May 11, 2018
Taking a Stand Against Violence
Every day, around the clock, the women and men who work at Maryland's hospitals offer their patients compassionate, professional care. In places that are dedicated to help others heal, it's especially jarring to recognize that these hospital associates are too often in serious danger.
 
Consider these national statistics: in 2014, more than half of all the workplace violence incidents reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics took place in a health care setting. More than half of nurses and nursing students have been verbally assaulted, with another 20 percent enduring physical assault.
 
But here's the really disheartening number: a full 80 percent of nurses do not feel safe in their workplace, according to a recent study.
 
The power of this sentiment cannot be ignored. As hospital and community leaders, we are called to provide a safe environment for caregivers to give care.
 
Violence in hospitals was a much-discussed topic at the American Hospital Association's State Issues Forum in Washington, D.C., this past week. Across the country, hospitals are trying many strategies to mitigate the problem, with some showing promising results. There's no magic wand that can be waved, however, at what is an increasingly troublesome social issue. Addressing this problem will take serious effort and a long-term commitment.
 
We're hoping to advance this conversation with our own statewide summit - Safe Harbors: Protecting Providers and Patients - in June. We're still working to finalize the agenda and speakers, but registration is open. I hope you'll join us to hear from national experts on violence prevention programs and to learn about specific strategies such as building staff resiliency, de-escalation, security protocols, and more.
 
In addition, AHA on June 8 is asking all hospitals to participate in the Hospitals Against Violence initiative's #HAVhope Day of Awareness on social media by submitting photos showing their commitment to combating violence.
 
All of these efforts are designed to help us help those who are the face of our organizations, who make hospitals the very special places that our communities trust.

Bob Atlas
President and CEO

Register Now for MHA's Annual Membership Meeting
MHA's Annual Membership Meeting begins June 11 with a welcome reception and concludes with the general session June 12. Click here for the full brochure. Today is the deadline to book a hotel room at a discounted rate at the Four Seasons Hotel. If you are making reservations online , enter the code CI0618MH in the "corporate/Promo code" box to receive the group rate. Or call the hotel directly at 410-576-5800.
 
One of our featured speakers will be Ben Nemtin, Creator and star of the TV show The Buried Life, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die, and an internationally renowned keynote speaker. Nemtin's inspirational message has its roots in a cross-country trip with three friends, when they began to check items off of the "world's greatest" bucket list. Every time they accomplished a dream, they helped a complete stranger cross something off their bucket list. From playing basketball with President Obama to streaking a soccer field, from raising over $400,000 for charity to placing a record-breaking $250,000 bet on roulette-the bucket list quest has inspired millions to chase their dreams.
 
In addition to Ben Nemtin, you'll hear from:
  • Atul Gawande, M.D., One of Time's 100 Most Influential Thinkers, a renowned surgeon, and researcher, and author of Being Mortal: Medicine and what Matters in the End. Gawande will share his bold vision for improving performance by focusing on 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.
  • Dr. Omar Manejwala, Addiction psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Catasys, a national health services management company; Author of Craving: Why We Can't Seem to Get Enough; and former Hazelden Foundation Medical Director.in his talk, he will present a futurist's perspective, detailing the changes needed to foster improved addiction outcomes and how innovation will play a key role in the work to turn the tide on substance use disorders.
 
Register now ! If you have any questions, please contact  Kathy Gotwalt .
HSCRC Staff Recommend 2.29 Percent GBR Increase
The Health Services Cost Review Commission this week received a staff draft recommendation of 2.29 percent for the update to global budget and non-global budget hospitals for fiscal year 2019. The commission also took action on a recommendation for a revenue increase for Johns Hopkins Hospital. Further details are in this month's edition of Newsbreak .
ED Discharge Summit Offered
Hospital emergency department and clinical leaders are invited to an ED Discharge Protocol Summit on Monday, May 21, from 8 a.m. to noon at MHA. Per the requirements of the HOPE Act of 2017, MHA has been collecting hospitals' emergency department discharge protocols for patients with substance use disorder or who suffered from an overdose. Presenters will share experiences with developing and implementing elements of the discharge protocols, including universal screening, naloxone administration, facilitated referrals, peer recovery counseling, and medication assisted treatment. This meeting will inform the report on discharge protocols that MHA is writing and required to submit to the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Department of Health. Click here to RSVP.
AHA and UnidosUS Announce New Alliance
The American Hospital Association and UnidosUS, the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation, this week announced a new strategic alliance between the two organizations. The collaboration seeks to increase diversity among health care leaders and improve the health of communities served by both groups. UnidosUS and its partners will bring concrete experience to ensure that health care evolves to address changing community needs. The alliance will help hospitals and health systems provide care and services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate and that best reflect the needs of our communities. Click here to read more.
Commonwealth Health Rankings Released
The Commonwealth Fund's 2018 scorecard on state health ranks Maryland 20th. The rankings are based on 43 measures ranging from uninsured rates to 30-day hospital mortality to potentially avoidable emergency department visits. Commonwealth summarized four key trends from its analysis:  
  • Rising death rates, high levels of obesity, and gaps in care are pressing challenges for states
  • Regional differences in performance persist, as do within-state disparities
  • Many states are not getting good value for their health care dollars
  • States made progress in areas that were the target of efforts to improve 
The full report is here .
Maryland Health Connection Resources Available
The Maryland Health Connection, the state's official health insurance marketplace, is reminding hospitals and their patients that they can use its website to browse plans and compare coverage and costs. Anyone who has had a change in their life, like losing health coverage through their job, having a child, or recently moving to the state, may be able to sign up for coverage. Click here for the Maryland Health Connection Toolkit which provides resources for hospitals to share with patients.
Springtime means many things, but here at MHA there are at least two: the start of work on interim activity before the next legislative session and baby geese - lots of baby geese.

Photo credit: Brian Frazee
Putting Your MHEI Resources to Work
 
Some Maryland Healthcare Education Institute member organizations are actively using MHEI to supplement work typically accomplished by the organization's own staff or using MHEI to concentrate efforts and resources on a new and/or critical strategic initiative for the year.

Prime's Value to Member Hospitals
 
Prime is the shared service/group purchasing subsidiary of the Maryland Hospital Association. Its goal is to help our member hospitals reduce the cost of care.

Deadline to Apply for
AHA Innovation Challenge is May 24
 
AHA recently launched the 2018 Innovation Challenge to source and spread new ideas and novel approaches for integrated care delivery and financing models designed for specific high-need, high-cost populations.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Tuesday, May 15
MHA Medicare Performance Adjustment Work Group meeting
Joint Meeting of the MHA Councils on Clinical & Quality Issues and Financial Policy

Wednesday, May 16
MHA Council on Legislative & Regulatory Policy
TOP NEWS FROM THE WEEK
The Daily Record , By Tim Curtis, May 4
 
The Baltimore Sun , By Sara Ervin Walser, May 7
 
The Baltimore Sun , By Andrea K. McDaniels, May 7
 
WFMD , By Kevin McManus, May 7
 
The Daily Record , By Staff, May 7
 
The Baltimore Sun , By Erika Butler, May 10
 
Baltimore Business Journal , By Morgan Eichensehr, May 9
 
Baltimore Business Journal , By Morgan Eichensehr, May 9