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Monday, February 9, 2004
Ohio’s hospitals are receiving high marks for excellence and reaching out to their communities every day.
Upper Valley Medical Center in Troy scored in the top five percentile of all health care associations in the U.S. last year on its Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations survey. Also receiving accolades is Robinson Memorial Hospital’s Visiting Nurse & Hospice in Ravenna. According to a new report of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the hospital’s home health agency exceeded Ohio averages in 9 out of 11 quality measures for home health agencies.
The following Ohio hospitals received Distinguished Hospital Awards for Clinical Excellence from HealthGrades: Akron General Medical Center; Christ Hospital, Cincinnati; Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Deaconess Hospital, Cincinnati; EMH Regional Medical Center, Elyria; Fairview Hospital, Cleveland; Good Samaritan Hospital, Dayton; Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati; Grandview Medical Center, Dayton; Mercy Medical Center Springfield; Hillcrest Hospital, Mayfield Heights; Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton; Parma Community General Hospital; Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus; Southwest General Health Center, Middleburg Heights; St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown; St. John West Shore Hospital, Westlake; Summa Health System, Akron; University Hospitals Of Cleveland.
Serving a need within the community, several hospitals and plastic surgeons have formed the Facial Foundation of Greater Cincinnati to arrange care for up to 24 people a year who have been deformed by domestic violence or other attacks. Hospital partners include: Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Mercy Health Partners and TriHealth.
Reaching out to the other side of the world, Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys has joined up with physicians and other community organizations to bring vital health care services to children from West Africa who are lacking adequate health care. (Mary Sterenberg, marys@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds hospitals they must submit occupational mix surveys to fiscal intermediaries by Monday, Feb. 16, using the CMS-provided form. To aid hospitals, CMS recently added a new online fact sheet outlining the survey’s contents and additional information on completing it.
Any hospital subject to the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) must complete the survey. Critical access hospitals are not required to submit surveys because they are not paid under IPPS.
CMS is required to gather data every three years on the occupational mix of employees for every short-term, acute care hospital participating in the Medicare program. Hospitals can view the fact sheet and additional information at www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/hipps/ippswage.asp. CMS encourages hospitals to visit the site periodically for updates. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)
OHA Center for Education
Don't miss the following educational opportunities offered through the
OHA Center for Education. Visit
www.ohanet.org/education/education_programs.asp or call 614.221.7614
for more information.
Hospital Billing to the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services
March 23 - Columbus
March 25 - Blue Ash
March 30 - Strongsville
April 2 - Perrysburg
Medical Staff 2004-The Challenges…The Solutions
April 22 - Upfront Credentialing: Policies and Practices to Assure a
Quality Medical Staff
July 22 - Corrective Actions: Options and Solutions for Addressing
Credentialing Challenges
Oct. 21 - Effectively Managing the Hearing Process
Dec. 16 - Hot Topics in Credentialing 2004 and 2005
Trustee Dinner Seminar Series: Building Better Relationships With
Physicians
March 11 - Findlay
March 18 - Cambridge
March 25 - Chillicothe
Wednesday,
February 11, 2004
OHA Follows Bill Expanding Role of Physician Assistants
OHA's Small and Rural Hospital Committee this week recommended that the
OHA support legislation to expand the role of physician assistants.
Senate Bill 147, sponsored by Sen. Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon),
maintains physician assistants' status as dependent practitioners under
the direction of their supervising physician, but would require more
education and training to expand their scope.
The bill would:
The OHA Board of Trustees will consider the committee's recommendation before adopting a final position on the bill. The bill is currently in the Senate Health, Human Services & Aging Committee, chaired by Wachtmann. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
National Hospital Week May 9-15
Recognizing Hospitals, Raising Awareness
Ohio’s hospitals are supported by hundreds of thousands of health care workers and other associates, and this year’s National Hospital Week will emphasize and recognize the powerful difference they make in their communities. The 2004 event, “Miracles Start With Caring Hearts,” will be held May 9-15 and will coincide with Cover the Uninsured Week.
Hospitals throughout the state are encouraged to support these efforts by sharing information with local media outlets and community member, and by planning activities to recognize the week and acknowledge staff members. The American Hospital Association (AHA) sent hospitals a planning guide, with information and step-by-step guidance in planning, posters promoting National Hospital Week and a listing of other products available for purchase. Hospitals interested in additional copies of these materials should call THA-Bells Select at 1.800.822.1923.
The package above also includes information on the 2004 Cover the Uninsured Week and ways to educate staff, patients and communities on the importance of this issue. For more information on this initiative visit www.covertheuninsuredweek.org or call 202.572.2928. Stay tuned for more information on how OHA will help hospitals support these efforts.
Thursday,
February 12, 2004
The Ohio General Assembly recently passed an OHA-supported tort reform bill and it now heads to Gov. Taft for his signature.
House Bill 212, sponsored by Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), changes the rate of interest on judgments and the computation period for which prejudgment interest is due in civil actions such as those alleging medical negligence. Under the bill, the rate of interest on damages is changed from a fixed 10 percent per year to an amount based on the federal short-term rate-currently about five percent. The legislation will take effect 90 days after signed by the governor.
For more information on current legislation tracked by OHA, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
OHA Web Site Brings Info To You
OHA continues efforts to provide a valuable resource to member
hospitals, legislators, community leaders and others through its Web
site at
www.ohanet.org. Constantly expanding and improving, the site
contains up-to-date information on the hot issues in Ohio health care.
The latest additions include:
Information on efforts underway in the Ohio Senate to limit the authority of hospital governing boards in their role of credentialing physicians (www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/credentialing.htm)
Placement - a listing of employment opportunities available at member hospitals (NOTE: OHA will no longer send hard copies of Placement; www.ohanet.org/placement/)
MedEd News - information on upcoming education seminars and information on other education-related topics (www.ohanet.org/MedEdNews/default.asp)
Workforce Update - the latest information on hospitals’ attraction and retention of talent (www.ohanet.org/workforce/WorkforceUpdate/default.htm)
Friday, February 13, 2004
OHA Media Campaign on the Move
Hospital CEOs should be on the lookout next week for additional information on the statewide media campaign. OHA rolled out the campaign at a Jan. 29 video conference broadcast throughout the state. The materials in next week’s meeting will address many of the questions posed by the conference participants and others after the conference. It will also contain information on next steps for the campaign.
Other hospital associates who would like to receive these materials should contact Mary Yost at 614.221.7614 or maryy@ohanet.org.