The health care delivery system is dependent upon people—a lot of them. Wisconsin hospitals employ more than 85,000 people. The ability to meet the health care needs of the communities they serve is directly linked to a hospital’s ability to attract, recruit and retain highly skilled professionals. The WHA Workforce Council is at the forefront of the human resource and staffing issues. Its purpose is to monitor the supply and distribution of the current workforce and develop strategies that ensure an adequate supply of workers is available to staff Wisconsin hospitals.

Since 2003, members of the Workforce Council have offered input into WHA’s strategies and goals related to addressing shortages and meeting the growing need for employees. With the Council’s input, WHA has determined where to best focus workforce programs developed to address issues, and it has encouraged collaboration with stakeholders in the education, advocacy and public policy arenas. Robert Fale, the first chair of the Council, directed that each meeting include member education, advocacy on workforce issues and input into WHA’s workforce program. That formula has continued with legislators and state policy makers joining the group to discuss a broad range of topics, including enrollment in the technical college system, federal workforce expenditures, statewide data collection and new educational requirements for health professionals.

Invited speakers have included Representatives Leah Vukmir, Sue Jeskewitz and Steve Wieckert; Senator Judy Robson; Debbie Mahaffey, Cathy Loppnow and Annette Severson of the Wisconsin Technical College System; and Sue Gleason, Eric Grosso, Victoria Udelova and Terry Ludeman of the Department of Workforce Development. The Council actively tracks hard-to-fill positions and has discussed (with the appropriate occupational groups) nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy shortages.

The Council provides input into WHA’s advocacy program related to workforce issues and initiatives and supports projects related to the workforce.

Council members are from all parts of the state and they include hospital executives, nurse leaders and human resource experts. Members from large hospital systems, critical access hospitals and medium-sized rural hospitals are almost equally represented.

The Council’s current advice to WHA:

• Workforce shortage issues are greatest with pharmacists, but nurse practitioner and physician’s assistant vacancies are a growing concern that requires attention and action by WHA.
• Recruiting leaders and succession planning must remain a priority for WHA programming.
• Legislative issues such as criminalization of medical errors, staffing mandates, shift length and fatigue are crucial for member hospitals.

In 2008, Phil Stuart, CEO, Tomah Memorial Hospital will chair the Council. Stuart’s interest in workforce issues have been demonstrated by his involvement in the La Crosse Medical Health Sciences Consortium and his experience on the Assembly Task Force on the Technical College System. Meetings for 2008 are scheduled March 27, August 7 and November 6. Interested new members are welcome and may contact Sherry Collins, scollins@wha.org about joining the council.

WHA staff has developed an additional tool for educating legislators on the many ways hospitals make a difference in the lives of the people they touch through community benefit programs.

In addition to receiving the 2007 Community Benefit Report detailing the over $1 billion in community benefits and services provided by hospitals all across the state—ranging from free medical and dental clinics to fielding disaster response teams to addressing domestic abuse—legislators will soon be receiving regular distributions describing specific community benefit success stories in their districts. A sample is included in this week’s packet.

This outpouring of community support is in addition to the billions of dollars worth of good paying jobs Wisconsin hospitals provide and the significant impact they have on our state and local economies. The results clearly show Wisconsin’s hospitals (99 percent of which are not-for-profit) make a difference in their local communities.

Wisconsin hospitals truly live their mission—to serve all people, regardless of their ability to pay—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Keep those community benefit stories coming!

The health care workforce shortage is an ongoing concern in Wisconsin hospitals. With hospitals reporting significant vacancy rates in their workforce as long-time employees retire, the WHA Employee Pride Program assumes even more importance as a tool to attract new workers and reward existing workers in the field of health care.

The Wisconsin Health Care Employee Pride Program is based on the fact that the decision to work in health care is often made for personal and compelling reasons. The decision to stay in health care is often tied to the same reasons, along with the desire to help others live healthier lives. The Pride Program gives employees the opportunity to share why they love their career of service to others, while giving the Association a moment to honor and celebrate their contributions to their hospital, community and profession.

Last year, 68 hospital employees were honored at the Pride recognition dinner and award ceremony. This year we hope to recognize even more employees and to publicize their essays more widely in an effort to interest others in joining the health care workforce.

A designated leader from administration, human resources, public relations or patient care from WHA member hospitals is asked to coordinate the program. Employees are encouraged to submit to the hospital a one-page essay, poem, or story that explains why they chose to work in health care. From those essays, a committee at the hospital will pick one employee to represent their hospital. That employee will be honored at a reception and dinner May 1 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association, along with the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration, the Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society, is proud to sponsor the Wisconsin Health Care Employee Pride Program 2008.

Pride Program materials are included in this week’s packet. In addition, these materials are available on WHA’s Web site at www.wha.org/workforce/pride_2008.aspx. Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in the 2008 Pride Program. For more information contact Shannon Nelson at snelson@wha.org or Mary Kay Grasmick at mgrasmick@wha.org, or call 608-274-1820.

For two consecutive years, 100 percent of Wisconsin’s hospitals have collected and publicly reported community benefits information. In 2008, WHA will switch survey vendors and begin using Lyon Software’s online community benefits collection and survey software, known as the "Community Benefit Inventory for Social Accountability" software, or CBISA.

WHA will offer training courses to use this new system on February 26 in Wisconsin Dells and on February 27 in Wausau. The seminar is designed to train those who complete the annual WHA community benefit survey on the system. The CBISA Online software will streamline hospitals’ data collection and provide hospitals that now use the CBISA Online software a more efficient means to report data to WHA. If you do not currently use the Lyon CBISA Online Software to collect community benefits, it is highly recommended that you or someone from your hospital attend one of the two programs.

In addition, staff from WHA and from Lyon Software will be available to answer questions and concerns that member hospitals may have about processes related to gathering and reporting this data. While all hospitals completed the survey in 2006 and 2007, many continue to have questions about what can be counted, how to assign dollar values to non-material contributions, and how to integrate the WHA survey into the processes they may already have set up to collect this data. These items will be discussed at these sessions as well.

The sessions will be held from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on February 26 at the Kalahari Report in Wisconsin Dells and again on February 27 at The Plaza Hotel in Wausau. The registration fee is $50 per person. Any hospital employee involved in collecting benefit data or completing the WHA survey is strongly encouraged to attend.

The brochure is included in this week’s packet and is also available at www.wha.org, where you can also register online. For information on program content, contact Mandy Ayers at mayers@wha.org, or call 608-274-1820. For registration information, contact Lisa Geishirt at lgeishirt@wha.org, or 608-274-1820.

Here’s a brief summary of three recent news stories that deserve another round of scrutiny:

• Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin received well-earned kudos in a feature story January 6 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The article describes the hospital’s growth in size and stature over the past two decades and notes that the Wauwatosa-based hospital is now the fourth busiest Children’s hospital in the nation (only pediatric hospitals in Philadelphia, Dallas and Atlanta are larger).

The article also deservedly credits Jon Vice, CEO of the hospital’s umbrella organization, Children’s Hospital and Health System, with much of the organization’s success. Vice joined the organization in 1979 and became CEO in 1984. Larry Rambo, CEO of Humana, Inc. for Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, aptly describes the transformation of the organization as "an amazing story." Indeed it is!

• This past Sunday, four Dane County hospitals epitomized the 24/7 moniker and demonstrated the remarkable results of disaster preparedness when they smoothly handled the aftermath of a dense fog-induced 100+ vehicle pileup. Caregivers from Stoughton Hospital, Meriter Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and UW Hospitals & Clinics provided care to more than 50 accident victims. The coordination of patient transfers with the multiple emergency response vehicles from an accident scene that spanned over five miles was reportedly seamless.

• The second actuarial consulting study in the past few months has confirmed that hospital operating costs in southeast Wisconsin are growing at a rate that’s far less than the national average. A study released this week by consulting company MILLIMAN, Inc., commissioned by the Greater Milwaukee Business Foundation on Health, found that operating costs for Milwaukee area hospitals increased about 10 percent between 2003 and 2007. That number is almost 50 percent less than the national average. Operating expense reduction, coordination of patient care and payer contracting pressures are all likely factors responsible for this trend.

Steve Brenton, President

Ministry Health Care recently hosted Wisconsin Department of Health & Family Services (DHFS) Secretary Kevin Hayden and Deputy Secretary Karen Timberlake at its Dental Center in Stevens Point.

Serving Medicaid patients who would otherwise find themselves in the emergency room for dental health issues, this hospital-sponsored dental clinic is a unique model of how health care providers are filling the void in dental care.

Since opening the dental clinic, Ministry’s Saint Michael’s Hospital has experienced a favorable impact in its emergency department.

American Hospital Association (AHA) members should soon receive materials for AHA’s Annual Meeting to be held April 6-9 in Washington, DC. The formal investiture of Froedtert CEO Bill Petasnick as 2008 AHA Board of Trustees Chair will take place Sunday evening, April 6.

WHA will coordinate a number of special member events during this meeting, including a luncheon issues briefing and a special dinner on Monday, April 7. Meetings with Wisconsin’s Members of Congress will be scheduled for Tuesday, April 8.

"This year’s Capitol Hill visits will allow members to discuss issues that impact all Wisconsin hospitals, including Recovery Audit Contractors and Medicare funding, and also to specifically address a problem facing Wisconsin’s Critical Access Hospitals—CMS’s guidance on CAH relocation," said WHA President Steve Brenton. "It is important members utilize this opportunity to talk with their legislators about these issues."

Every year Wisconsin hospital leaders provide essential insight to their Members of Congress during legislative visits. Attendance at the Annual Meeting is not required in order to participate in Monday’s WHA events or Tuesday’s Hill meetings.

To facilitate Hill visits, WHA staff will make appointments with members of the Wisconsin delegation on your behalf. If you are planning to be in Washington for this event, please contact Jenny Boese, vice president, external relations & member advocacy, at jboese@wha.org or 608-268-1816.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association joins with the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and many other businesses and organizations to once again co-sponsor the 2008 "Business Day in Madison." This annual event brings business leaders from across the state to Madison to learn about issues impacting the business community, meet with their legislators and network with one another. This year’s event takes place at Madison’s Monona Terrace on Tuesday, February 26.

Keynote speakers are Terry McCauliffe and Ken Mehlman discussing the upcoming Presidential elections. Terry McCauliffe is Chair of the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and Ken Mehlman is former Chair of the Republican National Committee and former campaign manager for Bush/Cheney ’04. The morning session will also include insight from pollster Frank Luntz on the public’s mood as we move into the elections.

WHA co-sponsors and participates in Business Day as part of its overall advocacy strategy to collaborate with others in finding solutions to current policy challenges. Watch for more details on the issues WHA will be highlighting at this year’s event.

Contact Jenny Boese at 608-268-1816 or jboese@wha.org if you plan to attend this event or for additional information. For a copy of the registration form, please log onto www.wha.org/2008BusinessDay.pdf.

Important Note: Business Day in no way duplicates nor takes the place of WHA’s premier grassroots event, WHA’s Annual Advocacy Day. Some 600 hospital leaders, employees, trustees and volunteers from across Wisconsin are expected at this year’s event, which is slated for May 15 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Details to follow in future editions of The Valued Voice.

More than 100 vehicles were involved in a multi-vehicle pileup on I-90 Sunday, January 6 near Madison. About 50 people were transported to area hospitals. Two people died as a result of their injuries.

Stoughton Hospital was part of the response; they activated their disaster plan and about 40 extra staff (physicians, nurses, surgical team, x-ray techs, lab personnel, plant-ops/security, housekeeping) responded with many others who called in and were on standby.

According to Jane McGuire, Stoughton Hospital’s spokesperson, "We made a conscious effort to call in those who lived nearby and tried not to call those who lived farther away—in light of the dense fog and considering their safety as well. As such, we still had more than a sufficient staff response."

Eleven victims were transported to Stoughton, eight were treated and released and three were kept for overnight observation in good condition.

McGuire said their participation in the Dane County Inter-hospital Communication and Disaster Planning Committee (which meets monthly) proved helpful in coordinating the medical response. She said the group holds combined training drills with the other metropolitan Dane County hospitals and first responders to prepare for these types of disasters.

Steve Van Dinter at St. Mary’s Hospital said it was the uncertainty of how many vehicles were involved and not knowing the extent of injuries that prompted St. Mary’s to activate their disaster plan. This meant that staff members were required to check in before they left for the day, particularly around shift change at 7 p.m. that night. St. Mary’s also cleared their emergency department to receive victims and moved non-emergent patients to other parts of the building.

Van Dinter said their plan went very well, including both internal and external communications.

"By the time 7 p.m. rolled around, we were able to deactivate the disaster plan. While staff members were ready and willing to stay on, we didn’t end up keeping anyone past their scheduled time," according to Van Dinter.

Both Meriter and UW Hospitals also responded to the emergency. UW Hospital had two people in critical condition and five in serious condition following the accident. One person was treated and released. Meriter Hospital received 12 patients.

"The fortunate thing about the accident was that it happened at shift change time. Daytime emergency staff stayed in place until the scope of the response needed was determined. Information and patients came in waves," says Mae Knowles, Meriter spokesperson.

In addition to caring for their physical needs, patients appreciated the emotional support and being fed. "We originally tried to provide privacy for patients as they were discharged and were waiting for family or friends to come pick them up. Instead they really wanted to share with us and with one another what they’d seen and experienced, and they were delighted that we had food waiting for them," according to Knowles.

"The hospitals’ response to this tragedy demonstrates once again that all disasters have a medical component and hospitals stand ready to respond. In times of disaster, hospitals become ‘safe havens’ in their communities, not only for medical care, but for other needs as well. Disasters can push our resources to the limit, but it is at these very times that our hospitals and employees show their unique value," said WHA President Steve Brenton.

Health care professionals know the value of their patients having an accurate list of their medications. Now it’s time to educate the public on the importance of filling out and carrying a list in their wallet.

Safe Care Wisconsin will launch its first statewide health education project January 16 with a news conference in Madison. The project is aimed at getting people to write down, carry and share a list of the medications, supplements and other over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications they take.

The group developed a 30-second radio ad, which is posted at www.wha.org/radioListIt.mp3, which will run statewide on the Wisconsin Radio Network for three weeks starting January 16. In addition, Safe Care Wisconsin launched a Web site, www.safecarewisconsin.org, that has information for patients as well as a medication list that they can download and fill out.

"The List it Don’t Risk It campaign does not say, ‘use this list,’ but instead creates consumer awareness that everyone should write down their medicines and carry the list with them. Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies have medicine lists that they encourage their patients to use. The campaign reinforces the importance of a medicine list," said Dana Richardson, who represents WHA on Safe Care Wisconsin.

Diane Westbrook, president of Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association, will announce at the news conference that Partners has adopted the medication list as their statewide health education project. Their goal is to have all 12,000 of their members complete their own medication list, plus fill one out for one more person, for a total of 24,000 medication lists.

More information on how hospitals can participate in this project will be emailed to hospital public relations professionals from Mary Kay Grasmick prior to the launch. Hospitals are encouraged to have medication lists available in their waiting areas, literature racks, pharmacies and physicians offices.

The hearing on the motions to dismiss the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund’s (IPFCF) third-party complaint and cross-claim against Aurora Health Care and Continental Casualty Company in Schultz v. IPFCF is scheduled today in Milwaukee County. As reported previously in The Valued Voice, Schultz is a medical malpractice case in which the Fund is seeking to proceed in the nature of a plaintiff against a health care provider and the provider’s insurer. The Fund is arguing that Schultz’s injuries were caused, at least in part, by negligent training and supervision by the provider and that negligent training and supervision are claims separate from the claims of medical malpractice. The Fund is seeking money from the provider’s professional liability and corporate general liability policies.

The parties’ briefs related to the Fund’s action are available on the WHA Web site at www.wha.org under the Legal and Regulatory tab. The judge’s ruling on the motions to dismiss the Fund’s complaint is expected soon and will be reported in The Valued Voice.

WHA’s annual one-day conference for executive assistants and other administrative support staff from hospitals is scheduled February 29. This event is designed to help health care administrative professionals in their day-to-day responsibilities and to motivate them to stay focused, dedicated, and disciplined.

This year’s agenda will focus on eliminating conflict in the workplace, effectively dealing with disruptive co-workers, improving time management and other proven ways to increase productivity, as well as a legislative update and a look at the 2008 election season.

This program is designed for executive assistants, administrative assistants, business office managers, secretaries, and other support staff in hospitals and other health care settings. A brochure and registration form are included in this week’s packet. Please pass it on to the valued administrative support service professionals in departments throughout your organization.

The conference will be held Friday, February 29 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Attendees will have the opportunity to join colleagues for an optional dinner theater outing at The Broadway Dinner Theater in Wisconsin Dells on Thursday evening for dinner and a performance of "Chicago." All education will occur during the day on Friday.

Ask what some of the most intractable 401(k) problems are and you’ll likely hear these three issues: enrollment rates are too low, savings rates among those who do enroll are too low, and investment returns generated by plan participants consistently trail market averages. WHA Financial Solutions can help you increase the effectiveness and value of your plan by advocating the automation of participant behavior via the following three solutions:

• Automatic Enrollment: Enroll all employees in the plan as soon as they become eligible, unless they take specific action to opt out.
• Automatic Savings Acceleration: Increase participants’ savings rates by a fixed percentage each year, until they hit a specific ceiling, unless they deliberately opt out.
• Automatic Default: Use lifestyle funds, instead of stable value or money market funds, as the default option for participants who do not select an investment option.

In south-central Wisconsin, uninsured and underinsured individuals and families have a new place to find quality primary health care services. Mercy Health System, headquartered in Janesville, and Community Health Center, Inc., of Beloit, have collaborated in a joint effort to offer care at a sliding fee scale, and provide low-cost prescription drugs with the assistance of a federal drug program. Depending on eligibility, patients with high deductibles and major medical coverage may also benefit from the program. The center serves an estimated 6,000 individuals living in south-central Wisconsin in need of primary health care services.

Javon R. Bea, president and CEO of Mercy Health System, states, "After evaluating the continuing care needs of our community, we saw an important need for this kind of program. We hope this collaboration will set a precedent for the way primary health care is provided not only in our community, but also throughout the state."

The collaborative program, which is the first of its type in Wisconsin, is headquartered at Mercy Clinic South in Janesville, also the home of the Mercy Health System Family Medicine Residency Program. The resident physicians and other staff offer services Monday through Friday, 8 am-5 pm.

As the saying goes, the key to someone’s heart is through his or her stomach. This adage rings true for countless senior citizens in Eau Claire County who receive home-delivered meals through the area’s Meals on Wheels program. For more than 12 years, Sacred Heart Hospital has been partnering with the Eau Claire County Department on Aging and Resource Center to provide meals to seniors in the area who are homebound and don’t have the means to cook for themselves. Sacred Heart Hospital prepares the meals, which county volunteers then deliver to home residences and senior centers throughout the week.

In 2006 alone, 115,140 meals were prepared and delivered to seniors in need.

"This program is so much a part of our hospital’s Franciscan mission: To serve the sick, the aged, the poor and the terminally ill without regard to race, color, creed or national origin," says Rick Beckler, director of hospitality services, Sacred Heart Hospital.

The food-delivery program has expanded over the last few years to include delivery of "sack lunch" meals during the weekends, as well. Sacred Heart Hospital also provides free quarterly "lunch and learn" sessions at designated senior centers, during which time Sacred Heart Hospital experts from occupational therapy, physical therapy and nutrition services lead discussions with seniors on various health-related topics. (The hospital’s nutrition services team also makes birthday cakes for seniors in the program, to help them celebrate their special day.)

"With our expertise and our resources, we’re able to assist in the health and wellness of the seniors in our community," adds Rick. "That’s a true value of Sacred Heart Hospital."

To be eligible for the Meals on Wheels program, participants must be 60 years of age or older, live in Eau Claire County and be homebound.

"Many of our seniors have special dietary needs," says Ruth Kilness, nutrition program supervisor, Eau Claire County Department on Aging and Resource Center. "Sacred Heart Hospital has been very accommodating, and the hospital’s dieticians are a valuable resource for us."

Seniors involved in the program often send in letters of gratitude, expressing their appreciation. "You are always very thoughtful in providing special meals for holidays and other occasions," writes one senior group. "We appreciate the great service each and every day of the week. It’s remarkable how you keep up with our fluctuating meal counts!"

Another participant writes, "I live alone. Getting a meal and receiving it from the volunteer drivers always makes my day."

Debora Kunferman has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer/Administrator of Cumberland Memorial Hospital (CMH), replacing Robert Hansen who retired in December.

Kunferman has over 18 years experience in the health care industry. Her most recent position was that of chief operating officer and assistant administrator at CMH. Prior to that, she was the hospital administrator of OakLeaf Surgical Hospital, Inc. in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Kunferman has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and an undergraduate degree in finance from UW-Eau Claire.

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The American Club, Kohler *** March 7-8, 2008

Early Bird Registration: Register by January 18 to Qualify
The American Club Room Reservation Cut-Off: February 15

More information and registration form can be found at www.wha.org
or contact Lisa Geishirt at 608-274-1802 or lgeishirt@wha.org.

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