MHA's Executive Briefing

CMS urged to delay enforcement of two-midnight policy

The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association on Nov. 8 urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to delay enforcement of its two-midnight policy for inpatient admission and review criteria until October 2014, and convene a meeting with affected stakeholders to develop alternate policy solutions.

“The fundamentally flawed, overly complicated two-midnight policy does not provide the clarity needed for consistent decision-making by either providers or reviewers,” the groups wrote. “…Moreover, it has been impossible for hospitals and physicians to come into compliance with the two-midnight policy given the two-month time period between the release of the final rule and the policy’s effective date. Even with the partial delay in enforcement through March 31, 2014, there is not enough time for hospitals and physicians to adjust.”

In particular, hospitals need additional time to reevaluate and potentially change many internal policies, update existing electronic medical records systems, and alter work flow processes to ensure compliance with the two-midnight policy, the letter notes. “Physicians will need extensive education on the two-midnight policy and time to adapt to its order and certification requirements, many of which are still unclear,” they add.

Making the OR Accountable

The value proposition of health care reform is simple: Greater collaboration will result in better care for less money. So far, the attention has been on cutting the cost of chronic disease. But in the hospital, one of the biggest challenges lies in the operating room.

Read more from Thomas Blasco, MD, in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine here.

5 Tips from Hotels to Improve Hospitality at Your Hospital

Hotels and resorts live and die by hospitality. They know the reputation of their brand depends largely on the friendliness and responsiveness of their staff. That’s why hotels have created detailed programs that train their employees to provide top-notch hospitality to each and every guest.
 
If you’re looking to improve hospitality — and ultimately patient satisfaction — at your hospital, there’s much that can be learned from practices of the hospitality industry and applied to your housekeeping or environmental services (EVS) department.
 
Here is a look at five hotel best practices for hospitality.

Retail Clinics: Threat or opportunity?

The explosion of retail clinics worries some traditional health care providers. But clinic leaders say far from competing with hospitals are physicians, they're helping to build a care continuum.

Read more from Marty Stempniak in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine here.

Study: Total Hospital Inpatient Days to Increase 19% by 2025

A new study published in Health Affairs sheds light on the demands America's healthcare providers will face through 2025 in light of expanded coverage and more elderly patients. Researchers used a computer model to estimate demands from 2013 to 2025, factoring in the aging U.S. population and expanded coverage under the healthcare reform law. The primary reason for the increased demand for healthcare providers through 2025 is an increase in the number of patients with chronic diseases associated with aging, according to study authors.

Read more from Molly Gamble in Becker's Hospital Review here.

N.Y. Hospital Group Turns The Tables On Hospital Graders

“HANYS’ Report On Report Cards,” published Nov. 4 by the Healthcare Association of New York State, used nine criteria to assess report cards issued by government or private organizations. These principles included whether the report card used measures grounded in scientific evidence, whether the data were recent and whether hospitals had a chance to review the findings before publication to pinpoint errors.

Read more from Kaiser Health News here.