Last week, advocates for protecting Michigan's model auto no-fault insurance law voiced their fervent opposition to the current attempt in the state Legislature to eviscerate the system that has served auto accident victims since 1973.

As many as 250 accident victims, family caregivers, veterans and others gathered in Oakland County to protest House Bill (HB) 4936, introduced by state Rep. Peter Lund (R-Shelby Township), as well as the related Senate Bill (SB) 649, introduced by state Sen. Joe Hune (R-Hamburg). The crowd urged opposition to the bills, explaining that a reduction in coverage for auto accident injuries will create needless lawsuits and will hurt veterans by cutting reimbursement for the hospitals and rehabilitation centers where they are treated. In particular, they voiced concern over a section of HB 4936 that includes a symbolic appropriation to ensure that voters, by law, have no way to overturn the proposed changes at the ballot boxes, should it pass.

House Democrats called a news conference to share their frustrations with HB 4936, namely that it attacks seriously injured victims. Lawmakers went on to say that it creates larger profits for the insurance industry while stripping away consumer protections and transparency.

Additionally, author, journalist and broadcaster Mitch Albom is calling for the defeat of HB 4936, advocating on behalf of Health Partners Inc., a company specializing in home care. Albom's message can be heard on News/Talk WJR 760 AM radio.

HB 4936 is currently waiting to be taken up by the full House of Representatives for consideration and action on the bill is expected in coming weeks, while SB 649 is awaiting action by the Senate Committee on Insurance. Should the bills become law, traumatically injured people would have grossly inadequate coverage for their care, rehabilitation and accommodations following an accident. Additionally, millions of dollars would be cost shifted annually from for-profit insurance companies onto the overburdened Medicaid system and taxpayers.

HB 4936 also calls for healthcare providers to be reimbursed under Michigan's workers' compensation fee schedule -- arbitrarily reducing payments to providers without regard to the intensity of the services necessary to care for and rehabilitate seriously injured patients.

Despite the significant sacrifices and limitations being proposed to the existing system, auto insurers are under no requirement to reduce premiums as a result and have refused to make commitments to do so.

MHA members are urged to contact their state representatives to strongly oppose HB 4936. For more information, contact Laura Appel at the MHA.

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The MHA publicly released Friday the MHA Patient Safety and Quality Annual Report: Hospitals Putting Patients First. The report details Michigan hospitals' voluntary efforts to prevent infections, save lives, introduce efficiencies, save millions of healthcare dollars, empower consumers and more.

In addition to the report, the MHA has developed an accompanying public relations toolkit for use by member hospitals to communicate to elected officials, media and the general public that Michigan hospitals are among the nation's leaders in patient safety and quality. Brochures are available upon request for display in hospital admitting and waiting areas.

Currently, the quality and accountability activities coordinated by the association include the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality, an entity dedicated to the implementation of evidence-based best practices; the MHA Patient Safety Organization, a patient safety data collection and analysis organization; and MI Hospital Inform, a publicly available, comprehensive price and quality information website. Every Michigan hospital is formally participating in one or more of these initiatives, demonstrating the commitment of the MHA and its members to provide the safest, most effective care to all.

For more information about the MHA's quality and accountability efforts or to obtain copies of the report, contact Sam R. Watson at the MHA.

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Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law Senate Bill 374, sponsored by Sen. John Moolenaar (R-Midland). Now known as Public Act 195 of 2011, the law amends the Municipal Health Facilities Corporations Act to revise the procedure for filling positions on the board of a municipal hospital. The new law removes the tedious requirement to submit the names of three qualified nominees to the municipal governing body -- county commission or city council -- when there is an opening on a municipal hospital board of trustees. Hospital leadership is now permitted to propose one qualified nominee to its municipal governing body at a time. The MHA advocated for passage of Public Act 195 of 2011 throughout the legislative process. Members with questions should contact Chris Mitchell at the MHA.
 

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The fourth annual MHA Patient Safety and Quality Symposium, titled Cohesive Care and Reducing Variation Across the Continuum, is scheduled for April 24 and 25 in Ypsilanti at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest. The symposium features internationally respected faculty, including Ian Morrison, PhD, a healthcare author and consultant based in Menlo Park, CA; Chip Heath, professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business in Stanford, CA, and co-author of the bestselling book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard; and clinical speakers who will share innovative practices on educating residents on adverse event reporting, engaging physicians in achieving quality excellence, changing behavior to improve patient safety, and technology's impact on patient care. The symposium is designed for clinical teams across the continuum of care, healthcare executives, and business leaders.

Members who register for the 2012 MHA Patient Safety and Quality Symposium through Oct. 31 qualify for 2011 rates, representing a 30 percent discount. The conference brochure will be available in late January. For more information on the symposium, contact Erin Steward at the MHA. Questions about registration should be directed to Janice Jones at the MHA.

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A recent HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Report on the conversion from ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes to ICD-10-CM diagnosis and ICD-10-PCS procedure codes (ICD-10) showed that only one third of healthcare leaders said their health system or hospital have moved beyond the assessment phase of ICD-10 implementation. Almost half of the respondents indicated they expect a revenue loss associated with ICD-10 implementation. With most hospitals operating at low margins, aggressive planning and budgeting for ICD-10 conversion is key to minimizing financial disruption.

The MHA Health Foundation webinar ICD-10: Will You Be Ready?, scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 2, outlines a menu of resources for ICD-10 conversion, developed by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), a national healthcare coalition that advances administrative simplicity through electronic data interchange. Participants will analyze the ICD-10 conversion milestones, implications of getting a late start, and how to prepare for the conversion's impact on electronic health records, meaningful use reporting, billing, pay-for-performance and other business functions. MHA members can register for the webinar for $195 per connection. Members with questions should contact Leigh Anne Jewison at the MHA.

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Last week, a hospital and a clinical health professional from Michigan were recognized at the national 2011 FoodMed Conference in Seattle for their significant achievement and leadership in healthcare food service. Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, received second place in the Public Policy and Advocacy award category; and Lisa McDowell, MS, RD, manager of clinical nutrition, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Ann Arbor, received first place in the Clinical Engagement Award group, which recognizes individuals who make the critical link between the industrialized food system and public health.

At the conference, Brian Peters, MHA executive vice president, Operations, participated in a Building Community Partnerships for Change panel. The panel discussed a variety of ways that community-based organizations, governmental agencies and national initiatives can work with the healthcare sector, supporting their efforts to improve the health of the food system through activities like regional sourcing or the aggregation of institutional procurement across sectors. During the discussion, Peters highlighted the 86 hospitals participating in the Healthy Food Hospitals initiative. Hospitals that have not joined this effort are encouraged to do by completing the pledge form. Members with questions should contact Paige Hathaway at the MHA.

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The MHA sponsorship program is designed to provide businesses with exposure to and interaction with key decision-makers of MHA-member hospitals and healthcare providers and provides numerous opportunities to support association events and meetings throughout the year. Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the MHA Health Foundation Winter Leadership Conference, to be held Feb. 16 and 17 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Acme. Organizations interested in sponsoring this conference should notify the MHA now.

The MHA's ability to offer a five-star conference on a limited budget depends on the generosity of sponsoring businesses and organizations. The Winter Leadership Conference is the most popular education and networking event for Michigan small and rural hospital chief executive officers and senior leaders and is the place for them to gain critical new skills. Sponsorship offers a variety of ways for organizations to gain visibility among this group of executives, from recognition in the brochure and meeting guide, to the opportunity to display promotional literature, to verbal thanks throughout the event.

To become a sponsor and be recognized in the conference brochure, refer to the MHA sponsorship brochure and submit the Intent to Sponsor form to the MHA no later than Dec. 8. All sponsorships are due Jan. 5. For more information, contact Sara Miller at the MHA.

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The MHA is again partnering with Tomorrow's Child/Michigan SIDS to host the Infant Safe Sleep Symposium, scheduled for Nov. 17 at Lansing Community College West Campus. Michigan's Infant Safe Sleep Campaign uses evidence-based best practices designed to eliminate preventable infant deaths. This conference will discuss the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-related infant deaths. Rachel Moon, MD, FAAP, who chairs the AAP SIDS Task Force, will come to Michigan for a special, interactive, educational program for hospital staff and professionals. Physicians, nurses, and other providers caring for families and infants are encouraged to register for the event, which offers 3.5 educational contact hours.

Issues of safe sleep were discussed as a key solution to reducing Michigan's infant mortality rate at the Michigan Call to Action to Reduce and Prevent Infant Mortality Summit held in Ann Arbor last week. Attendees from across the state broke into workgroups to brainstorm possible approaches to reducing infant mortality, implementation strategies for the solutions and the rationale behind them. The MHA signed the personal commitment form to continue participation in this crucial work.

Members with questions regarding registration for the symposium should contact Chris Platt at Tomorrow's Child. Questions regarding the infant mortality summit should be directed to Paige Hathaway at the MHA.

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The MI STA*AR (Michigan STate Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations) teams recently convened for regional workshops in Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Livonia. Emphasis was placed on including post-acute providers in discussions of communitywide coordination to reduce avoidable rehospitalizations.

Presentations at each of the workshops included an overview of current state and federal activities in care transitions and rehospitalizations work, the Affordable Care Act, and the future state of this work; discussion of the Michigan landscape around rehospitalizations and how current rehospitalization programs can work together; an overview of the epidemiology of rehospitalizations and the latest data and trends; presentations from experienced community coalitions on growing relationships with cross-continuum providers and building communities; and the use of social media to promote care transitions improvement work. A portion of each workshop was dedicated to team-sharing, focusing specifically on collaboration with post-acute providers to coordinate care transitions.

On Nov. 9, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; MPRO, Michigan's quality improvement organization; and the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality will host an Improvement Science in Action training session that will assist MI STA*AR teams in building front-line capacity to lead improvement projects specifically related to reducing avoidable hospitalizations. Registration for this event is now open. Members with questions should contact Brittany Bogan at the MHA.

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The MHA Task Force on Future Health Insurance Relationships, which first met in January, was created to identify the desired future for provider relationships with health insurance plans and third-party administrators in 2014, given the impact of federal healthcare reforms. During its final meeting last week, the group reviewed a draft report to the MHA membership.

The report, to be issued in the coming weeks, considers the major uncertainties faced by hospitals, physicians, insurers, and employers resulting from healthcare reforms and the implementation of a state health insurance exchange in 2014. Important opportunities in relationships with insurers exist, particularly in areas related to data, information and analytics. Task force members developed a set of recommended strategies for both hospitals and the MHA, laying a foundation for upcoming work plans of the MHA and its committees. Questions should be directed to Peter Schonfeld at the MHA.

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• The MHA Health Foundation webinar Visionary Leadership: Being a Catalyst for Change and Effective Communication will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday. This webinar will discuss the need for emotional intelligence in the healthcare market and methods to rate or score people on their emotionally intelligent aptitude. For more information, contact Leigh Anne Jewison at the MHA.

• An MHA Patient Safety and Quality Advocacy Day Breakfast will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the second floor Speaker's Library in the Michigan Capitol, Lansing. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with state legislators and discuss patient safety and quality in Michigan. For more information, contact Sam R. Watson at the MHA.

• The MHA Quality & Accountability Committee will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the MHA Capitol Advocacy Center in downtown Lansing. Participants will discuss influenza vaccination policies for healthcare workers and the 10th Scope of Work developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and MPRO, the quality improvement organization for Michigan. For more information, contact Sam R. Watson at the MHA.

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late last week released the final rule governing accountable care organizations (ACOs). The CMS indicated that the revised rule reflects input from stakeholders across the nation, who made more than 1,300 comments on the proposed rule. The MHA will review the ACO final rule in the coming days and provide members with additional information. Questions should be directed to Laura Appel at the MHA.