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Monday,
December 8, 2003
OHA’s new medical malpractice insurance company announced Susan Stanfield, vice president and health care practice leader of Marsh USA, will assume the position of CEO beginning Dec. 16.
Stanfield began her insurance career as a hospital property/casualty underwriter for the Buckeye Union Insurance Company in the mid-1970s. She joined Marsh in 1985, specializing in advising hospitals, physician practices and other health care providers on risk management issues and the design of insurance programs. Stanfield received her designation as a Certified Insurance Counselor and is a member of the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management, the Ohio Society of Healthcare Risk Managers, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.
OHA has filed an application for licensure of the new company with the Ohio Department of Insurance and expects it will be processed quickly. OHA anticipates the new company will be ready to write insurance early next year. For more, visit www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)
Bush Signs Medicare Reform Bill
Today Pres. George Bush signed Medicare Reform legislation passed in
November by Congress, securing hundreds of millions of dollars for and
other regulatory relief for Ohio’s hospitals over the next several
years.
The legislation is due in part to the effort of hospital advocates and the support of some of Ohio's members of Congress. Representative Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) said, “I am proud of my vote and proud to present the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.”
This legislation is a positive step for hospitals, but the challenge of maintaining adequate funding continues. One provision of the bill is a full market basket update for the inpatient prospective payment system for 2004, and a full update in 2005-2007 for hospitals participating in the American Hospital Association’s Quality Initiative. Despite the bill’s passage, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission continues to support lower reimbursement levels. For additional information on this and other federal issues, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/federal/. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Responding to requests for additional time, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has extended the Dec. 31 deadline for filing an application for participation in the freestanding catheterization pilot project. The new deadline is Feb 27, 2004, and no decisions will be made on any applications until after this date. Contact Christine Kenney at 614.466.3325 at ODH with any questions.
In September, Dr. J. Nick Baird, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) director, addressed OHA Board concerns with ODH’s pilot program allowing adult diagnostic cardiac catheterizations on low-risk patients in a freestanding setting. ODH agreed to work with OHA to develop measures to evaluate the pilot program’s impact on quality, safety and cost. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Respiratory Protocols Under Debate
Representatives of the Ohio Respiratory Care Board recently met with the
regulatory boards for nursing, medicine and pharmacy to discuss safe
implementation of protocols. They are working to design regulations
ensuring the safety of patients, flexibility for hospitals and
satisfying work experiences for employees.
The group decided most protocols currently used in Ohio's hospitals meet the intent of the pharmacy board rules [Ohio Administrative Code, 4729-5-01(L)] that will soon be effective. For example, some hospitals have respiratory care protocols to assess a patient for respiratory care, yet others have protocols describing when to administer oxygen, aerosolized medications, or protocols about providing bronchial hygiene. More details will be available after the respiratory care board and the pharmacy board review current practices. In the meanwhile, respiratory care staff members are encouraged to provide information to OHA, or the Respiratory Care Board, and not to change policies or protocols until further guidance is available from the regulatory boards. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
December 10, 2003
OHA Responds to Possible JUA Creation
OHA continues working to help Ohio’s hospitals
cope with the crisis in the medical malpractice market through efforts
such as the creation of a hospital-owned insurance company for hospitals
and physicians and evaluation of the Ohio Department of Insurance’s (ODI)
efforts to obtain authority to reactivate the joint underwriting
association (JUA).
Ann Women Benjamin, ODI director, earlier this month requested that the Ohio House grant authority and funding for ODI to reactivate the JUA if circumstances warrant. She asked that authority be added to currently pending legislation, stating that such an association is not currently needed, but may be needed with little notice. Funding would come from $12 million remaining from the previous JUA that stopped writing policies in the early 1980s and was sunset by the legislature in the 1990s.
This week OHA sent a letter to Rep. Geoff Smith, (R-Columbus), chair of the House Insurance Committee, voicing support for ODI’s proposal but noting concerns regarding language in the proposed amendment. To view the letter with the complete list of OHA’s concerns visit www.ohanet.org/med-mal/JUAletter.pdf. The legislation passed the committee this week but still requires a House floor vote and Senate approval. For more information on the medical malpractice market in Ohio, or OHA’s new insurance company, visit www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
OHA Voices Concern on First Energy Case
OHA filed a motion to intervene in a First Energy case pending before
the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). First Energy Corporation
is seeking changes to its deregulation transition plan that could
adversely affect hospitals throughout northern Ohio. OHA is seeking
intervention in the case to ensure the PUCO understands the impact
changes in the plan could have on hospital energy costs. More about the
First Energy request is posted on the PUCO Web site at
www.puco.ohio. (Rick
Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
December 11, 2003
Legislation creating Ohio’s Best Rx, a discount drug plan for Ohioans 60 and over and others without prescription coverage, this week passed the Ohio General Assembly and now heads to Gov. Bob Taft who is expected to sign the bill. House Bill 311, sponsored by Rep. John Hagan (R-Alliance), was the result of an agreement between drug-makers and a labor-led coalition advocating for the uninsured. The legislature considered concerns regarding a variety of issues including pricing, voluntary participation, open records requirements and the potential impact on retirement system health plans.
Hospitals may voluntarily participate with the Ohio’s Best Rx program. It will be available to Ohioans 60 and older as well as uninsured individuals making less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level but it will take several months for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to get it up and running. ODJFS will distribute Ohio’s Best Rx cards on a yearly basis and will require participants to reenroll every 12 months. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
OHA Follows Key State Legislation
OHA continues to follow state legislation with the potential to impact
Ohio’s hospitals, advocating on behalf of hospitals and sharing key
information with legislators, hospital leaders and others.
House Bill 239, an OHA initiative sponsored by Rep. Tony Core (R-Rushsylvania) and currently in the House Health Committee, would re-enact provisions enacted by the General Assembly in 1980 dealing with bond financing for hospitals. Bond counsel will not allow financing under these provisions because they are held unconstitutional on procedural grounds. The legislation also states that it is not a conflict of interest for a public official to serve on a hospital board and that such funding can also be used by one hospital when acquiring another hospital.
House Bill 321, sponsored by Rep. Larry Flowers (R-Canal Winchester), would divide the state into geographic regions with regard to prehospital emergency medical services and increase the authority of the State Board of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in dealing with violations. Currently in the House Health Committee, the bill would also provide civil liability protection to those who report or testify before the EMS board regarding alleged violations.
Senate Bill 80, tort reform legislation sponsored by Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus), continues to receive testimony. OHA supports HB 80, which would protect hospitals and other businesses from unreasonable punitive damages by capping these damages. The legislation contains several other provisions aimed at controlling frivolous lawsuits and excessive verdicts. For more information, view a previous OHA article at www.ohanet.org/healthenews/archives/2003/042803.htm#Thursday1.
Senate Bill 86, legislation sponsored by Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) to expand the state’s good Samaritan law to cover physicians who provide services to the indigent at Ohio’s “virtual” clinics, passed the General Assembly this week. The legislature adopted an amendment allowing a Jan. 1, 2004 start date for a state program permitting the redistribution of unused prescription drugs and an amendment removing language regarding advanced practice nursing.
For continuing updates on state legislation, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Friday, December 12, 2003
Hospital Names New CEO
This week Firelands Regional Medical Center announced that Charles A. Stark will take the helm as president and CEO of the facility effective Jan. 19, 2004. He comes to Erie County from Birmingham, Alabama, where he has served as senior vice president of HEALTHSOUTH Corporation, overseeing operations of three acute care hospitals in Florida and Alabama. Mr. Stark was selected from a slate of candidates received through the Ohio Hospital Association and the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, serving as agents during the search process.