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FEATURED PARTNER

Paradigm Learning

Paradigm Learning designs business games and simulations that help healthcare providers better understand how their decisions impact bottom line results.

Most healthcare professionals see their job as caring for patients. For many of these professionals, the cost of that care is almost an afterthought. This engaging training experience enables them to realize that outstanding patient care and good business decision-making are not mutually exclusive.

Zodiak®: The Game of Business Finance and Strategy
After this one-day experience called Zodiak®: The Game of Business Finance and Strategy, healthcareprofessionals will…

Have a better understanding of the complexity and competitive nature of the healthcare industryUnderstand how reimbursement works at their hospital and which sources of revenue are mostProfitableUnderstand how individual actions and decisions affect a hospital’s key metrics
All of Paradigm Learning’s training products are engaging, interactive, customizable and results oriented.

In addition to business acumen for healthcare, our simulations address:

Leadership Accountability
Talent Leadership
Organizational Change and ChangeManagement
Project Management

Executives of member organizations may experience the learning at their location, at no charge, through a two-hour interactive demonstration. This allows members to see for themselves how the program works, what learning takes place and how cost savings can be realized through better informed decision making.

Contact
Tim Adler
Email: tim.adler@paradigmlearning.com
Website: www.paradigmlearning.com
Phone: (734) 663-8599

MEMBER BLURBS

Member News

RWHC Leadership Insights Newsletter (Issue 28, July 2012): BE HERE NOW (pdf)

UPCOMING EVENTS

Agrisafe Webinar

Topic: Personal Protection Equipment for Agricultural Producers

Webinar: July 31, 2012 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM CDT

Recommendations for head to toe protection will be discussed and demonstrated using various types of personal protective equipment (coveralls, aprons, safety glasses, goggles, gloves & hearing protection).

Limited space available.

CMS Proposals for the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Webinar: August 1, 2012 | 2:30 - 4:00 PM ET

CMS subject matter experts provide an overview of proposals for the physician value-based payment modifier. CMS has proposed to phase-in application of the value modifier, starting in 2015 with groups of physicians with 25 or more eligible professionals. The value modifier for these groups would be based on performance during 2013. The presentation describes the options these groups have on how the Value Modifier would be calculated based on whether they participate in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS).

For groups of 25 or more that do not participate in the PQRS, CMS is proposing to set their Value Modifier at a 1.0 percent payment reduction. For groups that wish to have their payment adjusted according to their performance on the value modifier, the rule proposes a system whereby groups with higher quality and lower costs would be paid more, and groups with lower quality and higher costs would be paid less.

This call also includes a question and answer session.

Regional Healthcare Law 101 Webinars
HHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

August 2 @ 2:30 pm PT
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States (HHS Region 9)

August 7 @ 2:00 pm ET
New Jersey and New York (HHS Region 2) August 8, 11:00 am ET – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont (HHS Region 1)

August 8 @ 2:00 pm CT
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas (HHS Region 6)

The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment Workshop
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

Live Webcast: August 8 - 9, 2012 | 8:00 AM ET

On August 8-9, 2012, the Institute of Medicine will hold a workshop on The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment. The workshop will give perspectives on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources, while also emphasizing quality and value in the delivery of health care services. Other topics to be covered include:

evolution of telehealth
current evidence base
technological developments
effects of public policies
role of the Department of Health and Human Services in promoting the use of telehealth

Registration is FREE.

» REGISTER FOR THE LIVE WEBCAST
» MORE INFORMATION

Take Action: Choose Effective Policies & Programs
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

Webinar: August 14, 2012 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM CDT

Choosing effective policies and programs that work in real life will maximize your chances of success. Not every well-intentioned policy or program is effective. Taking the time to look for strategies that have been shown to effectively address particular problems or issues will be time well spent. Learn about guidance, tools and resources for selecting policies and programs to address priority issues.

Using Data for Evidence Based Quality Improvement
HRSA

Webinar: August 17, 2012 | 2:00 ET

NATIONAL NEWS

CBO Estimates Impact Of High Court Decision On Health Law Costs, Coverage Expansion
compiled by KHN

July 25, 2012 (Kaiser Health News) - The Congressional Budget Office projected the court's decision allowing states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion would decrease costs to the federal government, but result in three million fewer Americans gaining coverage.

» GO TO NONPROFITANSWERGUIDE.COM

RESOURCE: Nonprofit Answer Guide

2-Minute Answers for Busy Nonprofits
Let’s face it: Running a successful nonprofit is demanding. Our sector is constantly changing and under more scrutiny than ever before. And when you’re mission-focused, it’s not always easy to keep up with the latest leadership trends or legal requirements.

Expert answers to your critical management questions.
Here, you’ll find concise answers to the critical operational and management questions nonprofit executives, managers and professionals ask everyday.

Rural Hospitals Prep for 'March' on Washington
by John Commins

July 25, 2012 (HealthLeaders Media) - Representatives for rural hospitals from states across the nation will head to Washington, D.C. next week to lobby for renewed funding for low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospitals.

The provisions are set to expire at the end of the federal fiscal year on October 1 and the National Rural Health Association says that could jeopardize the solvency of hundreds of hospitals that are often a critical source of healthcare in their rural communities.

Mayo Clinic Health System receives grant to improve rural health care

July 30, 2012 (Eureka Alert) - Mayo Clinic Health System Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) is sharing in an $11 million government grant to lead the creation of a national learning collaborative among rural health care providers. The effort is part of a national partnership using the Health Care Innovation Award funded by the Affordable Care Act.

FCC announces $115 million in funding for Internet expansion
by Brendan Sasso

July 25, 2012 (The Hill) - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Wednesday that it will spend $115 million over the next three years to expand high-speed Internet service to 400,000 people and businesses that currently lack it.

GAO: Small, rural hospitals less likely to receive EHR incentive payments

July 26, 2012 (AHANews.com) - Large and urban hospitals were much more likely than small and rural hospitals to receive a Medicare incentive payment for meaningful use of electronic health records in 2011, the first year of the incentive program, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office. Just 16% (761) of the estimated 4,855 eligible hospitals received incentive payments in 2011, which totaled $1.3 billion, GAO found. Hospitals paid under the inpatient prospective payment system were more than twice as likely as critical access hospitals to receive an incentive payment. Hospitals in the top third in terms of numbers of beds were 2.4 times more likely than hospitals in the bottom third to have been awarded an incentive payment. About two-thirds of hospitals receiving incentive payments were in urban areas.

» VIEW THE REPORT

Physicians protest health cuts in HHS spending bill
by Jennifer Lubell

July 27, 2012 (amednews.com) - The proposed House measure seeks to defund the health system reform law and eliminate a federal research agency, among other reductions.

A House spending bill that would fund health, education and labor programs for fiscal year 2013 received a barrage of criticism from physician organizations and others for proposing major cuts to health research and physician education programs while eliminating a federal agency that supports patient safety.

What Can Mississippi Learn From Iran?
by Suzy Hansen

July 27, 2012 (The New York Times) - One morning this spring, Claudia Cox, a registered nurse in Jackson, Miss., drove toward the countryside to visit some patients. She often has trouble finding their homes. “The rural people are the worst,” she said. “ ‘Come to the oak tree.’ Well, hell, I’m from the city, I don’t know what no oak tree is. I know magnolia. I know pine trees.” Cox referred to her seven-year-old Ford Freestyle as her “office,” but it had the ambience of an arcade: the ding-ding-ding from her dashboard signaling an unbuckled seat belt, the whir of a phone charger in the cigarette lighter, the phone ringing with the opening of Cheryl Lynn’s disco hit “Got to Be Real.” Cox, a 45-year-old divorced mother of three, juggled phone calls and patients’ charts and cigarettes like some serene octopus, always catching the steering wheel just before the vehicle veered onto the grass. After 20 minutes, she pulled into a pebbly driveway. It was time to find out why Vonda Wells kept going back to the emergency room.

Hospital Executives' Confidence In Caring for Uninsured Varies

July 30, 2012 (HealthLeaders Media) - While the states debate Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, hospital executives' confidence in their organization’s ability to care for the uninsured varies. According to the HealthLeaders 2012 Industry Survey, 53% of hospital and health system executives rate their organizations as "neutral" or "weak" in their quality or status of dealing with uncompensated care, while 47% rate their organizations as "very strong" or "strong."

13 States Cut Medicaid To Balance Budgets
by Phil Galewitz

July 24, 2012 (Kaiser Health News) - Thirteen states are moving to cut Medicaid by reducing benefits, paying health providers less or tightening eligibility, even as the federal government prepares to expand the insurance program for the poor to as many as 17 million more people.

CMS releases FAQs on Medicare Shared Savings Program

July 30, 2012 (HealthReformGPS.org) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the Medicare Shared Savings Program, a program established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Specifically, the guidance addresses Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). ACOs are formed by providers that have agreed to work together to better coordinate patient care. Information included in the FAQs include general facts regarding ACOs, the ACO participant list form CMS-588 electronic funds transfer, and governing body background.

» VIEW THE FAQ (pdf)

Physicians at community health centers less satisfied than those in other settings
by Victioria Stagg Elliott

July 24, 2012 (amednews.com) - Researchers are concerned because health system reform will attempt to expand the role of the centers.

Family physicians who work in community health centers are not as satisfied with their employers as colleagues working in other types of facilities, said a study in the July/August Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

RELATED
• Doctor Shortage Likely to Worsen with Health Law (July 28, 2012, The New York Times)

FUNDING

Affordable Care Act (ACA): Health Center Controlled Networks
Bureau of Primary Health Care

Purpose: The purpose of the Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN) funding opportunity is to advance the adoption and implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT) and to support quality improvement in health centers throughout the United States and its territories. HCCN grants will support the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) and technology-enabled quality-improvement strategies in health centers.

Deadline: September 10, 2012

To be eligible, the applicant organization must:

Be a public or private non-profit organization, including tribal and community-based organizations.
Be either:
- A practice management network (also referred to as a Health Center Controlled Network or HCCN) controlled by and acting on behalf of health centers funded under Section 330 of the PHS Act. The HCCN must be majority controlled and, as applicable, majority owned by such health centers. For the purposes of this FOA, the term “controlled” means to have the authority collectively to appoint a minimum of 51 percent of the HCCN’s board members; OR
- A health center, funded for at least the two consecutive preceding years under Section 330 of the PHS Act, applying on behalf of a HCCN.