Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

September 08, 2015

MHA Newsline: Sept. 8, 2015

In this issue 

CHI St. Joseph’s Health staff member wins Minnesota Hospital Association’s Good Catch for Patient Safety award

A CHI St Joseph’s Health staff member has been named winner of an award that recognizes hospital professionals who demonstrate their commitment to keeping patients safe by “speaking up” to prevent a potential patient safety issue.   

Sherrie Eischens accepted the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Good Catch for Patient Safety award at a presentation on Aug. 28. Eischens took action when a patient was admitted with orders from a local clinic for a bronchoscopy and biopsy of a right lung mass. When admitting the patient and confirming the procedure to be performed, the patient stated that he thought he was having a left lung mass biopsy. Eischens stopped the admission process and consulted with the surgeon, who confirmed the location of the mass in the left lung by reviewing the scans. The patient was correct, while the written order was incorrect. The patient went on to receive the correct procedure.   

“It is because of actions taken every day by dedicated professionals like Sherrie that Minnesota hospitals continue to be front-runners in patient safety,” said MHA Vice President of Patient Safety Tania Daniels. “Sherrie’s efforts remind us what a difference one person can make to keep patients safe.”   

The Good Catch for Patient Safety program recognizes hospital professionals for actions that protect patients. The program might honor, for example, a nurse who realizes that a medication order looks incorrect and therefore verifies the order with the physician before administering the medication to the patient.   

All Good Catch for Patient Safety award winners are entered into the running to win the quarterly Good Catch for Patient Safety award. Quarterly winners are eligible to win the annual Good Catch for Patient Safety award, presented at the MHA Annual Awards banquet in May.   

Individuals seeking to nominate an employee or team for the award can visit the MHA website to complete a nomination form.   

For more information, visit www.mnhospitals.org or contact Tania Daniels  or Rahul Koranne, M.D., senior vice president for clinical affairs and chief medical officer. return to top   

HRSA issues proposed “mega guidance” on 340B program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on Thursday, Aug. 27, released its long-awaited proposed 340B drug discount purchasing program “mega guidance,” in the form of a notice with a 60-day comment period. The proposed rule seeks comments that are due by Monday, Oct. 26. 

The notice includes the following key areas on which HRSA is either providing further clarification or seeking modifications: 

Hospital eligibility - There are currently six 340B qualifying categories for hospitals. HRSA proposes to expand its public database that lists all 340B hospitals to include each hospital’s qualifying category. 

Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) prohibition - DSH, children’s and freestanding cancer 340B hospitals are statutorily prohibited from using GPOs to purchase outpatient drugs. The proposed guidance clarifies three exceptions to the GPO prohibition. 

Patient definition - The guidance proposes a set of conditions to determine an eligible 340B patient. 

Duplicate discounts - Duplicate discounts occur when a manufacturer provides a 340B drug dispensed to a Medicaid patient for which the state Medicaid program will seek a rebate on that same drug. The guidance proposes to list in HRSA’s 340B database whether hospitals purchase 340B drugs for their Medicaid patients or use non-340B drugs for their Medicaid patients. 

Contract pharmacy - Current rules allow 340B hospitals to contract with one or more licensed pharmacies to dispense 340B drugs to eligible 340B patients. The guidance clarifies that hospitals would be required to ensure that their contract pharmacy arrangement is not in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute. 

Hospital audits - The guidance proposes to require that hospitals maintain five years of auditable records. In recognition of the burden and disruptive nature of audits, HRSA proposes to only conduct one 340B program audit at a time at any given hospital. 

The guidance also proposes enhanced program integrity requirements for pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the 340B program. Read highlights of the proposed guidance. For more information or to provide direct input on MHA’s comment letter, contact Joe Schindler, vice president of finance, MHA, 651-659-1415. return to top   

MDH grant program RFPs open

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has posted a number of grant program RFPs that are of interest to MHA members.   

The 2016 Primary Care Residency Expansion Grant Program is taking applications from eligible primary care residency programs to fund additional residency positions in Minnesota. Funding is intended to support additional residency positions, resulting in more physicians trained in the primary care specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, psychiatry, geriatrics or general surgery. Approximately $1,500,000 is available. Applicants may apply for grants of up to $300,000. Funding will be distributed over up to three years, with a maximum of $150,000 available in the first year; $100,000 in the second; and $50,000 in the third. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 16. The RFP is available on the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care website. For information, contact Will Wilson, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, MDH, 651-201-3842.   

MDH’s Health Care Homes Section has announced the third round of the Practice Transformation Grant of the Minnesota Accountable Health Model (SIM). The available $390,000 will fund up to 39 practice transformation projects to support a range of providers and teams in primary care, behavioral health or social services – or to allow team members to participate in transformation activities that have outcomes that help remove barriers to the integration of care. Eligible applicants include participants of the Behavioral Health Home First Implementers group coordinated by the Department of Human Services (DHS) seeking to transform their practice to a certified behavioral health home. Proposals must be received by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. An optional webinar on the RFP Round Three is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register online for the webinar. The RFP is available on the DHS website. For more information, contact Janet Howard, Heath Care Homes/SIM Unit, MDH, 651-201-3968.

The Community Clinic Grant Program seeks to improve the ongoing viability of Minnesota’s clinic-based safety net providers. Grants help clinics serve people with low incomes, reduce current or future uncompensated care burdens, or improve care delivery infrastructure. The level of funding for the community clinic grant program is approximately $561,000 for fiscal year 2016. An eligible community clinic means a nonprofit clinic, government entity, Indian tribal government or Indian health service unit – or a consortium of these entities. Applicants must provide or plan to provide clinical services and use a sliding fee scale or other procedure to determine eligibility for charity care or to ensure that no person will be denied services because of inability to pay. Preapplications are required. Proposals must be submitted via the WebGrants@MDH system and are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. A copy of the full Grant Application Guidance is available on the MDH website. For more information contact Debra Jahnke, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, MDH, 651-201-3845 or 1-800-366-5424.   

The 2016 Home and Community-Based Services Scholarship Grant Program is taking applications from home and community-based services (HCBS) providers that provide scholarship programs to their employees. Eligible HCBS providers are located in Minnesota and are licensed home care agencies, adult day facilities and registered housing with services establishments. Eligible providers must primarily serve individuals who are 65 years of age or older. Funding is intended to bolster and enhance the education of the HCBS workforce by supporting employees as they attain degrees and attend training programs aimed at improving patient and client care. Applicants may apply for grants of up to $50,000 and approximately $950,000 is available. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 30. The RFP is available on the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care website. For information, contact Will Wilson, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, MDH, 651-201-3842. return to top