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Monday,
August 23, 2004
Legislation will take effect next month requiring new living will forms to include language allowing individuals to declare their wishes to become an organ donor and to register their decision with the Ohio Organ Donor Registry. OHA is working with the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Association, the Ohio State Medical Association and the Ohio State Bar Association to craft a new living will form and distribute it to hospitals, physicians and other provider groups.
The law takes effect Sept. 16, but allows a grace period, until Dec. 15, for providers to obtain the new printed materials. Members are advised that the law will not affect the validity of a declaration executed before the effective date of the new law. OHA will distribute the new form to members through an upcoming OHA Bulletin as well as by posting it on the OHA Web site. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
OHA is seeking member nominations to fill an open hospital representative position on the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF), which was established in 1999 by state lawmakers to award grants for projects designed to reduce tobacco use among minorities, children, pregnant women and other high-use populations.
The 20-member board has one hospital representative, who will be appointed by the governor upon receiving nominations from OHA. Members of the board are asked to serve five-year terms and meet one day every month. Candidates should be a hospital/health system CEO or a senior-level executive within the organization, and priority will be given to nominees from hospitals that will treat a high percentage of patients targeted by the trust fund dollars. A memo was sent to hospital CEOs last week with attached nomination forms, which are due by Sept. 10. For more information or to request a nomination form, contact Jeff Klingler at 614.221.7614 or jeffk@ohanet.org.
Wednesday,
August 25, 2004
OHA Solutions, an OHA resource created to address hospitals’ distinct needs, has developed a statewide program to assist Ohio hospitals with managing temporary staffing agencies. The management and supplemental staffing program will help address hospitals’ workforce needs by ensuring the quality of nursing, radiology and imaging staff often hired through temporary staffing agencies, and offering potential savings on standardized dollar-per-hour rates.
Managing temporary staff is an escalating problem for many hospitals since according to a 2002 Staffing Industry Analyst Inc. report, there are now over 9,000 supplemental staffing agencies in the country. Regardless of the number of temporary staff being used in hospitals, this statewide program will maximize hospitals’ purchasing power and save time and money through a short- and long-term solution that allows hospital staff to stay in control. The program will have:
OHA Solutions staff recently contacted hospitals to provide further details. For more information go to www.ohasolutions.com or contact Nancy Melcher-Webb at nwebb@ohanet.org or 614.221.7614.
Campaign Targets Need for Nursing Faculty
The Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT) campaign recently launched an
outreach effort to increase the number of nurse educators available to
teach in nursing schools and clinical settings throughout the country.
With many organizations working to promote nursing and the demand for a
nursing education on the rise, nursing colleges and universities are
struggling to expand their capacity. They are also preparing for the
increase in faculty retirements expected over the next decade. Ohio
schools of nursing are particularly concerned with the Ohio's supply of
nursing faculty and will be collaborating with nursing and employer
groups, including OHA, this fall to design further strategies to get
more faculty into schools across the state.
The NHT campaign includes color advertising, a career profile of a nurse educator, ready-to-run articles, a grassroots element and an outreach focus aimed at nursing journals and the mass media. For more information on supporting the campaign, and to view a press release, the advertising and other campaign materials, visit www.nursesource.org/campaign_news.html. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
August 26, 2004
The final version of the 2004 Hospital Care Assurance Program assessment and distribution model is now available at www.ohanet.org/hcap. Hospitals must pay half of their assessments by Aug. 27 and the second half by Sept. 15. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will make payments to hospitals on Sept. 10 and Sept. 29. (Ryan Biles, ryanb@ohanet.org)
OHA Strategic Directions Revisited; Board Adds Initiatives
The OHA Board of Trustees began working on a new four-year strategic
directions document at its annual retreat this month. Strategic
objectives of the past four years got a fresh look as Board members
worked in breakout groups to review existing initiatives focused on
access to care, adequate financing, hospitals’ leadership role in
promoting healthy and prosperous communities, Ohioans’ lifestyle choices
and hospitals’ ability to attract and retain talented staff. In
addition, the Board determined three new initiatives should be added to
deal with accountability issues, hospitals’ relationships with
physicians and quality and patient safety. OHA’s mission and vision
statements are also being examined for possible updates in work that
will continue in September. As with the strategic directions drafted
four years ago, the association’s work over the next four years is being
designed with a focus on creating Ohio hospitals’ best possible future.
(Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)
Ubbing Replaces Retired Board Member
Mina Ubbing, CEO of Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, will
fill a vacant seat on the OHA Board of Trustees, formerly occupied by
Philip Hearing, who retired as president and CEO of Southeastern Ohio
Regional Medical Center in Cambridge earlier this year. Ubbing will
assume Hearing’s seat for the remainder of his term, which ends Dec. 31,
2005.
Friday,
August 27, 2004
As Ohioans consider issues and candidates for the November elections, the medical malpractice insurance crisis is a key topic to add to the mental checklist. Registering to vote by Oct. 4, and casting a vote on Nov. 2 can help ease a crisis that is making it harder to keep good doctors in Ohio and driving up health care costs.
Due to a struggling insurance industry, growing jury awards and the need for stable liability law, the rates Ohio physicians pay for liability insurance are among the highest in the nation. Many physicians are being forced to leave Ohio, retire early or stop performing certain procedures. This threatens patients’ freedom and flexibility in selecting doctors, putting at risk their access to health care. With fewer physicians practicing in the state, health care costs of service are also likely to increase.
The Ohio Supreme Court has the final word on legislation affecting the state’s medical malpractice insurance environment, and four of seven justices--and the balance of the court--will be decided in November by the state’s voters. Ohioans are encouraged to discuss the situation with trusted physicians and visit www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com for more information.
It is the right and responsibility of Ohioans to educate themselves
on issues that impact them and their families, such as the professional
liability crisis, and to register to vote and head to the polls on Nov.
2. For more information, view the August Healthbeat at
www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/2004/0804.htm.