February 16, 2018
The Innovation Foundation
At its heart, Maryland's current All-Payer Model - and its next iteration - are about the fundamental transformation of health care delivery. They are testing, on a statewide scale, whether health care can not only make the tectonic shift from volume to value, but survive and thrive while keeping patients and communities healthier than ever.
 
Over the past four-plus years, you've made great strides in reimagining care delivery from a hospital perspective, investing in promising population health activities, non-traditional employees like peer recovery counselors and community health workers, and forging new partnerships with other providers. Now, as Maryland prepares for a new model with an even greater emphasis on controlling health care costs outside hospitals, it will be essential to draw on those experiences and explore more ways to control costs and improve quality.
 
That's where the Stakeholder Innovation Group comes in. The group, composed of physicians, hospital leaders, post-acute care executives, and payers, held its first meeting last week and has four more scheduled between now and April, to be followed by a statewide "innovation summit" in the spring.
 
The group's charge is to be both a central repository and think-tank for innovation in health care delivery. Specifically, it is being asked to accomplish four tasks: capture existing transformation and population health models; recommend an approach for voluntary, stakeholder-developed models and programs to be considered for adoption/approval; identify statutory and regulatory barriers to adoption or spread of transformation efforts; and track progress toward model goals.
 
In short, this group is laying the foundation for innovation upon which many different health care organizations can create the infrastructure to truly transform care delivery. Keep an eye out for regular updates from the group, as well as information on the innovation summit this spring.

At Work in Annapolis
As the halfway mark of the 2018 legislative session approaches, MHA testified this week on several bills of interest to the hospital field. Legislation pertaining to Patient's Bill of Rights and behavioral health was the main focus, along with several key meetings with budget and legislative leaders as the field pushes to protect the $25 million sick tax reduction in Governor Hogan's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal and seek ways to add to that reduction. MHA also testified in support of the full funding that was included in the governor's budget for Maryland's three Institutions for Mental Diseases. Throughout the legislative session, you can track MHA's activities via our dashboard that provides an overview of the previous week and a look at important hearings and events coming the following week.
HSCRC Objects to Hospital Assessment for Coverage
At this week's monthly meeting, the Health Services Cost Review Commission received an update on legislation being considered to address health insurance market instability. Commissioners responded by expressing strong objection to the potential use of a hospital assessment to fund any of these coverage initiatives. Further information is available in this month's edition of Newsbreak .
HSCRC, 3M to Meet With Hospitals at MHA
As part of an ongoing series of meetings, staff from the Health Services Cost Review Commission and 3M will meet with hospitals at MHA's offices on April 9 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. During the meeting, hospital physician and quality leaders will review concerns about the software that defines potentially preventable complications - the basis for Maryland's Hospital Acquired Conditions program. The list of concerns that will form the agenda for this meeting can be found here . A summary of the changes that were agreed to as a result of previous meetings can be found here .

Please contact
Justin Ziombra with any questions.
MHEI Staff to Present on Resilience Training at International Conference
Burnout and stress are critical issues for health care workers, and the Association of Talent Development (ATD) has recognized the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute's (MHEI) efforts to help workers find practical solutions through the use of proven resiliency tools. ATD has selected MHEI staff members Katrina Coleman and Lyndley O'Dell to present at ATD's Annual International Conference & Expo in San Diego, California in May. The duo will share with more than 10,000 ATD attendees strategies for improving individual resiliency, including the benefits of those strategies to both the individual health care provider and the organization. This type of training fits well into MHEI's mission of helping health care organizations improve, and a number of health care facilities within the state of Maryland have already brought this training to their campuses for physicians, clinical staff, and others.
 
For more information, contact Katrina Coleman.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Registration is Now Required
Maryland licensed health care providers that prescribe or dispense controlled dangerous substances (CDS) are now required to be registered with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in order to obtain a CDS registration. This requirement became effective yesterday, February 15. A letter reminding hospitals about the effective date was sent to all hospitals by Maryland Department of Health Secretary Robert R. Neall last week. Click here to view the letter, which contains more details on PDMP registration and how to determine PDMP registration status.
Redmer to Host Webinar on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Coverage
Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer will host a webinar Tuesday, February 20 at 10 a.m. to help Marylanders understand how to navigate their private health insurance plans when they or a loved one need coverage for mental health and substance use treatment. Redmer will explain how the Appeals and Grievance Unit at the Insurance Administration reviews cases where insurance companies have denied coverage or payment of claims based on medical necessity. He will also explain how the Life and Health Unit can help if the insurance company says a particular service is not covered by the contract. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about both of these units and how they can help with claims.
 
Please click here for details on how to join the meeting and share with any parties you think would benefit from the webinar.
AHA, UnitedHealthcare to Host ED Coding, Reimbursement Webinar
UnitedHealthcare will implement a new reimbursement policy effective March 1 that will apply to claims for certain services in the emergency department for commercial and Medicare Advantage plans, as well as Medicaid plans in some states. During an AHA members-only webinar February 23 at 2 p.m., representatives from UnitedHealthcare will provide an overview of the new policy, as well as their analysis that led to the change. Click here to register.
MAHCE Event to Focus on Leading Across Generations
The Maryland Association of Healthcare Executives (MAHCE) is offering a program on Leading in a Multigenerational Organization March 15 at the Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel. Generational differences in core values, lifestyle and work-related issues pose a unique challenge for leaders, and attendees will learn how to create cohesion across generational segments. Click here to learn more and register for the program.
Strategies for Improving "Engagement Survey" Results
 
Receiving survey results is only the first step. Ensuring that your managers know how to interpret those results and can develop strategies for improvement is the biggest hurdle for most mid-level managers.

Looking for a Cutting Edge Provider for Blood and Associated Services?
 
For more than 60 years, Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) has provided blood and blood components to hospitals throughout the Delmarva region, helping avoid blood shortages and saving thousands of lives with assistance from more than 150,000 current donors.

Hospitals Care for Victims of Florida School Shooting
 
Broward Health hospitals received 17 patients from the mass shooting Wednesday at a high school in Parkland, FL, including two who have died and five who are in life-threatening condition, the health system reported yesterday.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Tuesday, February 20
MHA's Medicare Performance Adjustment Work Group meeting

Thursday, February 22
Equity of Care meeting
TOP NEWS FROM THE WEEK
The Baltimore Sun , By Meredith Cohn, February 9
 
WBUR , By Meghna Chakrabarti, February 9
 
Baltimore Business Journal , By Morgan Eichensehr, February 9
 
Anne Arundel Patch , February 9
 
WCBC , February 11
 
The Daily Record , By Tim Curtis, February 13
 
Delmarva Now , By Alex Mann, February 14