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Monday,
October 18, 2004
Emergency departments (EDs) across the country are facing increasing pressure on an already frayed system. A recently released survey from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) shows nearly two-thirds of ED directors reported inadequate on-call specialty coverage.
The study, completed by over 1,400 ED directors, shows 27 percent of respondents said the most significant consequence of the shortage was risk or harm to patients who need specialist care. Delay in patient care, with 21 percent, and more transfers of patients between EDs, with 18 percent, were cited by other respondents as the most significant consequences. The study’s findings lend further evidence to a May 2001 Annals of Emergency Medicine article, which said EDs were not receiving the specialty assistance they needed and the matter was getting worse. The article cited lack of payment, an aging workforce, changing physician lifestyles and excessive professional demands as reasons for inadequate specialty coverage.
However, the ACEP survey does show hospitals are providing some incentives to specialists to take call. About 8 percent paid stipends, while 14 percent provided some medical liability coverage for on-call commitments, which have made some high-risk specialists less willing to take call. View the ACEP survey online at www.acep.org/library/pdf/rwj-final.pdf. To learn more about Ohio’s medical liability insurance crisis and its connection to the Ohio Supreme Court, go to www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
An amendment to eliminate federal modifications to overtime rules was defeated earlier this month in conference committee. The amendment challenged the Fair Labor Standards Act, effective in August, which defined overtime eligibility for a variety of workers, including nurses. The act designated hourly registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses as non-exempt employees, thus eligible for overtime, and salaried RNs earning over $455 per week as exempt, thus not eligible for overtime pay. The American Nurses Association contends the act’s changes negatively impact many nurses, whereas the U.S. Department of Labor calls the impact on nurses minimal. The defeated amendment would have preserved overtime eligibility for approximately 6 million workers. Before being knocked down in conference committee, the Senate attached the amendment to S. 1637, the Jobs and Tax Bill, which is headed back to Congress for final approval. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
October 20, 2004
The Akron Regional Hospital Association (ARHA), along with area medical societies, today held a public rally to call attention to the medical liability insurance crisis.
The rally, which drew over 125 attendees, included testimonials from physicians in the four-county area as well as patients affected by the crisis. Sharon Minson, an Akron-area resident, described her struggles of going through three different obstetricians during her pregnancy. All three physicians were forced out of obstetrics because of skyrocketing medical liability premiums. Those employed in the health care sector said they are affected not only as health care professionals, but also as patients. Kathy Rice, president of Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, said her family physician of 25 years left his practice and moved to Maine because he could no longer afford his liability premiums.
Also attending the rally was Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls), who addressed the importance of the Ohio Supreme Court in upholding medical liability reform legislation since it has struck down the Ohio Legislature's tort reform measures three times in the past thee decades. In addition, ARHA Chair Bill Roderick, CEO of Barberton Citizens Hospital, emphasized the importance of voting on Nov. 2. To learn more about Ohio’s medical liability crisis and its connection to the Ohio Supreme Court, go to www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com.
Thursday,
October 21, 2004
At its most recent meeting, the OHA Board of Trustees received election results for next year’s officers and new members for the Board. The 2005 chair is James Kingsbury, executive director and senior vice president of The University Hospital, Cincinnati. Cathleen Nelson, United Health Partners, Toledo, will assume the chair-elect position and William Harding, president and CEO of Union Hospital, Dover, is the next secretary/treasurer. Thomas Selden, president and CEO, Cleveland Clinic Health System - Eastern Region, is past-chair. Joining for a three-year term as a trustee-at-large is William Considine, president, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Akron. New district representatives for three-year terms are: Larry Unroe, president, Marietta Memorial Hospital; Scott Malaney, president and CEO, Blanchard Valley Medical Center, Findlay; James Pancoast, president and CEO, Good Samaritan Hospital & Heath System, Dayton; and Fred DeGrandis, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Health System - Western Region.
With just two weeks until the Nov. 2 elections, OHA staff emphasized the importance of spreading the “Get Out The Vote” message to hospital employees. “Get Out The Vote” is the final stage of a three-part grassroots effort to educate Ohioans about the medical liability insurance crisis and the Ohio Supreme Court’s role in resolving the problem, and to encourage employees to vote, either at the polls or via absentee ballot. The Board heard an update of the hospital community’s voter registration efforts, which generated 4,200 new voter registrations in Ohio. The Board reviewed a television commercial airing around the state on network and cable TV, as well as a newspaper ad appearing in major metropolitan newspapers about the issue and its connection to the court. View the commercial and more information about the med mal insurance crisis at www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com.
The Board continued discussion on the association’s strategic initiatives for the next four years, looking at the access, finance, leadership and healthy communities/lifestyles initiatives. The Board discussion on the strategic initiatives, which began in September, will continue at the December Board meeting.
The Board was updated on activities of OHA’s political action committee (PAC), Friends of Ohio Hospitals. The PAC reported that polls taken before candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court began aggressively campaigning showed all three Ohio Supreme Court races within one to two points, with half of those polled never having heard of any of the candidates. The PAC also reported on its fundraising activities. The PAC is $17,000 away from meeting its 2004 goal.
Focused on improving medical technology, the Board was updated about the negative impacts on patient safety under the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s stringent requirements of hospitals when implementing the electronic transmission of prescriptions and electronic medical records because of delays and increased costs. The Board also heard updates from OHA Insurance Solutions and the American Hospital Association. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)
ONN Hosts Forum with Ohio Supreme Court Candidates
The Ohio News Network (ONN) will hold a forum showcasing Ohio Supreme
Court candidates tonight from 8-9:30 p.m. The forum, co-sponsored by ONN
and the Ohio League of Women Voters, will begin with 60 minutes of
questions for four associate-justice candidates and will be followed by
a brief statement from Justice Paul E. Pfeifer, who is unopposed, and a
30-minute question-and-answer session with Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer
and his opponent, former Cleveland Municipal Court Judge C. Ellen
Connally. Find out where ONN is available and what channel you can see
ONN on in your community at
www.ohionewsnetwork.com/Global/story.asp?S=1781191&nav=LUEPMKcy, or
check local listings for details.
Four of the seven justices will be elected this November, making the Ohio Supreme Court a critical part of solving Ohio's medical liability insurance crisis. To learn more about Ohio’s medical liability insurance crisis and its connection to the Ohio Supreme Court, go to www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com.
Staffing Management Program Kicks Off
OHA Solutions, an OHA subsidiary, has invited over 160 temporary
staffing agencies from across the state and nation to respond to an RFP
to be part of a statewide initiative that provides hospitals with a
cost-saving, user-friendly, well-monitored and audited agency management
program.
Program benefits for member hospitals include:
Initially, the program will focus on nursing, human resources and radiology departments that employ per diem and traveling clinical staff employees. The agencies applying for consideration with OHA Solutions will be notified of the initial hospitals that have agreed to participate in the OHA statewide initiative on Friday, Oct. 22. If your hospital would like to confirm participation or request more information, please contact Nancy Melcher-Webb at 614.221.7614 or nwebb@ohanet.org or visit www.ohasolutions.com.
Friday,
October 22, 2004
Employees of Ohio's hospitals represent about 3 percent of the state's more than 8.5 million potential voters. At first glance this number may appear small, but it fails to capture the countless connections Ohio's 230,000 hospital workers have with the patients, families, friends and communities that depend on them for leadership and information on important health care issues. When threatened by a crisis such as the current medical liability insurance environment, Ohio's health care community has the power to move entire communities to action. Health care workers are a trusted source of information about this problem and the role of the Ohio Supreme Court in solving it.
In the 2000 presidential election, 7.5 millions Ohioans registered to vote but only about 64 percent of those cast a vote. Fifteen to 20 percent of voters failed to cast a vote for the Ohio Supreme Court. Those interested in encouraging coworkers, family members or others to remember to vote this Nov. 2 can download flyers, posters and other reminder materials at www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com/downloads.aspx. For more information, view the October HealthBeat at www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/2004/1004.htm. Get out and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and vote in the Supreme Court races. Help protect health care in Ohio.
Hospital, Medical Community Saddened by Loss
OHA extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those
lost in Tuesday night’s tragic plane crash in Kirksville, Mo. Dr.
Bridget Wagner and Kathleen Gebard, who supervised medical students in
clinical rotations throughout Ohio hospitals as part of Ohio
University’s Center for Osteopathic Research and Education program, were
among those lost in the crash. Dr. Wagner was also on the Board of the
Ohio Osteopathic Association. Toni Sarantino, a clinical externship
coordinator at St. Joseph’s Health Center, Warren, also passed away in
the crash. Destined for a conference on compassionate medical treatment
at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the three women will
now be remembered for the compassion they showed students and patients
and their contributions to the advancement of medicine in Ohio.