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Bolstering the Ranks
As MHA gears up for the 2018 legislative session in Annapolis, amid uncertainty regarding federal health care policy and final negotiations on the next phase of the All-Payer model, your association has several new faces coming on board. They will make sure not only that the voice of hospitals is heard, but that legislators and policymakers
understand the critical role hospitals play their communities and throughout Maryland.
Joining our team are:
Shamonda Braithwaite - previously a senior health care analyst with the Government Accountability Office, Shamonda will be working on our Policy & Data Analytics team, led by Nora Hoban. While at GAO, she specialized in Medicaid oversight, including managed care costs and enrollment, long-term care services, and demonstration waiver spending. The Policy & Data Analytics team develops the critical facts and data that MHA relies on to advocate before legislators and regulators and Shamonda will be working on behavioral health, including discharge protocols for those treated for opioid abuse.
Erin Dorrien - chief of Government and Public Affairs for the Maryland Health Care Commission, also joins our Policy & Data Analytics team. At MHCC, Erin was responsible for issues like physician self-referral, rural health care delivery, and palliative care pilot programs. She is an Annapolis veteran, having worked closely with House of Delegates leadership on many policy and budgetary issues.
Neal Karkhanis - formerly a government relations manager with the Health Facilities Association of Maryland, Neal joins Jennifer Witten and Brian Frazee to round out our government relations team. Neal recently earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and is well-versed in the policies around the implementation of the All-Payer Model, the Affordable Care Act, and the interaction of hospitals and long-term care facilities to improve patient care. He'll focus on issues like prescription drug costs and medical liability, among others.
The addition of these three people means that your MHA team is ready to help Maryland's hospitals navigate another year in which the only constant will be change: change in laws, in regulations, in expectations from patients, in care delivery, and more. MHA's work reflects the priorities that you, our members, have set for MHA, and it is with the help of talented individuals like Shamonda, Erin, and Neal, and our entire team, that we will continue to meet your needs.
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MHA Comments on Performance Adjustment Policy
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MHA this week submitted to the Health Services Cost Review Commission a
comment letter on the commission's Medicare Performance Adjustment policy. This policy assigns accountability for Medicare total cost of care per beneficiary at the hospital level, with limited risk in the first years. While there is more work to be done to refine the policy, the state expects the policy to be the linchpin in qualifying individual hospitals as Advanced Alternative Payment Models in calendar year 2018. The Advanced Alternative Payment Model status will allow physicians who work with our hospitals to be eligible for additional payments under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.
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MHA and CRISP to Host Image Exchange Webinar
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MHA and CRISP will host a webinar in November on CRISP's work to support image exchange. The webinar will cover how hospitals can perform and publish stroke imaging in real time, allowing specialists to make rapid, life-saving decisions about treatment for stroke patients. It will also cover the results of a return on investment analysis conducted with five Maryland hospitals, including reductions in potentially avoidable utilization. Attendees will hear from their colleagues about how image exchange has affected patient care and improved patient and clinician satisfaction. The webinar will be
November 17, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Click
here to register.
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Garrett County Receives RWJ Culture of Health Prize
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Garrett County this week was awarded the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. Eight winners were selected from more than 200 applicant communities across the country; Garrett is the first community in Maryland to receive the award. Garrett County's award-winning efforts include the Community Action Committee's 2-Generation Program, Garrett Regional Medical Center's Well Patient Program, and the Garrett County Health Department's mygarrettcounty.com, a portal enabling people throughout the community to participate in discussions about health, work, education, and more. Click
here to visit the award website and read more about Garrett County's work.
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Medicare CCLF Data Available Through CRISP
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CRISP will also make available a comprehensive Medicare CCLF User Guide. If you have questions or feedback, email support@crisphealth.org.
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Register Now for Program on Reducing Preventable Harm
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Developing Credibility Is Fundamental to Leadership
According to Barry Posner, co-author of "The Leadership Challenge," good leaders are also credible leaders. In fact, you cannot be a good leader without having established and maintained credibility with your followers.
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Physician Survey Available to Prime Members
It's that time of year again. Now in its 24th year, the most comprehensive report on physician recruiting incentives in the field - Merritt Hawkins' annual
Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives - is available for Prime members.
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NAM Issues Guide to Help Clinicians Counter Opioid Epidemic
The National Academy of Medicine this week issued a
guide to help clinicians counter the opioid epidemic.
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Baltimore Business Journal, By Morgan Eichensehr, September 20
Modern Healthcare, By Maria Castellucci, September 20
WBAL-TV, By Associated Press, September 19
Kaiser Health News, By Melissa Bailey, September 19
The Washington Post, By Carolyn Y. Johnson, September 17
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