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Monday,
November 10, 2003
Taking the next step to creating a new medical malpractice insurance company in Ohio, OHA filed an application for the company with the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) late last week. OHA expects the application will be processed quickly. Approval from ODI is required before the company can legally write insurance. OHA anticipates the new company will be ready to write insurance early next year.
The new company will insure both eligible physicians and hospitals in Ohio on an actuarially sound basis. The goal in bringing a new company into Ohio is to restore stability and predictability to the medical malpractice market.
The OHA-sponsored company will be capitalized through $10 million in reserves from OHA and at least $10 million from hospitals. The first hospital, Genesis Healthcare System, Zanesville, has committed $500,000.
More information about the new company and Ohio’s medical malpractice crisis are available at www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Online Directory Maps Out U.S. Hospitals
Ohioans and other consumers throughout the country have a new resource
for navigating the complex and often complicated U.S. health care
system. U.S. News World and World Report has teamed with the
American Hospital Association (AHA) to offer a comprehensive online
directory of U.S. hospitals.
Launched last Friday, the Directory of America’s Hospitals, www.usnews.com/hospitals, provides information ranging from available treatments and specialized services to contact information and Web addresses for more than 6,000 accredited health care facilities throughout the United States. The searchable directory is available to the public without charge and does not require registration or personal information from visitors. The site also includes a glossary of health care terms and helpful articles for consumers on topics such as how to prevent medical errors and coping with pre-surgery stress.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
The financial strength rating of one of Ohio’s largest medical malpractice insurance companies has been downgraded. A.M. Best Co. announced the downgrade of APCapital Group, a subsidiary or American Physicians Capital, Inc., from A- (excellent) to B++ (very good). APCapital is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, but does significant business in Ohio.
Last week’s rating downgrade follows an announcement that APCapital expects to incur a significant third quarter operating loss due to a loss in reserves of $43 million before taxes. An A.M. Best news release is available at www.ambest.com. For more information about Ohio’s medical malpractice market, including links to the state’s largest insurers, visit www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
HIPAA Conditions Clarified
The federal government last week addressed a concern for many hospitals
regarding release of patient information under the new patient privacy
rules effective in April. Guidance from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights clarifies that hospitals may
use “treated and released” or “death” as an allowable condition under
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA)
privacy regulations.
The clarification means hospitals can inform an individual asking about a patient by name whether the patient has been treated and released or has died, or can indicate the patient’s condition: undetermined, good, fair, serious or critical. Initially, hospitals were permitted to share only a patient’s condition, not whether the patient was released or died.
The information can be found at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/ under “Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions.” More HIPAA information is available in OHA’s Media Guide for Hospitals in Ohio at www.ohanet.org/media/#HIPAA. (Tiffany Himmelreich, tiffanyh@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
November 12, 2003
New Rule for OB/Newborn Services Draws Near
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is reminding hospitals with Level
III obstetric and newborn services that the New Year will bring a new
rule. Starting Jan. 1, 2004, the nursing service manager in both
obstetric and newborn services must be a full-time registered nurse with
both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing. These requirements
were established in 1997, with compliance required by 2004. Hospitals
that will not be in compliance but can show they meet the requirement in
an alternate manner may be eligible for a variance from ODH. The Level
III rules are posted on the ODH Web site at
www.odh.state.oh.us/Rules/Final/Chap84/FR84_lst.htm. (Jean Scholz,
jeans@ohanet.org)
ODJFS Accepting Applications for ABD Program
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has issued a
Request for Applications (RFA) for its Enhanced Care Management program
for Medicaid aged, blind and disabled (ABD) clients who are not living
in an institutional setting and are not enrolled in a Medicaid waiver
program. The program’s initial phase targets adults diagnosed with
diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease or asthma and children with asthma.
Organizations, or collaboratives of organizations, with the ability to offer the required services and that agree to meet program specifications for accountability and quality are eligible to apply for applications. Services areas include Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, Stark and Summit Counties, as well as Coshocton, Guernsey, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble and Perry Counties.
The deadline for application is Jan. 5, 2003, and an Applicant Conference is set for Nov. 19. The application form and additional information are available online at http://jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/bmhc/applibrary.stm or by calling 614.466.4693. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
November 13, 2003
OHA will be hosting a planning meeting for the 2004 Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP) on Dec. 11 in Columbus at Brookside County Club. A status report on federal legislation aimed to increase the 2004 allotment, a review of the 2003 model, and an open forum for HCAP questions and suggestions will be on the agenda. The goal will be to garner input from the membership on how to best construct an equitable distribution model for 2004. Two representatives from each hospital are welcome to attend this meeting. Please contact your facility's chief executive if you are interested in attending. Check www.ohanet.org/hcap for a registration form, directions and updates. (Ryan Biles, ryanb@ohanet.org)
Respiratory Care Board Needs Hospital Input
The Ohio Respiratory Care Board requests assistance from Ohio hospitals
in the development of regulations that accurately reflect the role of
respiratory therapists in the implementation of evidence-based
protocols. Of particular interest are the role of the respiratory
therapist and the scope of practice regarding the therapists'
implementation of respiratory therapy-driven protocols. Please send your
hospital's protocols and any comments to Jean Scholz at
jeans@ohanet.org. Upon request,
OHA will remove a hospital or individual's name from comments before
forwarding them to the board.
Friday,
November 14 2003
The House speaker, Senate president and governor made final appointments to the Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid, a group created by the biennial state budget bill to review the state Medicaid program and make recommendations for reform and cost containment. The members of the commission include: David Brennan, White Hat Management, LLC; John Begala, Federation for Community Planning; Walter Clark, M.D.; Kathy Tefft-Keller, AARP; Noreen Hayes, Western Southern Financial; Richard Browdie, Benjamin Rose Institute; R. Gregory Browning, Capital Partners; Roger L. Geiger, National Federation of Independent Business; and Bernadine Healey, M.D.
The commission must submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, speaker of the House and president of the Senate by Jan. 1, 2005. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Hospitals Lead the Way
Ohio’s hospitals continue to lead their communities, collaborating to
create new resources, developing innovative methods of care and working
to provide superior work environments for Ohio’s more than 200,000
health care workers. These actions earn hospitals recognition throughout
the state and nationwide.
Several Ohio hospitals are part of a collaborative effort to create a new living donor kidney program in Ohio. A statewide registry was designed to increase the number of organs available, decrease waiting time for patients and increase the success rate of transplants through the use of more living donors. Participating hospitals include: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati Hospitals, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, and Summa Health System/Akron City Hospital.
The Journal of American Geriatrics Society published an article detailing the model for stroke care developed at Summa Health System, Akron. The approach for stroke care was developed using the experience and adaptation of Summa’s nationally recognized Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit model of care, in operation since 1994.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center named Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC) a Magnet Hospital, a national recognition awarded to hospitals practicing the highest standards of excellence in nursing services. UVMC is the fourth Ohio hospital to receive this designation and one of only 88 hospitals nationwide with this honor. Ohio’s hospitals are also working toward positive work environments for their employees, with AARP naming The Ohio State University Medical Center to its 2003 list of the Best Employers for Workers Over 50.
John A. Nelson, a member of Parma Hospital’s board of trustees and Health Care Foundation, was recently honored with a Distinguished Service Award by the Center for Health Affairs. Nelson served as administrator of Parma Hospital for 14 years, later continuing to serve in a volunteer capacity on the hospital’s board, and also held leadership positions with both the Greater Cleveland Hospital Association/Center for Health Affairs and OHA. Molly Nash, director of volunteer services at Lake Hospital System, Painesville, was also honored recently, receiving the Lee Loffer Award for Excellence in Hospital Volunteer Administration as recognition for her integrity and professionalism in volunteer management.
Toledo Hospital was awarded a more than $400,000, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to prevent youth violence through a program to provide screening, diagnostic and assessment services for youth with trauma issues.
CORRECTION: OHA inadvertently excluded Southwest General Health Center, Middleburg Heights, for its recognition as one of the Northcoast 99 Best Places to Work in Northeast Ohio in a recent edition of OHA News.