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New DSH Payments Distributed
Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments were recently distributed by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Electronic payments went out on December 12, while checks will be mailed out on December 26 to all other hospitals that typically receive checks from AHCCCS. Under direction from CMS, AHCCCS required hospitals to submit Medicare Cost Reports and other data elements this year for the first time. The required due diligence delayed payments. In 2009, AHCCCS officials will request DSH information earlier and expects to distribute payments in June. To see the hospital-specific payments, visit http://www.azhha.org/member_and_media_resources/documents/DSHPaymentstoPrivateHospitals-1999-2008.pdf.
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City of Phoenix Creates Domestic Partner Registry
The City of Phoenix has become the second city in Arizona to grant hospital-visitation rights to unmarried domestic partners. The Phoenix City Council unanimously voted this week to create a domestic partner registry, similar to the one launched in Tucson in 2003. The registry guarantees that domestic partners have the right to visit each other in Phoenix hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other healthcare facilities. Beginning Feb. 9, 2009, each qualified couple that pays a $50 administrative fee will receive a domestic-partner certificate.
The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) will provide members with information on how to comply with the ordinance. In the meantime, for more information, visit http://phoenix.gov/PAGENDAC/packhtml.html#abac3).
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CMS Issues Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes
Nineteen Arizona nursing homes have secured a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) based on quality ratings released for the first time. CMS released these quality ratings for each of the nation’s 15,800 nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
Facilities are assigned star ratings from a low of one star to a high of five stars based on:
- health inspection surveys;
- staffing information; and
- quality of care measures.
Ratings are given for each of these three areas and then each nursing home is given an overall score, based on the following scale:
- Five Star – much above average;
- Four Star – above average;
- Three Star – about average;
- Two Star – below average; and
- One Star – much below average.
Approximately 14 percent of the Arizona nursing homes scored a five-star rating, slightly better than the national average of 12 percent. Arizona met the national average, 22 percent, of homes that scored only one star. Arizona's average score of 2.85 for its 133 nursing homes was just above the average score nationally of 2.81.
Ratings are dynamic and will be updated monthly. The ratings are available on the Nursing Home Compare Web site at http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchCriteriaNEW.asp?version=default&browser=IE%7C7%7CWinXP&language=English&defaultstatus=0&pagelist=Home&CookiesEnabledStatus=True.
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CMS Invites Comments Regarding Never Events
CMS has proposed three National Coverage Determinations (NSDs) regarding “Never Events” for which CMS will not cover hospital payments. Comments will be accepted until Jan. 1, 2009 on the following:
• Wrong Patient NSD -- http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewdraftdecisionmemo.asp?from2=viewdraftdecisionmemo.asp&id=221
• Wrong Body Part NSD -- http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewdraftdecisionmemo.asp?id=222
• Wrong Surgery NSD – http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewdraftdecisionmemo.asp?from2=viewdraftdecisionmemo.asp&id=223
To comment, click on the orange comment button at the top of each proposed decision memo.
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CMS Grants Joint Commission Ambulatory Surgery Accreditation
CMS has granted The Joint Commission deeming authority for ambulatory surgery centers for its maximum six-year period. This means that ambulatory surgery centers accredited by The Joint Commission will be “deemed” as meeting Medicare certification requirements, as they have been since 1996. CMS estimates that in 2007, approximately 4,600 ambulatory surgical centers participated in Medicare. For more information about the ambulatory accreditation program, visit http://www.jointcommission.org/AccreditationPrograms/AmbulatoryCare/.
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All Arizona Hospitals Qualify for Outpatient Payment Update
All Arizona hospitals will receive the full 3.6 percent market-basket update for outpatient payment in 2009, according to CMS. The hospitals reported to CMS on the seven identified quality measures so they were eligible for the full update. The 27 U.S. hospitals that did not meet the requirements of the outpatient quality reporting program will receive a 1.6 percent update. For more information, visit http://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?cid=1228147977160&pagename=QnetPublic%2FPage%2FQnetTier3&c=Page.
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OCR Publishes New Privacy Rule Guidance
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a toolkit focusing on privacy and security principles for healthcare stakeholders engaged in the electronic exchange of health information. The Privacy and Security Toolkit—part of the new HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance—includes information on how the rule supports and may facilitate electronic health information exchange in a networked environment. In addition, the guidance includes documents that address electronic access by an individual to his or her protected health information and how the Privacy Rule may apply to and support the use of Personal Health Records.
These new HIPAA guidance documents are available on the OCR Privacy Rule Web site at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/hit/. For more information on the Privacy and Security Framework and to view other documents in the Privacy and Security Toolkit, visit http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/privacy/framework.html.
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Arizona Association of Health Plans Debuts
Seven Arizona health plans—Arizona Physicians IPA, Mercy Care Plan, Care1st Arizona, University Family Care, Phoenix Health Plan, SCAN Long Term Care and Health Choice AZ—have announced the formation of the Arizona Association of Health Plans, Inc. The new association also has chosen Kathryn Busby, an Arizona lawyer and healthcare advocate, as its executive director.
The association’s goals include:
- ensuring that every effort is made to make healthcare affordable and accessible in Arizona;
- expanding membership and collaboration to include other Arizona commercial and public health plans to reach more Arizonans;
- supporting AHCCCS; and
- partnering with health providers so that appropriate medical services are delivered to patients and providers are compensated in a fair and timely manner.
The association also will work with legislators, government agencies and healthcare providers to improve the quality, availability and cost of healthcare delivery in Arizona.
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ASHLine Helps Patients Kick the Habit for the New Year
ASHLine, the state-funded Arizona Smoker’s Helpline, is gearing up to help people meet their New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking. Consider referring patients now to ASHLine “quit coaches” in order to give them an early start on a “quit plan.” By starting a “quit plan” this month, patients will receive educational materials and tobacco cessation medications by Jan. 1, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.ashline.org/healthcare.html or call 1-800-556-5222.
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Yuma Regional Receives Workplace Excellence Award
Yuma Regional Medical Center was the first place winner in the Yuma Sun’s 2008 Workplace Excellence Awards. Yuma Regional was recognized in the large business category. This is the third time Yuma Regional has been cited in the Workplace Excellence Awards—it received the same award in 2005 and was the overall winner in 2006 (and thus ineligible to compete in 2007). Yuma Regional was acknowledged for its:
- successful recruitment and retention;
- commitment to work/life balance; and
- learning, training and development programs.
For more information on the awards program, visit http://www.yumasun.com/news/work_45780___article.html/awc_best.html.
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Summit Healthcare Names New CEO
Summit Healthcare in Show Low welcomes a new CEO, Kevin Hawk, on Jan. 2, 2009. Hawk currently serves as CEO at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyo. Prior to that, he served as the administrator of Portage Community Hospital in Portage, Ind. Hawk is a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Mount Vernon, Ohio and holds a master’s degree in Hospital and Healthcare Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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AzHHA to Host Ethics Workshop
According to the recent Arizona Hospital Ethics Committee and Ethics Consultation Survey, medical futility is listed as one of the most common and important topics in addressing ethical dilemmas in patient care. This complex issue will be the focus of AzHHA’s 3rd Annual Ethics Workshop—Medical Futility: A New Look at an Old Problem. The workshop takes place from 8 am-4 pm, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel in Phoenix. The event is geared toward chief medical officers, chief nursing officers, ethics committee members, physicians, nursing staff, risk managers, patient care services personnel, long-term care administrators, social workers, chaplains and others interested in learning more about medical futility. Program topics include:
- overview of medical futility with open discussion of actual cases;
- difficulties in shared medical decision making when futility is an issue;
- practical strategies for averting and resolving medical futility conflicts; and
- interactive conversations, including role playing, about medical futility.
The keynote speaker, Susan Rubin, PhD, a clinical ethicist and co-founder of the Ethics Practice, will present an overview of the futility debate that will include case discussions and a critique of the concept of futility.
To register, visit www.azhha.org/educational_services and click on Education Events. Questions? Call 602-445-4356 or e-mail edservices@azhha.org.
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Hotel Reservation Deadline Extended: Rural Healthcare Conference
The hotel reservation deadline has been extended to Monday, Dec. 29 for the 22nd Annual Rural Healthcare Leadership Conference, which takes place at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, Jan. 18-21, 2009.
The conference will explore proven strategies for accelerating performance excellence and improving the sustainability of rural hospitals. Session topics include:
- workplace productivity and employee loyalty;
- influential leadership; and
- transforming care at the bedside.
To register or for more information, visit http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/PHXSPPR-ARH-20090117/index.jhtml or call 1-800-876-4683. When making a reservation by phone, cite group code ARH to receive the special rate.
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Weekly Is Now the AzHHA Insider
Beginning Jan. 9, AzHHA members and Weekly recipients will begin receiving the Association’s new publication, AzHHA Insider. This electronic newsletter will replace the Weekly and will still include the same timely information and articles, but will be issued every other Friday, as opposed to every Friday. A series of telephone interviews and a readership survey of Weekly recipients revealed that members value the publication, but they recognize there are other AzHHA communications vehicles, such as the daily publication, Health-E-News, that keep them informed of healthcare news. For more information, contact AzHHA’s Allyson McCormley at 602-445-4300, ext.4334.
Happy and healthy holidays to you from the team at the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association!
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