Wisconsin Hospital Association

The Valued Voice

March 7, 2013

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WHA Advocacy Day 2014 Brochure -- pdf

President's Column

Steve Brenton

Was Two-Midnight Rule Necessary?

Steve Brenton, WHA President

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) keeps digging an even deeper hole as it attempts to manage a new rule creating confusion. Last summer, the federal agency issued an ill-advised rule (dubbed "Two Midnights") that determined hospitals would be paid Medicare outpatient rates (Part B) for care lasting less than two midnights. Those stays were previously paid for under Part A.

(Read more)

High-Quality, High-Value Health Care: A Wisconsin Advantage

High quality, high value health care is a hallmark in Wisconsin. Hospital systems are improving quality, increasing efficiency and delivering value to employers and residents in their communities. This week, we feature the work of Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac.

Agnesian HealthCare Aligns Partners for Patients with VBP

The performance excellence team at Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac is speeding up the pace of their improvement work. On February 5, Travis Dollak, quality advisor with the WHA Partners for Patients project, visited St. Agnes Hospital to learn about Agnesian HealthCare’s successes in 2013 and their plans for 2014. (Read more)

Wisconsin Hospitals are Committed to Quality and Transparency

WHA Gold Members:

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This Week's Priorities

Apology Bill: The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services held a public hearing on the "Apology Bill." (Read more)

Medicare: President Obama released his FY 2015 budget request, including over $400 billion in reductions to Medicare, of which $354 would come from providers. (Read more)

Health Law Manuals: 2013 Health Law Manuals are now available on WHA's website. (Read more)

Caring for Our Communities:

Community Chronic Disease Management (CCDM) Clinic of Columbia St. Mary’s

Ernell doesn’t like needles. A burly, muscular man, he sits tensely, mumbling as a CCDM technician carefully locates the right spot on his forearm to draw blood. (Read more)

The WHA Job Bulletin provides member hospitals a venue where they can post vacancies on-line as a no cost benefit of membership.