|
||
Monday, September 5,
2005
Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Connie Doty, former Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives (OONE) president, died Saturday at the Hospice of Dayton following a long struggle with cancer. Doty, 55, is remembered for her dedication to her profession and her contributions to health care in Ohio. Doty worked for 23 years at the Children’s Medical Center, Dayton, as chief operating officer before retiring for medical reasons. She also held a number of leadership positions, including OONE president, Ohio Patient Safety Institute founding board member, the first OHA Board of Trustees nursing liaison, Dayton Organization of Nurse Executives board member and president, and many more.
Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Parkview United Methodist Church in Miamisburg. For church information, visit www.legacy.com/dayton/. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
Healthy Beginnings Event Slated for September The Council on Healthy Mothers and Babies (COHMAB) is hosting its first ever Healthy Beginnings Event Sept. 23, from 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Ohio State University Fawcett Center. Participants at the event will attend sessions on maternal depression and the impact of culture on pregnant and parenting women.
Employees of social service and government agencies, members of the medical community, members of faith-based organizations, nurses, and human resource counselors are encouraged to attend the workshops. Attendees are eligible for continuing education credits, as approved by the Ohio Nurses Association.
Registration for the event is $55 per person or $400 for a group of eight, and registration forms are due to COMAB by Sept. 16. For more information or registration forms, contact Alexis Forest at 614.586.1914 or aforest1313@yahoo.com.
Wednesday,
September 7, 2005 OHA and Ohio hospitals today called the Taft Administration’s plan to recalibrate how hospitals are paid under the Medicaid program a “disaster.” Under the direction of the Taft Administration, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ (ODJFS) proposed recalibration, set to begin Jan. 1, 2006, would cost hospitals $168 million over the next 18 months, in addition to the $142 million reduction resulting from the General Assembly’s actions to freeze updates to hospitals over the next two years. These cuts further are piled onto last year’s $210 million in losses under Medicaid.
In testimony at a public hearing of ODJFS, OHA Senior Vice President and CFO John Callender said the “unfounded and ill-conceived” proposal is budget-driven, rather than policy-driven and urged ODJFS to pull the rule. He noted recalibration without rebasing puts access to quality health care in jeopardy for all Ohioans by penalizing hospitals for embracing technological improvements and jeopardizing the financial viability of hospitals that take care of higher numbers of low-income and Medicaid patients.
Calling the combination of Medicaid reductions “death by a thousand cuts,” Nancy Fisher Crum, chief financial officer at MetroHealth, Cleveland, said the recalibration’s $4 million hit to MetroHealth will force the system to reduce emergency and critical care services, reduce the number of community health satellites and forego needed facility updates. Oh behalf of James Reber, president and CEO of St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Kim Minnig, reimbursement specialist, noted the proposal will have a “snowball effect on not-for-profit hospital services to Medicaid patients.”
Hospitals submitting written testimony include hospitals within Catholic Healthcare Partners, Cincinnati; Forum Health, Youngstown; Mount Carmel Health System, Columbus; University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland; and Wood County Hospital, Bowling Green.
Copies of OHA’s and hospitals’ testimony are available online at www.ohanet.org/medicaid/. OHA also sent a copy of OHA’s testimony along with a letter to the Ohio General Assembly in advance of consideration of the rule by a legislative panel. Find the letter online at www.ohanet.org/medicaid/resources/recalibration_legislature_letter090705.doc. Unless ODJFS pulls the rule, it goes before the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review Sept. 12. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
Ohio Continues to Offer Hurricane Relief Efforts In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, local efforts to respond to medical needs in the coastal states and for the evacuees now entering Ohio continue. Hospitals have been working tirelessly with hospital regional coordinators to define “hospital teams” that could be deployed if requested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). To date no teams have been deployed nor have NDMS beds been opened. With some residents of the states hit by the hurricane traveling to Ohio to be with friends or family, and the expectation that Ohio will receive up to 1,000 evacuees, Ohio hospitals are collaborating with county and state agencies to provide medical care, prescriptions and serve other needs.
HHS executed a waiver of certain requirements applicable to providers under the Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP program to ensure providers can provide care and receive reimbursement. More information on this waiver, and how it affects other issues such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability and volunteer liability, is online at www.cms.hhs.gov/katrina/.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also released health advisories pertaining to immunization recommendations for refugees (www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/katrina/vaccrecdisplaced.asp) and guidelines for managing acute diarrhea (www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/dguidelines.asp).
OHA’s emergency preparedness Web site will provide ongoing updates and resources for hospitals at www.PrepareOhio.com and hospitals are encouraged to share information on their efforts in responding to the recent disaster. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org)
Briefings Educate on Medicare Advantage Changes The American Hospital Association will host a series of three 90-minute teleconferences for member hospitals and health systems throughout September and October with information on upcoming changes to Medicare managed care under the Medicare Advantage program and implications for hospitals. In addition, a special briefing for CEOs on the program and a session focused on issues unique to small and rural hospitals are on the agenda.
General Educational Sessions: Background and Fundamentals, Sept. 20, 4 p.m. OR Sept. 22, 4 p.m. Payment Issues for Providers, Sept. 28, 4 p.m. OR Oct. 3, 4 p.m. Regulatory Issues for Providers, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. OR Oct. 14, 3 p.m.
Executive Briefing for CEOs, Sept. 9, 3 p.m. OR Sept. 16, 3 p.m. Issues Unique to Small or Rural Providers, Oct. 21, 3 p.m. OR Oct. 24, 2 p.m.
CEOs at all
AHA-member hospitals should have received details by fax.
Contact AHA’s Elisa Arespacochaga at 312.422.3329 or
elisa@aha.org for more information or with questions.
Thursday, September 8, 2005 Since August 2004, all Ohio medical licensees who use unsealed radioactive material have been required to provide documentation of the nuclear medicine procedure to patients prior to their release. However, law enforcement officials are continuing to report incidents in which radiation detectors in public venues are set off by patients who were unaware of or ignored instructions following radiation procedures.
Therefore, in coordination with OHA, the bureau determined it is necessary to create a special amendment requiring all affected medical licensees who use unsealed radioactive material to issue a patient release card, provide written instructions to patients and evaluate the patient’s capability to follow such instructions before release. For more information, contact Marcia Howard, program administration, Nuclear Material Safety Section, 614.644.2727. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
State Boards Seek Single Consolidation Twenty state boards and commissions scheduled to be redistributed into the departments of health, commerce and public safety have put forth a proposal in which they would instead be consolidated collectively into a single existing or new agency.
The proposal, outlined by Jeff Rosa, executive director of the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT), would facilitate the boards’ continued use of shared resources and avoid the possibility of increasing administrative costs.
The previous plan provided for the Ohio Department of Health to absorb 12 boards and commissions, including the OTPTAT Board. The Department of Commerce would oversee the Ohio Athletic Commission and six others, and the Department of Public Safety would acquire the Ohio Medical Transportation Board. Originally, Gov. Bob Taft proposed consolidating 27 boards, but lawmakers removed several from the list, including boards regulating nursing, medicine and pharmacy. (Jean Scholz, jeans@ohanet.org)
Friday,
September 9, 2005 OHA is taking its opposition to the Taft Administration’s plan to slash Medicaid payments to the next level by asking the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) to invalidate the $168 million cut. In preparation for a hearing Monday, OHA sent a request today to Bill Hills, director of JCARR, asking the legislative body to reject the proposed recalibration and “not compound the grave error of the Taft Administration in proposing this unconscionable reduction in health care services for Ohioans.” OHA cited several provisions in state and federal law which the proposed cut violates. JCARR has the authority to invalidate the proposed change to Ohio Administrative Code and prevent the 11-percent payment cut from taking effect in January. The legislature earlier took $142 million out of expected hospital payments by freezing Medicaid payments in the state's two-year budget, which took effect in July. The $168 million new cut and the $142 million freeze come on top of a $210 million gap in 2004 between the cost of care and Medicaid payments. That means Ohio hospitals face a half-billion-dollar Medicaid challenge in the current state budget. OHA and several Ohio hospitals have warned the state the cuts will result in lost hospital jobs and services impacting all Ohioans, not just Medicaid patients.
The letter to JCARR is available online at www.ohanet.org/medicaid/resources/recalibration_letter_JCARR090905.pdf and a document detailing OHA’s rationale for invalidating the recalibration is online at www.ohanet.org/medicaid/resources/recalibration_rationale.pdf. Updated talking points on Medicaid cuts are available to member hospitals online at www.ohanet.org/pr/. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)
House Notified of Consumer Reporting Sites With the House Health Committee considering House Bill 197, which requires hospitals to report additional data to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) for consumer education, OHA this week alerted committee members about the launch of the newest Web-based resource for health care quality information: MyHealthCareAdvisor.com.
MyHealthCareAdvisor.com allows individuals to compare hospitals on more than 100 conditions and procedures, providing a ranking of area hospitals and detailed reports on how a consumer’s ‘best match” compares to other area hospitals. The service costs $12 for individuals, and employers and health plans can purchase bulk subscriptions to distribute to employees or members.
Although OHA does not officially endorse MyHealthCareAdvisor.com, the association notified committee members that much of the performance data that would be disseminated under HB 197, including mortality rates, complication rates and infection rates, are already being provided to consumers by private initiatives such as MyHealthCareAdvisor.com. OHA supports informed consumers but advocates that any steps the state takes to educate consumers should be cost effective and not duplicative of already-existing services. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
New Site Collects Med Mal Claims Online The Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) this week launched a Web-based system that enables insurers and those who pay medical liability claims on behalf of health care providers, including hospitals that are self-insured on any level, to securely report their medical liability claim data to ODI. The application, online at www.ohioinsurance.gov under the medical malpractice insurance link, will collect information on the costs of defending medical liability claims and paying judgments and settlements.
Legislation effective since Sept. 2004 requires admitted and non-admitted insurers, risk retention groups and self-insurers to report “closed claims data” to ODI beginning with claims that are closed or settled after Jan. 2, 2005. Data for each calendar year must be reported by May 1 of the following calendar year. The online application simplifies this required reporting.
Those needing assistance or more information should call 614.644.2635 or send an e-mail to MLDC@ins.state.oh.us. For more information on the medical liability insurance environment in Ohio, visit www.AskYourDoctorOhio.com or www.ohanet.org/med-mal/. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org) © 2001-2008 OHA. Last updated
January 03, 2008. |
