IHA Board Takes Action on Issues
At its Feb. 6 meeting, the IHA Board of Directors passed a resolution encouraging hospitals to test the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that use of the checklist during major operations can reduce the incidence of deaths and complications by more than one-third.
More Indiana Hospitals Test Surgical Checklist
More IHA members have reported testing the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. IHA and IHI are challenging hospitals to test the checklist in one operating room, by one surgical team, one time before April 1. Click here to view the list of IHA members who have already participated. Contact Mikell Brown at 317/423-7726 or mbrown@ihaconnect.org when your hospital has tested the checklist to have your hospital added to the IHA list.
IHA Monitors Stimulus Bill; Compile Project Lists
Congress is still hammering out a compromise between the House and Senate on the stimulus legislation. IHA is uncertain of what will be in the final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and even its passage is not guaranteed. However, similarities between the House and Senate approaches allow us to prepare for what the President may sign into law as early as next week.
In the interest of being prepared for funds being available to Indiana’s hospitals, IHA is suggesting that you quickly compile information on projects that could be eligible for grants or other funding assistance. Much of the health care-related funding may flow directly to providers (such as Medicaid dollars and most of the health information technology funding), but state governments may be provided discretion in certain areas. For example, the Senate-passed version of the ARRA appropriates $1.6 billion for “grants to make schools and hospitals, significant users of energy, more energy efficient” (see summary available on http://appropriations.senate.gov/). It is unclear exactly how it would be allocated, but it may be prudent to prepare for some sort of competitive grant process.
Mitch Roob, CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, has been asked by Gov. Daniels to coordinate the state’s management of stimulus dollars. IHA anticipates that once the final bill is known, we will contact members again with more details on (1) what kind of projects might be eligible for funding; and (2) what information is needed by IEDC or any other grant-making entities.
Based on reviews of the stimulus legislation, the following list is provided as a guideline for you to compile projects in these areas along with supporting information that would likely be needed. IHA cannot be sure that these projects will be eligible for any funding, but we simply want to be prepared. We will follow-up with a more formal survey after passage of any stimulus legislation and additional conversations with IEDC.
NOTE: These categories of projects are listed in the order of the likelihood of available funding.
- Energy efficiency or “green building” projects: Do you have “shovel-ready” energy efficiency or “green building” capital projects in the pipeline on which work could be underway within six months after receipt of federal funding assistance? If so, what phases have been completed and what would be the level of assistance required for completion?
- Health Information Technology: Do you have projects such as electronic health records or upgraded infrastructure/servers/systems in the pipeline? If so, what phases have been completed and what would be the level of assistance required for completion?
- “Brick and mortar” capital projects: Do you have “shovel-ready” traditional capital projects in the pipeline that could be underway within six months after receipt of federal funding assistance? If so, what phases have been completed and what would be the level of assistance required for completion?
Provisions Worth Noting in Senate Stimulus Deal
The Senate Appropriations Committee has released a summary of the stimulus legislation, and there are several health-related provisions worth noting. This summary is available on the Committee's Web page here: http://appropriations.senate.gov/.
The total amount appropriated for health information technology is $3 billion. This is significantly below the $20 billion in the earlier House version. The Senate summary also reports $1.1 billion will be given to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Institutes of Health, and the Health and Human Services Office of the Secretary to evaluate the effectiveness of health care services. The House stimulus legislation appropriated $4.1 billion for similar research. In another area of the bill, $1.6 billion would be available in energy efficiency grants for schools and hospitals. More updates will be provided.
Leaders Ask Congress to Replicate Health IT Model
Leaders in Indiana are encouraging Congress to consider replicating Indiana’s Health Information Exchange model as it looks to invest billions in health IT infrastructure as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. IHIE provides the country’s best working model of a health information exchange— securely connecting 39 hospitals, 10,000 physicians, and more than 6 million patients. The exchange delivers lab results, reports, medication histories, and treatment histories, in real-time regardless of the hospital system or location. Studies have shown that efficient exchange of medical records among doctors and hospitals in the U.S. could save billions annually. Click here to read IHIE’s letter to Congress.
RAC Rollout to Proceed; Contract Protests Resolved
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced it will now continue with the rollout of the permanent Medicare recovery audit contractor program. The program had been on hold as a result of contract bid protests, which have now been resolved. Details on CMS’ plans to resume the program are pending and will be shared when available. IHA plans to schedule a RAC briefing in the near future.
Registration Now Open for Nurse Retention Briefing
Registration is now open for Engaging and Retaining Nurses: A Prescription for Redesign in Tough Economic Times. It is set for March 18 at the Hilton Indianapolis North. The program will provide Indiana’s nursing leaders with practical strategies that lead to: improved staff satisfaction and retention; improved quality of patient care; more effective care teams; and greater efficiency. The program will use the tested principles and processes of Transforming Care at the Bedside, a program of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Presenters will share the evidence base that supports practical tools, techniques, and resources for improvement. To register, visit www.regonline.com/iha2009rnretention.
ECRI Issues High Priority Alert on Bassinet Warmers
ECRI Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, has issued a high priority medical device alert for several older models of infant radiant warmers. ECRI Institute recommends the removal of a series of warmer models manufactured by Borning and Hill-Rom. Complete findings and recommendations are posted for free public access on ECRI Institute's Web site in its Patient Safety Center.
Time Running Out to Register for Just Culture Program.
The registration deadline for the Just Culture Champion Training Session is Feb. 24. The program will be held March 3 at the Montage, Indianapolis. This training session will examine the Just Culture model—focusing on risk, system design, and the management of behavioral choices. The Just Culture Algorithm will also be introduced. The algorithm is a structured process for conducting an investigation of an event or near misses—identifying system contributions and assessing accountability for those involved. The session will be presented by experts from Outcome Engineering, the developers of the Just Culture Algorithm. Following the session, participating hospital teams will be ready to implement the just culture concepts learned during the session into their respective hospitals. To register, visit www.regonline.com/iha2009justculture.
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