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Monday, February 16, 2004
Psychiatric facilities are encouraged to comment on a proposed rule that could have a significant financial impact. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving toward implementing a new prospective payment system for psychiatric facilities that would replace the current cost-based system used to reimburse psychiatric facilities as required by the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999.
As proposed, the new reimbursement formula may force the closure of psychiatric units within hospitals, which care for approximately 50 percent of psychiatric inpatients. The American Hospital Association (AHA) and OHA are calling for rule changes to ensure fair and accurate payment rates to psychiatric facilities, such as hospital-based units and those with emergency departments. Changes are also needed to fairly reimburse facilities that care for complex patients, such as those with other conditions like diabetes, pregnancy or heart failure, and for patients requiring special surgical interventions.
Psychiatric facilities are asked to submit comments to CMS by Feb. 26 urging substantial improvements to the proposed psych PPS rule and contact lawmakers asking them to support changes to the rule. AHA members can access more information about the proposed rule in an Advocacy Alert online at www.aha.org. OHA's comment letter is available for review at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/federal/. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
A push to repeal a temporary one-cent increase in the state sales tax has fallen short. Citizens for Tax Repeal and Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell submitted a petition in December in favor of a repeal of the tax increase, but failed to get the required signatures to introduce the measure before the General Assembly. The group needed 96,870 valid signatures from at least 44 counties to qualify, but fell short by 2,081 names after submitting 94,789 valid signatures.
Tax opponents may now collect additional signatures to meet the requirement, but the signatures cannot be filed until pending challenges to petitions in 58 counties are resolved. If enough valid signatures are secured and the repeal is introduced, legislators would have four months to pass the measure to repeal the sales tax increase, which is otherwise in effect until June 30, 2005. If legislators fail to enact the repeal, the tax opponents would have an opportunity to collect another 97,000 signatures to place the repeal on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The OHA Board of Trustees voted to oppose the proposed repeal, with more than $650 million in Medicaid funding on the line if the short-term one percent tax hike is revoked. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
February 18, 2004
OHA Named Champion for Environment
Leading hospitals in their continued commitment to protecting the
environment, OHA has been recognized as a Hospitals for a Healthy
Environment (H2E) Champion for Change. H2E Champions are organizations
that assist health care facilities in achieving the national H2E goals
and improve their own environmental performance to meet the goals.
H2E acknowledged OHA’s P2 University and Mercury Challenge programs in which OHA and Ohio hospitals are leading the way in pollution prevention, elimination of mercury from hospitals, and reduction to waste stream volume. As a champion, OHA hopes to bring more hospitals on board as H2E Partners to pledge to make changes in their facilities that protect their community's health and the environment. Find more on H2E at www.h2e-online.org. More about OHA’s pollution prevention efforts is available at www.ohanet.org/p2/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org; Susan Zabo, susanz@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
February 19, 2004
A: The OHA Web site!
OHA has a wealth of information about bolstering Ohio’s health care workforce, as well as statistics on turnover and vacancy rates and the current workforce shortage of health care workers. Visit www.ohanet.org/workforce/ for statistics, best practices to attract and retain talented employees and a virtual recruiting toolkit, which includes “Step Into a Career in Health Care,” a booklet created by the Akron Regional Hospital Association describing dozens of health care careers. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
Friday, February 20, 2004
Hospitals in Front Seat of 2004 Presidential Campaign Focus on Jobs
As the presidential campaigns gather steam in the race for the White House, their biggest source of fuel is the issue of American jobs. With the number of jobs decreasing in many markets, the candidates will focus on ways to protect and increase employment -- the type of stable, quality employment provided by hospitals.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, last week released projections on the nation’s job growth over the next 10 years. Seven of the 10 fastest growing occupations stem from health care.
While other employers may export jobs or reduce their workforce during economic downturns, hospital jobs remain local and vital-the economy does not drive the number of people who need health care as it does in other industries, and services are provided in the community, not long-distance. Ohio hospital jobs increased from 208,513 in 1992 to 227,791 in 2002 and the projections outline an even sharper upturn over the next 10 years.
As the election approaches and federal and state legislators kick job discussions into high gear, Ohioans should look to hospitals as models of growing and stable sources of quality jobs. For more information, read OHA’s February edition of Healthbeat at www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/.