In this issue
CDC
issues updated Ebola guidance for health care workers
Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) posted updated guidance for health care workers when caring for suspect
or confirmed patients with Ebola. The guidelines outline what should be done
for a patient under investigation for Ebola, including:
- Activate the hospital preparedness plan for Ebola.
- Isolate the patient in a separate room with a private bathroom.
- Ensure a standardized protocol is in place for how and where to
remove and dispose of personal protective equipment (PPE) properly and that
this information is posted in the patient care area.
- Interview the patient for symptoms, contacts and travel history.
- Consider and evaluate for all potential alternative diagnoses
(e.g. malaria, typhoid fever).
- Reassure patient and family that appropriate care will be
provided.
- Ensure patient has the ability to communicate with family.
The complete guidelines can be found here. Additional resources, including
recordings of CDC conference calls, are available on the MHA website and on the AHA website. Guidance on disposing of medical
waste is available at www.phmsa.dot.gov. The CDC and National Institutes of
Health (NIH) officials have said new guidelines for personal protective
equipment (PPE) are forthcoming. It is expected the updated guidance will provide detailed
instructions for health care workers.
With the updated guidance, the requirement that all hospitals be able to evaluate and
isolate a suspected Ebola patient has not changed. Every hospital in the state
needs to continue its education and training to be prepared should a patient
present with Ebola symptoms. The situation is rapidly changing and MHA will
continue to communicate new information as it is available.
Twin
Cities Medical Society to host Ebola education forum
The Twin Cities Medical Society is hosting a free educational
forum for physicians, medical students, health administrators and health care
workers on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The forum features experts from
the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) as well as Allina Health and Hennepin
County Medical Center. The forum aims to inform attendees of how health systems
are preparing for potential Ebola cases in Minnesota, understand the resources
available from MDH and learn more about the epidemiology of Ebola. There is no
charge for the event but registration is requested at www.metrodoctors.com or call 612-623-2885.
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Member
news: North Memorial Health Care names new leader
North Memorial Health Care in Robbinsdale has named Dr. Kevin
Croston its new CEO. Croston replaces Loren Taylor who will retire in April
2015.
Croston is currently the chief medical officer and president of the Physician
Organization for North Memorial. During his tenure he has been instrumental in
developing an integrated population health model for the hospital. He joined
North Memorial in 1993 and served on its Board of Trustees from 2007 through
2010. return to top
Trustee
Regional Meetings being held in Marshall and Duluth
Trustee Regional Meetings will be held on Oct. 29 in Marshall
and Oct. 30 in Duluth. During the meetings, MHA Senior Vice President of Policy
and Strategy Matt Anderson will present information on policy changes that will
affect Minnesota health care providers.
As hospitals’ and health care systems’ financial incentives and regulatory
requirements transform, providers are strained to fulfill significantly
different expectations between individualized, optimal care delivery on one
hand and population level and community health accountability on the other.
Anderson will draw upon comparisons with other scientific fields, including
economics, psychology and physics to demonstrate the need for health care
systems to adapt their organizations and care models to seemingly divergent
pressures during these times of shifting expectations.
Click here for more
information or to register. return to top
Community
benefit survey issued to members
MHA requests hospitals to submit data by Friday, Nov. 7
MHA has initiated the community benefit data collection for fiscal year 2013.
The data is presented in MHA’s Community Benefit Report, which quantifies the
contributions hospitals make to improve the health of their communities as well
as to ensure access to care.
For systems that have multiple facilities in different geographic regions of
the state, please provide site-specific details so data can be parsed in our
statewide report by region. If all of your facilities are in one
geographic region, you may report consolidated figures. We understand that you
may file only one 990 Schedule H for your system; however, for community
benefits reporting it is vital we be able to aggregate by region.
Chief executive officers, chief financial officers and communications point
people should have received emails with instructions and a link to the survey
system used to collect the data. Participation by all member hospitals is
requested; the more hospitals that participate, the more representative and
accurate the final report will be. The deadline for submitting data is Friday, Nov. 7.
If your hospital did not receive emails regarding the survey, please contact Bonnie Terveer, MHA data operations assistant, 651-641-1121. return to top
MDH
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care introduces new grant process
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office
of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) has launched a new electronic grant
management system, WebGrants @ MDH. For most grants the eligibility,
application requirements, and funding amounts will not change, but the grant
management process will be improved.
When applying for a grant using WebGrants @ MDH, users will see an easy-to use,
online interface. Users can fill out forms, attach documents, ask
questions, make changes, and sign forms electronically before submitting a
grant application. WebGrants @ MDH will be used for the entire lifecycle
of a grant – RFP, application, review and selection, contracting, invoices, and
grant reporting. Questions about WebGrants @ MDH should be directed to the
ORHPC grant manager listed on the individual RFP. return to top