Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Changes in Store for Newborn Screening
Newborn screening in Ohio undergoes several changes this month, with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) screening for additional disorders and setting public hearings for proposed increases in newborn screening kit fees.

Beginning Aug. 16, ODH will screen for 16 additional disorders, transitioning them from supplemental to mandatory tests. No additional blood is needed for the tests, and hospitals need not obtain parental consent for these screenings after the effective date. For more information, call the ODH laboratory at 1.888.ODH.LABS.

Newborn screening fees may also be on the rise, with public hearings scheduled for August and September. ODH proposed a nearly 34 percent increase in the cost of newborn genetic screening kits, raising the costs from $33.75 to $45.16. An Aug. 31 hearing will cover $9.16 of the increase that will support ODH’s regional genetic and sickle cell programs. A hearing on Sept. 2 before the Public Health Council involves the remaining $2.25 increase to pay for an additional genetic disorder lab test done by ODH.

OHA previously expressed concern with the funding mechanism because hospitals with labor-delivery services subsidize the program due to inadequate reimbursement from Medicaid and uninsured mothers. To view the pending rules, visit http://www.odh.state.oh.us/Rules/rulespend.html. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Extended Stay Allowed for Foreign Med Grads
Certain graduate medical and other students in the U.S. on a J-1 visa who are seeking an H-1B visa may now legally remain in the U.S. until their H-1B petitions are decided. J-1 students typically have a 30- or 60-day grace period, allowing enough time for qualified students to receive H-1B status. Because the congressionally mandated 2004 cap on H-1B visas was met in February, new visas will not be issued until October. Without this extension of the grace period, students who applied for an H-1B visa would be required to leave the country and return when their visa was available.

Foreign students are only eligible for the extension if their prospective employer filed a petition on their behalf by July 31, including an employment start date of Oct. 1, 2004. For more information, see the announcement at http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/pachron.htm.

Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, an American Hospital Association (AHA) publication, listed the Ohio State University Medical Center, for the fifth consecutive year, and ProMedica Health System, Toledo, for the second year in a row, and TriHealth, Cincinnati, on its list of the 101 most wired health systems in the nation. The designation refers to the inventive use of wireless and Internet technologies to connect with patients, physicians, nurses and others. Catholic Healthcare Partners, Cincinnati, and Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital, Wadsworth, were listed in the magazine’s most improved list. Hospitals & Health Networks and AHA also gave Southern Ohio Medical Center, Portsmouth, Holzer Clinic, Gallipolis, and Holzer Clinic Jackson, Jackson, a 2004 NOVA Award for the vision and innovation of their collaborative effort on the River Cities Community Health Coalition with partner hospitals in Kentucky.

Ohio hospitals are also being recognized for providing excellent customer service and value to their communities. Barberton Citizens Hospital, Barberton, and the Cleveland Clinic are both recent recipients of the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers’ Choice Awards for 2004, which recognize the nation’s most customer-friendly hospitals.

In addition, Wooster Community Hospital has been named one of the top 100 hospitals in the country in providing value to its community by Cleverley & Associates, a well-known company in the hospital finance field. The hospital is one of only 25 selected in the Large Rural Hospital category. (Mary Sterenberg, marys@ohanet.org)