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Monday, May 26, 2003

OHA is closed in celebration of the Memorial Day holiday.

Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Collaborative May Increase Services for Deaf Patients
The Ohio Alliance of Community Centers for the Deaf is recruiting hospitals willing to collaborate in a pilot project to provide Video Relay Interpreting, access to deaf interpreting, for patients in hospital emergency rooms. Community Centers for the Deaf (CCDs) in various cities statewide will kick off the effort, and the project is currently seeking three to five collaborating hospitals in each city.

When a hearing impaired patient visits a hospital ER and needs immediate service, the hospital could contact the CCD in its area. The interpreter on call would go online and begin interpreting via webcam until a live interpreter is able to reach the patient. Hospitals would pay one rate for each patient, regardless of whether he or she requires an interpreter through webcam, in person or both.

The CCDs are currently working to plan implementation and encourage hospitals interested in participating with, or learning more about, the pilot to contact Marsha Nippert, Executive Director CCD at ccdalliance@aol.com.

Newborn Hearing Screening Session Offered
Audiologists from the Ohio Department of Health are offering a special briefing session at the OHA Annual Meeting on implementation rules of Ohio’s universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) legislation. Passed in 2002, the legislation requires all birthing hospitals and freestanding birthing centers to implement the rules by June 30, 2004. Hospital requirements include naming an appropriate staff person as a coordinator, developing UNHS protocols within the facility, and reporting results of UNHS via the electronic birth certificate.

The session is June 10 at 9:45 a.m. in room C214 of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. To register for the annual meeting or for more information, visit www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/.

Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Congress Bolsters State Budget, Medicaid
President Bush today signed a stimulus bill that includes $10 billion in temporary Medicaid relief nationwide, including $384 million for Ohio, and $10 billion for temporary state fiscal relief. The bill is a good first step toward providing Ohio’s hospitals with the needed relief.

The Jobs and Growth Tax Act of 2003 increases the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) by 2.95 percent for 15 months, allowing states to draw down additional funds by maintaining state spending. To receive the additional FMAP funding, states cannot alter Medicaid eligibility. As a relatively highly populated state, Ohio is receiving a high percentage of the funding which should dissuade legislators from making additional cuts to state Medicaid funding and eligibility.

The economic stimulus bill also includes $10 billion in block grants over two years, $386 million for Ohio, to help relieve additional pressure on the state budget. OHA proposes that a portion of this money be used to fund Medicaid inpatient and outpatient inflationary updates, and to create an uncompensated care assurance program to help Ohio’s hospitals cope with the falloff in federal reimbursement for uncompensated care. OHA sent a letter to Sen. Bill Harris, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, urging him to consider these proposals. This letter is available online at www.ohanet.org/medicaid/medicaid_52803.pdf. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

OHA Shares Concerns with Shaken Baby Legislation
The House Health and Family Services Committee heard testimony today on House Bill 76, which would establish the Shaken Baby Syndrome Education and Prevention Program. Under the bill, the Ohio Department of Health would be required to provide hospitals with an educational video and a participation form which parents would be asked sign if they choose to view the video. Hospitals would be required to make the video available to parents for viewing, and report data annually to the health department, including the number of participation forms signed.

The legislation is modeled on a program being offered in Buffalo, N.Y., where shaken-baby cases reportedly have been reduced by half since an in-hospital education program was implemented in 1998. OHA is opposed to the bill in its current form and is working with the bill's sponsor, Rep. John Widowfield (R-Cuyahoga Falls) on various provisions, including deleting hospital data reporting requirements and extending liability protections to hospitals and their employees. To view a letter outlining these and other OHA concerns with HB 76, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/letters/shakenbaby52703.pdf. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

Thursday, May 29, 2003
OHA Secures Funding for Outpatient Medicaid
In the ongoing effort to reach consensus on the state budget bill, the Senate Finance Committee yesterday unveiled a substitute bill. Legislators responded to an array of concerns voiced by OHA. Key provisions include:

Allocating $8 million for a Medicaid outpatient update for hospitals over the next two years that will result in $20 million in state and federal matching dollars. OHA will seek an additional $16 million in state funding to provide a full inflationary update.

Deleting an unfunded mandate that hospitals administer a paternity test to anyone requesting it

Leaving out language dictating noncontractual payment rates for Medicaid managed care. OHA successfully lobbied to have the language deleted in the House version of the budget.

Retaining dental coverage for Medicaid recipients

Keeping an inpatient update for children's hospitals

Eliminating financial penalties for failing to file notices of intent with the Ohio Department of Health

Though it addressed several key issues, the Senate sub bill cuts Medicaid eligibility for 50,000 working Ohioans. If this is not restored, Ohio could be unable to collect $384 million in additional federal funding for Medicaid. OHA will continue to advocate that eligibility not be cut and that a portion of an additional $386 million in federal money granted to Ohio be used to fund Medicaid inpatient and outpatient inflationary updates and to create an uncompensated care assurance program to help Ohio’s hospitals cope with the falloff in federal reimbursement for uncompensated care.

The full Senate plans to vote on the budget bill by June 3, and it will then move to a joint conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions. The bill will go to the governor, who has the authority to line item veto provisions of the bill. For up-to-date Medicaid information, visit www.ohanet.org/medicaid. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Momentum Builds for Specialty Hospital Solution
Momentum is building at the federal level to address problems created by the growing trend of physician-owned specialty hospitals. The latest move is an announcement this week from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that it will propose a rule change in July to specify “certain physician ownership or investment interests in specialty hospitals would not qualify for the ‘whole hospital’ exception” in current federal law prohibiting certain types of physician self-referral. The whole hospital exception has been identified as the loophole allowing physicians to invest in and refer patients to hospitals specializing in cardiac, orthopedic or other profitable lines of service. Physicians are prohibited, though, from investing in and referring patients to a single department of a full-service hospital. OHA supports passage of House Bill 71 to close that loophole in state law.

The CMS announcement follows a May 15 report to members of Congress by the federal General Accounting Office that certain specialty hospitals draw profitable services away from community hospitals by focusing on high cost or high volume services, making it more difficult for community hospitals to support other critical health care services. The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice also looked at the trend of physician-owned specialty hospitals this spring in joint hearings on health care law. (Mary Yost, maryy@ohanet.org)

Friday, May 30, 2003
Hospitals Asked to Complete Trauma Survey
Ohio hospitals in May received an opinion survey from Great Lakes Marketing asking for their perspective on the implementation of the state trauma system as part of the Ohio Department of Public Safety special trauma study being conducted by the Northwest Ohio Regional Trauma Registry.

Make sure your hospital is part of the picture by faxing your complete survey to Great Lakes Marketing at 419.531.8150. The final deadline to respond to the survey is June 10. Hospitals can contact Carrie Lewis at Great Lakes Marketing at 419.481.1045 if they have any questions or need a copy of the survey, which is also available online at www.ohanet.org/traumasurvey.pdf. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

OHA Annual Meeting
It’s the Final Countdown
There is still time to register for the OHA Annual Meeting, taking place June 9-10 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The meeting will offer nearly 100 educational events and continuing education credits for accounts, attorneys, coders, health information management, medical staff services, occupational and physical therapists, pharmacists, nurses, nursing home administrators, social workers and others.

Attendees can receive up to 8.0 credits for attending both days and OHA will also offer an ACHE, Category 1 seminar on June 8 where 6.0 ACHE Category 1 hours will be awarded. Registration information is available at www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/default.asp.

Giving Physicians a Leg Up
The Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) will provide information on improving the performance of independent and hospital-affiliated physicians’ practices and handling the transition of physicians from a hospital setting to private practice in a way that benefits both the hospital and the physician. Representatives from OSMAdvantage, the organization’s business arm, will discuss a suite of practice management services they offer, including information on practice management, electronic billing systems, after-hours call services and other HIPAA-compliant solutions. The session is Tuesday, June 10, at 2 p.m. in room C214.

Laying it All on the Table
The Society of Ohio Healthcare Attorneys will sponsor an Ohio health law roundtable discussion from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, in room C216. It will feature several facilitated discussions of practical, useful, real-life topics that Ohio health lawyers tackle. Topics range from medical malpractice coverage issues to treatment and consent for minors to DNR and related orders to physician on-call issues to Ohio's prompt pay law to preparedness for tort reform.

Hospital Receives Critical Access Designation
An additional Ohio hospital has been designated as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) through the federal program that entitles select small, rural hospitals to Medicare cost-based reimbursement. The designation of Fostoria Community Hospital as a CAH brings the total in Ohio to 19. A complete list of Ohio CAHs is available at www.ohanet.org/about_oha/cah.asp. (David Hendershot, davidh@ohanet.org)