Monday, January 21, 2008
Hospitals Lead the Way
Honored for outstanding care, superior Web site and everything in between, Ohio hospitals continue to serve as leaders in their communities. Bethesda North Hospital, Cincinnati; MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland; Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys; St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Cleveland; Lake Hospital System, Painesville; and Mercy Medical Center, Springfield were honored with a 2007 Premier/CareScience Select Practice National Quality Award for superior patient outcomes in both quality and efficiency.

NBC’s reality television show Clash of the Choirs featured the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care (RCNIC) at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati. Singer Nick Lachey led the Cincinnati choir to victory, winning a cash prize for RCNIC and Transport Team as the chosen charity. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, recently won four Web site awards in two national competitions coordinated by The Web Marketing Association and Health Care Communications.

The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association received the Small Business of the Year Award and the Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award from the Dayton Business Journal. The Grand Lake Health System and Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys, won a Davey Award for its Web site: www.grandlakehealth.org. The Web Marketing Association also recognized Grand Lake Health System with a Healthcare Provider Standard of Excellence award.

Amherst Hospital, part of EMH Regional Healthcare System, Elyria, has been designated a UnitedHealth Premium Total Joint Replacement Specialty Center. The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati has been designated a UnitedHealth Premium Specialty Center in cardiac services, spine surgery and total joint replacement surgery. Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, was rated as the number one CPR training center for the American Safety and Health Institute among over 5,000 independent training centers around the country.

The American Organization of Nurse Executives Institute for Patient Care Research and Education announced 2007 award and scholarship recipients. Southern Ohio Medical Center, Portsmouth, and Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Cincinnati, have achieved the prestigious Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Hospitals that receive recognition should forward information for future Hospitals Lead the Way columns to Donna Dugas at donnad@ohanet.org. (Mary Sterenberg, marys@ohanet.org)
 

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) also posted draft rule changes to its Health Care Service rules, which regulate hospitals providing solid organ transplant, adult cardiac catheterization, adult open heart, obstetrics/newborn, pediatric intensive care, radiation therapy or stereotactic radiosurgery services. OHA recommends hospitals offering such services review the draft changes and submit comments to DQARules@odh.ohio.gov by Feb. 17. ODH is expected to review comments and formally file proposed changes in time for the March 6 Public Health Council hearing, which would put the Health Care Service rule changes on a timeline to be effective in June.

OHA asks that copies of comments submitted to ODH regarding the above rule revisions be sent to Rick Sites at OHA so he can determine the extent to which the changes may be problematic. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Hospitals Weigh In on Physician Credentialing, Managed Care Contracting Bill
OHA testified this week in support of legislation to simplify the physician credentialing process used by health plans and provide relief from the burdensome and sometimes unfair contracting practices used by some insurers. Michele Napier, vice president of payor relations for The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, noted that House Bill 125, sponsored by Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), would go far in simplifying the cumbersome and overly-complex credentialing and managed-care contracting process for physicians and physician practices.

Napier also spoke in support of a provision in the bill to prohibit health plans from using most favored nation clauses in their contracts with hospitals. At times, most favored nation clauses have been inserted into contracts at the insistence of a dominant health insurer, and they have been used to prohibit a provider from agreeing to a lower price with any other insurer without also giving a better or equal price to the dominant insurer. “MFN clauses are patently unfair, highly discriminatory and anti-competitive for hospitals, physicians and physician practices, and we would welcome the relief,” Napier said. View Napier’s complete testimony.

Before the bill passed the Ohio House of Representatives, OHA was successful in extending some of the contracting protections to hospitals, as the original legislation only applied to physicians and other individual providers. OHA continues to garner support from the Senate Judiciary - Civil Justice Committee to enact the bill and to support a prohibition of most favored nation clauses. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

Senate Committee Accepts OHA-Supported Amendment for Nonprofit Law Changes
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary - Civil Justice Committee accepted an amendment to House Bill 160, sponsored by Danny Bubp (R-West Union), in favor of hospitals and passed the bill unanimously. The amendment makes several technical, but significant, changes to Ohio's corporation and property tax exemption laws. The amendment changes Ohio law to specifically allow limited liability companies (LLCs) to be formed for nonprofit purposes. A recent interpretation by the Ohio Secretary of State questioned the permissible purposes of LLCs and resulted in nonprofit articles for new LLCs to be rejected. In addition, changes were made to clarify the requirement that a county treasurer's certificate accompany all property tax exemption applications. The new language allows the Ohio Department of Taxation to give applicants notice and opportunity to correct deficient applications and allows lessees and others to file property exemption applications. Finally, the language acknowledges transfers of tax-exempt property between a nonprofit LLC and its nonprofit member. The changes apply retroactively to applications pending or on appeal.  

OHA worked with the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Department of Taxation, which supported the amendment. OHA voiced support for the amendment to the committee. The bill must be considered by the full Senate, and get House agreement to Senate changes before heading to the governor. (Jeff Klingler jeffk@ohanet.org; Mary Gallagher maryg@ohanet.org)
 

Friday, January 25, 2008
OHA Seeking to Restore Medicaid Update at Board’s Direction
At its January meeting, the OHA Board of Trustees directed OHA staff to ask Gov. Ted Strickland to restore the expected Medicaid update for hospitals and physicians. OHA, the Ohio State Medical Association, Ohio Osteopathic Association and Ohio Children’s Hospital Association will meet with Gov. Ted Strickland and his key advisors Jan. 29 to express the provider community’s opposition to the 2008-09 freeze on Medicaid reimbursement, which would cost Ohio hospitals $165.3 million over two years. 

The Board heard a recap of a Jan. 17 meeting of Attorney General Marc Dann, the OHA Executive Committee, some OHA Board members and OHA staff to discuss hospitals’ charitable contributions. Dann intends to work collaboratively with the hospital community to address hospital billing and collections and charity care by 2009. OHA staff and staff from the attorney general’s office will form a team to frame the issues and OHA will continue educating the attorney general’s office on the charitable activities of hospitals. 

OHA staff updated the Board on key state and federal legislation affecting hospitals, including OHA’s efforts to enact legislation regarding limited-service hospitals and nurse staffing plans and Congress’ passage of temporary relief for physicians with a one-half percent Medicare payment update through June 2008.

The Board was briefed on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) plan to adopt a “value purchasing model” for Medicare to use hospital performance to determine payments to hospitals. CMS’ goal is to implement the program for federal fiscal year 2009.

The Board also discussed efforts of OHA and the Ohio Business Roundtable to reform health care and the development of OHA’s strategic directions for 2009-2012. (Jim Castle, jimc@ohanet.org)