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Monday,
November 24, 2003
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is soliciting field review comments until next Monday on proposed changes to JCAHO standards for waived testing such as glucose testing, urine dipsticks and occult blood screening. The revisions were proposed in response to substantial growth in the numbers and types of waived testing methods and quality questions raised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with regard to CLIA-certified laboratories.
JCAHO invites hospitals to review and comment on the proposed revisions to the proposed revision to waived testing standards online at www.jcaho.org. Hospitals can also print the online review form and fax it to Lynn Berry at 630.792.4895. All comments must be submitted by next Monday, Dec. 1. For additional questions, or information on submitting a review, contact Lynn Berry at 630.792.5894 or lberry@jcaho.org.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
The U.S. Senate this morning gave final approval to Medicare reform legislation, the largest reform of the program since its 1965 inception, which includes a new prescription drug benefit and hundreds of millions of dollars to Ohio hospitals over the next 10 years. OHA and other hospital representatives advocated for passage of the bill, which now heads to President Bush who is expected to sign it into law. The legislation contains monetary and regulatory relief as well as other positive improvements for providers and institutes an 18-month moratorium on referrals to specialty hospitals while additional information is gathered. More information on the specific provisions in the bill that affect Ohio’s hospitals is available in a Nov. 17 HEALTH e-NEWS article and in a PowerPoint presentation. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Importante: Facing Health Disparities in Ohio’s Hispanic Population
Hospitals are confronted with new challenges in offering effective
services to a Spanish-speaking population with different cultural norms,
beliefs and frameworks. Though the number of Hispanic residents in the
Midwest remains lower than other areas of the country, Ohio experienced
a 36 percent increase in the Hispanic population from 1990-2000,
eclipsing the 4.5 percent increase in the state’s overall population.
Lack of insurance coverage, combined with cultural norms that may not encourage seeking care, contribute to the high volume of the Hispanic population not visiting a health care provider, or not choosing the appropriate provider. Even if Limited English Proficient patients visit a provider, they may be unable to comprehend diagnoses, treatment instructions or follow-up and medication instructions.
State and federal policy changes are part of the remedy for these gaps, as are programs and services instituted by individual hospitals and other organizations. Encouraging diversity among associates, promoting English proficiency among patients, translating written materials and seeking out third party interpreters also help bridge the gap.
For more information, and to read about Ohio hospitals currently taking steps to address health disparities, see OHA’s November Healthbeat.
Wednesday,
November 26, 2003
O'Donnell Addresses OHA Board Members
The Ohio Supreme Court is operating with business-like efficiency these
days, with justices focused on the work at hand and not engaged in the
bickering that marked the court in previous years, Justice Terrence
O'Donnell told a dinner gathering of the OHA Board of Trustees recently.
O'Donnell is the newest member of the seven-person court, and will be seeking one of four seats open in next year's general elections. O'Donnell was appointed to the court earlier this year following the federal appointment of previous Justice Deborah Cook.
Prior to his appointment as a Supreme Court justice, O'Donnell was an appeals judge and a trial judge in Cuyahoga County. O'Donnell, 57, has been a judge for 23 years and a lawyer for 32 years.
O'Donnell noted Supreme Court elections are unusual in that candidates must run first in a partisan primary in the spring and then lose their party labels for the non-partisan general elections. O'Donnell has been endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party to run in 2004.
More information about O'Donnell is available from the Ohio Supreme Court Web site. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Board Deliberates Top Concerns
At its last meeting, the OHA Board of Trustees was briefed on provisions
of the federal Medicare Reform Bill, which could bring $100 million to
Ohio hospitals in 2004 if signed by President George W. Bush (see
separate story).
The Board also reviewed progress of state and federal legislation to stop the proliferation of physician-owned, limited-service hospitals in Ohio. A provision of the federal Medicare Reform Bill, which offers a temporary solution, closely parallels House Bill 71. OHA will keep pressure on Senate leadership to allow hearings on HB 71 in the Senate yet this year because a permanent solution to the issue must still be enacted at the state or federal level.
Focusing on quality, the Board heard updates on the voluntary Quality Initiative launched earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the American Hospital Association (AHA). Over 80 Ohio hospitals have signed up and 25 have data included on the CMS Web site. Hospitals are encouraged to participate, especially in light of a provision of the Medicare Reform Bill that would provide hospitals participating in the initiative with a full market basket update in 2005-2007. Non-participating hospitals would receive a market basket minus 0.4 percent increase.
The Board was updated on an OHA-led statewide media campaign to educate Ohioans on the importance of key health care issues, such as the access and availability of medical malpractice insurance.
Addressing the medical malpractice crisis, the Board heard a status report on OHA’s creation of a new medical malpractice insurance company. With an application filed with the Ohio Department of Insurance, the company is picking up steam and is expected to be ready to write polices early next year. Visit www.ohanet.org/med-mal/ for more.
The Board was updated on trends in hospital economic performance in 2002, which show that overall hospitals are facing declining profits, but had a profit margin of 2.4 percent in 2002. The Board also approved participation in AHA’s Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and discussed health care reform. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
November 27, 2003
EDITOR’S NOTE: HEALTH e-NEWS will not be published today as OHA
offices are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Friday,
November 28, 2003
EDITOR’S NOTE:
HEALTH e-NEWS will not be published
today as OHA offices are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.