OHA - HEALTH e-NEWS

Congress Proposes Commission to Study Medicaid
Federal lawmakers are calling for creation of a bipartisan commission to study how best to reform Medicaid following President George W. Bush’s proposal to slash $60 billion from Medicaid.

The 23-member commission would include congressional leaders, state and local elected officials, consumer advocates and health care providers. The commission would have 14 months to hold public hearings, conduct its evaluations and deliberations, and issue its report and recommendations to the president, the Congress, and the public. OHA and the American Hospital Association support the legislation as it would provide the right setting to carefully deliberate needed policy changes and ensure the long-term financial stability of the program.

Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) last week introduced H.R. 985 in the House. The legislation is a companion bill to one introduced in the Senate, S. 338, by Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D, Cleveland) is a co-sponsor of the house bill and Ohio Sens. Mike DeWine and George Voinovich are original co-sponsors of the senate bill. Find a news release from Smith at http://gsmith.senate.gov/press/2004/02-09-05.htm and a news release from Bingaman at http://bingaman.senate.gov/Bingaman_Press_Release/bingaman_press_release_3.html. For more information about Medicaid, including key messages and a fact sheet, visit www.ohanet.org/medicaid/. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

Medicaid Forums Held Throughout Ohio
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio will present a series of health policy forums on Medicaid throughout Ohio during the end of February and in March. The forums, What Ohio Medicaid Reform Could Mean to You, will provide an overview of Ohio’s Medicaid program and the state and federal Medicaid reform and budget proposals. The sessions will include time for participant questions and dialogue and participants will also receive a copy of Ohio Medicaid Basics, a recent Healthy Policy Institute publication that provides an overview of Ohio Medicaid, including eligibility, key programs, financing, and expenditures.

The forums are slated for: Feb. 28, Dayton; March 4, Cleveland; March 7, Cincinnati; March 11, Toledo; and March 21, Canton. Dates are also being scheduled for Columbus and Athens. Additional information, including times and locations, are available online at www.healthpolicyohio.org/medicaidforums.html.

Thursday, February 24, 2005
OHA Opposes Reintroduced False Claims Bill
Legislation was reintroduced this session to enact a state False Claims Act, which would prohibit and provide penalties for filing false claims with the state and for defrauding the state of money or property. Senate Bill 39, which received its second hearing Wednesday in the Senate Civil Justice Committee, is sponsored by Sen. David Goodman (R-Columbus) and is supported by State Attorney General Jim Petro, whose office would oversee the proposed investigatory and litigation activities.

OHA met with representatives from Goodman’s and the attorney general’s office on several hospital concerns including: whistleblower provisions would provide perverse incentives for litigation; the bill would impose damages and penalties that greatly exceed ordinary civil remedies in the health care context; the state of Ohio has available an existing arsenal of health care fraud-fighting tools; and the bill does not adequately distinguish between mistakes and dishonesty. OHA will continue working with the bill’s sponsor and the attorney general’s office on OHA’s concerns with bill, which are outlined in a letter at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/letters/SB39Letter.pdf.

The legislation purports to establish a state program that mirrors the federal False Claims Act. OHA advocates the federal law was inappropriately applied to health care providers as it expanded in the mid 1980s, as was seen in the late 1990s when overzealous federal prosecutors accused nearly every Ohio hospital of fraudulently billing a particular laboratory test in a certain manner. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org; Mary Gallagher, maryg@ohanet.org)

Friday, February 25, 2005
New OHA Dashboard Offers State Benchmarks
OHA launched a new tool this week for member hospitals, allowing them to see where they fall among similar Ohio hospitals on select financial and quality indicators. This new service offers hospitals a statewide benchmark, allowing them to more accurately gauge their performance and recognize areas of excellence as well as those needing improvement.

After logging on to the OHA Dashboard Web site, hospital employees enter their facility’s bed number, whether it is urban or rural, and its teaching status. They can then select the data they wish to view: financial reports, quality reports or Medicaid and Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP) information. The financial reports display common profitability measures such as debt service coverage, operating margin and total margin. Quality reports outline core measure rates for heart attack, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and pregnancy. Information on Medicaid and HCAP include inpatient and outpatient Medicaid payment rates and HCAP data.

Hospitals are encouraged to visit the new OHA Dashboard online at www.ohanet.org/research/. The online OHA Dashboard is password protected and hospital employees must request the password by completing the short form available on the site. OHA will update the site as new information becomes available. (David Engler, davide@ohanet/org)

Hospitals Lead the Way
Ohio’s hospitals continue to receive recognition, within their systems, communities, the state and nation for superior performance and many other contributions. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was cited in the Feb. 14 Modern Healthcare for its selection as a model among the seven awardees of Pursuing Perfection, a national initiative for quality improvement. Also appearing in Modern Healthcare, ProMedica Health System was named the second most highly integrated health care network in the U.S.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses awarded the Mount Carmel West Cardiovascular Care Unit a Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence, designating it as a top hospital critical care unit in the nation. Only five hospitals received national recognition. The Ohio State University Medical Center’s nursing department this month received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Association—recognizing the high-caliber nursing staff as well as nursing education and research. Fewer than 3 percent of hospitals nationwide can boast this designation.

The American Alliance of Healthcare Providers announced the Hospital of Choice Award winners for 2005, recognizing America’s most customer-friendly hospitals. Barberton Citizens Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation received these awards.

The Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County awarded Ashtabula County Medical Center with the Bey Blanchard President’s Award at the Best of County event. The event and award recognized the hospital’s dedication to its organization, the community and the county. Marion General Hospital recently received OhioHealth’s first President’s Award, honoring it as the top performing hospital in the system.

On an individual level, Barbara Steele, president of The Toledo Hospital and ProMedica’s Central Region, received the ATHENA Award from The Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce for outstanding leadership. Catherine Koppelmann, Summa Health System’s vice president of patient care services, was recently inducted into Cleveland Magazine’s 2004 Medical Hall of Fame as Nurse of the Year.