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Advocacy Report • Friday, October 12, 2007
Back from summer recess, the legislature is in full swing for the next few weeks before the November elections. The following are highlights of some of the key issues that OHA has been working on over the summer that have received attention this week.
OHA Testifies on Electric Restructuring Proposal State lawmakers have begun consideration of Governor Ted Strickland’s energy plan, Senate Bill 221, sponsored by Sen. Robert Schuler (R-Cincinnati). OHA testified in support of the legislation this week before Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. Rick Sites, OHA General Counsel and Senior Director of Health Policy, highlighted for the committee the importance of electricity to hospitals, where electric-powered technology is used to provide patient care to the tune of about $150 million a year for Ohio hospitals. That amount translates to an average of about $4,500 per staffed bed, with the amount higher for rural hospitals (estimated to average about $6,000 per staffed bed) Sites reported.
Energy consumers support enactment of the legislation as electricity rate controls for Ohio's utilities, which were established in electricity deregulation legislation enacted in the 1990s, begin to expire at the end of 2008. At that time, utilities will be free to set their own prices in an unregulated electricity generation marketplace.
The Ohio Manufacturers Association, the Ohio AFL-CIO and the Ohio Farm Bureau have given their backing to the plan. OHA has joined the OMA-backed Ohio Coalition for Affordable Power, which is working to restructure the electricity industry by creating a policy environment that:
Ø ensures that Ohio's electric power customers have access to reliable and reasonably priced energy; Ø allows the state's electric utilities to generate and distribute energy resources efficiently and profitably; and Ø clarifies the state's regulatory role and authority in promoting energy policies that support Ohio's overall economic health and prosperity.
This issue is widely expected to become a major legislative debate in which consumers of electricity will face opposition from utilities.
OHA is asking all hospitals to complete a short survey on electricity usage and expense. The survey results will be anonymous and will be used for advocacy purposes and to provide hospitals with benchmarks. Please encourage your hospital to complete this survey. For more information on OHA’s efforts on electric restructuring can be found at http://www.ohanet.org/energy/. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org, Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Common-Sense Staffing Bill Introduced; OHA Offers Support Legislation was introduced this week requiring hospitals to create a nurse staffing plan, consistent with evidence-based standards established by accrediting organizations. It would require hospitals to take into account a number of considerations when establishing the staffing plans, including:
Ø the necessary staff of competent nurses with the specialized skills needed to meet patient needs; Ø patient acuity and the number of patients for whom care is being provided; Ø the need for ongoing assessments of a unit's patients and its nursing staff levels; and Ø the hospital's policy for identifying additional nurses who can provide care when patients' unexpected needs exceed the planned workload for direct care staff.
House Bill 346, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hughes (R-Columbus), also requires that hospitals convene a nursing care committee, to be comprised of the hospital’s chief nursing officer, direct care nurses and others, to offer recommendations for the staffing plan.
The OHA Board of Trustees last month voted to support the legislation, approving a recommended position of support from the Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives (OONE), an OHA-affiliated society of nursing leaders from around the state. OHA and OONE have been working the past few months with the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) in drafting legislation that could be supported by all three organizations. The bill meets the goals of ONA for greater nurse input in staffing decisions as well as the goals of the OHA and OONE to ensure that hospitals have flexibility in meeting their patient needs when determining staffing plans. For additional information on HB 346, including a white paper on safe nurse staffing, which was adopted by the OHA Board and incorporated into the legislation, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/nursestaffing.htm.
Separately, OHA continues to monitor activities, primarily in northeast Ohio, aimed at garnering support for legislation that would impose mandated nurse-to-patient ratios on hospitals. The National Nurses Organizing Committee, an arm of the California Nurses Association, is conducting a series of meetings to collect nurses’ signatures on a petition to elected officials in support of a ratio bill. OHA anticipates introduction of nurse ratio legislation soon. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org; Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org).
OHA Working on Committee, Floor Vote on SB 120 OHA staff is working with member hospitals to meet the direction given by Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) to a group of hospital CEOs last month regarding Senate Bill 120, which would require hospitals to operate a 24/7 emergency department. Harris told the CEOs that if the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, which is considering the bill, voted to support the bill he would schedule it for a full vote of the Ohio Senate if there are at least 18 affirmative votes from the 33 members of the Senate. However, typically a majority of republican votes (11) are need before a bill is scheduled for a floor vote. Throughout October OHA is coordinating meetings and phone calls for hospital CEOs and hospital boards of trustees who are in key Senate districts to urge legislators to support SB 120.
Key districts include:
Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) John Carey (R-Welston) Gary Cates (R-West Chester) Larry Mumper (R-Marion) Tom Niehaus (R-New Richland) Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) Robert Schuler (R-Sycamore Township)
The eleven member Senate democratic caucus has indicated support for the bill. CEOs are encouraged to contact senators who are “on the fence” and urge a yes vote by Oct. 26. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org, Reed Fraley, reedf@ohanet.org)
Foundation Votes to Boost Ohio Kids OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities voted last week to support two bills expanding Ohio’s law on booster seats for children. Both House Bill 320, sponsored by Rep. Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) and Senate Bill 27, sponsored by Sen. Eric Kearney (D-Cincinnati), would require children between the ages of four and eight years old and less than four feet nine inches tall be secured in a booster seat when traveling in a motor vehicle. Under current law, a child who is less than four years old or who weighs less than 40 pounds must be secured in a child restraint system. HB 320 also includes an additional provision to require anyone under 18 years old to wear a seatbelt at all times.
The Foundation also recommended OHA support of a statewide coalition dedicated to protecting and preserving the lives of young passengers, the Boost Ohio Kids Coalition. For more information on this coalition, visit www.boostohiokids.org. These recommendations will be taken to the OHA Board of Trustees for consideration in November. (Stacey Conrad, staceyc@ohanet.org)
RECENT LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENCE
Hospitals Included in Health Plan Credentialing, Contracting Bill Legislation was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives this week requiring certain uniform contracting and credentialing standards between health plans and providers, including hospitals. House Bill 125, referred to by sponsor Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) as the “healthcare simplification act”, would provide much-needed relief to physicians, hospitals and other providers who must navigate an increasingly complex and bureaucratic maze as they seek credentialing or negotiate managed care contracts. The bill would:
Ø Establish incentives for quicker credentialing approvals by insurers operating in Ohio; Ø Require insurance companies to develop a web-based information sharing system that will enable the patient and providers to understand the patient’s health insurance information at the time medical services are provided; Ø Create tools to assist providers in understanding complex and lengthy health insurance contracts; and Ø Prohibit the inclusion of most favored nation clauses in health care contracts for two years. The bill also creates a committee, with two hospital representatives, to study the anticompetitive aspects and impacts on health care costs of such clauses.
OHA has communicated its support of the legislation with House Civil and Commercial Law Committee Chairman Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton). The bill will now move to the Senate for further consideration. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program Moves Forward The House Health Committee this week passed Senate Bill 144, OHA-supported legislation which would establish the Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program within the Ohio Department of Health.
SB 144, sponsored by Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus), is a common-sense approach in educating parents about the harmful effects of shaking a baby because it:
ü provides meaningful resources to parents without imposing an operational burden on already-busy hospital maternity units. The bill requires all hospitals which deliver babies to distribute educational materials to parents. While some hospitals may choose to do more in this area, SB 144 establishes a baseline whereby all hospitals will provide materials to educate parents on this important issue.
ü provides the materials to parents in multiple settings, including birthing classes, pediatricians and obstetricians offices, home visits through the Help Me Grow program as well as hospital maternity units. Providing materials multiple times in multiple settings will ensure parents receive and likely review the materials, and it will provide them an opportunity to ask questions of providers with whom they are most comfortable.
ü utilizes in-state knowledge and expertise in crafting messages to parents. SB 144 will pull together a work group of child abuse prevention advocates, infant care experts, Help Me Grow staff, maternity unit directors and others to develop the educational materials for parents.
ü establishes a tracking system whereby the State can monitor the effectiveness of the educational program and revise materials as needed.
Before passing the bill, the committee accepted an amendment to the legislation to include a narrower definition of shaken baby syndrome. Jon Fishpaw, corporate director, advocacy & government relations at Catholic Healthcare Partners, testified in support of the amendment stating that it would narrow the scope of the SBS definition of to eliminate several types of brain injury that are not caused by shaking babies. The bill awaits a vote by the full House of Representatives. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Infection Control Measures Continue to be a Concern Fighting infections within the health care setting is an ongoing battle – a battle that hospitals, nurses, physicians and infection control practitioners take very seriously. The battle has become more difficult as hospitals take care of sicker patients and fight new strands of infections resistant to the best medicines. OHA received an inquiry from Rep. Scott Oelslager regarding hospitals’ efforts to implement effective infection control measures. Despite their challenges, hospitals and public health officials are actively involved in several efforts to reduce all incidents of health facility acquired infections. The best offense at preventing these incidents is to improve communication between hospitals and other provider settings, primarily long term care facilities, which routinely transfer patients to the hospital setting. To view OHA’s complete response to Rep. Oelslager’s inquiry click here. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Consumer’s Guide - Hospitals Response to House Bill 197 Last year the legislature passed House Bill 197 which required hospitals to make available additional pricing and quality information to help Ohio consumers make informed decisions about their hospital care. Hospitals are now required to submit information to the Ohio Department of Health such as, pricing, volume and length of stay, and ten quality indicators measuring a hospitals success which are available on the department’s website. The department’s website also has pricing information including room and board charges, pricing for X-ray, and laboratory procedures.
Ohio community hospitals are in full compliance and OHA is taking steps to make sure this information is accessible to consumers. OHA has compiled the links to each hospital’s price information and posted the links on the association’s Consumer’s Guide to Quality Health Care in Ohio, a Web site connecting consumers with a wide range of information about the cost and quality of health care in Ohio. OHA is spreading the word about the Consumer’s guide to the legislature and statewide media providing information on hospitals’ efforts. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Ohio Patient Safety Institute Web site has a New Look Ohio Patient Safety Institute (OPSI) has been the centralized source for statewide patient safety initiatives since 2000. In preparation to move to the next phase of patient safety, OPSI has updated its look and Web site (www.ohiopatientsafety.org) to provide both health care professionals and consumers necessary resources to ensure patient safety. OHA has shared this new Web site with the General Assembly via correspondence outlining the tools that maybe helpful for their constituents. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Nursing 2015 – Transforming the Future of Nursing in Ohio The Nursing 2015 initiative is a collaborative effort of the Ohio Nurses Association, the Ohio Hospital Association and the Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives. Nursing 2015 looks to enhance the profession of nursing in Ohio by improving the workforce environment for nurses, changing the way care is delivered and transforming nursing education and leadership capacities. These organizations first met in June 2005 to create a new vision for the future of nursing in Ohio, and since then, they have been working to develop strategies for making that vision a reality. OHA has developed a brochure to promote the initiative. Copies have been shared with the nursing community and the legislature. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org, Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
OHA Advocacy “In the Know”
OHA has a wide variety of resources available on it’s Web site to help you better advocate for your hospital. Whether it is information on key issues, state or federal advocacy, or contacting your legislator, you can find it all at http://www.ohanet.org/advocacy/.
Not a Member of the Advocacy Network? Being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network provides you access to information on government activity and assists the hospital industry in sending unified messages to elected officials. If you are not a current member, you can easily join on-line. Join today to start reaping the benefits of being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network.
The OHA Advocacy Network is a service of the Ohio Hospital Association, 155 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215-3620, 614-221-7614, 614-221-4771 (fax)
Visit us on the Web at: www.ohanet.org
Direct questions on OHA’s advocacy agenda to:
Bridget Gargan, Vice President, State Policy & Advocacy (bridgetg@ohanet.org) Jeff Klingler, Director, State Policy & Advocacy (jeffk@ohanet.org) Jean Scholz, RN, Director, Health Policy (jeans@ohanet.org) Rick Sites, General Counsel (ricks@ohanet.org) Stacey Conrad, Specialist, State Policy & Advocacy (staceyc@ohanet.org) Jonathan Archey, Manager, Federal Relations (jonathana@ohanet.org) Laura Landis, Executive Assistant, State Policy & Advocacy (laural@ohanet.org) © 2001-2007 OHA. Last updated
October 12, 2007. |