|
| Hot Issues |
| Publications |
| Advocacy Center |
| Research & Data |
| Education |
| News Media Center |
| Find a Hospital Job |
| Membership |
| Corporate Partners |
| Home |
Search:
 |
Monday,
January 20,
2003
The Foundation for Healthy Communities is seeking innovative projects that promote healthy lifestyles for its general spring grant cycle. The emphasis will remain on programs for increasing physical activity, as well as reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases.
“We’re looking for proposals that take risks or try different approaches that may help turn around discouraging statistics showing Ohio ranks poorly in the prevalence of obesity, smoking, heart disease, diabetes and cancer,” said Foundation director Lynne Ayres. “Applicants will want to expand traditional approaches and be more targeted with the project scope and the patients served to obtain results that show improvement. Including measurable outcomes in your proposals is critical to getting your project funded,” Ayres said.
Spring grant application materials were sent to hospitals last week and are available at http://www.ohanet.org.HealthyCommunities/. All proposals must be postmarked by Friday, Feb 28. Grants will be announced in April. Contact Foundation Director Lynne Ayres at 614.221-7614 or lynnea@ohanet.org with questions about the application process or the appropriateness of your project.
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.)
Tuesday, January
21, 2003CDC Recommends Continuing Flu Shot Campaigns
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages health care providers to continue flu vaccination efforts throughout the flu season, especially for persons at high risk for serious complications from influenza, health care workers, and contacts of high-risk persons. Though influenza activity has remained low from late September through early January, it is expected to increase during the coming weeks, CDC reported last week. Ohio has reported some cases of influenza this season and is on watch status, according to FluWatch.com, sponsored by the National Flu Surveillance Network. Vaccination is the best prevention against influenza, but antiviral medication can be useful for early treatment of influenza and as an adjunct to vaccination for influenza prevention and control. For more, go to www.cdc.gov/mmwr/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Pulmonary Rehab Grants on Hold
Solicitation for grant proposals to fund hospital-based pulmonary
rehabilitation programs through OHA’s Foundation for Healthy
Communities is being delayed. This year’s remaining funds will likely
be combined with next year’s tobacco fund allocation. Hospitals
interested in applying for a pulmonary rehabilitation grant should look
for application materials and more information later this quarter. More
information about tobacco grants is available online at www.ohanet.org/HealthyCommunities/tobacco/.
(Lynne Ayres, lynnea@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.)
Wednesday, January
22 , 2003Taft Announces Intent to Reduce Medicaid Funding, Eligibility
In his State of the State Address today, Gov. Bob Taft announced plans to make major reductions in Ohio Medicaid reimbursement, services and eligibility. In the wake of this announcement, OHA will continue to advocate for the protection of Medicaid funding.
“I will propose to freeze reimbursement rates for all providers, require a new formula to pay for long-term institutional care, eliminate many optional services, and change eligibility criteria that will significantly affect the number of Ohioans receiving Medicaid services,” he said. Taft also charged Congress with addressing Medicaid reform on a national level.
Though Medicaid represents a large percentage of the state’s budget, it also works to boost the state’s economy by increasing business activity and creating new jobs. A report released last week by Families USA found that every Ohio dollar spent on Medicaid in fiscal year 2001 translated into $3.15 in new business activity and that more than 132,000 new jobs were created as the result of Medicaid spending. Cuts to Medicaid funding, services and eligibility will hurt the one in eight Ohioans who currently rely on the program. Reduced funding will also obligate hospitals to cover an even larger load of uncompensated care, forcing many facilities to reduce services and access or require all patients to pay more. To read the complete Families USA report, Medicaid: Good Medicine For State Economies, visit www.familiesusa.org, and to view a transcript of Gov. Taft’s address visit www.state.oh.us/gov/section4-3.htm. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
JCAHO Seeking Applicants for Codman Award
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
(JCAHO) is accepting applications for the 2003 Ernest A. Codman Award,
which recognizes excellence in the use of performance measures to
achieve health care quality improvement.
JCAHO-accredited organizations may submit a performance and improvement initiative that reflects a significant improvement in the following categories: ambulatory care, assisted living, behavioral health care, home care, hospitals, laboratory, long term care, networks and multiple organization team. The deadline to apply is April 14. Application materials and additional information are available online at www.jcaho.org/accredited+organizations/codman+award/codman+award.htm.
Dayton-area hospitals were honored with a Codman award in the multiple organization team category in 2002, the first year for that category. The participating hospitals teamed up to reduce mortality rates of heart attack patients by 36 percent over a three-year period. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@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,
January 23, 2003
Taft Gives Details on Medicaid Reductions
Gov. Bob Taft held a press conference this
morning in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services to give details on the proposed Medicaid reductions announced
in yesterday’s State of the State Address. These cuts will include a
two-year freeze on provider reimbursement rates, meaning roughly a $180
million loss to hospitals.
In addition to the financial burden hospitals face with Medicaid reimbursement failing to cover costs, the announcement of stricter eligibility requirements could increase the number of uninsured in Ohio. Proposed Medicaid reductions will also eliminate dental, vision, podiatry, chiropractic and psychological services for adults. Working parents will no longer receive coverage unless they fall below 70-90 percent of poverty based on the size of their families. Without Medicaid, many of these people could be forced to put off preventative and basic care until they require emergency attention. This is harmful to patients and costly for hospitals. For more information on the growing uninsured population, visit www.covertheuninsuredweek.org.
For more information on the importance of the Medicaid program to Ohio’s citizens, hospitals and economy, visit www.ohanet.org/medicaid. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Rural Hospitals - Stay Clued In
Just because your hospital is out of the city
does not mean you have to be out of the loop. Rural hospital employees
are invited to join an OHA e-mail group designed to communicate with
Ohio rural hospitals about important health care issues affecting them.
The e-mails will be sent out as needed and will include information on
rural hospital grants, upcoming conference calls and educational
opportunities and more. To receive the communication, e-mail David
Hendershot at davidh@ohanet.org
with your name, title, hospital, address, phone and e-mail.
OHA’s Foundation Receives Graduate Retention Grant
OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities is one
of 11 organizations receiving an $80,000 Graduate Retention Grant to
identify, create or expand graduate retention opportunities. OHA will
work with the Ohio State University Medical Center’s Department of
Family Medicine and Workforce Development to identify a model for
retaining graduate students in the state of Ohio. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@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.)
Friday,
January 24, 2003
Board Advances Med Mal Initiatives;
Approves Advocacy Agendas
The OHA Board of Trustees at it last meeting approved
recommendations of the Medical Malpractice Task Force, the state and
federal advocacy agendas, and the OHA reserves policy.
The Board voted to move ahead on two initiatives recommended by the Medical Malpractice Task Force to address the costly medical malpractice insurance rates. OHA will develop and implement a statewide sponsored-deductible program for physicians. This is a first, but important, step to help physicians struggling with rate increases. OHA will also explore the creation of a captive insurance company to ensure availability and perhaps to reduce costs in the long-term.
The Board also approved the policy for use of reserves by the association. The policy includes a 10 percent discount for members if dues are paid by Jan. 30 and provides for several contingencies.
OHA’s 2003 state advocacy agenda was also approved by the Board. At the top of the list is protecting Medicaid funding and seeking legislation to prohibit physicians from referring patients to facilities in which they have an ownership interest. The Board also approved the 2003 federal advocacy agenda, to center on Medicare reform, provider payments and health care liability.
Also, the Board approved the 2003 OHA strategic work plan and heard an overview of the new Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards. The new JCAHO methodology begins in January 2004 and will be in full effect for all hospitals in 2005. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)
Ohio Hospital Reaps Reality TV
Spotlight
Grant Medical Center in Columbus will be featured in
a new Discovery Health Channel show, “Critical Hour.” The new,
real-life medical show will air every Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Differing slightly from other medical reality shows, “Critical Hour”
follows patients from the accident scene all the way through the entire
course of treatment. Grant’s scheduled segments are Jan. 19, Feb. 9
and Feb. 23. The hospital has also been featured in “Trauma: Life in
the ER.” For more, visit http://health.discovery.com/.
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.)