Tuesday, March 05, 2002
Medicare Funding for 2003 Debated
The Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing this Thursday with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Director Tom Scully to discuss the hotly debated topic of Medicare funding for federal fiscal year 2003.

A major issue at hand is how to fund a prescription drug benefit while fixing payment cuts to providers scheduled under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). Under George W. Bush’s budget proposal, a drug benefit plan would receive $190 billion over 10 years, whereas the AARP is demanding $750 billion, including the $400 billion Medicare trust fund surplus, over the next decade for a complete, comprehensive benefit. OHA is concerned that using the entire surplus for a drug benefit would reduce future funding to hospitals, in turn exacerbating the existing health care workforce shortage, which could create access problems for all Americans. Congress seems likely to propose about $300 billion over 10 years for prescription drugs, but also hopes to fund provider payments to counteract the BBA cuts, according to Congressional Quarterly.

The American Hospital Association is asking state hospital associations to urge Congress to fund BBA fixes with new money, rather than in a "budget neutral" manner as proposed by the Bush Administration. OHA member hospitals are encouraged to continue their grassroots efforts on this issue. OHA is not opposed to a prescription drug benefit, provided it is not funded through the Medicare Part A Trust Fund, which is scheduled to become insolvent by 2025. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Hospitals swamped in February; diversions set record
Cincinnati Enquirer
Tuesday, March 05, 2002
Greater Cincinnati hospitals set a monthly record when they went “on diversion” 174 times in February.

Lawmakers address health care dilemma
Hamilton Journal-News
Tuesday, March 05, 2002
State Rep. Gregory Jolivette, R-Hamilton, on Monday announced the new Future of Quality Health Care Subcommittee to address Cincinnati's growing reputation as a poor environment to attract health care providers.

OPINION: Breathing room
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Tuesday, March 05, 2002
A one-year partnership agreement may not sound like much, but it's one more year than University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University had to work with as of last week.  

Wednesday, March 06, 2002
Additional Loan Repayment Funds Available for Professionals in Underserved Areas
Due to an increase in funding for fiscal year 2002, the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program hopes to fund 550 new loan repayment awards this year, an increase of over 175 compared to fiscal year 2001. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by Sept. 30 NHSC will award a record $89.4 million in scholarships and loan repayments to doctors, dentists, nurses and other clinicians who serve in rural and inner city areas lacking adequate access to care. That number represents an increase of $19 million over fiscal 2001 funding. The funds will support a total of 900 new and continuing loan repayment awards and 400 new and continuing scholarship awards. Recipients must agree to work for two to four years in areas of the country with the greatest shortage of medical professionals. Applications must be postmarked by March 29. For more, go to www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/nhsc/Pages/toc.htm.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Health experts try to ease fears about meningitis
Akron Beacon Journal
Wednesday, March 06, 2002
As a Barberton High School sophomore remained on a ventilator yesterday battling meningitis, health officials tried to ease parents' growing fears about the potentially deadly disease.

Lake won’t intervene if EMS is dissolved
Canton Repository
Wednesday, March 06, 2002
LAKE TWP. — If the township’s first-response emergency service is dissolved by a judge or by its governing board, the township trustees won’t stand in the way.

Thursday, March 07, 2002
Congressional Leaders Urge HHS to Amend HIPAA Privacy Rules
Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week asked Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules because they could be damaging to medical research. Reps. Bill Thomas (R-CA), chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Nancy Johnson (R-CT), chair of the Health Subcommittee, in a letter to Thompson outlined concerns that the medical records confidentiality rule will inhibit the flow of information necessary to conduct biomedical research, in turn harming patient care and increasing health costs.

To avoid these problems, the letter recommends four changes to the regulation: changing the requirements related to removing patients’ identifiable data, such as date of birth or zip code; grandfathering existing medical records acquired prior to the regulation’s effective date; eliminating the additional requirement that the Institutional Review Board or privacy board evaluate the potential loss of privacy verses the potential benefit of the research; and allowing unrestricted reporting to health registries without patient consent.

The letter echoes OHA’s concerns with the HIPAA privacy rules, particularly concerning the collection and sharing of critical data. OHA, the American Hospital Association and other state hospital associations will continue working with HHS on the privacy rules and are scheduled to discuss changes to the rules with administration officials this Friday. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org; Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

Celebrate Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week
National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week, scheduled for March 10-16, is an opportunity to recognize pulmonary rehab professionals and the services they provide. The observance promotes the role pulmonary rehabilitation plays in enhancing the quality of life for those who struggle with lung disease, which affects nearly 25 million people nationally and is the fourth leading cause of death in America, according to the American Lung Association.

Ohio hospitals are doing their share to treat all forms of lung disease. Using funds from the Ohio Public Health Priorities Trust Fund, 30 Ohio hospitals received more than $372,000 in grants for pulmonary rehab programs from the Foundation for Healthy Communities, sponsored by OHA. The trust fund was created in 1999 out of monies Ohio received from the national tobacco settlement. For more information on Pulmonary Rehab Week, refer to www.aacvpr.org.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Hagan says seniors, poor need better health coverage
East Liverpool Review
Thursday, March 07, 2002
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Hands shot up all around the room when Tim Hagan asked a group of seniors how many paid more than $100 a month for prescription drugs.

Old hospital dead but not buried
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Thursday, March 07, 2002
Broadview Heights - As if the old hospital's dark and dank rooms, where icy winds swirled through rusted bed springs, weren't creepy enough.

Friday, March 08, 2002
Hospital Testimony Urges Changes in EMTALA
A Florida hospital testifying on behalf of the American Hospital Association told a federal task force changes should be made to help hospitals comply more effectively with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). EMTALA is intended to ensure that people in need of emergency care receive it without regard for their ability to pay. However, some provisions impede hospitals’ ability to effectively manage patient care. 

The testimony was presented to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Regulatory Reform, which is currently evaluating health care regulations in an attempt to simplify and streamline the regulatory burden. The testimony emphasized that fear of violating EMTALA actually prohibits providers in some cases from handling patient care in the best possible way.

Crowded emergency rooms can often result in delays in care for patients who are not critically ill. Patients sometimes become frustrated because until a comprehensive screening is completed, a patient might not be informed of what other care options might be available due to EMTALA requirements. The Florida hospital requested that requirements for screening prior to transfer be adapted for patients who are initially evaluated as not critically ill.

Other suggestions included in the testimony are as follows.

• Hospitals operating as part of a disaster response team should be able to make patient care decisions based on the disaster or mass casualty event protocol.
• Hospitals should have appeal rights as part of the complaint process when they are found in violation of EMTALA.
• Services provided in hospital emergency departments that fall under the EMTALA rules should be excluded from local medical review policies (LMRPs), as payment for services provided in emergency departments is often retroactively denied on the basis of the LMRPs.
• A committee of those with a stake in EMTALA should be convened to solve problems as implementation issues arise.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Black Doctors: High demand, short supply
Cincinnati Enquirer
Friday, March 08, 2002
Little progress is being made in efforts to increase the number of African-American physicians in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

New hospital in the works
Norwalk Reflector
Friday, March 08, 2002
NORWALK -- Three area organizations are investigating the possibility of working together to provide community-based health care in a nearby town.