MDH with questions. return to top
DHS
calls for contracts for Direct Care and Treatment Services
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced
opportunities for health care providers to contract with Direct Care and
Treatment Division (DCT), formerly known as State Operated Services (SOS).
This contract is for medically necessary related services, routine and medical
inpatient and outpatient treatment, and emergency room services to clients of
Regional Treatment Centers, Community Behavioral Health Hospitals, Minnesota
Specialty Health System, Community Addiction Recovery Enterprise Programs,
Minnesota Sex Offender Programs and other Community-based programs and homes
located throughout Minnesota. For services provided off-site of DCT, DCT will
reimburse at the current MA rate.
For additional information, contact Mary Sweep at DHS, 320-214-3666. return to top
Nominations
sought for 2014 Rural Health Hero and Rural Health Team Award
The Minnesota Department of Health Office of
Rural Health and Primary Care is seeking nominations for the 2014 Rural Health
Hero and Rural Health Team Award. The awards are given as part of the Minnesota Rural Health Conference, June 23-24
in Duluth. This is a great opportunity to honor an individual or team who have
gone above and beyond for health care in rural Minnesota.
Nominees may have contributed to rural health care in any
capacity: through a volunteer or paid position, as a health care provider
or non-provider, in policy or through practice. Areas of impact could include
but are not limited to: health care and health programs, rural health policy,
legislation, the advancement of the field, improved patterns of health care
delivery, cooperative efforts to avoid duplication of services and achieve
common goals, education, and the lasting impact of a program on populations and
areas served. Nominations are due by Wednesday,
May 7. Click here for more information and a
nomination form.
This year’s Minnesota Rural Health Conference includes sessions on the
partnerships so important in health care today, operational effectiveness,
patient engagement, and tools and resources across an array of rural health
care topics. Learn more about the Minnesota Rural Health Conference. return to top