In a presentation last week before the Maryland House Health & Government Operations Committee and yesterday before the Senate Finance Committee, MHA Vice President Nicole Stallings discussed recommendations from MHA's Behavioral Health Task Force (formed by MHA in 2015 to identify and address key behavioral health issues affecting Maryland's hospitals and the communities they serve) for an essential, comprehensive behavioral health care system . The goal of the recommendations, the result of more than two years of work by the task force, is to guide and support efforts to strengthen the behavioral health care workforce and expand access to crisis services. The roadmap calls for immediate action by state government, clinical providers, community partners, payers, and consumers to join in support of the investments needed to ensure the health care infrastructure can meet the needs of those with behavioral health illnesses.

One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Thinkers and former New York Times #1 bestselling author Atul Gwande, M.D. has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at this year's MHA Annual Membership Meeting, June 11 and 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore. A renowned surgeon and researcher, author of Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, and Executive Director, Ariadne Labs, Gawande's bold visions for improving performance have made him one of the most sought-after speakers in medicine. He sees through the complexities of health care to the needs of real people, the values that make for a healthy society, the science and technologies waiting over the horizon and how to reform systems to make it all work. His innovations in medical practice have saved countless lives worldwide. Be on the lookout for the brochure and registration information coming soon from MHA. Contact Kathy Gotwalt if you have any questions.

MHA this week sent a response , incorporating feedback from hospital members, to the Maryland Health Care Commission on a series of questions to help identify Certificate of Need (CON) issues for the commission's work group to address. As MHA's hospital member work group reviews issues related to CON and the State Health Plan, specific and more detailed recommendations will be shared with the commission. For more information, contact Brett McCone or Jennifer Witten . Information on the commission's stakeholder process can be found here . MHA also sent a response this week to the Health Services Cost Review Commission on its draft recommendation for the Maryland Hospital-Acquired Conditions Program for rate year 2020. If you have questions, contact Traci La Valle .

The financial reports for the third quarter of 2017 are now available for MHA members. To access the Accounts Receivable and Combined Financial Trends and Utilization reports, click here . Reports are available only to members. If you have questions, contact Brian Sims .

The Maryland Department of Health has begun two multi-media advertising campaigns to help combat the state's opioid epidemic. The first, "Less Judgment. More Compassion," is an anti-stigma campaign stressing that opioid addiction is not a moral failing to be judged, but rather a chronic disease that requires treatment. The second, "Talk to Your Doctor," stresses the importance of speaking candidly with your health care provider when being prescribed an opioid pain medication because these medications can be highly addictive. Both campaigns incorporate:  

Dr. James N. Elliott, Medical Director at Doctors' Community Hospital, has been named as the newest commissioner of the Health Services Cost Review Commission. Elliott began his medical career as a pathologist at George Washington University Hospital and previously worked at St. Joseph's Hospital in New York. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pathology at George Washington University Medical School.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services canceled its January 23 conference call for Medicaid providers and agencies on the transition to the new Medicare beneficiary identifier. The call will be rescheduled at a later date. The agency plans to begin mailing new Medicare cards to beneficiaries in April, which will replace the Social Security-based number on the current cards with a new Medicare beneficiary identifier.

The Armstrong Institute, in collaboration with the American College of Surgeons, is recruiting hospitals for a national program to improve clinical outcomes, reduce lengths of stay and improve the patient experience. The program is funded and guided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The next 12-month cohort, which begins March 1, will focus on hip and knee replacement, hip fracture, and colorectal surgery. Informational webinars will be held February 1 at 3 p.m. , February 5 at 4 p.m. , and February 8 at noon (click link to register for that webinar and learn more). Participation is free and the deadline to enroll is February 15. This is the second of five planned cohorts. Future cohorts will focus on gynecologic surgery (March 2019), emergency general surgery (March 2019) and bariatric surgery (January 2020). Hospitals may participate in multiple cohorts. Email ISCR@facs.org with questions.

According to a series of reports released this week by the American Medical Association, the average cost of administering or adjudicating a medical liability claim was $54,165 in 2015, 65 percent more than in 2006. The AMA found that more than two-thirds of claims were dropped, dismissed or withdrawn, but still cost an average $30,475 to defend. Only 7 percent of claims were decided by a trial verdict, and the vast majority were won by the defendants. Despite increasing stability in liability premiums, more premiums have increased than decreased since 2015, the association found. "Information in this new research paints a bleak picture of physicians' experiences with medical liability claims and the associated cost burdens on the health system," said AMA President David Barbe, M.D. "The reports validate the fact that preserving quality and access in medicine, while reducing cost, requires fairness in the civil justice system. Every dollar spent on the broken medical liability system is a dollar that cannot be used to improve patient care."