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Monday, May 31, 2004
OHA is closed in celebration of the Memorial Day holiday.
Tuesday, June 1, 2004
Nurse executives and other hospital representatives met with state representatives recently to educate the legislators on the negative impact proposed legislation could have on the safety and well-being of patients. More than a dozen Akron-area nurse executives met with Rep. Marilyn Slaby (R-Akron) and nearly a dozen Toledo-area hospital representatives met with Rep. Lynn Olman (R-Maumee) regarding House Bill 382, which would prohibit hospitals from requiring nurses to work more than an agreed to, predetermined schedule. Reps. Slaby and Olman both serve on the House Health and Family Services Committee, which is considering the legislation.
OHA and the Ohio Organization for Nurse Executives oppose the bill because hospitals rarely if ever mandate that nurses work overtime and must have flexibility in determining appropriate staffing to ensure patient safety, especially during times of local emergencies.
HB 382 is sponsored by Rep. John Widowfield (R-Cuyahoga Falls), whose aide presented sponsor testimony in the House Health Committee last week, prior to adjournment for the legislative summer recess. The bill will not resume hearings until the fall but OHA will continue to work hospital representatives to educate committee members throughout the summer. For more information on OHA’s position on this legislation, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/nurseovertime.htm. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Governor Okays Plan for Tobacco Funds
Gov. Bob Taft has signed legislation outlining how Ohio will use its
share of the national tobacco settlement over the next two years. House
Bill 434, sponsored by Rep. Charles Calvert (R-Medina), provides $108
million to the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF),
created in 2000 to develop and implement programs designed to decrease
tobacco use in Ohio.
The bill also provides nearly $600,000, for state fiscal years 2005 and 2006, to OHA's Foundation for Healthy Communities to help hospitals that provide pulmonary rehabilitation services. More than 50 Ohio hospitals submitted applications for this funding. The foundation will also receive $800,000 over two years to help hospitals provide medical, preventive and outreach services to uninsured pregnant women and children. Hospital can access more information on available funds at www.ohanet.org/HealthyCommunities/. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
June 2, 2004
The Cleveland Clinic Appoints New CEO
The Cleveland Clinic this week announced the appointment of Dr. Delos
“Toby” Cosgrove, an internationally renowned heart surgeon, as chief
executive officer and chairman of the Board of Governors. Cosgrove, 63,
will follow Dr. Floyd “Fred” Loop’s 14-year run as CEO when he leaves in
October.
The Clinic began its search for Loop’s successor in January and chose Cosgrove from a group of seven staff physicians. Cosgrove is a well-known expert in the field of heart valve repair and has performed more than 18,000 surgical procedures. Board members said Cosgrove was chosen because of his clinical talent and great people skills. He will be the Clinic’s fifth leader since being founded in 1921.
Hospitals Can Review Data Before Release
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
(JCAHO) will publicly release organization-specific performance
information online starting July 15. As of June 4, hospitals can review
their data at their JCAHO extranet site under “Quality Check.” Hospitals
have 30 days to verify the accuracy of information contained in the
report, and should contact JCAHO via the site to correct any inaccurate
information. Hospital may also opt to submit commentary up to two pages
in length to JCAHO for inclusion in the Quality Report.
The report released made public July 15 will include information on hospitals’ accreditation, disease-specific care certification, quality awards, achievement of national patient safety goals, achievement of national quality improvement goals and more. Call JCAHO account representatives or e-mail qualityreport@jcaho.org with questions and comments about the report. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)
Ohio Hospitals on Target with BBP Standards
Government hospital administrators may have received a letter from the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently regarding the
requirement in the Medicare Modernization Act that all Medicare
participating hospitals comply with bloodborne pathogens (BBP)
standards. The letter incorrectly cited Ohio as a state that did not
previously comply with these Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) standards.
Ohio has a Public Employee Risk Reduction Advisory Commission (PERRAC) to ensure safe and healthy working environment for public employees and it has adopted all OSHA standards. Government hospitals in Ohio have been, and continue to be, required to comply with all OSHA standards including the BBP standard. More information on PERRAC is available at http://perrp.bes.state.oh.us/w3/webpo2.nsf/pages/PERRPAC and the BBP standards are online at www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
June 3, 2004
Ohio will receive more than $8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue improving hospital preparedness for bioterrorist attacks, infectious diseases and natural disasters. The grants, administered through HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will aid hospitals’ ability to handle mass casualties, including temporary bed capacity, isolation and decontamination capacity, health care staffing and pharmaceutical supplies. The money will be distributed through the Ohio Department of Health.
Hospitals can use these funds for efforts such as the implementation of the Ohio emergency overhead codes. One set of codes, denoting emergencies such as fires, severe weather or hazardous material spills, was developed for the state of Ohio to work toward standardization across the state’s health care institutions. Hospitals are required to implement these codes to be eligible for the grant money, and may use HRSA funds to offset the costs of materials and training. A list and description of these codes, as well as examples of training resources for implementation are available at www.ohanet.org/terrorism_preparedness/resources/default.htm. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)
New Do’s of Political Activity Online
The revised Guidelines on Participating in Political & Lobbying
Activity is now available on the Friends of Ohio Hospitals Web site
to help hospitals better understand permitted political activity for
fundraising and other lobbying activities. The document outlines
permissible political activity for hospitals, for-profit organizations,
OHA, political action committees and individuals in regards to
contributions and communications with hospital staff, political
candidates and the public. Find the guidelines at
www.friendsofohiohospitals.org/runacampaign/dos.pdf. (Stacey Walton,
staceyw@ohanet.org)
Friday,
June 4, 2004
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted to its Web site corrections to three of the payment rate tables for the inpatient prospective payment system’s proposed rule for fiscal year 2005.
The tables contained errors in the average hourly wages and proposed wage index values for a number of hospitals when published in the May 18 Federal Register. Tables 3A, 4A and 4G are necessary for hospitals to assess the impact of various provisions in the rule and to estimate their Medicare payments in 2005. The revised information is especially important for hospitals required to determine whether to request their geographic areas be reclassified to an area with higher payment rates.
For more information on the proposed rule, CEOs and other hospital staff can refer to OHA bulletin 04-009, which was sent last month and details the proposed changes along with an attached analysis. OHA’s annual review of Medicare and Medicaid policy and payment changes will be held Tuesday, Oct. 5, at the Villa Milano in Columbus. The revised tables can be viewed at www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/hipps/ippswage.asp. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)
National Award to Honor Health Care Workers
Cherokee Uniforms, a national designer and manufacturer of health care
apparel, is accepting nominations of exceptional nurses and other
non-physician health care professionals for its 2004 Cherokee Inspired
Comfort Award. The award, created last year, honors health care
professionals for their impact on the lives of others through their
service, sacrifice and innovation.
The deadline for nominations is June 30, and winners will be announced nationally in September for each of four categories: registered nurses, licensed practical nurses/licensed vocational nurses, student nurses and other non-physician health care professionals. Candidates may be nominated in two categories but only may win in one. Winners receive prizes such as all-expense paid Caribbean cruises for two, all-expense paid trips to medical conferences, annual memberships to clinical associations and more. Submission forms and guidelines are available at Cherokee Uniforms’ Web site at www.cherokeeuniforms.com.