In this issue:
U of MN Academic Health Center selected to promote expertise in team-based care
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) selected the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center to receive $4 million over five years to promote expertise in interprofessional education and collaborative practice among health care professionals, particularly in medically underserved areas. The Coordinating Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice will be led by nationally recognized leaders in the field and will include partnerships with other training and health delivery sites. HRSA’s partnership with the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center to build the coordinating center will help meet the charge of the Affordable Care Act to develop more responsive health care organizations and structures, such as accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, and transitional care models.^top of page
MHA supports Minnesota’s application for CMS’ state innovation grant
Last week, MHA submitted a letter to Gov. Dayton in support of Minnesota’s application for one of five state innovation grants from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. In expressing its support, MHA noted Minnesota’s tradition as a leader in health care innovation, and said the grant will accelerate the state’s progress on the path to improved health, improved health care and lower costs. The goals of the Minnesota Accountable Health Model outlined in the application include: to foster coordinated, patient-centered care; align provider financial incentives across payers; and to further the interests of patients through total cost of care arrangements that reward providers for keeping patients healthy. These goals echo MHA’s principles for health care reform and the direction that member hospitals are taking.
Read MHA’s letter of support on our website. Learn more about CMS’ state innovation grants here. For questions, contact Matt Anderson, MHA vice president of regulatory and strategic affairs, 651-659-1421.^top of page
RARE Conversation to focus on risk stratification
Opportunity to learn from peers about successful efforts to reduce readmissions
Hospitals are invited to participate in RARE Conversations, a new networking opportunity that fosters participation through information sharing and conversations with other RARE participants around a designated topic. The next RARE Conversation conference call will take place Tuesday, Oct. 30 from noon-1 p.m. on the topic of risk stratification.
There is a great deal of interest and work in the area of readmission risk assessment, which can help target the delivery of resource-intensive interventions to patients at greatest risk for readmission. Such strategies can provide clinically relevant stratification of readmission risk early enough in the hospitalization to trigger appropriate interventions. This program will describe the current risk assessment and stratification activities at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital and Hennepin County Medical Center.
There is no charge for this networking opportunity. Register online at http://bit.ly/RARE103012 by Oct. 26. Registrations will not be accepted after this date. Conference call number: 866-939-3921. First time registrants need to create a login account. Returning users, please register with your account email and password. Each person needs to register and provide their name when joining RARE Conversations. For more information, contact ICSI at 952-814-7060.^top of page
New collaborative offers psychiatric consultation services
Several of Minnesota’s health systems have partnered to provide collaborative psychiatric consultations services. The new Minnesota Collaborative Psychiatric Service is available to all primary care and emergency room settings Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Through a two-year contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, a consortium of regional mental health systems will provide psychiatric consultation. Although children on Medical Assistance fee-for-service are the first priority for this service, it is taking provider calls relating to any type of children’s mental health issue that arises with any child in Minnesota.
The partners include Sanford Health, Essentia Health, PrairieCare and Mayo Clinic. The goal of the service is to provide expert guidance to pediatricians and other providers who prescribe psychotropic medications for children. Other goals include:
- Improve the quality of mental health treatment by encouraging the use of evidence-based treatments in addition to or in place of medication where appropriate.
- Improve access and quality of care by making more efficient use of both primary care and specialty mental health services.
- Improve collaboration between primary care and behavioral health services.
While all Minnesota physicians will be encouraged to use the service on a voluntary basis, its use will be required for Medical Assistance fee-for-service payment for certain psychotropic medications. Learn more here. ^top of page
New hospital discharge and health care home protocols effective Oct. 1
As of Oct.1, hospital discharge planning responsibilities for older adults will include checking for high risk of nursing home admission or hospital readmission in the near future and referring certain older adults at high risk to the state’s Senior LinkAge Line. Hospitals and health care homes will receive information from the Minnesota Board on Aging this week. Information is also available here under “For Professionals/ Operations Documents/ Protocols.”
After a series of meetings with providers around the state and with individual MHA members, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Minnesota Board on Aging have refined the original protocols to rely more on a discharge planner’s and care coordinator’s professional judgment and assessment. As opposed to a prescriptive, mandated approach, the “protocol” is now an informational form that discharge planners and care coordinators should send to Senior LinkAge Line when referring individuals to the LinkAge Line. It will be available online. It does NOT need to be completed as a risk assessment for every patient over age 60. In addition, hospitals will be able to continue current practices of referring patients to counties when necessary – if a patient needs to be referred to county services for a long-term care consultation or additional assistance, the discharge planner will not have to refer the patient to Senior LinkAge Line first but can refer directly to the county.
This process is not for individuals on Medicaid or going into a nursing home because they need nursing home care. The requirement passed in the 2012 Health and Human Services omnibus bill (2012 Regular Session, Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 247, Article 4, Sections 14 and 23).
Please contact Jen McNertney, MHA policy analyst, 651-659-1405 for more information.^top of page