In this issue
RARE
Campaign exceeds goals, prevents 7,975 avoidable hospital readmissions
The RARE (Reducing Avoidable Readmissions Effectively) Campaign, one of the largest coordinated improvement initiatives
ever undertaken by the Minnesota health care community, has prevented 7,975 avoidable hospital
readmissions since 2011 and saved an estimated $70 million in health care costs.
The RARE Campaign is unique because it united a broad-based coalition of
hospitals and care providers to improve patient care transitions from the
hospital to their next setting of care. The campaign participants focused on
improving their work in five key areas that, if not managed well, are known to
be main contributors to avoidable hospital readmissions:
-
Comprehensive discharge planning
-
Medication management
- Patient and family engagement
- Transition care support
-
Transition communications
The official RARE Campaign is concluding in June but the
operating partners continue to collaborate to help Minnesota communities reduce
avoidable hospital visits. The following aspects of the campaign will continue:
- Minnesota Hospital Association
(MHA) will provide quarterly PPR data to its members
- The RARE Mental Health
Collaborative will run through December 2015
- Campaign resources will remain
available on the RARE website
- Targeted work through the MHA
Partnership for Patients work in the Hospital Engagement Network and
Stratis Health’s community work as the Medicare Quality Improvement
Organization
For a short video highlighting the work of the campaign,
including real-life examples from Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake and Abbott
Northwestern Hospital, part of Allina Health in Minneapolis, click here. return to top
Joint
Commission issues alert on preventing unsafe injection practices
The Joint Commission last week issued a Sentinel Event Alert on preventing the misuse
of single-dose/single-use and multiple-dose vials of injectable medical
products. The alert recommends that health care organizations implement
effective prevention processes and procedures, and provide annual education on
injection safety for all staff who administer injections to patients. Among
other actions, it calls for conducting regular quality checks on clinical units
to look for open vials; educating patients and caregivers who will use
injectable medical products as part of a home health regimen; creating a
culture where all staff report risks, errors, near misses and adverse events;
reporting clusters of infections or other adverse events to the appropriate
public health authorities; assessing potential harm to patients when unsafe
practices are identified; and notifying patients and testing for blood-borne
pathogens if warranted.
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Safe
Injection Practices Coalition are leading the One & Only Campaign to raise awareness
among patients and health care providers about safe injection practices. The
campaign emphasizes one needle, one syringe, only one time.
MHA, with the Collaborative Healthcare-Associated Infections Network
(CHAIN), has developed a road map of best practices and guidance for preventing
hospital-acquired infections. The road map includes best practices on safe
injection practices.
For questions, contact Marilyn Grafstrom, MHA patient safety and
quality specialist, 651-603-3515. return to top
All
Payer Claims Database workgroup members appointed
MHA will be part of a Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
workgroup that will discuss the framework to potential expanded use of
Minnesota’s All Payer Claims Database (APCD).
Minnesota’s APCD contains medical and pharmaceutical transaction records since
2008 and includes commercial, Medicaid and Minnesota public program encounter
data. The workgroup will be tasked with considering data access, security,
governance, funding and allowable uses. Its report will be due to the
legislature Feb. 1, 2015.
Kathryn Correia, president and CEO, HealthEast Care System, is one of two MHA
representatives on the workgroup. The other is Mark Sonneborn, MHA vice
president of information services. Other appointees are:
- Thompson Aderinkomi, founder
and CEO, RetraceHealth
- Justin Bell, government
relations director, American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate
- Dr. Larry Lee, vice president
and executive medical director for provider relations and quality, Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
- Susan Knudson, vice president
for health informatics, HealthPartners
- Dr. Roger Kathol, founder and
president, Cartesian Solutions, Inc.
- Britta Orr, executive director,
Local Public Health Association of Minnesota
- Dr. John Chandler, chief health
information officer for analytics and informatics, Hennepin County Medical
Center
- Diane Rydrych, director,
division of health policy, Minnesota Department of Health
- Nathan Moracco, interim
assistant commissioner for health care, Department of Human Services
- Michael Scandrett, president,
LPaC Alliance
- Dr. Michael Oakes, associate
professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of
Minnesota School of Public Health
- Dr. Bryan Dowd, professor,
division of health policy & management, University of Minnesota School
of Public Health
- Dr. Jim Naessons, assistant
professor of biostatistics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
- Laurie Beyer-Krouenske,
director of community services, Minnesota Department of Administration
For more information, contact Mark Sonneborn, MHA vice president of information services, 651-659-1423.
return to top
2014
Minnesota Hospital PAC golf event Monday, Aug. 11
Join us for the Minnesota Hospital Political Action Committee’s
(PAC) golf tournament on Monday, Aug. 11 at Territory Golf Club in St. Cloud.
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 June 20:
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 Goldbloom, M.D., Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota,
Minneapolis
Ben Koppelman, CHI St. Joseph’s Health, 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
Richard Ash, Ortonville Area Health Services
Catherine Barr, Bethesda Hospital, St. Paul
Sara Criger, Mercy Hospital, Coon Rapids
Mark Koch, Mayo Clinic Health System, Rochester
Carrie Michalski, RiverView Health, Crookston
Steven Mulder, M.D., Hutchinson Health
Bill Nelson, Mille Lacs Health System, Onamia
Dan Odegaard, Bigfork Valley Hospital/Rainy Lake Medical Center
Keith Okeson, LifeCare Medical Center, Roseau
Tim Rice, Lakewood Health System, Staples
Larry Schulz, Lake Region Healthcare, Fergus Falls
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
Nathan Blad, RC Hospital & Clinics, Olivia
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
Peter Jacobson, Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Detroit Lakes
Joy Johnson, Sanford Bemidji
Beth Krehbiel, Fairview Ridges Hospital, Burnsville
Frank Lawatsch, Swift County-Benson Hospital
Loren Morey, Lakewood Health System, Staples
John Porter, Avera Health, Sioux Falls, SD
Jon Pryor, M.D., Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis
Mary Ruyter, Sanford Jackson Medical Center
Rachelle Schultz, Winona Health
Gary Shaw, Cambridge Medical Center
Fred Slunecka, Avera, Sioux Falls, SD
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
Stroke
Certified Registered Nurse review course available
Fairview Southdale Hospital will host a two-day course for
nurses specializing in caring for stroke patients to pass the Stroke Certified
Registered Nurse Examination (SCRN Exam). The course reviews major topics of
the exam and provides information regarding the latest guidelines and protocols
for stroke management.
The course will be held July 28-29 at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.
Download the course brochure for more
information. return to top
TRUE
project aims to help patients receive hospice care sooner
Statis Health is leading Targeting Resource Use Effectively
(TRUE), a one-year innovation project funded by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS). In the pilot phase of this project, the cities of
Alexandria, Mora and Waconia, along with their community partners, worked to
help eligible patients receive hospice care sooner and increase appropriate
referrals to and utilization of hospice care.
The TRUE Outcomes Congress will meet to share successes and lessons learned
from the community participants, discuss results of the pilot phase and the
future of the project. The TRUE Outcomes Congress will be held July 16 at the
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites St. Cloud. There is no registration fee to
attend, however, registration is necessary. Click here to register.
For questions, contact Matt Ellis at Stratis Health, 952-853-8539. return to top
Legislative
resources added to Member Center
New legislative resources were added to the MHA Member Center. Find the 2014 Legislative
Report and download a complete candidate listing for the 2014 Minnesota House
elections.
Visit the MHA Member Center for important resources and information
specifically for MHA members. Helpful features include:
- a new grassroots search engine,
allowing you to find the contact information for your legislators by
hospital or legislative committee;
- an online member directory that
provides up-to-date information on MHA’s 143 member hospitals and key
hospital staff; and
- members-only documents
including key messages, fact sheets and legislative resources on pertinent
hospital issues.
Check the Member Center regularly for timely
updates on critical health care issues and, in the coming months, essential
election information.
The Member Center is username and password protected. For login information,
contact Ashley Gauster, member services and communications specialist, 651-603-3545.
return to top