Category: Member News

MHA Webinar Tying Person and Family Engagement to Culture Performance Deadline Approaching

Member News

One week remains before the registration deadline for the MHA webinar Tying Person and Family Engagement (PFE) to Culture and Performance. Scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 20, the webinar provides an opportunity for hospitals to share examples of how leaders are creating a PFE culture by building policies into operations.

The webinar outlines a process for structuring value-based employee competencies that are foundational to delivering patient-centered care; programs that uniformly train and support knowledge and application of PFE principles across the system; and examples of how to establish clear expectations of behaviors and actions that support a patient-centered culture.

In 2022, The MHA released the MHA Person & Family Engagement Roadmap in 2022, featuring research and tools supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care to help MHA members further develop person and family engagement.

Registration is free of charge for MHA member organizations. Members with questions about the webinar or MHA Person & Family Engagement Roadmap may contact Erin Steward at the MHA.

MHA Keystone Center Offers Learning Collaboratives for Peer Recovery Services

Member News

The MHA Keystone Center is partnering with the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan to host a two-part, virtual series about peer recovery services for substance and opioid use disorders from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 17 and Sept. 23.

Emergency medicine providers will have the opportunity to connect with their peers to discuss hospital-based peer recovery coach services, warm handoffs to post-acute care services and available community resources.

While funding for peer recovery programs have traditionally been an obstacle to implementation, the state of Michigan’s fiscal year 2025 budget includes $8.3 million to support reimbursement for hospitals providing peer recovery services for substance and opioid use disorders.

  • Registration is free of charge and emergency department physicians and care providers are encouraged to join the virtual sessions to learn from subject matter experts with hands-on experience implementing peer recovery programs. Continuing Medical Education credits will be offered for both sessions.

Nick Rademacher, MD, from Trinity Health Grand Rapids and Jacob Manteuffel, MD, from Henry Ford Health will lead the sessions.

Members with questions about the virtual sessions may contact the MHA Keystone Center.

 

CMS Releases FY 2025 Final Rule for Skilled Nursing Facilities

Member News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025.

Key provisions include:

  • Increasing the per diem federal rate by a net 4.2% after the market basket update, productivity adjustment and other adjustments.
  • Updating the base year data used to determine the SNF market basket from 2018 to 2022.
  • Updating the wage index used under the SNF PPS to reflect data from the 2020 decennial census.
  • Increasing the labor-related share of the per diem rate from 71.1% to 72%.
  • Making technical updates to the code mappings used to classify patients under the Patient Driven Payment Model that assigns patients to clinical categories.
  • Revising the regulations to allow the CMS to impose additional financial penalties on facilities with health and safety deficiencies as identified.
  • Adopting four new patient assessment items related to health-related social needs, with SNFs required to collect and report specific data elements related to living situation, food and utilities beginning with the FY 2027 SNF quality reporting program (QRP).
  • Modifying the transportation item on the patient assessment item to simplify response options while also using a defined 12-month look-back period.
  • Adopting a data validation process for the SNF QRP beginning with the FY 2027 program.
  • Proposing operational updates to the SNF Value-Based Purchasing program, including policies regarding measure removal and review and corrections.
  • Updating the case mix methodology used to calculate the Total Nurse Staffing measure.

The MHA will provide SNFs with an updated facility-specific impact analysis and additional details on the final rule, effective Oct. 1, in the near future. Members with questions should contact Vickie Kunz at the MHA.

News to Know – Aug. 5, 2024

Member News
New to Know

The Primary Election is Tuesday, Aug. 6. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters in line at 8 p.m. can still cast ballots. Those who missed the deadline to register online or by mail can do so in-person through Election Day with their local clerk. To check registration status, polling location or preview a ballot, visit the Michigan voter webpage. To learn more about candidates, download the free Gongwer app available on both iOS and Android devices by searching ‘Michigan Elections’ in the app store.  

CMS Releases FY 2025 Final Rule for Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities

Member News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. Key provisions of the rule include:

  • Increasing the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) payment per treatment by 71.5% from $385.58 to $661.52 for IPFs that comply with IPF quality reporting program (QRP) requirements and $648.65 for IPFs that fail to report data. The CMS believes this will improve access to ECT services.
  • Decreasing the IPF PPS federal per diem base rate by a net 2.1% after all adjustments, from $895.63 to $876.53. IPFs that fail to comply with the CMS IPF QRP requirements would be paid using a base rate of $859.48.
  • Updating the wage index using the most recent Office of Management and Budget statistical area delineations based on the 2020 Decennial Census.
  • Increasing the labor-related share from the current 78.7% to 78.8%.
  • Increasing the cost outlier threshold by 14% from the current $33,470 to $38,110 to achieve the 2% target for outlier payments, as compared to aggregate IPF payments, decreasing the number of cases that qualify for outlier payments.
  • Finalizing changes to the patient-level adjustments.
  • Maintaining the existing facility-level adjustment factors for rural location, teaching status and emergency department.
  • Changes to the IPFQR Program:
    • Finalizing the proposed adoption of the 30-Day Risk-Standardized All-Cause Emergency Department Visit following an IPF discharge measure beginning with the FY 2027 payment determination.
    • Not finalizing the proposal to require IPFs to submit patient-level data on a quarterly basis based on comments received and determining that some IPFs may be unable to meet this requirement in the proposed timeframe.
  • Summarizing comments received about the IPF PPS Patient Assessment Instrument (IPF-PAI), as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 and considering the comments for development of the IPF-PAI and in future rulemaking.

The MHA will provide IPFs with an updated facility-specific impact analysis and additional details on the final rule, effective Oct. 1, in the near future. Members with questions should contact Vickie Kunz at the MHA.

CMS Releases FY 2025 Final Rule for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities

Member News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-for-service prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025.

Key provisions of the rule include:

  • Increasing the IRF PPS payment rate by a net 2% after all adjustments, from $18,541 to $18,907. IRFs that fail to comply with the CMS IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements are subject to a two-percentage point reduction.
  • Updating the wage index using the most recent Office of Management and Budget statistical area delineations based on the 2020 Decennial Census.
  • Increasing the labor-related share from the current 74.1% to 74.4%.
  • Increasing the cost outlier threshold by 15.5% from the current $10,423 to $12,043 to achieve the 3% target for outlier payments, as compared to aggregate IRF payments, decreasing the number of cases that qualify for outlier payments.
  • Updating the case mix group relative weights and average length of stay values using FY 2023 IRF claims and FY 2022 IRF cost report data.
  • Requiring IRFs to report four new items (beginning with patients admitted Oct. 1, 2026) using the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) as standardized patient assessment data elements under the social determinants of health (SDOH) category beginning with the FY 2028 IRF QRP including:
    • One item for living situation.
    • Two items for food.
    • One item for utilities.
  • Modifying the Transportation item collected in the IRF-PAI under the SDOH category beginning with patients admitted Oct. 1, 2026
  • Continuing to evaluate, refine and develop new measures for the IRF QRP to ensure Medicare patients and caregivers have meaningful information to make informed decisions.
  • Creating a five-star IRF QRP rating system to distinguish between quality of care offered by providers.

The MHA will provide IRFs with an updated facility-specific impact analysis and additional details on the final rule, effective Oct. 1, in the near future. Members with questions should contact Vickie Kunz at the MHA.

MDHHS and Michigan 211 Launches New Website for Grief and Bereavement Support

Member News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), in partnership with Michigan 211, recently launched a new website aimed to providing support services for families who have experienced loss of a mother or infant. The website was made possible by a grant awarded to the MDHHS Division of Maternal and Infant Health by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

The goal of the website is to improve access to grief and bereavement support services for families during their time of need. The website serves as a resource hub where individuals can easily find and access a variety of services such as perinatal hospice care, palliative support, assistance with burial and cremation services, financial aid options, mental health resources and support resources for sudden loss.

The website allows users to search for services based on their geographic location using ZIP codes, ensuring that families can find local support that meets their specific needs. Any member of the community including bereaved families and healthcare professionals will be able to access resources through the site or by calling 211.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine at the MHA.

Michigan Medicaid Facility Rates Increased for Dental Procedures Under General Anesthesia

Member News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a final policy to increase Medicaid payment rates for dental services provided to patients under general anesthesia in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and outpatient hospitals, effective Oct. 1, 2022.

MDHHS implemented this policy change to improve access to vital dental services for Michigan’s most vulnerable population. Due to severity of a case or special needs for children and adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities,  some procedures cannot be completed in a clinic or office-based setting. The payment rate increased from $82.16 to $1,495 for ASCs and from $216.07 to $2,300 for outpatient hospitals.

The policy also modified the payment methodology for these settings, converting payment for current procedural terminology code 41899 from the Outpatient Prospective Payment System to a fee schedule based system.

Members with questions about this policy change should contact Jason Jorkasky at the MHA .

Michigan Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Paid Sick Leave & Minimum Wage

Member News

The Michigan Supreme Court issued a ruling July 31 in Mothering Justice v. Attorney General that upholds voter initiative petitions on paid sick leave and minimum wage. Those laws, as originally enacted, will go into effect Feb. 21, 2025.

As a practical result, hospital employers should be aware of forthcoming changes to sick leave and minimum hourly wages starting in February 2025. The Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, as enacted Public Act (PA) 337 of 2018, increases the state minimum hourly wage annually until 2030 and applies to all employers, regardless of size. Current estimates place the minimum hourly wage at $12.25 per hour, starting in February 2025, and reaching $15 by 2030.

The Earned Sick Time Act, as enacted PA 338 of 2018, applies to all employers and requires that an employee be provided one (1) hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. That sick time may carry over year to year and allows increased usage of paid earned sick time for an employee of up to 72 hours per year. In addition, employers will be required to update their displayed informational posters on earned sick time.

Members with questions should contact Nancy McKeague at the MHA. Members with questions about Michigan’s existing laws should contact Elizabeth Kutter at the MHA.

Applications Open for MI Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program

Member News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has allocated $3.5 million for the Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program. This program will offer up to $15,000 stipends to student interns enrolled in behavioral health degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate level.  

Students are eligible to apply for the stipend if they are pursuing careers as marriage or family therapists, behavior analysts, social workers, professional counselors or psychologists and have secured an unpaid internship in Michigan at one of, or contracted by, the following behavioral health settings:

  • Community Mental Health agency
  • Pre-paid Inpatient Health Plans
  • Tribal Health Centers Indian Health Service/Tribally Operated Facility or Program/Urban Indian Clinic
  • Public School

Through this program, MDHHS aims to address the growing demand for behavioral health professionals in the state. The stipends could fund between 230 and 700 interns.

Participants applying for the stipends should be dedicated to working in the behavioral health sector within Michigan. Members seeking more information about the program may refer to the Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program application.

Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine at the MHA.