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Monday, October 28, 2002
Grants Target Emergency Department Crowding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today launched Urgent Matters, a $4.6 million program focused on programs that seek to reduce emergency department crowding. Up to 10 facilities will each receive a $125,000 grant and technical resources to implement plans to reduce the overcrowding. Four of these projects will also receive grants of up to $250,000 each to implement a specific program improvement.

In addition, Urgent Matters will asses the condition of providers who serve uninsured or underinsured populations, specifically those in areas surrounding the grant recipient facilities. The Foundation will use this information in the development of a web-based resource for hospitals across the nation.

For application information, visit www.urgentmatters.org or contact Khoa Nguyen at info@urgentmatters.org or 202.530.2398.

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(Editor’s note: StateHealthClips.com has gone to a subscription service. Please note that the link to access clips will change daily. If you visit www.statehealthclips.com, you will be required to enter a subscriber password. No password is required for the link published in HEALTH e-NEWS Plus.)

Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Docs, Lawyers to Rally on Opposite Sides of Med Mal
Up to 3,000 physicians rallying tomorrow against soaring medical malpractice rates will have some company - on the opposing side of the issue.

The Ohio Medical Malpractice Victims Coalition, an arm of the nonpartisan watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, plans to assemble Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. on Capitol Square. It will be joined by representatives of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, who will walk with them to the Statehouse.

The physician rally, hosted by the Ohio State Medical Association, will begin at 10 a.m. on the West Lawn of the Statehouse in Columbus. Physicians, joined by staff members and patients, will stress the importance of the Ohio Supreme Court elections Nov. 5 and three pending tort reform bills, Senate Bill 120, SB 179 and SB 281. Hospitals are encouraged to support physicians wishing to attend tomorrow’s rally. More information is available at www.osma.org. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Debate Continues on Restraint Regulations
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a town hall meeting today on the “one-hour” rule on restraint and seclusion for behavioral health purposes. The rule, which pertains to all hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, requires physicians to personally evaluate patients within one hour of the placement of restraints and does not permit registered nurses to perform these evaluations.

Dr. S.R. Thorward, a psychiatrist at Twin Valley Behavioral Health Care-Columbus Campus, testified on behalf of the American Hospital Association (AHA) that the rule has caused unintended consequences such as physicians forced to abandon one patient to assess another and the closure of inpatient psychiatric beds due to a shortage of medical staff who meet the rule’s requirements. Thorward said AHA and its member hospitals have increased the education of hospital staff in reducing or eliminating restraint and seclusion. He recommended that the modification of the rule to accept the assessment of a registered nurse with the telephone approval of a physician might be a better use of physicians and hospital resources. This recommendation is in line with the position of the Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives and affirmed by the OHA Board of Trustees.

A playback of the conference will be available for several days at 1.800.642.1686 with the conference identification number 5873460. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org; Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

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Wednesday, October 30, 2002
Docs Unite on Med Mal Crisis
Nearly 60 busloads of about 3,000 Ohio doctors donning lab coats and toting handmade signs supporting tort reform today assembled at the Statehouse to speak out against rising medical malpractice insurance costs. Sending the message that the crisis impacts all Ohioans, physicians from across the state brought their families, patients, medical students and staff to the rally, hosted by the Ohio State Medical Association.

Joining the rally was Gov. Bob Taft, who lent his support to pending tort reform legislation and two candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court in the upcoming Nov. 5 elections.

“Today all across Ohio, access to health care is threatened by skyrocketing costs of medical malpractice insurance,” Taft told the crowd as he endorsed Justice Evelyn Stratton and Maureen O’Connor in this year’s races for Ohio Supreme Court. Taft called for an Ohio Supreme Court that will fairly interpret the law. He also supported the enactment of Senate Bill 281 - one pending tort reform bill that would, among other things, limit contingency fees for personal injury lawyers and cap non-economic damages for pain and suffering in malpractice lawsuits at $300,000. Other OHA-supported tort reform bills pending are SB 120, to make liability proportional to a defendant’s degree of fault or responsibility and SB 179, to modernize and protect peer review law.

Additional speakers included physicians, patients and medical students in support of tort reform legislation, along with U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Columbus), who as Ohio governor from 1990 to 1998 signed a tort reform measure into law that was later overturned by the Ohio Supreme Court.

The Ohio Medical Malpractice Victims Coalition, an arm of the nonpartisan watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, also assembled this morning on Capitol Square. The group was joined by representatives of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, who lined the perimeter of the Statehouse lawn calling for insurance reform, rather than tort reform. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Honoring Health Care Workers
Several health care professionals deserve a special pat on the back next week during the following recognition days:

Allied Health Professionals Week, Nov. 3-9. Visit www.asahp.org for more.

Aspiring Nurse Leaders Week, Nov. 3-9. Visit www.aone.org for more.

Health Information and Technology Week, Nov. 3-9. Visit www.ahima.org for more.

Radiologic Technology Week, Nov. 4-10. Visit www.asrt.org for more.

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(Editor’s note: The news clips are being password-protected on the OHA Web site. OHA members will be notified separately of the password. HEALTH e-NEWS Plus subscribers can still access news clips through the daily e-mail without a password.)

Thursday, October 31, 2002
Trauma Law Effective Nov. 3
Ohio’s trauma law to create a new trauma system for pre- hospital transport and hospitals goes into effect Nov. 3. Upon that date, all hospitals are required to have transfer agreements and trauma protocols in place. The law was enacted with the passage of Am. Sub. H.B. 138 in May 2000.

Earlier this year, OHA secured an amendment to ensure hospitals may operate as trauma centers under provisional status while seeking verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Without the change, all hospitals would have been prohibited from the ACS verification process upon the Nov. 3 effective date of the trauma law. Hospitals currently awaiting verification are deemed eligible for provisional status if the process is not completed by Nov. 3. Others may seek provisional status in the future as needed. For more information on the trauma law, visit www.ohanet.org and select “Ohio Trauma.” (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

JCAHO Modifies ORYX Requirements
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) last week announced that all long term care, home care and behavioral health care organizations can wait to report data from their ORYX measures to JCAHO until applicable core measures are identified. These organizations are still required to meet standards-based requirements for performance measurement, and can continue to report measurement data if they so choose. The new options are effective immediately. Beginning in mid-2003, JCAHO will offer an extranet, costing $550 per year, that accredited long term care, home care and behavioral health organizations can use to satisfy both federal performance and ORYX reporting requirements. Contact Frank Zibrat at fzibrat@jcaho.org with questions. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

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Friday, November 1, 2002
Grants Awarded to Promote Healthy Lifestyles
The Foundation for Healthy Communities has awarded $50,280 in grants to five hospitals working to promote healthy lifestyle choices and physical fitness across Ohio. This brings the overall total awarded to 90 programs since 1994 to more than $850,000. Grants awarded during the fall grant cycle are:

Samaritan Health Foundation, Dayton, received $10,000 for Take Off Dayton!

Marietta Memorial Hospital was awarded $11,500 for Get Fit Seniors.
Healthy Lucas County - A New Me in 2003, a program of the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, Toledo, received $10,780.

Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, was awarded $9,500 for Step Out For Your Health.

Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center and Rockdale School-Based Health Center received $8,500 to promote weight loss to low-income children.

For more information, visit www.ohanet.org/HealthyCommunities/projects.htm or check out a news release at www.ohanet.org/HealthyCommunities/newsreleases/110202general.htm. (Tiffany Himmelreich, tiffanyh@ohanet.org)

Trustee Dinners Cancelled; Other Opportunities
A series of Trustee Dinners scheduled for Nov. 5, 6 and 7 have been cancelled. OHA is sorry for any inconvenience.

The OHA Center for Education is offering the following educational opportunities. Call 614.221.7614 or visit www.ohanet.org/education/education_programs.asp for more information.

HIPAA - Do’s and Don’ts for Human Resources Professionals, Nov. 21 - Columbus.

ISO 9000 Introduction and Overview for Health Service Providers, Nov. 22 - Dublin; Jan. 16 - Dublin.

Physician Leadership Institute, Nov. 21-22 - WV.

What’s New on the Web
Don’t miss these recent additions to the OHA Web site, available at www.ohanet.org. E-mail comments or questions about the Web site to oha@ohanet.org.

Call for Presentations for OHA’s 2003 Annual Meeting June 9-10 - www.ohanet.org/education/call.htm

Staff Directory and Who to Call at OHA - www.ohanet.org/about_oha/staff.asp