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Monday,
November 8, 2004
OHA is now seeking presentation ideas and speakers for its 90th annual meeting, planned for June 20 and 21 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton - a NEW location for 2005.
Also new for 2005 is how proposals are submitted. Presentation and speaker ideas must be submitted online to OHA by Jan. 5 at www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/presentations/default.htm. The selection of presentations by the annual meeting planning committee will be announced in March. Possible topics can include, but are not limited to: quality, patient safety, compliance, organizational development performance, risk and insurance management, access, healthy communities, leadership, workforce issues, adequate funding and public relations.
Hospital Info Online for Accuracy Check
Hospitals participating in the Hospital Quality Alliance for the full
Medicare market basket update next year should verify their facilities’
information, which is online starting today. The name, facility type and
accreditation status of each hospital will be available for review at
www.qnetexchange.org before CMS launches a consumer-friendly
hospital quality Web site in February. Other information, including
hospital ownership, will also be available to researchers but not the
general public.
Hospitals should contact Ohio KePRO to report any errors by Dec. 3. If a hospital does not respond by this date, CMS will assume its information is correct. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
In the shadow of this season’s flu vaccine shortage, a new Web site launching today offers a one-stop shop for vital immunization and vaccine information. Sponsored by OHA, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Ohio KePRO, the site can help health care providers and others stay on top of the ever-changing flow of information, including how to obtain adequate amounts of vaccine.
Available at www.ohanet.org/flu/, the site includes:
- Direct links to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ODH, OHA, Ohio KePRO and American Hospital Association information;
- Information on vaccine availability for Ohio hospitals willing to share or needing extra doses;
- Current recommendations on who should receive a flu shot;
- Downloadable posters, flyers and other resources touting the importance of immunization and other ways to prevent the flu;
- An explanation of FluMist as an alternative to a flu shot.
Promoting the immunization of priority Ohioans, including hospital employees and other health care providers, is a strong emphasis of the Web site. Health care workers are dedicated to caring for their patients, and worker and patient immunization programs can play a big role in this care. Visit www.ohanet.org/flu/ throughout the 2004-05 flu season for up-to-date information on the vaccine shortage, immunization programs and changes in national and state regulations and recommendations. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)
MedPAC Report Finds Specialty Hospitals Have More Profitable Patients
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) presented its
preliminary findings from a mandated report on specialty hospitals at a
recent meeting, showing physician-owned specialty heart, orthopedic and
surgical hospitals have a more profitable mix of patients than community
hospitals and other freestanding hospitals. Federal legislation passed
late last year put an 18-month moratorium on new physician-owned
hospitals pending further study on their operations and impact. The
moratorium ends in June. With the federal moratorium in place, OHA
stopped pursuing similar state legislation, House Bill 71.
MedPAC says this trend is a function of unintended financial incentives within the current Medicare payment system, which sets payment rates that are more profitable for some diagnosis-related groups than for others. MedPAC’s findings “confirm that the profitability of limited-service providers comes at the expense of community hospitals and has a greater impact on community access to care,” said Ellen Pryga, director of public policy and development for the American Hospital Association. MedPAC’s final report, required by the Medicare Modernization Act, and recommendations are due to Congress this spring. To see the transcript of MedPAC’s Oct. 29 meeting, go to www.medpac.gov/public_meetings/transcripts/1004_SpecHosp_JP_trans.pdf. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
November 10, 2004
Based on feedback from OHA and Ohio’s hospitals, the Ohio Department of Health will review and revise a draft rule requiring hospitals to report certain birth defects and complete a form of more than 100 questions. OHA reported two-thirds of discharges with reportable birth defects in 2003 occurred in children’s hospitals, and the majority of hospitals reported less than seven such discharges. In response, ODH will tailor the rule more closely to children’s and certain tertiary care centers. OHA also opposed placing an additional unfunded mandate on hospitals’ already-stretched budgets, and voiced concern about the draft rule’s extensive reporting requirements.
Hospitals with labor-delivery and pediatric services should review the draft rule under “Birth Defects Information System” at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/Regulations/regulations.pdf and continue to communicate concerns directly to ODH. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
New Hospital to Serve Defiance
A new Ohio hospital, Mercy Hospital of Defiance, opened Nov. 1.
The new hospital is a joint venture between the Defiance Clinic
and St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, a member of
Mercy Health Partners. It provides non-emergency inpatient and
outpatient surgery and medical care using a universal bed concept, in
which patients are cared for in the same room by the same medical team
during all phases of their care. For more information, visit
www.ehealthconnection.com/regions/toledo/content/show_facility.asp?facility_id=160.
Hospital Flu Info Needed
Hospitals are reminded to respond to OHA’s recent e-mail request for
current information on the amount of flu vaccine they need to inoculate
priority risk groups. Please provide this information to Carol Jacobson
at carolj@ohanet.org by Friday
and OHA will forward this information to the Ohio Department of Health.
Hospitals are advised to contact their local health departments for
information on sharing vaccine or obtaining additional doses. Visit
www.ohanet.org/flu/
for more information on this season's flu vaccine shortage. (Carol
Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)
Thursday,
November 11, 2004
The 125th Ohio General Assembly continued to work on pending legislation as the Senate and the House covered hospital-related legislation in hearings yesterday. Senate Bill 147, regarding the practice of physician assistants and the establishment of physician-delegated prescriptive authority, cleared the Senate Health, Human Services & Aging Committee without opposition. The bill is expected to receive a vote of the full Senate next week. The measure still needs to clear the House before the end of the year or it will need to be re-introduced in January. OHA supports the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon).
Sponsor testimony was also given on other hospital-related bills. Rep. Tony Core (R-Rushylvania) testified before the Senate Health, Human Services & Aging Committee on House Bill 239, OHA's hospital tax-exempt bond bill, saying the measure essentially re-enacts laws dealing with hospital bonding procedures, allows for the director of the Ohio Department of Development to issue tax-exempt bonds and establishes it is not a conflict of interest for a public official to serve on a hospital board. OHA is seeking to have the bill signed by the governor before the end of the year. Sponsor testimony was also heard in the House Health Committee, where Rep. Jim Raussen (R-Cincinnati) testified on House Bill 541. Known as the hospital information bill, Rep. Raussen said HB 541 would require the Ohio Department of Health to use collected data to provide a Web site citizens could use to compare costs of stays at various hospitals. OHA is still analyzing the bill and will keep members apprised of further developments in the fall legislative session. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org; Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
CMS Releases 2005 Outpatient Final Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week put on
display its final rule with changes to the Medicare outpatient
prospective payment system for calendar year 2005. CMS said the final
rule provides for a 3.3 percent inflation update in payment rates for
hospital outpatient services, which, together with other policies
contained in the final rule, will increase projected Medicare payments
to hospitals for outpatient services to $24.6 billion compared to
projected payments of $23.1 billion in 2004.
However, the American Hospital Association expressed disappointment the final rule does not include new evaluation and management codes or coding guidelines for hospital outpatient departments. CMS did reiterate it will implement new codes only after development of guidelines for their use, which will be available on the CMS Web site when completed. The regulation will be published in the Nov. 15 Federal Register and will take effect Jan. 1, 2005. Comments will be accepted regarding new codes and their ambulatory payment classification assignment during the 60-day period following publication. For more information, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/hopps/2005fc/1427fc.asp. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)
Friday,
November 12, 2004
A new tool released this week by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) can help hospitals look at patient safety improvement from a new angle. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture looks at the big patient safety picture, measuring organizational conditions that can lead to adverse events and patient harm. The survey allows hospitals to assess employees' attitudes about patient safety, teamwork within and across units, openness of communication, response to errors and other key components of a culture of safety.
Visit www.ahrq.gov/qual/hospculture to access the survey and a user's guide. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture includes the survey guide, the survey and a feedback report template hospitals can use to enter their data and produce customized feedback reports for management and staff. Premier, Inc., the Department of Defense and the American Hospital Association partnered with AHRQ in the creation of this new resource. For more information, view a news release at www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2004/hospcult2pr.htm. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)
Electronic Drug Record Keeping in Hospitals on
Pharmacy Board Radar