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OHA Involved in Talks on Electricity Deregulation Legislation is expected to be introduced any day regarding the way electric rates are regulated in Ohio by the Public Utilities Commission (PUCO). OHA is advocating on behalf of hospitals to establish rate certainty, fair prices and reliability. With three of the four utility company PUCO-approved electric plans ending at the close of 2008, Gov. Ted Strickland has given high priority to establishing a plan for how energy charges will be determined in Ohio. Early results from an OHA electricity survey suggest Ohio hospitals are spending about $150 million a year on electricity, or about $4,500 per staffed bed, reflecting the major stake hospitals have in the electric industry discussions.
Currently electricity rates are determined by PUCO based on negotiations with each electric utility that ensure rate stability and recognize the cost of providing power as well as wholesale market prices. After 2008, costs could become entirely market-based, resulting in higher and more volatile rates. In the electricity survey, hospitals also reported problems ranging from interruption of service to new service fees, and those issues also may be appropriate for legislative relief . OHA has been actively involved in electricity deregulation issues since 2000 and is currently in communication with the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association and other organizations that recently circulated a legislative proposal. For more information about energy issues or to fill out the electricity survey, visit www.ohanet.org/energy. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)
Winner of HEALTH e-NEWS Survey Raffle Announced
Tom
Arkwright of MedCentral Health System won an iPod shuffle in
the HEALTH e-NEWS survey raffle. Thank you to those who took
the time to fill out the survey, which will help us better
serve your daily news needs. Look for upcoming changes based
on reader feedback.
Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Dismissal of Med Mal Case Last week the Ohio Supreme Court upheld in a 6-1 decision the action of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Dick Ambrose in dismissing a medical negligence case filed against University Urologists of Cleveland, Inc. and the late Martin Resnick, M.D. Justice Judith Lanzinger, writing for the majority, concluded that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiff failed to properly serve the defendants with notice that a lawsuit had been commenced as required by the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure. The civil procedure rules govern the way lawsuits are commenced, as well as the conduct of lawsuits to ensure uniformity and fairness to all parties. The plaintiff argued the case should proceed because the defendants filed pleadings denying liability along with claiming they had not been served notice of the lawsuit as required by the civil procedure rules. Justice Lanzinger cited with approval language from an earlier case: "we cannot disregard [the] rules to assist a party who has failed to abide by them." For more information, view an opinion summary. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org) Hospitals’ Heartbeat A 2007 nominee for the Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award
Mary Herbert Respiratory Therapist, Cardiovascular/Cardiopulmonary Hocking Valley Community Hospital Logan
A look inside Mary’s nomination - Mary has worked at the hospital for five years and has been a model employee. She is always a team player, knows not just employees’ names but their spouses, children and even some pets. Every interaction that Mary has from patients to families to doctors to co-workers, Mary is a walking billboard for the values and ideals that Hocking Valley Community Hospital strives for in each employee. Of all the great employees who work at Hocking Valley Community Hospital, there is no one more deserving than Mary to nominate for employee of the year.
Wednesday,
August 15, 2007 A look inside Lisa’s nomination - Lisa is the diabetic educator at Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis, a position she has held since June 2005. Lisa began her employment in April 1974 as a part time nursing assistant. After graduating from nursing school, she began working on the hospital’s Two East Unit in June 1976. In May 2001, Lisa became the patient care manager of the Ambulatory Surgery Unit and Endoscopy, and continued in that position until June 2005 when she transferred to the role of diabetic educator. Lisa’s long-term role as a nurse manager is a testament of her leadership qualities and excellent management skills. Now in her role with diabetic education and wound care, Lisa continues her excellent leadership and representation of Holzer Medical Center.
Thursday,
August 16, 2007 Ohio hospitals continue to shine nationally through accolades for outstanding quality of care and innovation. Many Ohio hospitals were recognized with Aster Awards, a national medical marketing awards program hosted by the international marketing firm Creative Images, Inc. For a complete list of winners, visit the Aster Awards Web site.
Ten Ohio hospitals were recognized with the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) 6 Commitment to Quality Award: Alliance Community Hospital; Community Health Partners, Lorain; Kettering Medical Center; Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark; Mercy Medical Center, Canton; Northside Medical Center, Youngstown; Parma Community General Hospital; Southwest General Health Center, Middleburg Heights; St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown; University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities honored Parma Community General Hospital with an Inclusion Award for doing an outstanding job of recognizing, supporting and integrating individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities into their organization and the local community.
Children’s Hospital, Columbus; Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati; and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, ranked among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the country according to Child magazine editors and a Medical Advisory Board consisting of leading pediatric experts. Children’s Hospital Medical Center also became the first pediatric medical center to receive the American Pain Society’s Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Award.
Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, received the 2007 Voluntary Hospitals of America Leadership Award for Operational Excellence.
Kettering Medical Center, Kettering Medical Center – Sycamore, Miamisburg, and St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo, were recognized with the national 2007 Award for Quality by Premier Inc.
University Hospitals,
Cleveland, received the 2007 Most Wired Innovator
Award and the CIO 100 Award for excellence and
achievement in information technology for its FirstGateways
Physician Portal, an electronic data bank for clinicians
system-wide. (Mary Sterenberg,
marys@ohanet.org)
The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA) has named Nicholas Lashutka, director of external relations for the Ohio Business Roundtable, as its new president effective Oct. 3. Lashutka will succeed Andrew Carter, who left to become CEO of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America in April. David Kinsaul, president and CEO of the Dayton Children’s Medical Center and chair of the OCHA Board of Trustees, praised the choice. “The OCHA Board of Trustees is thrilled to have a superior leader like Lashutka take the reins and ensure that children’s health and children’s hospitals remain priorities for policy makers. Our goal is to work together with Nick to continue advancing the needs of Ohio’s six, nationally ranked flagship children’s hospitals and the children, families and communities we serve,” he said. Fighting the Epidemic: How to Combat
Health Illiteracy Health illiteracy takes a considerable toll on peoples’ health. In fact, literacy is considered the best predictor of health status – better than age, income, employment status, educational level, or racial and ethnic group – according to the Partnership for Clear Health Communication, a coalition of 19 of the nation's top health and civic organizations Effectively communicating with people at their literacy levels, or even just simplifying medical terminology, may help patients live longer, healthier lives with fewer and more affordable trips to the hospital. A concerted effort to shape materials and communications to effectively reach all patients can improve health, cut costs and even save lives. To view OHA’s entire August HealthBeat article, visit www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/2007/0807.htm. © 2001-2008 OHA. Last updated
January 03, 2008. |
