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“We adopted the recommendation of the ODH Emerging Infection Advisory Committee to include patient days to provide a clearer picture of C. diff in Ohio hospitals. This information will allow hospitals to determine whether C. diff cases in their facilities constitute an ‘outbreak, unusual incidence or epidemic,’ which are required to be reported under Class C disease reporting rules,” said J. Nick Baird, director of ODH. Clostridium difficile is acquired in both community and institutional settings and is often associated with use of antibiotics by senior citizens. Its incidence has been increasing throughout the U.S., possibly due to a new strain. Washing hands, cleaning surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens, and using antibiotics appropriately are the best ways to prevent infection. For more information or to view the official ODH statement and reporting form, visit www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/cdiff.htm. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org) Safety Awards Deadline Extended Hospitals that have not yet submitted data for OHA’s 53rd annual Hospital Safety Campaign have an additional week to participate in the annual recognition program. Hospitals are asked to submit 2005 safety data from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to OHA by April 17 to Rhonda Major-Mack at rhondam@ohanet.org. Visit www.ohanet.org/annualmeeting/Awards/ for more information about the safety awards and OHA Recognition Dinner on June 12.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006 OHA's Foundation for Healthy Communities and the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio are sponsoring the trainings, Get in Line with the Tobacco Treatment Clinical Guidelines, which will feature a national expert on tobacco control and outline how hospitals can use resources such as the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line. Participants will learn how to position their hospitals to make a major impact on the health and wellbeing of patients by treating tobacco use as a chronic disease, and they will also earn continuing education credits. For more information and to register for the training nearest you, visit www.healthycommunitiesohio.org/quitsites.asp. Contact Susan Zabo, OHA, at 614.221.7614 or susanz@ohanet.org with other questions. OHA Receives Approved Provider Status
for CE programming for Nurses OHA’s Center for Education will soon launch a Web site with complete information on continuing education opportunities for various health care professionals. (Deb Hague, debh@ohanet.org) Hospitals’ Heartbeat A 2005 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award
Sean P.
Gallivan, Physical Therapist
A look inside
Sean’s nomination –
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Rural Hospital Grants Lead to More Efficient Care In collaboration with the State Office of Rural Health, this week OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities and the Ohio Department of Health awarded 62 grants totaling $761,930 to 34 Ohio hospitals in rural areas. Each of the 34 hospitals will receive a $14,415 grant for quality improvement, network development and emergency medical services. Twenty-eight of these hospitals will receive an additional $9,706 in federal funds for quality improvement and operational initiatives, and for assistance with compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The funds are in the process of being distributed, with the initial checks going out last week and the additional amounts slated to be sent out by next week. View a full list of the rural Ohio hospitals receiving grants at www.healthycommunitiesohio.org/033106.htm. Learn more about the Foundation for Healthy Communities at www.healthycommunitiesohio.org. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org) Federal Leaders Make Personal Visits on Medicare Drug Plan U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and U.S. Sen. George Voinovich made personal visits Monday to the Cassano Health Center, part of Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, as part of a campaign to increase the number of seniors who sign up for Medicare Part D, the program's new prescription drug offering. The deadline to sign up without penalty is May 15. About two dozen seniors attended the event to sign up for the prescription drug program. Leavitt acknowledged that figuring out which program to sign up for is a complicated task for some seniors. He encouraged the attendees to call 1-800-MEDICARE and let the Medicare staff help calculate which program is best. Thursday, April 6, 2006 Hospital Immunity Protected in Supreme Court Hospitals are not liable for harm committed by one patient against another patient unless the injured patient establishes the hospital had knowledge that an explicit threat had been made, according to a recent Ohio Supreme Court decision. The 5-2 opinion upheld lower court rulings that blocked a negligence lawsuit against Ohio State University Medical Center following a 1999 attack on a mental health patient by another patient at Harding Hospital. The injured patient, who was the second person attacked by the perpetrator, argued the hospital violated her right under state law to be protected from assault. The court ruled that since no explicit threat of attack was communicated to the hospital, the hospital could not be held responsible. The Ohio Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in another liability case in which OHA, along with the Ohio State Medical Association and Ohio Osteopathic Association, made an amici curie appearance. In the case of Robertson v. Bates, the Ohio Supreme Court will determine what evidence should be considered in calculating the amount of medical damages in liability cases. OHA argued that only the amount considered payment in full, rather than the billed charge, should be admitted as evidence. A decision from the Supreme Court is pending. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org) Governor Signs Vaccines Requirement and PA Practice Bills The governor recently signed a bill expanding the scope of practice of physician assistants (PAs) as well as legislation requiring that hospitals offer certain patients flu and pneumonia vaccines. The first bill grants PAs physician-delegated authority to prescribe a limited number of prescription drugs, and allows them to see new and existing patients with new conditions. PAs wanting to take advantage of the expanded responsibilities would need to obtain a master’s degree beginning in 2008. The OHA-supported legislation will take effect May 17. View an OHA member bulletin at www.ohanet.org/Bulletins/2006/06-003.htm for more information. OHA worked with legislators to address hospitals concerns on the requirement that hospitals offers flu and pneumonia vaccines to select patients. OHA supports the final language in the legislation, which requires hospitals to follow vaccination guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The legislation will take effect June 13. View an OHA member bulletin at www.ohanet.org/Bulletins/2006/06-004.htm for more information. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)
On March 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt released $1.5 billion of the $2 billion set aside by Congress to help offset the medical costs of caring for the thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. The balance of the funds will be used to cover future costs for the states. Ohio is one of the 32 states that will receive this financial assistance from the federal government. The $2 billion was set aside by Congress in the Deficit Reduction Act, which was signed into law in February. This funding will ultimately allow states to claim roughly $4.5 billion in federal matching funds. View an HHS news release at www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20060324.html. Learn more about Ohio’s disaster preparedness efforts at www.prepareohio.com/resources.php. (Carol Jacobson, carolj@ohanet.org) A Tribute to John C. Imhoff John C. Imhoff, president and CEO of Galion Community Hospital from 1979-1991, passed away March 26. Throughout his career, he also served as administrator of the Polyclinic Hospital in Cleveland and assistant administrator at City Hospital in Cleveland. Memorial contributions may be made to the Galion Health Foundation, care of Galion Community Hospital, 269 Portland Way South, Galion, OH 44833 or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 Marion Ave., Suite 308, Mansfield, OH 44903. OHA expresses its gratitude to Mr. Imhoff for his service to the Ohio hospital community and offers its deepest condolences to his family. © 2001-2008 OHA. Last updated
January 03, 2008. |
