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Monday, December 5, 2005
Hospital, EMA Partnership Helps Drive Disaster Preparedness in Southeast Ohio
In most areas of Ohio, a large chemical spill or the appearance of a suspicious substance would set in motion an immediate decontamination procedure. But until now, resources to respond to such a disaster in Southeast Ohio were limited. Through a pioneering collaboration between county agencies and hospitals, four mobile decontamination trailers recently arrived in Southeast Ohio, bringing with them the ability to decontaminate and treat up to 400 victims of a disaster.

Four Southeast Ohio hospitals—Genesis HealthCare System in Zanesville, O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth and Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe—are partnering with local Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) to host and maintain the trailers, which will serve 848,000 Ohioans in a 21-county area.

The four 20-foot trailers contain decontamination tents, a generator and equipment to care for up to 100 patients per trailer. In the event of a chemical or biological disaster in a Southeast Ohio county, the nearest decontamination trailer can be deployed to the site and staffed by the local hospital decontamination team. Developed by OHA, this regional effort combats the difficulties rural areas face in securing federal funding for disaster preparedness activities. For more information, view a related news release at www.ohanet.org/media/news_release/2005/decon_trailers120205.htm. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org; Sheryl McCorkle, sherylm@ohanet.org)

OHA Issues Final Call for Presentations
With the Jan. 10 deadline just a month away, OHA encourages hospital associates, corporate partners and past speakers to answer the Call for Presentations for OHA’s 2006 Annual Meeting, June 12-13. OHA celebrates its 91^st Annual Meeting in 2006, allowing speakers to provide leadership and expertise to an audience that includes CEOs, senior executives, medical staff leaders, board members, hospital directors, managers and caregivers from clinical and support areas. The event also offers valuable networking opportunities.

Additional information and specific instructions for completing proposals are available in the Call for Presentations, online at www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/. Speakers selected for the 2006 meeting will be notified by April 15, 2006. (Joe Ruggles, joer@ohanet.org)

Tuesday, December 6, 2005
JCAHO Increases Fees, Proposes New Patient Safety Goals
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) plans to increase fees for full on-site accreditation and certification surveys by 5 percent as part of a recently approved 2006 operating plan and budget. The average on-site survey increase for hospitals would be $465, and $155 for critical access hospitals. JCAHO will not increase the annual base rate fees or those for any other types of on-site surveys.

JCAHO is also accepting comments through Jan. 8 on five new patient safety goals proposed for JCAHO-accredited hospitals in 2007. The new goals call for hospitals to identify safety risks inherent in their patient population, discourage disruptive staff behavior, provide orientation to temporary or agency workers, implement processes to identify health care worker fatigue and improve recognition and response to changes in patients’ conditions. View the proposed goals online at www.jcaho.org/accredited+organizations/field_reviews.htm (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

Report Challenges Nation to Improve Emergency Response Ability
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) today released the 2005 edition of its annual “Ready or Not?” report on the nation’s public health emergency response capabilities. The report scores health emergency preparedness of the states and the nation based on 10 indicators, and indicates the nation still has work to do with regard to emergency preparedness. The nation received a final grade of D+ and 85 percent of states achieved six or fewer indicators, with Ohio attaining five indicators.

The indicators used by the study include:

“Green” status from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as adequately prepared to administer and distribute vaccines/antidotes during an emergency. (Only seven states achieved)
Sufficient bioterrorism laboratory response capabilities. (More than ¼ of states did not achieve)
Adequate number of lab scientists to manage tests for anthrax or the plague (Ohio achieved)
Adequate chemical terrorism response capabilities (Only 10 states achieved)
Use national standards to track disease outbreak information. (Ohio achieved)
Hospitals sufficiently prepared to care for a surge of extra patients. (one-third of states did not achieve)
Sufficient plans, incentives, provisions to encourage health care workers to continue working during a major infectious disease outbreak. (Only two states achieved)
Sufficient capabilities to consistently and rapidly consult with infection control experts about possible outbreaks. (Ohio achieved)
Sufficient planning for prioritizing distribution of vaccines or antiviral medications to hospital workers. (Ohio achieved)
Sufficient backup supplies of medical equipment to meet surge capacity needs. (Ohio achieved)

In the report, TFAH calls for increased leadership and oversight of U.S. bioterrorism and public health preparedness; defined, national, standardized performance measures for bioterrorism preparedness; greater anticipation of the need to work with the media and general public during an emergency event; improved basic response capabilities and additional funding. View the report online at http://healthyamericans.org/reports/bioterror05/.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Changes Affect Hospital Drug, Alcohol Treatment
Effective Nov. 17, the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) made several changes to the Ohio Administrative Code that impact hospital-based units certified to provide alcohol and drug addiction treatment services. ODADAS can grant deemed status to acute hospital detoxification programs that have current accreditation from select national accrediting agencies. The changes also eliminate unnecessary criteria on governing authority, clarify standards for programs having direct care or supervision of children and/or adolescents, defer quality assurance standards to accreditation and modify criteria for clinical management. Finally, changes were made to the requirements for outpatient treatment programs and provisions defined for granting deemed status to sub-acute detoxification and acute hospital detoxification services.

View the rules online at www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/jsps/PublicDisplayRules/processPublicDisplayRules.jsp?agencyNumberString=3793&actiontype=all&doWhat=GETBYFILINGAGENCY&Submit=Search. (Berna Bell, bernab@ohanet.org)

JCR Names Ohio’s John Leech Chairman of Board
At its November meeting, the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations appointed health care legal expert John Leech as chairman of the Board of Directors of Joint Commission Resources (JCR). Leech is a former board member of both Hillcrest Hospital, Mayfield Heights, and the Greater Cleveland Hospital Association. He is also the founding chairman of the Center for Health Affairs’ Health Trustee & Leadership Institute board where he served for four years. In 1988, he joined the board of Health Hill Hospital for Children and helped lead the hospital as it joined The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and was renamed the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation in 1999. Leech also served on the board of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and was active in various roles at the American Hospital Association. He is currently vice chairman of Dynamis Advisors, Inc., in Chagrin Falls, and has served on JCR’s board of directors for the past five years. For more information, view a news www.jcaho.org/news+room/news+release+archives/john_leech.htm.

Thursday, December 8, 2005
AEP Acquires Mon Power in Southeast Ohio
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) recently issued an order approving the acquisition of Monongohela Power Company by American Electric Power (AEP). With this move, Ohio will shift from five regulated electric utilities to four on Jan. 1. OHA intervened in the case, supporting this acquisition as it will minimize the rate increase to hospitals and other customers in the southeast Ohio region and will help sustain economic development in the region. Though rates will increase to those currently paid by Columbus Southern Power Company (CSP) customers, the PUCO order spreads the $10 million acquisition cost to all nonresidential rate payers in the CSP territory. For more information on OHA involvement with energy issues or opportunities for hospitals in this arena, visit (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Hospitals’ Heartbeat
A 2005 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award

Joyce Eberle, RN, OCN
Oncology Infusion
Defiance Regional Medical Center, Defiance
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A look inside Joyce’s nomination –
“Joyce Eberle, RN, OCN, exemplifies all the characteristics of the ideal health care provider: passionate about patients, caring and dedicated. A 37-year employee of Defiance Regional Medical Center (DRMC), Joyce has served in almost every area of the hospital. Her niche is the oncology infusion unit where she is viewed as an expert in oncology nursing by her colleagues. Her own son’s battle with cancer has enabled her to empower patients through compassion and education. Joyce volunteers for DRMC’s speaker’s bureau, has co-chaired American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life five times, helped start a parish nurse program at her church, and started a support group for cancer patients and their families at the hospital. As a recipient of many employee excellence awards, she received DRMC’s 2001 President’s Award.”

Friday, December 9, 2005
Hospitals Win Suit Challenging BWC Cuts
Agreeing with hospitals that a recent cut in payments for care to injured workers was illegal, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Charles Schneider today nullified the rate cut by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). In a lawsuit brought by OHA and its co-plaintiff, Genesis HealthCare System, Zanesville, Schneider ruled the state did not follow required legal processes before it implemented a $50-million cut in payments for hospital care to injured workers Oct. 1.

The ruling allows hospitals to formally make a case that the rate reduction is bad public policy. “These cuts have consequences. Ohio hospitals are compelled to challenge any effort to reduce payments for the care they provide because all of us are affected when shrinking payments produce longer wait times for care or result in some services being lost,” said James R. Castle, OHA president and CEO.

“A strong health care system is a key component in Ohio’s ability to attract business and maintain a strong economy. The implications of a weakened health care system for injured workers is important in setting current rates but also as BWC prepares a long-term plan for medical care to injured workers. OHA looks forward to working with new leadership at the Bureau and other stakeholders to sustain access to quality care for injured workers across Ohio,” Castle added.

View court filings in this case online at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/bwc_cuts.htm. (Mary Gallagher, maryg@ohanet.org)

Medicare, Medicaid Add Coverage for Tobacco Cessation
Due to new changes, Medicaid and Medicare now offer additional coverage for tobacco cessation counseling and medication, including reimbursement for the time health care professionals spend counseling patients with tobacco-related health conditions to stop tobacco use. Medicare will now pay for up to four 3- to 10-minute counseling sessions or four sessions of 10 minutes or longer. And providers can maximize the benefit by understanding how to make the most of this time.

A U.S. Public Health Service’s Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence publication, available online at www.ohioquits.com, can help caregivers deliver effective tobacco dependence interventions. This resource advises treating patients by Asking, Advising and then Referring to an appropriate counseling service, such as the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT NOW.

Many Medicare and Medicaid plans also now include coverage for nicotine replacement therapy: Ohio Medicaid will cover Zyban and over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy with a physician prescription and many Medicare plans will cover Zyban and nicotine inhalers. For more information about tobacco cessation programs available for patients or what may be covered under the new rules, contact Joyce Swetlick at the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation at 614.466.1760 or visit www.ohioquits.com. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)

OHA Seeks Contractor to Gather, Analyze Data
Working through a Health Resource Service Administration grant, OHA requests proposals for the creation of a needs assessment to determine the level of emergency preparedness in Ohio’s hospitals. OHA seeks to identify and select an independent contractor to construct an electronic survey to assess the needs of Ohio hospitals with respect to disaster preparedness, analyze the data, prepare tables and graphic reports, and prepare subsets of the data for distribution to regional coordinators. For more information, visit www.PrepareOhio.com or contact Carol Jacobson, OHA’s director of emergency management, at 614.221.7614 or carolj@ohanet.org.

Hospitals’ Heartbeat
A 2005 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award

Donna Palmer RN, CDE
Diabetes Educator
Doctors Hospital, Columbus
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A look inside Donna’s nomination –
“Donna Palmer, R.N., has devoted her 52 year career in nursing to serving the patients of central Ohio as an R.N., and since 1970, fulfilling her passion as a certified Diabetes Educator. Ms. Palmer not only uses skills from her formal education but also practical skills learned while helping her daughter, who has juvenile diabetes, manage her illness. Ms. Palmer not only provides our patients with the skills they need to lead an active life, but also gives to the community through her work with the Central Ohio Diabetes Association (CODA). In 1991 Ms. Palmer was honored as the Diabetes Educator of the year by the Central Ohio Association of Diabetes Educators and in 1998 won the Distinguished Service Award, given by CODA.”