Hospital advocates will continue to lobby Congress to include additional provisions for hospitals. The primary focus of these efforts will be on securing compensation for the falloff in Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) funding. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

The eight-count civil complaint alleges that the defendants’ negligence, reckless conduct and mismanagement caused serious financial injury to Renaissance, its creditors, policyholders and members. The suit claims the officers and directors are liable for more than $25,000 in compensation to the former insurer.

Renaissance, founded in 1994 as Emerald HMO, was one of seven HMOs serving Medicaid patients in Ohio. It operated in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Summit counties through funding from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The insurer’s 35,000 Medicaid enrollees were moved to a fee-for-service plan and ODI dissolved and distributed the company’s assets to policyholders and other creditors. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)

First, Bush called for high quality, affordable health care for all Americans, including the 40 million uninsured. The federal push to cover the uninsured will help address the 1 million uninsured Ohioans, especially at a time when the state is considering reductions to critical safety net programs such as Medicaid.

Bush also committed an additional $400 billion over the next ten years to strengthen and improve the Medicare program. Bush urged Congress to act this year on Medicare reform that includes a prescription drug benefit for seniors. OHA will continue to advocate for Medicare reform that does not put the cost of additional benefits on the back of providers.

Finally, Bush called on Congress to enact medical liability reform this year to curb excessive litigation against physicians and hospitals and reduce liability premiums. All three of Bush’s health care initiatives are high on OHA’s federal advocacy agenda for 2003. Full text of the State of the Union Address is online at www.whitehouse.gov. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

Read today's 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 30, 2003
Newborn Hearing Screening in Effect This Week
Legislation requiring Ohio hospitals to perform physiologic hearing screening for newborns goes into effect Feb. 1, though hospitals have until June 2004 to comply with the mandate. Under House Bill 150, passed in the 124th General Assembly, hospitals are required to conduct universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) before babies leave the hospital. Facilities performing automated tests will no longer have to comply with the state mandated paper test. Beginning in February, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will offer educational sessions to help providers understand the new rules on UNHS implementation. For more information, contact Reena Kothari at ODH at 614.387.0135.

OHA did not support the bill because it is an unfunded mandate, but the association did secure several amendments to make the bill more acceptable to hospitals. Watch for an upcoming OHA bulletin to detail the key components of the new requirements and timelines for implementation and training. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org, Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Hospitals Lead the Way
As leaders in their communities, Ohio hospitals continue to receive recognition for their innovative programs and quality care.

The Resource Mothers Program, supported by Community Health Partners, Lorain, was a finalist in the annual Premier Cares Award for providing pediatric, prenatal and other health care services to low-income families. Competing with more than 200 other applicants for the honor, the program was among the five finalists. Premier awarded the program $22,000 and Catholic Healthcare Partners honored it with matching funds.

Lake Hospital System, Painesville, was one of 15 medical centers designated nationally as a 2003 Hospital of Choice facility by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers. The recognition honors the nation’s most customer-friendly hospitals, focuses on their relationships with patients, physicians and the communities they serve.

Two Ohio children’s hospitals were honored in a ranking of the nation’s top pediatric facilities by Child magazine. Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, was rated the third best facility in the U.S. and the best in neonatology in the country. Children’s Medical Center, Dayton, was also recognized, ranking 23rd of the more than 150 pediatric hospitals in the nation.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

Read today's 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.)