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Monday, March 1, 2004
Last week the Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule requiring bar codes on the labels of thousands of human drugs and biological products as an additional safeguard against errors. Advocating on behalf of Ohio's hospitals, OHA has supported the use of bar codes to help protect patients from preventable medication errors and reduce health care costs. The new rule illustrates the potential of information technology in the ongoing effort to improve health care in Ohio and throughout the nation.
Bar codes will help health care workers ensure patients receive the correct drug and dosage and it will allow them to check medications and dosages quickly. The rule also requires machine-readable information on containers of blood and blood components intended for transfusion, though most already contain such labels. For more information on the new regulations, see a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services news release at www.os.dhhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040225.html. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, March 2, 2004
The American Hospital Association (AHA) recognizes two Ohio hospital CEOs for their hospitals’ outstanding support of AHA's and OHA's 2003 political action efforts. AHA honors OHA nominees Frank Perez, president of Kettering Medical Center Network, and the late Ewing (Butch) Crawfis, former president of Mary Rutan Hospital, Bellefontaine, as Ohio’s Most Valuable PAC Players.
Perez and other employees of Kettering Medical Center Network contributed the largest collective amount in the state --nearly $12,000 -- to Friends of Ohio Hospitals, the political action committee for Ohio hospitals and health systems. AHA also honors Crawfis and his Mary Rutan Hospital colleagues for achieving nearly four times their fundraising goal for 2003. Crawfis passed away late last year, but this recognition honors his efforts as well as the support of the hospital’s many associates.
The recipients and their facilities will receive letters of recognition from both OHA and AHA, as well as a plaque honoring their contributions. For more information on the Friends of Ohio Hospitals 2004 campaign, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/pac.htm.
Wednesday,
March 3, 2004
Hospitals Launch Effort to Protect Medicaid Funding
OHA will be working with the American Hospital
Association in the coming months to ensure Congress does not enact cuts
to the Medicaid program in the fiscal year 2005 budget.
A variety of options to reduce Medicaid spending are being discussed, including the president's proposed limit on intergovernmental transfers, and establishing a cap on Medicaid spending. Those changes would result in a loss to the Medicaid program of $9.6 billion over five years, approximately $400 million in Ohio. In addition, state fiscal relief, including the $10 billion increase in Medicaid's federal matching percentage that Congress approved last year, will expire June 30. AHA and state hospital associations also plan to ensure that federal lawmakers are aware of the negative impact such cuts would have on vulnerable populations. OHA will keep members apprised of budget discussions as they progress. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Share with Peers and Link with Lawmakers
Join your peers in Washington D.C. this May for the American Hospital
Association’s (AHA) 2004 Annual Meeting. With the theme, “Advancing
Health in America,” AHA has planned a three-day conference on topics
ranging from patient safety, workforce and hospital finances to
diversity. Registration and more information about the May 2-5
conference are online at
www.aha.org.
State delegation Capitol Hill visits are scheduled for Wednesday, May 5. OHA will help link hospital leaders with lawmakers to highlight important health care issues to hospitals and their patients. OHA is also hosting its annual rooftop Congressional reception at the Jones Day office on Capitol Hill Tuesday, May 4. Hospitals planning to attend the annual meeting and either of the above events should contact Jonathan Archey at jonathana@ohanet.org or 614.221.7614.
Thursday,
March 4, 2004
Beginning in June, Medicare-approved drug discount cards will be available to Medicare beneficiaries. Over the next several weeks, Medicare beneficiaries will receive a letter outlining the new Medicare-Approved Prescription Drug Card Program and early next month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will announce the names of the drug card sponsors approved to offer discount cards through this program. The sponsors will begin enrolling beneficiaries in May and discounts will begin in June, offering an estimated 10-25 percent discount on many prescription drugs. Low-income Medicare beneficiaries may also qualify for an additional $600 credit toward prescription drugs. These voluntary cards are available until Dec. 31, 2005, when the new prescription drug benefit begins.
Hospitals receiving questions from Medicare beneficiaries on the new program should direct them to 1.800.MEDICARE or www.medicare.gov for complete information. For more information, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/drugcard/.
OHA Announces Annual Meeting Keynoters
Each year thousands of health care leaders from across the state flock
to Columbus to share successes and challenges, and learn about key
issues facing Ohio’s hospitals at the OHA Annual Meeting. In addition to
the educational programming and networking opportunities, the 2004
Annual Meeting on June 14-15 will host two dynamic keynote speakers.
Addressing the importance of building a culture of personal commitment in achieving organizational excellence, Peg Neuhauser, president of PCN Associates, will offer practical advice on building an inspiring and enabling work environment, a vital step in retaining valuable employees. An author and professional speaker, Neuhauser has shared her messages with such major corporations as American Airlines, American Hospital Association, General Mills, IBM, American Medical Association and AARP.
Paul H. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., author and former moderator of the PBS series Healing Through Communication, will focus on the commitment health care workers have made to the people they serve and the common bond shared by those who choose to work in the health care community.
For more information on this year’s Annual Meeting, and for registration materials, visit www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/.
Med Mal Forcing Docs Out?
The Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA) is collecting data on how the
professional liability crisis is jeopardizing patient access to care by
surveying hospital staffs, county medical societies and physician
specialty groups. OHA urges hospitals to encourage medical staff
directors and all physicians to complete the one-page survey and return
it to OSMA. The survey is online at
www.osma.org. Fax
surveys to Lito Ramirez at OSMA at 614.527.6763.
OHA is also interested in learning how the professional liability insurance crisis is affecting hospital services, as part of a campaign to raise Ohioans' awareness of the importance of hospitals and their concerns. Please e-mail your hospital’s story to OHA at hospitals_care@ohanet.org. (Mary Yost, maryy@ohanet.org)
Friday,
March 5, 2004
Hospitals Lead the Way
In addition to their health care services, Ohio’s
hospitals and their associates serve as leaders in their communities
through the many services and contributions they make beyond providing
basic care.
The Mission Outreach Department of Mercy Medical Center, Canton, helps local students build career skills and gives them a positive after-school activity. Supervised by a Mercy employee and Project CARE coordinators from Skyline Terrace public housing community, students aged 11 to 14 manage all operations of their snack shop four days a week after school in the apartment complex. All profits from the store’s sales go to the student employees, and new students are chosen every three months.
Also working with local students, East Liverpool City Hospital received the national Betty Scharff Memorial Award for its work with the HOSTS Learning Program, recognizing the hospital’s extra efforts to help children succeed. Through HOSTS, nearly 50 hospital employees volunteer as mentors, working with students to improve reading and comprehension skills. The hospital and its auxiliary also have donated books to the HOSTS Learning Center at LaCroft Elementary.
Mercy Franciscan Hospital Mt. Airy’s Vidas Preciosas program, a maternity care program that offers prenatal care, delivery services and financial assistance, celebrated its one year anniversary. The program was launched to meet the needs of local Hispanic community members and it has enrolled more than 175 Hispanic expectant mothers.
At the 19th Annual People of Vision Awards Dinner this week, Prevent Blindness Ohio honored the outstanding leadership of Mount Carmel and Joe Calvaruso, president and CEO of the Mount Carmel Health System, in the fight against blindness.
ProMedica Health System, Toledo, was named the 4th most comprehensive health care organization in the U.S. based on a survey conducted by research firm Verispan. Other Ohio hospitals ranking in the top 100 are: Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati; University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland; OhioHealth, Columbus; and MetroHealth System, Cleveland. The rankings appeared in Modern Healthcare magazine and are online at www.modernhealthcare.com.
The Ohio Rural Development Partnership recognized Allen Medical Center, Oberlin, and Gerald Klein, president and CEO of Bucyrus Community Hospital, for their positive contributions to the rural hospital community in 2003.
National Organizations Seeking Award Applicants
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and
National Quality Forum are seeking nominations for the 2004 Eisenberg
Patient Safety and Quality Awards. The awards recognize advances in
patient safety and quality improvement. Nominations are due by May 27.
Find a nomination form at
www.jcaho.org in “Headline News.”
The Institute of Medicine is accepting applications for the Gustav O. Lienhard Award to honor outstanding individual achievement toward improving U.S. health care services; and the Rhonda and Bernard G. Sarnat International Award in Mental Health recognizing innovations in mental health care services. For more, visit www.iom.edu/lienhard and www.iom.edu/sarnat.