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Monday, October 2, 2006
Health Care IS Workgroup Invites Participants
Led by Ohio practitioners in health care information services, the Ohio Network for Healthcare Information Assurance (ONHIA) is a workgroup of health care professionals developing disaster recovery and business continuity strategies for the health care industry. ONHIA, which now includes 63 hospitals from across the nation, offers working sessions, conferences, Web seminars and conference calls to provide relevant deliverables for designing these strategies. The group also networks and shares resources with the Business Continuity Planning Workgroup for Healthcare Organizations.

ONHIA will hold its next meeting Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., focusing on pandemic planning and the human and legal issues relating to pandemic. Marshal Bickert of the Central Ohio Trauma System Jim Reynolds of Mercer Human Resource Consulting will speak and participants will engage in roundtable discussions. Participants for the meeting can include business continuance, disaster recovery and emergency preparedness professionals in health care organizations. Learn more or RSVP by contacting Robin Schiffer at 419.526.8059. (Kim Keiser, kimk@ohanet.org)

Hospitals’ Heartbeat
A 2006 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award

Amy Goetz
Director of Admitting and Registration
H.B. Magruder Memorial Hospital
Port Clinton

A look inside Amy’s nomination –
Amy is the director of admitting and registration at H.B. Magruder Hospital. Throughout her nearly 20 years working for Magruder, Amy has held numerous positions, working her way from a switchboard operator and clerk in the business office to her current position. Amy has continued to step up to the plate and accept any task she is asked to perform, most recently holding two director positions at the same time. Her dedication and loyalty to her job, her employees and the hospital are evident through her daily interactions with patients, staff and colleagues.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006
CMS Releases Final IPPS Payment Rates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Friday issued a final notice that establishes the final rates and wage indices for hospital discharges in federal fiscal year 2007. Although CMS initially planned to adjust only 10 percent of the wage index for occupational mix in FY 2007 because it questioned the veracity of the data, a federal appeals court in April required the agency to collect new data and fully adjust the occupational mix. Consistent with the court’s order, the final wage indices announced this week for FY 2007 are fully adjusted for occupational mix. This adjustment neutralizes the affect of a hospital's mix of employees on the wage index. Hospitals have until Oct. 30 to revise CMS's geographic reclassification choice for FY 2007 and supplement their FY 2008 geographic reclassification applications with the average hourly wage information included in the final notice. The three-year reclassification data for FY 2008 applications are available online.

The FY 2007 IPPS final notice will appear in the Oct. 11 Federal Register and will be effective for discharges on or after Oct. 1, 2006. View the CMS notice at www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/downloads/cms-1488-N.pdf. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)

New Rules Change Ohio’s Voting Process
Beginning today, voters can avoid the hassle and delays by taking advantage of Early Voting for Ohio’s Nov. 7 election. Recent changes to Ohio law allow any qualified voter to request an absentee ballot without stating a reason. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10, and registered voters can request early ballots from now through Nov. 6 by using the forms online at www.friendsofohiohospitals.org/resources/absentee_ballot_2006.pdf. Download the brochure today, or contact Laura Landis at laural@ohanet.org to request copies. Those who still need to register can do so at www.FriendsofOhioHospitals.org. For those who still plan to hit the polls on Election Day, remember to bring a current photo ID or other identification to comply with new requirements. (Stacey Conrad, staceyc@ohanet.org)

OHA Solutions Staffing Programs Helps Hospitals Fill Vacancies
OHA Solutions’ Staffing Program is well on its way to filling its 33,000th shift. OHA Solutions contracts with 120 medical staffing agencies and branches from across the nation to help participating OHA member hospitals fill both per diem and long-term staff vacancies in all allied divisions: respiratory therapy, laboratory services and phlebotomy, pharmacy services, rehabilitation services, even dental hygienists, assistants and HIM coders.

Informational Webinars for hospitals interested in joining OHA Solutions will be conducted throughout October. Contact Nancy Melcher-Webb at 614.221.7614 ext. 172 or nwebb@ohanet.org to learn about how to participate. Lear more about OHA Solutions Staffing Program at www.ohasolutions.com/.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006
NLRB Decision Impacts Healthcare Workers
Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision setting forth guidelines for determining whether certain hospital charge nurses are “supervisors” under the National Labor Relations Act and, therefore, ineligible to join unions. In its 3-2 decision, the board held that the permanent charge nurses employed by the acute care hospital exercised supervisory authority in assigning employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. The board's decision supports the position of OHA, which, along with national business groups, filed an amicus curiae brief in the case.

The board found that the charge nurses, as a regular part of their duties, assigned nursing personnel to the specific patients for whom they would care during their shift and that such assignments met the statutory definition of “assign” under the act. The board also found that the employer met its burden to show that its charge nurses exercised independent judgment in making such assignments. Finally, the Board found that only the employer’s permanent charge nurses, and not rotating charge nurses, were supervisors rather than employees under the Act.

This decision is part of three cases collectively referred to as “Kentucky River” because they respond to the Supreme Court’s NLRB v. Kentucky River Community Care decision criticizing the board’s earlier interpretation of “independent judgment.” The other two board decisions concern charge nurses in a long-term care facility and “leadmen” in a manufacturing facility, respectively. Watch for an OHA Bulletin describing the significance of the Board’s Kentucky River decisions in more detail. (Nancy Falk, nancyf@ohanet.org)

Latest C. Diff Report Available
Hospital-reported cases of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) through the end of August have been updated on the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) Web site at www.odh.ohio.gov/alerts/cdiff1.aspx. Data is missing for some hospitals because their local health departments received the data but have not forwarded the information to ODH. Hospitals should continue to report their initial and recurrent cases of C. diff along with patient days to their local health department each month through the end of 2006, as required by ODH. More information on C. diff, including frequently asked questions, is available online at www.ohanet.org/advocacy/state/issues/cdiff.htm. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Hospitals’ Heartbeat
A 2006 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award

Patricia Worrell, RN
Patient Care Coordinator Nursing Services
Harrison Community Hospital
Cadiz

A look inside Patricia’s nomination –
Patricia Worrell has devoted the past 23 years as a Registered Nurse to serving patients in the local area as well as using her nursing skills, love, and compassion for several family members when they needed her. Pat has worked at Harrison Community Hospital since 1989.

She proved to be an excellent staff nurse and is currently a PatientCare Coordinator at our hospital. Pat demonstrates good leadership qualities, is able to establish an excellent rapport with her patients and is pleasant and courteous to work with. Her dedication to her family and profession and a positive attitude contribute to making a difference in the lives she touches. We are honored to nominate Pat for the 2006 Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award.

Thursday, October 5, 2006
Comments Due on New Freestanding Birthing Center Rules
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is seeking comments on draft rules governing facilities exempt from Ohio Revised Code licensure requirements based on religious objections, which includes freestanding birthing centers that treat Amish patients. The draft rules are required by House Bill 287, which went into effect Aug. 17 to exempt certain freestanding birthing centers from the requirement that a center obtain a health care facility license from the ODH director. The draft rules address exemption criteria, patient safety, necessary medical interventions, and permissible ODH action against non-compliant facilities. The draft rules are available online at www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/drafts/3701-83.aspx.

OHA-Sponsored HIT Summit Invites Participants
Registration is now open for the 3^rd Annual Ohio Health Information Technology Summit, a conference focused on the evolution of health information technology (HIT) in Ohio. Attendees with have the opportunity to learn about and actively participate in the Ohio Health Information Strategic Plan, a statewide effort to assemble the pieces of the national HIT puzzle into a fully-integrated health information system for Ohio. The summit will be held Monday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Columbus. General registration, at a cost of $150 per person, is available at http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=1bc8409e-b8fd-40a9-b3e7-87e7db971706 until Oct. 20. The summit is co-sponsored by OHA, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, eHealth Ohio, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Ohio Osteopathic Association, Wright State University, the Ohio Department of Health, and the Ohio Board of Regents. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Friday, October 6, 2006
OHA Mourns Loss of Long-Time Associate, Friend
OHA this week suffered the loss of friend and long-time associate David Hendershot. David worked as an OHA director of field services, the face of OHA to many member hospitals throughout Ohio, for 26 years. His passion for and devotion to small and rural hospitals were a driving force behind the start of the critical access hospital program in Ohio, and in large part due to David, there are 34 thriving critical access hospitals to serve the state’s rural communities. David will be missed deeply by his fellow OHA associates, the many hospital CEOs who worked with him and the many other people in the hospital community whose lives he touched over the last 26 years. Look for an obituary in tomorrow's Columbus Dispatch (http://www.dispatch.com/) and visit www.schoedinger.com to share memories or to send condolences. OHA offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 9, to allow staff the opportunity to attend David’s funeral.

Viewing hours
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2 – 5 p.m.
Schoedinger Northeast Chapel
1051 E. Johnstown Rd.
Gahanna

Funeral Service
Monday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m.
Stoneybrook Methodist Church
485 Cherry Bottom Rd.
Gahanna

In honor of David’s work to secure funding for small and rural hospitals in Ohio, the family asks that contributions be made in David’s memory to:
The Foundation for Healthy Communities
155 East Broad St. Fl 15
Columbus, OH 43215