In
this issue
Minnesota
hospital programs, leaders honored
MHA
honored innovative programs and outstanding leaders in health care at its 31st
annual awards ceremony on Friday, April 24. The following awards were
given for extraordinary achievement in categories ranging from advocacy on
behalf of hospitals and volunteerism to innovation and improvement in patient
care and patient safety. In the coming weeks, we will feature each of the
winners so you can learn more about their exceptional work. Thank you to every
MHA member who submitted nominations!
- Best Minnesota Hospital Workplace:
Owatonna Hospital, part of Allina Health
- Bruce
and Denise Rueben Courage Award: George Gerlach, CEO
and administrator, Granite Falls Municipal Hospital and Manor
- Caregiver
of the Year: Ed Wurtzberger, RN, New Ulm Medical Center, part of
Allina Health
- Community
Benefit: Winona Health; Lakewood Health System, Staples
- Good
Catch for Patient Safety: Sara Lorenz, RN, BSN, Mayo
Clinic Rochester Hospital, St. Marys Campus
- Health
Care Workforce Champion (individual): Laura Beeth, system
director, talent management, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis
- Health
Care Workforce Champion (hospital): Fairview Health
Services, Minneapolis
- Innovation
of the Year in Patient Care: PrairieCare, Maple
Grove; Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park
- Patient
Safety Improvement: University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s
Hospital, Minneapolis; Catholic Health Initiatives – St. Joseph’s Health, Park
Rapids
- Public
Achievement: Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick)
- Spirit
of Advocacy: Mary Maertens, regional president, Avera Marshall
Regional Medical Center
- Stephen
Rogness Distinguished Service Award: Larry Schulz, CEO,
Lake Region Healthcare, Fergus Falls
- Trustee
of the Year: Mary Theurer, Lakewood Health System, Staples
- Volunteers
of the Year Award: Carole and Jim Lang, Mayo Clinic Health System in
New Prague
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MHA
honored for raising awareness of sexual assault
MHA recently received
the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) AWARE Award
for their work to improve the response to sexual assault patients in hospitals
across the state. The award is given to individuals and groups for
extraordinary awareness-raising work around sexual violence. MHA staff Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, and
Jen McNertney, policy analyst, accepted the award on behalf of MHA.
“Minnesota’s hospitals are often the first stop
on a long road to healing for victims of sexual violence,” said Lawrence Massa,
MHA president and CEO. “MHA is committed to helping our members care for
vulnerable patients with respect and sensitivity. We are truly honored to
receive this award in recognition of that work.”
Schindler and McNertney have helped educate
members about billing procedures for sexual assault exams, assisted MNCASA in
drafting and distributing a survey to hospitals regarding responses to sexual
assault patients in order to gain a better understanding of where improvements
can be made, and participate in the advisory group of the Minnesota Forensic
Exam Access Project as part of the Sexual Violence Justice Project. return to top
HHS
Omnibus Budget bill moves to conference committee this week
The
Minnesota Senate HHS Omnibus Budget bill, SF1458, passed the Senate floor last
week. The bill includes MHA’s Minnesota Telemedicine Act, as well as important
funding patches for critical access hospitals and mental health services to
avoid projected shortfalls that would result from the required budget-neutral
rebasing of Medical Assistance rates. The Senate bill also includes
new investments in mental health services including: behavioral health homes,
crisis services, intensive residential treatment services, and nonemergency
medical transportation among other items.
The
Minnesota House of Representatives moved its HHS Omnibus Budget Bill, HF1638
which will be referred to as SF1458 going forward, through its committees last
week. The House is scheduled to debate and pass its version of the HHS Omnibus
Budget bill on Tuesday, April 28.
A
conference committee of Senate and House members will be appointed to iron out
the differences between the two bills, and could begin its work as early as the
end of this week.
For
a complete list of 2015 legislative bills MHA is tracking, visit the Member Center. For assistance
accessing the Member Center, contact Ashley Gauster, MHA member services
and communications specialist, 651-603-3545. return to top
Minnesota
Reps. Ellison, Paulsen and Peterson sign onto MHA priority federal legislation
Last
week Minnesota Representative Erik Paulsen added his support to legislation
that removes the 96-hour physician certification requirement as a condition of
payment for critical access hospitals (CAHs). Minnesota Reps. Collin Peterson
and Keith Ellison added their support to legislation that will improve the
fairness of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) readmissions
program.
H.R. 169, the CAH Relief Act
As a condition of getting paid by Medicare, physicians at CAHs
must certify, at the time of admission, that a Medicare beneficiary is expected
to be discharged or transferred to another hospital within 96 hours. If
something unforeseen occurs and the beneficiary needs to stay longer than 96
hours, the physician must certify and document the changed circumstances in
order to still meet this statutory condition.
CMS has historically not enforced the condition of payment, but
recently published guidance implying that the agency will begin enforcement.
This means in many cases that CAHs will no longer receive payment from Medicare
for medical services requiring a beneficiary stay of longer than 96 hours.
H.R. 169, the CAH Relief Act, will remove the condition of payment
for CAHs that requires a physician to certify that each patient will be
discharged/transferred in less than 96 hours. The condition of participation
requiring CAHs to maintain a 96-hour annual average per patient would remain
unchanged.
Minnesota Reps. Walz, Peterson and Nolan are previous co-sponsors
of this bill and Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken have signed
onto the Senate version of the bill.
H.R. 1343,
legislation to adjust the readmissions program
The
Affordable Care Act requires CMS to penalize hospitals for excess readmissions
when compared to expected levels of readmissions beginning Oct. 1, 2012,
however, the formula fails to account for sociodemographic factors, depriving
hospitals in economically disadvantaged communities of the recourses they need
the most. Kaiser Health News analysis of FY2013 readmissions penalties showed
that hospitals serving the poorest patients were more likely to incur a penalty.
H.R. 1343 will adjust a hospital’s performance in the Medicare Hospital
Readmission Reduction Program based on the sociodemographic status of its
patients.
For
more information, please contact Ann Gibson, MHA vice president, federal relations
and workforce at 651-603-3527.
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Make
It OK helps reduce stigma around mental illness
May is Mental Health Month and MHA has been working with HealthPartners,
the creator of Make It OK, to amplify and spread the MakeIt OK
campaign throughout the state. The campaign
aims to reduce the stigma of mental illness by encouraging open conversations
and education on the topic.
Hospital
CEOs, communicators, community benefit contacts and hospital foundation
directors are invited to join us for a webinar on Thursday, April 30 from
2-3 p.m. to learn more about Make It OK and what your hospital can do to
help reduce stigma around mental illness. HealthPartners has created Make it OK
as an “open source” campaign to be shared and is not branded to one particular
health care organization.
Contact
Ashley Gauster, MHA member services
and communications specialist for login information. return to top
Program
for administrative professionals provides training in working with physicians,
digital filing and email management
MHA’s eighth annual program for health care administrative
professionals will offer training in strategies for working with physicians,
digital filing and email management.
Rahul Koranne, M.D., MHA vice president of clinical affairs and
chief medical officer, will describe strategies for working successfully with
physicians, discuss the key drivers that motivate physicians and explore how
physician engagement and partnerships can be enhanced.
Chicago-based Microsoft Certified Trainer Melissa Esquibel will
instruct participants in email management. She’ll discuss strategies for the
big clean-up, tools to make mail organize itself, transforming your inbox from
a junk drawer to a work management tool and integrating email with other
applications. She’ll also share strategies for digital filing including naming,
organizing and searching for files.
The program is July 23 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in
Plymouth. For more information, view the brochure or visit
MHA’s website, login, click “Calendar
of Events” and select the program title to register. return to top
Nominate
an individual or team for outstanding contributions to rural health care in
Minnesota
Nominations
are now being accepted for the annual Minnesota Rural Health Hero and Minnesota
Rural Health Team awards.
Nominees
may have contributed to rural health care in any capacity, such as through a
volunteer or paid position and in policy or practice. Examples of areas of impact
include: health care programs; rural health policy; advancement of the field;
improved patterns of delivery; cooperative efforts to avoid duplication of
services and achieve common goals; education; and the lasting impact of a
program on the community.
Nominations are due by Friday, May
15. For questions about the nominations, contact Maria Rogness, Minnesota Department of Health,
651-201-3863
The
awards will be presented during a special luncheon at the Minnesota Rural Health Conference June 29-30, 2015 in
Duluth. Registration for the conference is open with early bird discounts until
Monday, June 8. For questions about the conference, email [email protected]. return to top
Seminar provides
insight to understanding and implementing TCOC
The
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, MN Community Measurement and the
Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement are offering a daylong seminar
ideal for physician leaders charged with understanding and implementing Total
Cost of Care (TCOC) efforts in their organization.
The
curriculum and speakers will provide compelling reasons why your organization
needs to reduce costs; the “change” leadership approaches and skill development
your team will need; deeper understanding of TCOC and resource use analyses;
and the current status of TCOC measurement in Minnesota and its impact on
medical groups. Speakers include: Arnold Milstein, MD, Professor of Medicine
and Clinical Excellence Research Center Director, Stanford University; Michael
Van Duren, MD, Sutter Health; Jay Want, MD;
and Tina Frontera, COO, and Gunnar Nelson, Health Economist, MNCM.
The
seminar will be offered on June 1 and 2, 2015; register for only one
session. CME credits available. Space is limited; to learn more and register,
visit http://bit.ly/1aPA1Vg.
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Hospital
decontamination training available
The
University of Minnesota School of Public Health will offer a one-day hospital
decontamination course geared toward hospital first receivers, nurses, ER
personnel, facilities, environmental services/housekeeping and safety/security
personnel.
The course includes an extensive review of the Incident Command System,
personal protective equipment (PPE), donning/doffing, how to select the right
PPE for decontamination, and emergency response to unknown hazards. A review of
decontamination shelters and procedures and hands-on decontamination simulation
is included. All materials, equipment and a variety of CEUs are
provided.
Training sessions will be held at Fairview Southdale Hospital on May 26, 27 and
28 and at Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing on June 17. For more
information on registering or to host a training at your facility, contact the
University's Hazardous Materials training program at 612-624-6023 or
612-626-0900 or online at www.hazmat.umn.edu. return to top
De-escalating
potentially violent situations™ training opportunity
Hosted
by the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute, this workshop is
designed to teach people to de-escalate potentially violent situations through
assertiveness and interpersonal communication. Participants will develop a
clear understanding of how to assess the potential for violence and respond
with a diverse set of interpersonal tools and strategies designed to defuse
potentially violent situations.
The
workshop will be held June 2, 2015 at the Sheraton MidTown, Minneapolis. For
more information and to register, click here. return to top