OHA - HEALTH e-NEWS

Monday, March 21, 2005
Hospital Action Needed on Budget

While the Ohio House of Representatives continues working on its version of the state’s $51 billion biennial budget over spring recess this week, hospitals are encouraged to contact lawmakers in support of several OHA amendments related to health care.

Leaders on the House Finance and Appropriations Committee hope that a substitute bill incorporating changes made by various subcommittees over the past several weeks will be ready for a committee and full House vote right after the spring recess ends the week of April 4.

OHA encourages hospitals with a state representative sitting on the full Finance Committee to contact their elected official this week and urge their support of eight amendments submitted by OHA dealing with a variety of issues from recalibration standards and hospital reimbursement for Medicaid to taxes on certain types of insurance premiums. These amendments, if not incorporated into the state budget, will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses to Ohio hospitals and will jeopardize health care for tens of thousands of Ohioans. A list of Finance Committee members is available at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/resources/housefinancecommittee.pdf.

Detailed information about the areas of concern, including Medicaid managed care, recalibration and reimbursement, parental coverage and enrollment in Medicaid and a surplus insurance tax, is available in the latest OHA Advocacy Alert at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/network/report/2005/031805Alert.pdf. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Chamber Urges Congress to Extend Limited-Service Hospital Moratorium

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week urged Congress to extend the moratorium on physician ownership and referral to limited-service hospitals. “The business community is concerned about the potential for physician owners to refer the most profitable patient cases to entities in which they have a financial interest, while referring more complicated and poorly reimbursed cases to general hospitals serving the community at large,” Bruce Josten, executive vice president of government affairs of the chamber, said in a letter to leaders of the House and Senate. Josten said the chamber “believes further evaluation of this topic is warranted, and thus urges an extension of the current moratorium.”

The current moratorium on physician-owned, limited-service hospitals ends in June. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently recommended an extension of the current moratorium on these types of facilities until January 2007. OHA supports a permanent moratorium on such facilities and is working with Ohio’s congressional delegation in support of that position. OHA expects legislation to be introduced soon by key U.S. Senate members to address the moratorium. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Hospital PAC Kicks Off 2005 Campaign
Friends of Ohio Hospitals, OHA’s political action committee (PAC), today kicked off its 2005 fundraising campaign. The PAC is accepting contributions to support candidates who have a continued commitment to hospital issues and understand hospital needs as these facilities continue to provide top-quality care in an ever-changing environment.

This year’s statewide goal is $134,000. The majority of funds raised will be used to support candidates at the statewide level, while the remainder will be directed to members of Congress.

For more information on Friends of Ohio Hospitals, visit www.friendsofohiohospitals.org/ or contact Jeff Klingler at jeffk@ohanet.org or 614.221.7614.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
OHA Offers Hospital Perspective on ODH Regulations
OHA continues to work with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) on several rules proposed that would impact Ohio’s hospitals:

►In response to concerns voiced by OHA and its members, ODH revised proposed birth defect information system rules that identify the types of birth defects to be reported, the reporting requirements and implementation guidelines. The draft rule would have required hospitals and physicians to report detailed and extensive information regarding birth defects. A hearing for the revised proposal is scheduled for April 26 and hospitals can also submit written comments to ODH by that date. For more information on the proposed rule, visit www.odh.ohio.gov/Rules/Pending/Chap57/PR57_lst.htm.

►A committee of ODH’s Radiation Advisory Council reviewed licensing and inspection fees for health care and other businesses that use radioactive material and is proposing fee increases. The draft proposal is now available online at www.odh.ohio.gov/Rules/Draft/Chap1_38/DR1_38.lst.htm and hospitals can submit comments until April 15. Comments will be reviewed before a hearing is scheduled.

Please also forward comments to Rick Sites at ricks@ohanet.org to help OHA gauge member concerns.

In other news, the Ohio Department of Health has responded to a request from OHA’s Small and Rural Hospital Committee to enforce licensing requirements for all freestanding birth centers in Ohio. The committee wrote in February to Department Director Nick Baird, M.D., voicing concern with the safety and quality of care patients receive at unlicensed facilities. In response, Baird said the department has begun regulatory action against one unlicensed facility and will work with OHA to identify other unlicensed freestanding birth centers. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Thursday, March 24, 2005
Hospitals Quality Data Ready for the Masses
Hospital quality data voluntarily submitted by over 4,000 hospitals nationwide will be made available to consumers Friday, April 1 at noon when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launches the Hospital Compare Web site at the Association of Health Care Journalists National Conference in North Carolina. The new site is part of the public-private partnership known as the Hospital Quality Initiative, which is a collaborative effort of CMS, the American Hospital Association (AHA), Federation of American Hospitals and Association of American Medical Colleges.

The site, www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov, will allow consumers to research and compare hospital quality data for three common medical conditions–heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. Information about patients’ perspectives on their care and other conditions may be added in the future.

AHA member hospitals were sent a Quality Advisory this week with a communication checklist, key messages and frequently asked questions. Early next week, OHA will share the AHA advisory with members, along with resources from Ohio’s quality information organization, Ohio KePRO, and a collaborative news release of OHA and Ohio KePRO. The resources will also be available on OHA’s Web site.

Hospitals are encouraged to remind patients that Hospital Compare is just one resource to help consumers make informed health care decisions. Patients should continue to consult physicians, nurses and other health care providers, friends and family, and check insurance coverage before selecting a hospital. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

Hospitals Lead the Way

Committed to ongoing improvement and providing top quality care to their patients, Ohio’s hospitals continue to receive recognition for service excellence and innovative programs.

Solucient announced its 100 Top Hospitals, categorized by Major Teaching Hospitals, Teaching Hospitals, Large Community Hospitals, Medium Community Hospitals and Small Community Hospitals. Summa Health System, Akron; Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus; Grant Medical Center, Columbus; Charles F. Kettering Memorial Hospital; Bethesda North Hospital, Cincinnati; Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital; Warren; Mercy Medical Center, Springfield; and EMH Regional Medical Center, Elyria, appear on the 2004 list. Solucient also recognized the 100 Top Hospitals in cardiovascular care, recognizing University Hospitals of Cleveland; Cleveland Clinic Foundation; The Christ Hospital; Cincinnati; and Bethesda North Hospital, Cincinnati.

Allen Medical Center also received national recognition, honored with a Spirit of Excellence for Service award from Sodexho Healthcare Services and Modern Healthcare magazine for its Emergency “No Wait” Guarantee that ensures patients see a physician within one hour of their arrival at the emergency department. The patients of Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital’s emergency center rated it better than 99 percent of all hospitals in a comparison of more than 1,000 hospitals by Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

Mercy Hospital Clermont this month won the first Quality and Patient Safety Award presented by Mercy Health Partners, honoring the hospital’s commitment to patient safety and quality of care. Stephen Colecchi, president and CEO of Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, recently earned Fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the highest level of professional achievement offered by the organization. (Mary Sterenberg, marys@ohanet.org)

Friday, March 25, 2005
Board Discusses Support for Moratorium Extension, Partners in 100k Lives Campaign
At its March meeting, the OHA Board of Trustees continued discussion of limited-service, physician-owned hospitals and the threat they pose to the health care delivery system. OHA supports the American Hospital Association’s position and seeks a permanent moratorium on these facilities. Since the Board’s previous meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee issued a report to Congress endorsing an extension of the federal moratorium, set to expire in June 2005, and several national groups, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also voiced support for an extension. Ohio’s hospitals are continuing conversations with the state’s physicians, through OHA and the Ohio State Medical Association's support and leadership, to seek new ways for hospitals and physicians to work collaboratively in their local communities.

Looking to the future of quality care in Ohio, the Board approved OHA’s participation in the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s 100k lives campaign, an effort to avoid 100,000 deaths over the next 18 months through the wide-scale implementation of a few proven interventions. The Board also approved OHA’s two-year work plan, and discussed the standardized, statewide electronic bed tracking system that will be instituted in all Ohio hospitals by June 1 to be ready for use during disaster situations.

Looking toward the emerging state and federal advocacy priorities for hospitals, the Board talked about OHA’s opposition to the proposed freeze on Medicaid reimbursements and the estimated $142 million cost to hospitals over the next two years. The Board also began discussions on the state’s plan to recalibrate Medicaid payments and possible OHA responses, both regulatory and legislative. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)

Hospital-Physician Relationship Survey Seeks Hospital Input

The American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD), in partnership with Mitretek Healthcare, Inc., is sponsoring a national study on physician-hospital relationships. The study will examine the many factors putting pressure on these crucial relationships in today’s health care environment, strategies employed by hospitals to strengthen relationships with physicians and the effectiveness of these strategies. This study will expand upon a 2003 regional study in the New England area, which included input from CEOs and physician leaders at 55 hospitals.

Hospital staff members responsible for the hospital-physician relationship, CEOs and physician leaders are encouraged to complete a survey related to this study by April 5. Those submitting responses will receive a brief executive summary of the data, and the full report will be available for purchase in the fall. The survey may be completed online at http://idf.mitretek.org/phrs.