Monday, October 08, 2001
Medicare Reform Bill on the Move
A bill to address concerns raised by health care providers and suppliers regarding certain regulatory issues and burdens in the Medicare program was last week referred from the House Ways and Means health subcommittee. 

The Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act of 2001, sponsored by Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), creates specific time frames for the release of new regulations, prohibits a retroactive requirement for compliance with new rules, and prohibits sanctions or recovery of overpayments if providers follow erroneous guidance released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). H.R. 2768 would also allow providers up to three years to repay overpayments in cases of hardship, or five years in cases of extreme hardship. The legislation would require the Secretary of HHS to establish a process for enrollment of providers in Medicare, and establish an appeals process for disenrolled providers.

Regarding education, H.R. 2768 would coordinate and increase provider education funds, create a new Medicare provider ombudsman and new beneficiary ombudsman, and require contractors to provide clear answers to specific billing and cost reporting questions from providers. The legislation also addresses provider appeals, improvement in the oversight of technology and coverage, and contracting reform.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Editor’s note: StateHealthClips.com will not be published Monday, October 8 in observance of Columbus Day. StateHealthClips.com will return Tuesday, October 9.  

Tuesday, October 09, 2001
CDC Issues Message Regarding Anthrax, Infectious Diseases  
Following the anthrax-related death of a Florida man and the identification of the bacterium that causes anthrax, Bacillis anthracis, in the nasal passage of another man who worked in the same building, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a message to health care providers and the public on appropriate responses to the threat of anthrax and other infectious diseases.

CDC confirms that Bacillis anthracis was found in one of many samples collected from the workplace environment. As a precaution, antibiotics are being provided to personnel who worked in the building since Aug. 1, 2001. CDC advises that anthrax is NOT contagious from one person to another. For anyone exposed to anthrax, antibiotics are the appropriate preventative treatment. Antibiotic therapy is not recommended otherwise. CDC has an emergency supply of antibiotics readily available for distribution and will notify state and local health departments if the need to distribute antibiotics exists. CDC is urging people not to go to the doctor or the hospital unless they are sick.

CDC is asking providers nationwide to be on the lookout for unusual cases of respiratory disease. Although anthrax starts out with flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches and fatigue, it rapidly progresses to severe illness, including pneumonia and meningitis.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Summa CEO likes Falls deal
Akron Beacon Journal
Sunday, October 7, 2001
Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital needed a way to survive. And Summa Health System is after market share.

CSU, Cleveland Clinic planning program to produce nurses stat
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Saturday, October 6, 2001
Amid a national shortage of nurses, Cleveland State University next year will introduce a fast-track degree that aims to get registered nurses into the work force in less than half the usual time.

Storage closet fire at Aultman Hospital
Akron Beacon Journal
Saturday, October 6, 2001
CANTON: A fire in a storage closet at Aultman Hospital yesterday forced the emergency room to close for 12 hours and canceled the hospital's outpatient physical therapy program until Monday.  

Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Joint and Several Liability Bill Has First Hearing in House
Legislation first introduced in the Senate to make Ohio’s joint and several liability statute more equitable has moved to the House, where the Civil and Commercial Law Committee today held its first hearing on the bill. Under current Ohio law, in a tort lawsuit involving multiple defendants, every defendant can be held liable for the entire amount of the plaintiff’s economic damages, regardless of the defendants’ relative degrees of fault or responsibility. Under Senate Bill 120, defendants found to be 50 percent or less responsible for damages in a tort lawsuit could not be assessed more than their proportionate share of damages.

OHA supports the legislation. SB 120 is especially important given the current medical malpractice insurance market, which is seeing dramatic increases in premiums as a result of rising jury awards. The bill is not expected to receive a vote in the committee until early next year because Chair John Williamowski (R-Lima) would like to give interested parties, which include the Ohio Alliance for Civil Justice and attorney and plaintiff groups, an opportunity to work out differences. Hospitals that have compelling stories involving defendants who paid more than their fair share of a malpractice or other civil liability settlement are invited to share them with OHA. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

New Rules Adopted on Newborn Genetic Screening, Nursing Home Staffing
The Public Health Council on Oct. 4 adopted rules related to newborn genetic screening, nursing home staffing and lab fees.

·          Effective Oct. 20 are rules on nursing home licensure that include staffing ratios. Ohio nursing homes will be required to provide a minimum daily average of 2.75 hours of direct care and services per patient per day.

·          A new rule will allow the Ohio Department of Health to perform pilot studies of new newborn endocrine, genetic or metabolic tests before adding them to the permanent screening protocol. The rule gives ODH the ability to evaluate costs and benefits of new tests without committing to a permanent expense.

·          Effective at the end of this year or beginning of 2002 are rules revising public health laboratory fees, including an increase from $27 to $33.75 for newborn screening kits. This is the first fee increase for these kits in several years and now includes costs for shipping the kits to a lab. ODH is committed to working with OHA to obtain an increase in Medicaid reimbursement for the kits.

To view the rules, refer to the ODH Web site at www.odh.state.oh.us/Rules/rulemain.html, under the pending rule section. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Thursday, October 11, 2001
Newborn Hearing Screening Bill Moves to House Floor  
Legislation requiring hospitals to conduct universal hearing screening for newborns passed the House health committee yesterday and now moves to the floor for a vote. OHA opposes House Bill 150, not on the merits of the bill but because it is imposes a mandate on hospitals without providing a funding source. The initial cost associated with acquiring equipment could range from $8,000 to $25,000 per piece of equipment, and the Medicaid program is not providing hospitals an increase in reimbursement to help them absorb the new costs.

Nurse Income Tax Exemption Bill Introduced  
A bill to exempt the salaries of certain nurses from the personal income tax was this week introduced. House Bill 398, introduced by Rep. John A. Boccieri (D-N. Middletown), would exempt registered nurses and licensed practical nurses from the personal income tax during their first five years of employment. To qualify, nurses must be employed by a hospital or nursing home full-time, which equates to 35 or more hours per week. This legislation is one of many public policy approaches to draw more people into the field of nursing. OHA will follow the bill and is working with Ohio legislators to solve the workforce shortage facing the nation’s hospitals. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Area decontamination units starting to show their worth
Cincinnati Post
Thursday, October 11, 2001
For more than a decade, Dr. Edward ''Mel'' Otten pushed for a decontamination unit at University Hospital, so victims exposed to chemical substances could be simultaneously cleansed and treated for injuries.

Awareness, suspicion help doctors
Akron Beacon Journal
Thursday, October 11, 2001
When anthrax appears, it's not the FBI or the police who discover it. It's doctors and microbiologists.

Tax break for bedside care nurses proposed
Columbus Daily Reporter
Thursday, October 11, 2001
A New Middletown lawmaker is seeking to provide five-year tax incentives to full-time nurses that enter their profession in bedside care.

Friday, October 05, 2001
Phone Scam Targets Hospitals
Hospitals in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma have reported being targets of an international phone scam. The hospitals’ switchboards have received phones calls from individuals who claimed to be hospital-employed physicians, who then asked for an outside phone line. While that scam is not new for hospitals, what is new is that the calls have been placed to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Yemen. The hospitals have reported the calls to the FBI. To avoid the scam, hospitals are encouraged to block outgoing international calls and should call the FBI tip line at 1-866-483-5137 or visit www.ifccfbi.gov if they receive similar calls. Hospitals should also contact Rick Sites at OHA at 614.221-7614 or ricks@ohanet.org if they receive these calls. More information about this and other telephone scams is available at www.att.com/features/0398/90pound.html or www.att.com/fraud/index.html. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)  

2001 Medicaid Cost Reports Due Dec. 31
The state has pushed back the filing deadline for Medicaid cost reports. With the continuing delays in the filing of the Medicare Cost Report, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) this week notified all hospitals that their completed state fiscal year (SFY) 2001 Medicaid Cost Report must be filed and postmarked on or before December 31, 2001. The ODJFS letter specifies certain Medicare Worksheets that will also need to be filed with the Medicaid Cost Report. Hospitals will continue to have a 30-day review period after receipt of their interim settled cost report to submit final corrections/revisions before the data from the SFY 2001 Medicaid Cost Report is used in the federal FY 2002 Hospital Care Assurance Program next year. (Veronica Sherman, veronics@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Hospital may be revived
Akron Beacon Journal
Friday, October 12, 2001
The struggling Edwin Shaw Hospital for Rehabilitation is getting a new owner, a new location and, most likely, a new lease on life.

Ohio mental hospital here could get ax with 3 others
Toledo Blade
Friday, October 12, 2001
COLUMBUS - To Mary Kay Pierce, the proposal to close three or four state mental hospitals, including Toledo's, is a battle worth fighting every day.

Canton patient to get federal tests
Akron Beacon Journal
Friday, October 12, 2001
CANTON: A diagnosis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could come as early as next week in a suspected case of diphtheria in Stark County.