Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

September 04, 2012

MHA Newsline

In this issue:

MHA website gets a complete makeover

If you haven’t visited the MHA website recently, you might want to stop by. The website was entirely rebuilt with a fresh, modern look and a more user-friendly navigation. While we organized the site to be more intuitive, there is also a comprehensive keyword search function to help you locate what you are looking for. Most importantly, the site allows us to amplify the good work taking place in hospitals across the state. Throughout the site you will find stories and images featuring Minnesota hospitals. For example, read about how telemedicine is helping Redwood Area Hospital minimize damage to the brain for stroke victims.

Many thanks to all the members that submitted stories and photos. Your additions really make the site what it is. We received a lot of great material, and we will continue to rotate them onto the site. We are accepting stories and photos on an ongoing basis, so please continue to email them to Sarah Ford, MHA communications specialist/writer. ^top of page

Call to action aims to keep patients SAFE from Healthcare-Associated Infections

Hospitals invited to participate in kickoff this Friday, Sept. 7

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are the most common complication of hospital care, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Minnesota Hospital Association is part of the Collaborative Healthcare-Associated Infections Network, which aims to achieve a 40 percent reduction in HAIs by the end of 2013. MHA is initiating the Call to Action framework around HAIs and invites you to participate in the implementation of the Road Map to a Comprehensive Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Prevention Program. SAFE from HAI will provide hospitals best practices and guidance for preventing HAIs, including tools for assessing current practices, staff education tools, documentation tools and tracking forms.

To participate, complete the Request for Participation form and return to Karen Olson, 651-659-1477 (fax). The kickoff will be held this Friday, Sept. 7 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West. Register here. ^top of page

HealthPartners, Park Nicollet Health Services to merge

HealthPartners and Park Nicollet Health Services in the Twin Cities have signed an agreement to combine their organizations, pending approval by state and federal regulators. According to a joint statement from the two organizations, patients and members will interact with their clinics and health plan just as before, with no change or interruption. And while the combined organization will go by the HealthPartners name, hospitals and clinics will retain their respective names.

HealthPartners CEO Mary Brainerd will become the CEO of the new organization while Park Nicollet CEO Dr. David Abelson will lead the combined organization's care delivery system, which will be named the Park Nicollet HealthPartners Care Group. The agreement is expected to be effective Jan. 1, 2013. ^top of page

State Medicaid director resigns

State Medicaid Director David Godfrey is leaving his post to become deputy director of health for Hennepin County, effective Sept. 14. Assistant Commissioner Scott Leitz will serve as interim director. Godfrey was instrumental in moving work forward on key Medicaid issues, including the Reform 2020 waiver the state recently submitted to the federal government. The changes proposed are expected to save the state as much as $151 million over the next five years. ^top of page

Northfield CEO Mark Henke passes away

MHA extends our condolences to the family of Mark Henke, who passed away on Aug. 31 following a recent diagnosis with cancer. Mark was the president and CEO of Northfield Hospital and Clinics and contributed more than 25 years to health care. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Emmaus Church in Northfield with Rev. Will Healy officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred for the endoscopy expansion at Northfield Hospital. ^top of page

Normandale College offers Health IT support

The need for Health Information Technology Professionals is at critical mass for hospitals due to federal and regulatory requirements that are driving software, hardware and many other IT and business needs. Normandale Community College offers a six-month Health IT Training program (100 percent online) for employees and individuals to gain the competencies, skills and experience needed to plan, integrate and effectively use health IT in health care settings. So far, 300 health IT professionals have completed this program and are helping with HIT needs for providers like: Fairview, North Memorial, HealthPartners, Lakewood, Benedictine Health System, Hennepin County Medical Center, Northfield Hospital, Park Nicollet, Shriner’s Hospital and many others. The MN Health IT Program at Normandale trains in four work roles: 1. Practice Workflow & Information Management Design, 2. EHR Implementation Specialist, 3. Clinician Consultant and 4. HIT Trainer.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-HITECH Federal grant initiative, scholarships are available for 75 percent of the program cost. Applications are now being accepted. The program begins Oct. 1, 2012 and concludes the first week of April 2013. Minimum qualifications are required and acceptance is based on the date of application submission and candidate qualifications. To learn more about the program and how you can train in Health IT, visit www.mnhealthit.com or call 952-358-8035. ^top of page