MHA News Now

UMC opens registration for state health education symposium

The Mississippi Area Health Education Center will host its fifth annual symposium, "Measuring Mississippi's Health Progress," on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the University of Mississippi Medical Center Conference Center at the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center. The symposium will address the state's largest health-related issues, what's being done and the progress being made.

Concurrent sessions will address related topics, such as "Public Health in Mississippi," "Workforce: Supply Vs. Demand" and "Access to/Delivery of Care." Registration costs $95 per person, or $80 per person for those who register by Friday, Aug. 28.

Exhibit space is available for $150. Registration and exhibit space forms will be available on the Mississippi AHEC Web site. For more information, visit the site at http://msahec.umc.edu.

Hospitals should begin submitting structural quality measure

Hospitals participating in the Medicare pay-for-reporting program should begin reporting today whether they participate in a systematic database for cardiac surgery. Hospitals must submit data on the new structural quality measure by Aug. 15 to receive their annual payment update for fiscal year 2010 under the inpatient prospective payment system final rule for FY 2009.

Instructions for hospitals and vendors submitting the data can be found on the QualityNet Web site. Hospitals that do not perform cardiac surgeries will be able to indicate that for their data submission.

[ via AHA News Now ]

AHA: Policy changes key to effective health reform

In an op-ed piece published by U.S. News & World Report, American Hospital Association President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock emphasizes the need for health care reform that’s based on “good policy changes - not just payment cuts.”

He explains: “Providing coverage to our nation's uninsured is vitally important and a goal that hospitals support strongly. And there are reforms that must take place: lasting changes that emphasize wellness and prevention; removing the barriers to hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other caregivers to working together to better coordinate care for patients; and allowing caregivers to remain focused on improving patient care - not on navigating a complex, red tape-ridden system. And the best part about these solid policy changes is that they all have associated cost savings. These are the changes hospitals strongly support. What hospitals cannot support, and hospitals cannot sustain, are budget cuts on the magnitude of nearly a quarter trillion dollars. Cuts in the government programs that serve our nation's seniors, disabled, poor, and children to the levels that are being discussed would put in jeopardy the many services on which communities rely.”

Burn Injury Reporting requirement for MS Hospitals - New Law Effective July 1, 2009

A new law became effective July 1, 2009 that requires any hospital, as defined in Section 41-9-3, or any licensed facility, as defined in Section 41-23-39, that is initially responsible for the treatment of an individual for a burn injury shall notify the State Fire Marshal or his designee within twenty-four (24) hours by phone at 601-359-1061 or fax at 601-359-1076.

For the purposes of this requirement, the term "burn injury" means:
• second- or third-degree burns to nine percent (9%) or more of the patient's body;
• injury to the upper respiratory tract or laryngeal edema caused by inhaling super-heated air; OR
• a burn that causes death.
• Please note: The term "burn injury" shall not include sunburns.

The information provided on the Burn Injury Report shall be held by the State Fire Marshal as confidential and shall not be disclosed except pursuant to state or federal law.

A copy of the Burn Injury Report Form is available here: Download BurnInjuryReportForm. The form is also available online at www.mid.state.ms.us. The form may be filled out electronically or manually, then printed and faxed to Tammy Peavy via fax to 601-359-1076 or via postal mail to P. O. Box 79, Jackson, MS 39205-0079.

To access the Burn Injury Reporting Form online:
• Go to http://www.mid.state.ms.us/
• At the top of the home page for the MS Department of Insurance is a maroon-colored navigation bar. At the far right, click on Fire Marshal to reveal the pull-down menu. Click on the first option button – Burn Injury Report. You will see an explanation of the new requirement and the required form.
• The form must be completed for all injuries described above and faxed to the State Fire Marshal at 601-359-1076. It is preferable that the form be completed online, then printed and faxed, or it can be printed and completed manually.

Luran Lancaster is the contact person at the Department of Insurance/State Fire Marshal’s Office regarding burn injury reporting. She can be reached by phone at (601) 359-9232. 

If MHA can assist you further or provide additional information, you may contact Shannon Coker at scoker@mhanet.org or 601-368-3235 or Marcella McKay at mmckay@mhanet.org or 601-368-3220.

2009 Annual Alzheimer's Conference set for Aug. 12-14

The 10th Annual Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Psychiatric Disorders in the Elderly, Caregiving: A Balancing Act, is scheduled for August 12-14 at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw. The conference is sponsored by DMH’s Division of Professional Development and the Division of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia. Continuing Education has been applied for in a variety of areas through the Division of Professional Development.

Keynote Speakers include Dr. Daniel Potts and Vicki Kerr of Caring Days Adult Day Program in Tuscaloosa, AL. Dr. Potts’ father, a victim of Alzheimer’s disease, began to paint as a participant of Caring Days. Dr. Potts and his father published a book entitled, The Broken Jar which features artwork of his father and poetry Dr. Potts wrote to accompany his works.

The afternoon general session will be Living a Full and Rewarding Life with Alzheimer’s Disease by Bill Bridgwater. Bridgwater serves on the National Alzheimer Association’s Board of Directors, a first for an Alzheimer’s patient. In 2009, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter appointed Bridgwater to serve on an Alzheimer’s task force charged with evaluating the impact Alzheimer’s will have on the state as baby boomers reach retirement age.

Bridgwater’s talk will be a great segway into the Legislative Forum, moderated by DMH Executive Director Ed LeGrand. The Forum will include a panel of some of our state’s leading senators and representatives and will be open for a question and answer period followed by a reception.

The Conference will conclude with Donna Cutting who will encourage participants with her award winning presentation entitled, The Celebrity Experience – How to Make Your Customers Feel Like Stars. Awards will be presented. Registration information, vendor information, sponsorship opportunities, and award nomination forms can be found at www.dmh.ms.gov.

HRET surveying hospitals on HIV testing practices

The American Hospital Association’s Health Research & Educational Trust affiliate, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is surveying 1,000 hospitals on their HIV testing policies and procedures to better understand the opportunities and challenges the nation faces in identifying and treating people with HIV. The CDC estimates that as many as 25% of the 1.2 million Americans who are HIV positive are unaware that they are infected.

HRET is mailing the survey this week to the hospitals’ CEOs for completion by infection control staff.

CMS urged to withdraw proposed IRF certification changes

The American Hospital Association on June 26 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to withdraw proposed revisions to the certification criteria for inpatient rehabilitation facilities included in the IRF prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2010 and draft revisions to the IRF medical necessity guidelines. “Given that IRFs already must satisfy substantial facility criteria similar to those of other hospital settings, and may face a significant financial penalty if they fail to do so, we do not believe further IRF facility criteria are warranted at this time,” the AHA said.

In addition, the AHA warned that CMS’ “rewrite” of the IRF medical necessity guidelines constitutes new policy that must be proposed through formal rulemaking. CMS is expected to publish a final IRF rule by Aug. 1.

Summary of House Tri-Committee Health Care Reform Legislation: Discussion Draft

On June 19, House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) released their draft health care reform legislation. The tri-committee proposal would expand health care coverage by enacting an individual mandate and an employer "play or pay" policy. Additionally, it would create a health insurance exchange with a public insurance plan option, expand Medicaid to 133.33 percent of the federal poverty limit, and enact a number of insurance market reforms. It would not reduce disproportionate share hospital (DSH) or graduate medical education (GME) payments.

Among the key provisions affecting hospitals, the draft legislation would:

- Permanently reduce the annual market basket update for inpatient, outpatient and post- acute care services to account for "productivity gains;"

- Pay hospitals Medicare payment rates for individuals enrolled in a new public health insurance plan (as part of a national health insurance exchange) for the first two years, after which the Secretary would set payment rates;

- Implement an aggressive readmissions policy that would limit payment to hospitals;

- Reform the physician payment formula and direct higher payments to primary care providers;

- Instruct the Secretary to develop a plan to bundle Medicare payments;

The House draft is available here. An AHA advisory provides a detailed summary of the key proposals affecting hospitals in the House's discussion draft legislation. If you are an MHA member and would like a copy of this advisory, contact Shawn Lea at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3237 or slea@mhanet.org.  

MNA's Disaster Preparedness Conference set for July - and FREE for members and associates

 

The Mississippi Nurses Association Board of Directors voted recently to provide the association’s Disaster Preparedness Conference at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa in Florence, Ala., July 10 and 11 free of charge to MNA members and active members of out-of-state nursing associations or other professional associations such as EMTs, firefighters, and other emergency responders. The conference, a two-day, intensive, hands-on workshop for disaster responders, is being conducted by specialists from Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP). Participation is limited to 60 and proof of active membership is required.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for disaster responders,” said MNA Executive Director Ricki Garrett. “The CDP is the nation’s leader in disaster preparedness training. The conference offers eight hours of continuing education credit and focuses on four areas of training – decontamination, mass casualty response, survey and monitoring, and scene safety.”

MNA will use hurricane relief funds to offset the cost for its members and members of other professional response associations. "We wanted to make sure our nurse responders have an opportunity to train with some of the nation’s best teachers and have all they need to protect their communities and feel confident and prepared in case of any disaster," said Garrett.

For more information about the Mississippi Nurses Association’s two-day disaster preparedness conference, contact MNA offices at (601) 898-0670 or register online at www.msnurses.org.  A registration form is attached below.

Download Disaster Preparedness Registration 

Webinar to cover MMSEA Section 111 reporting compliance

The American Hospital Association’s American Society for Healthcare Risk Management affiliate and consulting firm Marsh on June 30 will host for AHA and ASHRM members a free Webinar on "Surviving MMSEA Section 111.” Presenters from ASHRM, Marsh and the health care provider community will discuss how to navigate the process of identifying reportable claims and achieving compliant reporting under Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007.

Learno more about the event, set for 3 p.m. CST, here.

House panelists oppose DSH payment cuts

Both Democrat and Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on June 25 voiced opposition to the president’s proposal to cut $106 billion in Hospital Disproportionate Share hospital payments over 10 years to help pay for health care reform. At a hearing on the draft health reform proposal released by House Democrats June 12, Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Phil Gingrey (R-GA) expressed concern with President Obama’s proposed cuts.

Harman cited the anxiety of health care providers and government officials in her congressional district. “Los Angeles County is panicked” about proposed DSH cuts, she said, later submitting for the record a letter from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors opposing the cuts.

Harman also expressed concern about the impact of DSH cuts on the surge capacity of level-one trauma centers at safety-net hospitals in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The American Hospital Association strongly opposes the cuts, which overlook the critical role that the Medicare and Medicaid DSH programs play in supporting a broad range of services for hospitals' most vulnerable patients.

CMS announces timeframe for submitting quality measure

Hospitals participating in the Medicare pay-for-reporting program will have from July 1 to Aug. 15 to report whether they participate in a systematic database for cardiac surgery, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in an e-mail to hospitals this week. The measure is one of 13 new quality measures that hospitals participating in the pay-for-reporting program must submit to receive their annual payment update for fiscal year 2010 under the inpatient prospective payment system final rule for FY 2009.

CMS plans to post to the My QualityNet Web site on July 1 instructions for hospitals and vendors submitting data on the measure. Hospitals that do not perform cardiac surgeries will be able to indicate that for their data submission.

Joint Commission Official: Don't Put Patients in Egress Halls When ED Overcrowds

Those of you who plan to move patients into exit corridors when routine ED overcrowding occurs may want to reconsider that policy given what a Joint Commission official said about the matter. Patients on gurneys and chairs cannot be parked in egress corridors because of requirements for minimum clear widths, said George Mills, FASHE, CEM, CHFM, senior engineer at The Joint Commission.

Learn more here.