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Monday, November 11, 2002
Provisional
Trauma Centers Must Notify ODH
As of Nov. 3, hospitals wishing to be designated as
provisional trauma centers must notify the Ohio Department of Health (ODH)
of their intent and their compliance with new regulations in the Ohio
Revised Code. These
requirements are the result of a provision in Senate Bill 124,
OHA-supported legislation passed this summer to ensure that hospitals do
not lose the ability to apply for trauma center status.
ODH requires letters of support from the CEO, Chief of Medical Staff, and approval from the Board of Governors for hospitals seeking provisional trauma center status. Each hospital also must have completed a recent consultation with the American College of Surgeons and developed a plan of action for addressing any deficiencies noted. Hospitals meeting the above criteria must notify ODH to be added to the list of recognized Ohio Trauma Centers on the Ohio Department of Public Services Web site.
OHA also reminds hospitals that the state trauma law also went into effect on Nov. 3. For more information on the requirements for compliance with the trauma law and provisional status, visit the “Ohio Trauma” section of OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(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, November 12, 2002
Hospital
Rep Urges Action on Tort Reform
John D. Clough, M.D., director of health affairs for the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation and OHA board member, testified to the
Senate Insurance Committee today in support of Senate Bill 281. The
legislation would limit contingency fees for personal injury lawyers and
cap non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits at $300,000 among other
things. He also expressed support for SB 120, to link liability to
actual responsibility, and SB 179, to modernize peer review processes.
Clough responded to common myths regarding tort reform, informing the committee that a malpractice litigation crisis exists in Ohio as the result of excessive litigation. He testified that this crisis has the potential to increase health care costs and reduce quality of care and patients’ access to health care by forcing physicians to close their doors or leave the state. Emphasizing the need for tort reform in addressing these issues and also rising insurance premiums, Clough urged the Senators to pass SB 281 as an important step toward addressing the malpractice litigation crisis in Ohio. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(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.)
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
OHA-supported legislation extending state law on physician conflict of interest to inpatient hospitals was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly today. With the legislature nearing the end of its session, the bill could be referred to committees to hear testimony as early as next week.
Senate Bill 309, sponsored by Sen. David Goodman (R-Bexley), ensures that physicians who are investors in specialty hospitals will not be in a position to make medical decisions based on concerns for profit on their investments. State law currently prohibits physicians from referring patients to home health services, clinical laboratories or pharmacies in which they have an ownership interest, and the legislation introduced today would add inpatient hospitals to this list. A companion House Bill will be introduced by Rep. Jon Peterson (R-Delaware) this week as well, and HB 636, which also addresses the conflict of interest issue, was introduced in September and is currently being considered by the Health and Family Services Committee.
OHA will provide ongoing updates on the movement of these various pieces of legislation. For more information on SB 309, see OHA’s press release at www.ohanet.org/media/news_release/coi_111302.htm. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org; Mary Yost, maryy@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(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, November 14, 2002
Testimony
Cites Hospitals As Economic Catalyst
Legislators were asked today to pass pending tort reform
legislation to support hospitals, which represent a vital sector of the
state’s economy. Dale H. Hileman added that testimony to statements
made earlier this week to the Senate Insurance Committee in support of
Senate Bill 281. Hileman is executive director of the Eastern Ohio
Development Alliance, an organization working to attract, retain and
expand industry and jobs, and chairman of the Guernsey Health Systems
Board of Trustees for Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center. Among
other things, SB 281 would limit contingency fees for personal injury
lawyers and cap non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits at
$300,000.
Hileman focused on the importance of hospitals in their communities, noting hospitals are often the largest single employer and a major attracting force for a variety of new businesses. He also emphasized the role of Ohio hospitals as health care safety nets, providing $750 million in charitable and uncompensated care in 2001. The Senate is likely to continue consideration of SB 281 into next week. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(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.)
Friday, November 15, 2002
More Nurses Staying in
Hospital Jobs
While U.S. businesses have cut about 1.8 million jobs
from their payrolls since March 2001, thousands of Ohioans looking for
stability in the workplace continue to turn to hospitals for dependable,
rewarding employment.
Supporting the notion that Ohio hospitals are a desirable place to work, turnover rates in 2002 decreased for all hospital positions and specifically for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
In 2002, the statewide registered nurse (RN) turnover rate was 12.4 percent, compared to 15.5 percent in 2001, according to an OHA survey of Ohio hospitals. About 84 percent of Ohio hospitals participated in the survey in 2002. The turnover rate for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) was reduced at an even greater margin to 15.1 percent versus 19.4 percent in 2001. Overall, hospital turnover rates organization-wide averaged 14.7 percent in 2002, down from 18.1 percent the previous year. For more information, see the November issue of OHA HealthBeat at www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/2002/healthbeat1102.htm.
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(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.)