OHA - HEALTH e-NEWS

Search:

Read the Archives
Read Today's News Clips

Monday, December 29, 2003
OHA Insurance Solutions Obtains License
OHA got the green light from the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) for its new medical malpractice insurance company for Ohio’s physicians. OHA Insurance Solutions, Inc. (OHAIS) is now licensed and poised to provide insurance initially for a limited number of physicians beginning Jan.1. Hospital insurance will likely be available in March.

Rates for physicians and hospitals are actuarially based. OHA Insurance Solutions does not intend to undercut the rates of existing medical malpractice insurers nor did it enter the market as a moneymaking venture. The company’s goal is to steady Ohio’s wobbly medical liability market by expanding availability of liability insurance. Expanded access to liability insurance would be even more crucial if one of Ohio’s major medical malpractice insurers pulled out of the Ohio market or tightened restrictions on coverage.

Find OHA Insurance Solutions on the Web at www.ohainsurance.com. More information about the medical malpractice insurance crisis is also available on OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Susan Stanfield, susans@ohanet.org)

CMS Approves More Beds for Flu Patients
In response to a request from OHA and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) prompted by full hospitals around the state, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted approval for hospitals to use PPS-exempt beds to treat additional patients. Influenza and related seasonal illness have increased the influx of patients, and CMS’ waiver allows hospitals to use PPS-exempt rehabilitation and psychiatric beds, hospital-based ambulatory surgical center and skilled nursing facility beds. Obstetric beds do not fall under this waiver as they are regulated by ODH, not CMS. Critical Access Hospitals can use all of their beds for acute care. To view the waiver, visit www.ohanet.org/cms.PDF.

With several states reporting severe complications from influenza and influenza-related deaths among children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requests that health care providers report all deaths associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection among children younger than 18 years of age to ODH. Contact state epidemiologist Forrest W. Smith at 614.752.8454 orfsmith@gw.odh.state.oh.us to report flu-related deaths. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org; Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)

Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Medicaid Commission Kicks Off
The Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid recently began its year-long efforts to offer recommendations and suggestions for the reform of Ohio’s Medicaid program. Gov. Bob Taft charged the group with:

comparing Ohio to other states regarding reimbursement rates and spending, determining possible improvements in quality and efficiency

exploring methods for more cost-effective delivery of services to the elderly and disabled populations

determining whether the system provides adequate home- and community-based setting choices for seniors

finding “market-based solutions” to apply to the program

proposing how Medicaid and Medicare could be integrated to serve Ohio’s dual-eligible population.

Led by Dr. Bernadine Healy, chair, and businessman and charter school entrepreneur David Brennan, vice chair, the commission’s final report is due Jan. 1, 2005. For more information on Ohio’s Medicaid program, visit www.ohanet.org/medicaid/. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Grants Available for Tobacco Cessation for Pregnant Women
Ohio’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) recently released a request for proposals (RFP) for pilot projects to reduce tobacco use among pregnant women in Ohio. TUPCF is putting forward $500,000 in grants for the 18-month pilot projects, to be used in developing a future statewide initiative to prevent and reduce tobacco use among pregnant women. Letters of intent are due Jan. 7 and proposals are due Feb. 13. More information and the RFP are online at www.standohio.org.

TUPCF also recently announced new members of its board, including Lynne Ayres, director of OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities, for a term expiring June 3, 2006. Dr. Joseph A. Sopko, medical director of pulmonary services at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Cleveland, has also accepted a term through June 3, 2008. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)

Ohio’s Best Rx Becomes Official
The governor signed legislation this month creating a discount drug plan for Ohioans 60 and over and individuals making less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Ohio’s Best Rx is 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. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will distribute Ohio’s Best Rx cards on a yearly basis and will require participants to reenroll every 12 months, but it will take several months for ODJFS to get the program up and running. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)

Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Editor’s note: HEALTH e-NEWS will not be published tomorrow, Jan. 1, as OHA offices are closed for New Year’s Day.

More Candidates Join Supreme Court Race
Additional candidates filed petitions for election to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2004, including incumbent appointed Justice Terrence O’Donnell, who will seek the Republican nomination in the March primary to serve out an unexpired term instead of running for a full six years on the bench. Republican Judge Judith Lanzinger also filed a petition for election. Another Republican, Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, was among other candidates who previously submitted a petition for election.

O’Donnell, Lanzinger and Moyer are each running for one of the open seats on the Supreme Court in 2004. Voters will determine the balance of the court by electing four candidates -- the majority of the seven total justices -- next fall. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Save the Date: Hospitals Shaping Public Opinion
As major employers and community leaders -- not to mention guardians of Ohioans' health -- hospitals in Ohio have the potential to play a major role in how citizens view important public policy issues. Ohio hospitals will be invited to participate in a new initiative to muster these considerable forces in 2004.

The initial rollout of the initiative to hospitals is Thursday, Jan. 29 at 9:30 a.m. Hospitals are invited to attend one of the one-hour videoconference sites available around the state to learn how to get involved in the initiative. OHA will provide more information on registering for the Jan. 29 session in the coming weeks. If your hospital has satellite capabilities and is interested in being a host site, contact Mary Yost at maryy@ohanet.org or 614.221.7614.

Thursday, January 1, 2004
Have a safe and happy New Year's!

Friday, January 2, 2004
Hospitals Invited to Apply for H2E Awards
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) is accepting applications through Jan. 31 for its 2004 national awards recognizing health care facilities for environmental excellence. Awards include:

H2E Partner Recognition is given annually to partner facilities that have met their self-identified H2E goals for the previous year.

The Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award is a one-time award given to facilities that have met the challenge of becoming "mercury free."

The H2E Partners for Change Award is given annually to facilities that have made significant progress toward reducing waste, preventing pollution, and eliminating mercury.

The H2E Environmental Leadership Award is the premier award presented annually by H2E. Recipients of this award are distinguished by their pioneering efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the health care industry by implementing innovative programs that set industry standards for waste reduction and pollution prevention.

For more information about the awards, visit www.h2e-online.org/programs/award/. H2E works to educate health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities in hospitals and health care systems. OHA's Board of Trustees voted at its November meeting to endorse H2E's pollution prevention goals by becoming a "Champion" of H2E.

CMS Head Named
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has named Dennis Smith as interim head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services following the Dec. 15 resignation of Tom Scully as administrator. Smith will serve as acting administrator until a new administrator is sworn in. For more, see the announcement at www.hhs.gov.

Spreading the Word on Health Care Jobs
The new year brings new opportunities for recruiting and retaining quality health care workers in Ohio’s hospitals. Akron Regional Hospital Association published Step Into a Career in Health Care, a booklet designed to offer an overview and examples of the many types of jobs available in the field of health care. It describes careers for those interested in working closely with patients and others, as well as for those drawn to technology or advanced support services.

The booklet was sent to hospital CEOs in December and is available online at www.ohanet.org/workforce/toolkit.htm as part of an online toolkit OHA has developed with materials for job fairs, career days, meetings with guidance counselors or other recruitment efforts. The document can be printed front to back and spiral binding on the left edge is recommended. For additional information on the health care workforce in Ohio, visit www.ohanet.org/workforce/. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)