In this issue
Recognize
your nurses during National Nurses Week, May 6-12
This week is National Nurses Week, a time to reflect on the
important contributions nurses make to provide safe, high quality care.
National Nurses Week is celebrated each year from May 6 through May 12, the
birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. For an example
of a dedicated nurse who cares not only for her patients but her entire
community, meet Helen Bagshaw, CCRN, Winona Health.
For ideas to celebrate National Nurses Week, click here. return to top
MHA
members recognized for leadership
Minnesota hospitals and health systems were well represented
this week when the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST recognized 35 outstanding
women health care leaders. In celebration of its 35th anniversary,
the TRUST presented the awards at its annual Forum event. Thirteen leaders from
MHA member organizations were recognized:
- Linda Chmielewski, vice
president, Hospital Operations/Chief Nursing Officer, St. Cloud Hospital
- Kathryn Correia, president and
CEO, HealthEast Care System
- Bobbi Daniels, MD, CEO, University
of Minnesota Physicians
- Roxanne Fernandes, chief
nursing officer, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
- Roxanna Gapstur, chief
operating officer, chief nursing officer and senior vice president, Health
Partners/Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
- Sharonne Hayes, MD, professor
of internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases, Mayo Clinic
- Jo Ann Hoag, president and CEO,
Lake View Memorial Hospital; vice president for regional development, St.
Luke’s
- Jan Malcolm, president, Courage
Kenny Foundation, Allina Health
- Gayle Mattson, president, North
Memorial Medical Center
- Andrea Walsh, executive vice
president and chief marketing officer, Health Partners
- Penny Wheeler, MD, president
and chief clinical officer, Allina Health
- Kathy Wilde, RN, MA, chief
nursing officer, Hennepin County Medical Center
- Carolyn Wilson, RN, executive
vice president and chief operating officer, Fairview Health Services,
co-president, University of Minnesota Health
The Women’s Health Leadership TRUST works to advance women
leaders in health care, influence public policy and improve health care in our
communities. return to top
CMS
finalizes regulations that improve flexibility in penalties for laboratories
that experience an unintentional violation in Proficiency Testing
On April 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) issued final regulations implementing the Taking Essential Steps for
Testing Act of 2012 that will give the agency more flexibility when determining
penalties for laboratories that experience an unintentional violation with
Proficiency Testing.
The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Amy Klobuchar with Sen. Al
Franken as a co-sponsor and the House bill was supported by Rep. Tim Walz. MHA
and the American Hospital Association supported this legislation.
“MHA appreciates the work of Senators Klobuchar and Franken and Representative
Walz. They were absolute champions in search of a safe solution to this
problem,” said Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal relations and
workforce. “They are deeply committed to protecting patient’s access to quality
laboratory services by reserving revocation of the Clinical Laboratory
Improvement Amendments certificate for the most serious sanctions.”
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) requires laboratories to
participate in routine Proficiency Testing (sample testing, not with patient
specimens) to ensure the accuracy and reliability of test results, and
prohibits laboratories from referring these samples to another laboratory for
testing. Previously, laboratories that referred these test samples to other
laboratories lost their certification and their owner was banned from owning or
operating another certified lab for at least two years. One laboratory’s
mistake could impact a whole system of laboratories significantly impeding
access to care.
The new rule gives the agency more flexibility allowing for less severe
sanctions for situations that are clearly unintentional and reserves the most
serious sanctions for the most egregious and intentional violations to ensure
continued safe access to care. Read the final rule. return to top
MNsure
releases outreach and enrollment grant RFP
MNsure is issuing $4 million in grants targeted to fund outreach
and enrollment efforts from Sept. 1, 2014 until June 30, 2015. Goals for the
grant program include assisting populations with barriers to coverage, building
regional navigator resource and referral networks and educating uninsured
Minnesotans about the importance of health insurance and how they can enroll
through MNsure. Hospitals are encouraged to apply, as they often serve as
community connections for health care and have contact with people most in need
of insurance. Many hospitals have already enrolled as Consumer Assistance
Counselors (CACs) in order to assist Minnesotans to become insured. However,
applicants are not required to be navigators or CACs to participate.
The Outreach and Enrollment Grant RFP can be found here. Proposals are due by June 2, 2014. Grant
awards will be announced publicly on Sept. 2, 2014, giving award recipients
time to prepare for the 2015 open enrollment period that begins on Nov.15,
2014. return to top
SIM
seeking applications for emerging professions integration grants
Minnesota’s State Innovation Model (SIM) grant is seeking
applications for emerging professions integration. The goal of the Minnesota Emerging Professions Integration Grant Program is to foster the integration of emerging
professions – community health worker, community paramedic and dental
therapist/advanced dental therapist – into the workforce in roles that support
the broad goals of the Minnesota Affordable Health Model related to providing
coordinated care across settings for complex patients, populations and models
of accountable care. Up to $180,000 will be available for six grants of up to
$30,000 each to support the integration of an emerging professional. Eligible
applicants are any type of organization that has the capacity to employ an
emerging professional. Applications are due June 5, 2014. For more information,
contact Will Wilson, MDH Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. return to top
Summer
Trustee Conference focuses on transformation, reform, patient safety and the
future of health care
Brochure available
online and will be mailed the week of May 12
The 28th Annual MHA Summer Trustee Conference will
focus on challenges facing trustees in the areas of transformation, reform, patient
safety and the future of health care. The conference will also provide valuable
opportunities for board members to network with their peers from other health
care organizations across the state.
The Summer Trustee Conference will be held July 11-13 at Arrowwood Resort and
Conference Center in Alexandria. To learn more and for registration
information, view the full conference brochure.
return to top
CMS
issues proposed FY 2015 inpatient psychiatric facility rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued its
inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) proposed rule for fiscal
year 2015. The rule would increase IPF rates by 2.1 percent in FY 2015 compared
to FY 2014, after accounting for inflation and other adjustments. Specifically,
the proposed rule includes an initial market-basket update of 2.7 percent for
those hospitals that submit data on quality measures; hospitals not submitting
data would receive a 0.7 percent update. The rule also would make a
productivity cut of 0.4 percent and an additional market-basket cut of 0.3
percent, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act, and an increase of 0.1 percent
resulting from an updated outlier threshold. In addition, the rule proposes new
quality measures and reporting requirements under the IPF quality reporting
program. The proposed rule will be published in the May 6 Federal Register and
comments will be accepted through June 30. return to top
Mercy
Hospital names new CEO
Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake has named Michael Delfs as chief
executive officer, effective June 30. Delfs was selected for his knowledge of
rural health care, his history of good physician relations and his financial success
and his communication skills, both with staff and the community. Delfs began
his career in health care in 1991 with MeritCare (now Sanford Health) and has
served Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin and Richland Hospital in Richland
Center, Wisc. Delfs is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare
Executives (FACHE) and has been active in both the Wisconsin and Minnesota
Hospital Associations. return to top
MHA’s
annual mental health conference scheduled for Aug. 1
The 2014 MHA mental and behavioral health conference, Community
Partnerships for Community Solutions, has been scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1,
2014. Attendees will hear from Laura Shrader, with ReDirect community mental
health center in Missouri, who has created a successful partnership to better
treat people with mental illnesses and complex co-occurring disorders. Sessions
also include the Department of Human Services Direct Care and Treatment
Division discussing the state’s role in providing treatment, panels on civil
commitment and creating community partnerships, and a presentation on
implementing Reducing Avoidable Readmissions Effectively (RARE) transitions of
care for people with mental illnesses.
The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth.
More information is available on the MHA website. return to top
MN Community Health Worker Alliance to host June 5
conference
The Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance, an organization
focused on advancing community health worker (CHW) strategies, will be holding
a stakeholder conference on June 5 in Minneapolis. The program, titled
“Partnering for Health Equity: Progress, Practice and Policy,” will
include plenary sessions and breakout sessions of interest to CHWs, MNsure
navigators, students and stakeholder organizations. The conference will
also provide an opportunity for those that are new to the CHW role to learn
more about how CHWs can help hospitals and health systems reduce health
disparities, achieve the Triple Aim and foster healthier communities.
The conference will be held in conjunction with Minnesota Public Health
Association’s (MPHA) Annual Conference. Early registration discounts are
available until May 7. More information about the conference and registration
materials are available from MPHA. return to top
Transforming health care: creative thinking for serious
people June 25-26
The Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing
Leadership is hosting a two-day seminar by Paul Plsek for individuals and
quality improvement teams. Plsek is internationally recognized as a pioneer in
bringing creative thinking and innovative methods to health care providers.
Learn how directed creativity can influence your thinking and accelerate your
work, quality improvement and redesign efforts. Participants will gain
knowledge, tools and techniques, as well as confidence and insights about
leading redesign innovations and triple aim quality improvement projects in
their health care organizations through the application of directed creativity
and design thinking processes. The seminar will take place June 25-26 at The
Commons Hotel in Minneapolis. Visit the Densford Center website
for more information or to register. return to top
Winona Health one of two Minnesota organizations to receive
Performance Excellence Award
The Performance Excellence Network (PEN),
formerly the Minnesota Council for Quality, presented Winona Health with the
2013 Performance Excellence Award. The Award is based on the Malcolm Baldrige
Criteria for Performance Excellence. Only two organizations in the state were
recognized at this level: Winona Health and Cardinal of Minnesota.
An organization achieving the Excellence Award has undergone rigorous
evaluation by independent, trained examiners focused on: leadership,
strategic planning, customer-focused processes, measurement systems, workforce
engagement, and operations and recognizes organizations that are systematically
improving results.
The Performance Excellence Award has only been given out nine times since the
Performance Excellence Network was founded in 1987. return to top