|
| Hot Issues |
| Publications |
| Advocacy Center |
| Research & Data |
| Education |
| News Media Center |
| Find a Hospital Job |
| Membership |
| Corporate Partners |
| Home |
Search:
 |
Monday,
April 11, 2005
Bill Offers Added Support for Advance Directives
With a national spotlight falling on end-of-life health care
decisions, federal legislation aimed at improving individuals’
access to information about their end-of-life health care options
was introduced last week by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Bill
Nelson (D-FL). Supported by the American Hospital Association, S.
347 encourages and pays for seniors to seek guidance from their
physicians on advance directives and other health care planning
decisions. The bill builds on the Patient Self-Determination Act and
Medicare regulations that currently work to educate the public by
requiring hospitals to provide public education on advance
directives.
This issue also received Ohio press recently when a Fairfield Medical Center nurse was accused of practicing law without a license by providing community education on advance directives as required by federal and state law. The nurse and hospital responded to the Ohio Supreme Court’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and that office will choose to either dismiss the complaint or conduct a hearing before the Board on the Unauthorized Practice of Law. To learn more, or to download advance directives materials and forms for help in making end-of-life decisions, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/advance_directives.htm. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
Tuesday, April 12 2005
Thirty health care professionals will have the opportunity to improve the quality and safety of care for racial and ethnic minorities and maximize cultural diversity within their institutions through a one-year Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship. The new fellowship was created by the Health Research and Educational Trust, in collaboration with the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership and the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum to help select health care leaders better meet the needs of their communities, patients and organizations.
Through executive leadership retreats, self-study modules and a virtual learning community, fellows will explore their leadership and cultural competency abilities through assessment, feedback, coaching and an individualized leadership development plan. Through an Action Learning Project participants will learn to structure and execute programs that are effective in improving the health of their particular workforce and patient communities. Applications must be submitted by the end of April. For more information and application materials, visit www.hret.org/hret/about/hffellowships.html.
Hospital Receives Critical Access Designation
Wyandot Memorial Hospital in Upper Sandusky was granted Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation, effective March 1, 2005. The federal CAH program entitles select small, rural hospitals to Medicare cost-based reimbursement. To become a CAH, hospitals must provide 24-hour emergency services along with inpatient care, laboratory and radiology services, and meet other specific criteria.
Wyandot Memorial Hospital is the 30th Ohio hospital to receive the designation. For a complete list of Ohio CAHs, go to www.ohanet.org/about_oha/cah.asp. (David Hendershot, davidh@ohanet.org)
Wednesday,
April 13, 2005
The Ohio House of Representatives yesterday approved its version of House Bill 66, a biennium budget that responds to several concerns voiced by hospitals but also brings major reductions to Medicaid eligibility and reimbursement. In response to OHA recommendations, an amendment proposed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and opposed by hospitals was not included, and the House retained language requiring managed care companies to post a $1 million surety bond. OHA will continue to advocate in the Senate for a threshold of $3 million or 3 percent of expected medical underwriting expenses the entity will incur in the next 12-month contracting period, as adequately funded surety bonds will help safeguard hospitals in the event managed care plans become insolvent.
Though the House did restore vision and partial dental services under Medicaid, HB66 cuts overall eligibility for 25,000 working adults. Without intervention from the Senate, it will also deal a blow to Ohio’s hospitals, freezing reimbursement rates to providers at a cost of $142.8 million over the next two years. OHA will advocate in the Senate for the restoration of at least an outpatient update. The freeze on reimbursement also may be compounded by a proposed Medicaid recalibration that, if approved by the Joint Commission on Agency Rule Review next week, would cost hospitals an additional $66 million—an estimate that hospitals deem low.
Though provisions that stipulate payment rates for non-contracting hospitals and a proposed tax on hospital captives and surplus lines of insurance were not deleted from the House budget, OHA will continue to seek elimination of these provisions in the Senate. Under the House budget, the Aged, Blind and Disabled population will also be placed in managed care, except for dual eligibles, those under 21, waiver populations and behavioral health.
The Senate continues work on its version of the budget, which must be completed by late May to allow one month for conference committee deliberations before the July 1 deadline for completion of the budget. State fiscal year 2006 begins July 1. (Bridget Gargan, bridgetg@ohanet.org)
Flu Season Moderate After March Peak
Despite a nationwide panic over a shortage of influenza vaccine in the fall, flu activity in the U.S. and Ohio was moderate throughout flu season and this week fell to its lowest level in 12 weeks with only one state, Kentucky, reporting widespread activity, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Ohio is currently experiencing local flu activity following its typical peak in March.
More than 20 Ohio hospitals were granted individual bed waivers this flu season, mostly in late February and early March, before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a statewide bed waiver March 11 allowing hospitals to use PPS-exempt rehabilitation, psychiatric and hospital-based ambulatory surgical center beds for flu patients. CMS has indicated it will use the same individual waiver approach next flu season. Visit www.ohanet.org/flu/ for resources on flu season and vaccination. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org; Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)
Editors
note:
Yesterday’s article, Cultural Competence Leadership
Fellowship Launches, cites the end of April as the
deadline for applications. Though the Web site referenced
lists the original deadline of April 1, this deadline has
been extended and health care professionals now have until
May 1 to submit an application.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
If your hospital plans to participate in the upcoming Cover the
Uninsured Week, the American Hospital Association (AHA) wants to
hear about it.
From May 1- 8, individuals and organizations are asked to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority. There are 45 million Americans and 1.3 million Ohioans without health insurance. Hospitals throughout the nation are hosting events to spotlight the problem. AHA will give special recognition to hospitals and health systems participating in Cover the Uninsured Week at its Annual Membership Meeting May 1-4 in Washington D.C. To be included, let AHA know of your hospital’s Cover the Uninsured Week plans by filling out a short form at www.hospitalconnect.com/secure/aha/coverweek.jsp. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
WebEx Educates on SCIP Pilot Program
Ohio KePRO will host a WebEx seminar next Tuesday, April 19, on the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) Pilot Program. Starting at 7:30 a.m., the session will cover the history of SCIP, a summary of the SCIP Pilot and information on SCIP in the 8th Scope of Work. The SCIP pilot seeks to identify the most efficient approach for reaching a national goal of reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with major surgical procedures by 25-45 percent over five years. The WebEx seminar will include information of interest to quality improvement staff, infection control staff, staff pharmacists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and other interested medical staff, operating room staff, medical and hospital administration, nursing managers, nursing staff and case managers.
Contact lsimpson@ohqio.sdps.org by TOMORROW, April 15 to register and visit www.scippilot.com/downloads/SCIPWEBEX04-19-05.doc for more information on this educational opportunity.
Friday,
April 15, 2005
AG Opinion Clarifies Role of Nurses
In response to an inquiry from the Ohio Board of Nursing, Attorney
General Jim Petro last week issued an opinion clarifying the role of
nurses in administering medications relating to the performance of an
abortion. The Attorney General determined that when a nurse administers
a medication to terminate a pregnancy involving a live fetus or embryo,
for a purpose other than to produce a live birth, the nurse is
“performing or inducing an abortion,” which is a violation of the Nurse
Practice Act, Ohio Revise Code section 4723.28(B) (30), and it is cause
for disciplinary action by the Board of Nursing. He also determined that
Ohio law defines the performance of an abortion as the practice of
medicine, and the Ohio Revised Code also states that the practice of
medicine by a nurse is prohibited. To view the text of the Attorney
General opinion, visit
www.ag.state.oh.us and follow the “Opinions” link to opinion number
2005-012. (Jean Scholz,
jeans@ohanet.org)
Medicare Costs to Double Social Security
Though national attention is often focused on the future of Social
Security, that focus may need to be redirected to Medicare. The
Medicare program has costs far outpacing Social Security, according
to the Boards of Trustees 2005 annual report to the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services. By 2079, Medicare is expected to cost
almost twice that of Social Security. The Medicare program is the
second-largest social insurance program in the United States, with
42 million beneficiaries and total expenditures of $309 billion in
2004.
While the Medicare hospital fund has improved slightly, the financial outlook for Medicare as a whole continues to raise serious concerns, according to the report. Overall, total costs for the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund are projected to increase from 2.6 percent of the gross domestic product to 13.9 percent by 2079. Find the complete report on line at www.cms.hhs.gov/publications/trusteesreport/tr2005.pdf. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)