In this issue
Hospital
spotlight: New Ulm Medical Center works to reduce heart attacks
New Ulm Medical Center, part of Allina Health, recently received
the 2014 MHA Community Benefit Award, small hospital category, for its “Heart
of New Ulm Project,” a 10-year demonstration project with the goal of reducing
heart attacks and health risk factors. Community interventions including free
phone-based coaching, free heart screenings, tobacco cessation courses and
worksite wellness programs have contributed to a 24 percent reduction in heart
attacks. Read more about New Ulm Medical Center and the other 2014 MHA award
winners here. return to top
CMS
proposes limited additional flexibility in meeting meaningful use in 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology released a
proposed rule that would allow hospitals and
eligible professionals multiple pathways to meet meaningful use in 2014,
including using the 2011 Edition Certified Electronic Health Record Technology
(CEHRT) to meet the meaningful use requirements in place for 2013. CMS says in
a news release beginning in 2015, all eligible
hospitals and professionals would be required to use the 2014 Edition CEHRT to
report meaningful use. The rule also proposes beginning stage 3 meaningful use
in fiscal year 2017. The agencies will accept comments on the rule for 60 days.
While this is certainly a welcome reprieve for hospitals and eligible
professionals, there are still concerns. First, there are timing issues. The
60-day comment period ends in mid-July, but hospitals and eligible
professionals wishing to attest for stage 2 in 2014 must start the process by
July 1. Second, while the proposed rule does offer relief to providers that are
having issues with getting the updated certified version of their electronic
health record installed, it may be less helpful to providers who are struggling
to meet other stage 2 requirements in 2014.
For questions, contact Mark Sonneborn, MHA vice president of
information services, 651-659-1423. return to top
Senator
Franken named co-chair of Senate Rural Health Caucus
Senator is a lead
sponsor of legislation aimed to bolster rural health care
Sen. Al Franken (D) was recently named co-chair of the Senate
Rural Health Caucus, a bi-partisan caucus of members committed to advancing
rural priorities in health care policy. Sen. Franken joined others from the
caucus in introducing the bipartisan Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider
Equity Act. The bill, S.2359, would remove the 96-hour physician certification
requirement as a condition of payment for critical access hospitals (CAHs) and
would extend through 2014 the enforcement moratorium on the outpatient therapy
“direct supervision” policy for critical access hospitals and rural prospective
payment system hospitals with 100 or fewer beds. The bill would also reinstate
the outpatient hold harmless provision, increase the low-volume payment
adjustment to 2,000 discharges, extend cost-based reimbursement for rural
outpatient labs and implement other provisions important to CAHs. Both MHA and
the American Hospital Association support this legislation.
For questions, contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal
relations and workforce, 651-603-3527. return to top
Minnesota
Reps. Ellison and Paulsen sign onto legislation in support of fix to the
two-midnight requirement
Reps. Keith Ellison (D) and Erik Paulsen (R) recently signed on
as cosponsors to H.R. 3698, the Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act of 2014. This
legislation would support delaying enforcement of the two-midnight policy and
direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to take a more
thoughtful approach by developing a new standard that will provide clarity on
whether a patient should be billed as an inpatient or outpatient.
Under the current requirement, Medicare beneficiaries must stay at least two
midnights in a hospital to be presumed to be appropriately paid for by Medicare
as an inpatient admission. There are some exceptions to hospital stays of a
shorter duration with proper physician documentation, but MHA is concerned
about the precarious position this puts physicians in at the time of admission.
The requirement is administratively burdensome and gets in the way of the best
medical judgment.
Sens. Klobuchar (D) and Franken (D) have signed onto the Senate bill and Reps.
McCollum (D), Bachmann (R) and Peterson (D) have all previously signed onto the
House version. The Senate and House bill are supported by MHA and the American
Hospital Association.
For questions, contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal
relations and workforce, 651-603-3527. return to top
Sen.
Klobuchar and Rep. Ellison add support to improve Medicare Recovery Audit
Contractor program
Sen. Klobuchar and Rep. Ellison added their support to S.
1012/H.R. 1250, the Medicare Audit Improvement Act, which would make much
needed improvements to the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program.
Hospitals take seriously their obligation to bill properly for the services
they provide to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Hospitals want to bill and
be paid accurately the first time. Nearly 60 percent of the hospital medical
records reviewed by RACs are found to have no overpayment error. RACs are not
impartial judges of Medicare payments; they receive a commission on each
rejected claim. MHA and the American Hospital Association strongly support
S.1012/H.R. 1250 to improve oversight and management and fix the broken appeals
process.
This legislation would ensure transparent and fair audit practices and provide
assistance to hospitals in mitigating excessive overall audit burden. It would
also place annual limits on documentation requests from RACs and other
auditors; impose financial penalties on RACs if they fall out of compliance
with the program; make RAC performance evaluations publicly available; and
allow denied inpatient claims to be billed as outpatient claims without
regarding for filing limitations; among other provisions.
Rep. McCollum and Rep. Peterson previously signed onto the bill.
For questions contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president of federal
relations and workforce, 651-603-3527. return to top
2014
Minnesota Hospital PAC golf event Monday, Aug. 11
The Minnesota Hospital Political Action Committee’s (PAC) golf
tournament will take place Monday, Aug. 11 in St. Cloud at Territory Golf Club.
Hospital CEOs are asked to contribute at a club level ($350 minimum) to
participate. Hospital employees and trustees can attend for $200 per person.
Please contact Carol Eshelman, Minnesota Hospital PAC
coordinator for a registration form.
Members who have already contributed at a club level in 2014 are invited to
participate at no extra charge, but are asked to register with Eshelman.
The Minnesota Hospital PAC thanks the following members who have already
contributed $350 or more in 2014 as of May 21:
Washington Club –
individuals giving $3,000 or more
- Lorry Massa, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
Ben Franklin Club –
individuals giving $1,000 or more
- Brad Beard, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina
- Craig Broman, St. Cloud Hospital
- Alan J. Goldbloom, M.D., Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota,
Minneapolis
- Ben Koppelman, St. Joseph’s Area Health Services, Park Rapids
- Mary Maertens, Avera Marshall
- Ken Paulus, Allina Health, Minneapolis
- Terrence Pladson, M.D., CentraCare Health, St. Cloud
- Rulon Stacey, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis
- Randy Ulseth, FirstLight Health System, Mora
- Carl Vaagenes, Douglas County Hospital, Alexandria
-
Mary Ellen Wells, CentraCare Health - Monticello
- Matt Anderson, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Mary Krinkie, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Ben Peltier, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
Chairman's Circle –
individuals giving $500 or more
- David Albrecht, Owatonna Hospital
- Rick Ash, Ortonville Area Health Services
- Catherine Barr, Bethesda Hospital, St. Paul
- Mark Koch, Mayo Clinic Health System, Rochester
- Carrie Michalski, RiverView Health, Crookston
- Steven Mulder, M.D., Hutchinson Health
- Dan Odegaard, Bigfork Valley Hospital/Rainy Lake Medical Center
- Keith Okeson, LifeCare Medical Center, Roseau
- Tim Rice, Lakewood Health System, Staples
- John Solheim, Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, Crosby
- Wendy Burt, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Tania Daniels, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Ann Gibson, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Kristin Loncorich, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Joe Schindler, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Mark Sonneborn, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
- Peggy Westby, Minnesota Hospital Association, St. Paul
Capitol Club –
individuals giving $350 or more
-
Daniel Anderson, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis
- Jon Braband, Glencoe Regional Health Services
-
George Gerlach, Granite Falls Municipal Hospital & Manor
- Gerry Gilbertson, CentraCare Health - Melrose
- Paul Goering, M.D., Allina Health, Minneapolis
- Joy Johnson, Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
- Beth Krehbiel, Fairview Ridges Hospital, Burnsville
- Loren Morey, Lakewood Health System, Staples
- Jon Pryor, M.D., Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis
- Mary Ruyter, Sanford Jackson Medical Center
- Rachelle Schultz, Winona Health
- Gary Shaw, Cambridge Medical Center
For more information about the Minnesota Hospital PAC contact Kristin Loncorich, MHA government relations director, 651-603-3526 or Mary Krinkie,
MHA vice president of government relations, 651-659-1465. return to top
Webinars:
Two-midnight rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) final rule
CMS-1599-F modifies and clarifies CMS' longstanding policy on how Medicare
contractors review inpatient hospital and critical access hospital admissions
for payment purposes. Under this final rule, surgical procedures, diagnostic
tests, and other treatments are generally appropriate for inpatient hospital
admission and payment under Medicare Part A when the physician (1) expects the
beneficiary to require a stay that crosses at least two midnights and (2)
admits the beneficiary to the hospital based upon that expectation.
National Government Services is offering webinars to help better understand the
requirements outlined in CMS-1599-F. These webinars are designed for
departments of Utilization Review, Case Management, Compliance, Nursing, and
Staff Education, physicians, as well as members of your clinical,
administrative, coding and financial staff and other clinical personnel who
have key roles in making the correct decision between inpatient and outpatient
status for your patient population. Two-midnight rule webinars will be held on:
- Friday, May 30, noon - 2 p.m.
CT
- Friday, June 6, 9 - 11 a.m. CT
- Thursday, June 12, noon - 2
p.m. CT
- Tuesday, June 24, 9 - 11 a.m.
CT
Register online here. return to top
Conference
to explore ways to manage aggressive behaviors in health care
CentraCare Health and St. Cloud Hospital are hosting a one-day
conference to help hospitals and health care workers better manage aggressive
behaviors. The conference will define a strategic approach for mitigating the
risk of behaviorally challenging situations in a health care environment and
provide professionals with information and tools to address increasing health
care incidents of aggressive behavior toward caregivers. Following the program,
participants will be able to:
- Explore ways to prepare for and
respond to an active shooter in the hospital setting.
- Identify methods for
maintaining operations during an active shooter incident.
- Describe risk management,
legal, law enforcement, community and other challenges associated with an
Aggressive Patient Management Program.
- Address strategies regarding
post-incident debriefing and other post-incident approaches.
- Implement skills and tools that
will decrease or de-escalate violent behavioral incidents in the work
environment.
The conference will take place Wednesday, June 11 at the Gorecki
Center – College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph. Learn more or register online. return to top
MHA
Member Center launched
MHA recently launched a new Member Center that provides
resources and information specifically for MHA members. The Member Center is
your connection to MHA, allowing you to manage your contact information,
register for upcoming events and programs, search for MHA hospitals and
employee members, and find contact information for your legislators to perform
grassroots advocacy. You’ll also have access to timely member-only resources
and documents.
The Member Center is password protected; if you need help with your login ID
and password, contact Ashley Gauster, member services and
communication specialist, 651-603-3545. return to top
Laura
Beeth appointed chair of Governor’s Workforce Development Council
Gov. Dayton has named Laura Beeth, system director, talent
management/system H.R., Fairview Health Services, as the chair and business
representative for the Governor’s Workforce Development Council (GWDC)
beginning July 1, 2014.
The council’s mission is “to analyze and recommend workforce development
policies to the governor and legislature toward talent development, resource
alignment and system effectiveness to ensure a globally competitive workforce
for Minnesota.”
The GWDC membership, outlined in state statute, includes leaders from business
and industry, community-based organizations, education, local government and
organized labor.
Beeth’s term expires June 30, 2017. return to top
Putting
Policy into Action seminar
Treo Solutions, a 3M Health Information Systems
company, will host “Putting Policy into Action”, a half-day conference
where attendees will learn about the development, implementation and testing of
innovative health care programs within the context of the nation’s health laws
and policies. Mark Sonneborn, MHA vice president of information services, will
present during a panel discussion.
The event will be held on Tuesday, June 3 at the St. Paul Hotel. Payers,
providers, government agencies and other health care stakeholders are
encouraged to attend. The program is complimentary, but registration is
required. For more information, click here. return to top