Pricing for outpatient services and expanded inpatient charge detail are two of the new features that will be included in a revised version of WHA Information Center’s (WHAIC’s) PricePoint Web site, to be launched in October.

"It has always been our intent to evolve PricePoint over time," said WHAIC Vice President Joe Kachelski.

Kachelski said the new site will allow users to display information by severity of illness level within each discharge category. "This will allow users to compare charges and lengths of stay among similar types of patients," he said. He added that users will also be able to access charge information about selected high-volume outpatient surgeries and invasive diagnostic procedures.

"We all know that hospital services are increasingly being delivered on an outpatient basis. It’s important to expand our pricing transparency initiative to include outpatient services," he said. "Consumers are probably more likely to ‘shop around’ for outpatient services than inpatient care."

The state Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) is asking Governor Jim Doyle to tack on new co-payments for hospital, physician and other services received by low-income families enrolled in the expanded BadgerCare Plus program. The request comes as part of DHFS’s 2007-09 state budget request and would have to be included by the next Governor as part of the budget bill introduced early next year.

BadgerCare Plus is Governor Doyle’s initiative to extend BadgerCare coverage to 30,000 more people in Wisconsin without any new state funding/GPR (general purpose revenue). The expansion would be funded through co-payments and other "on paper" cost savings.

Under the DHFS budget request, BadgerCare Plus enrollees/families making more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level would be subject to a variety of co-pays, including $100 for inpatient care, $75 for an emergency room visit, and $50 for psych/AODA. The fee is presumably intended to curb inappropriate use of emergency rooms and other hospital and physician services sought by low-income families. Reducing inappropriate utilization is a laudable goal, says WHA, but the plan laid out by DHFS is a severely flawed approach.

"No one is more concerned with, or has done more about, inappropriate utilization of emergency rooms by Medicaid and BadgerCare patients than Wisconsin’s hospitals," said WHA President Steve Brenton. "But quite frankly, the state needs to quit sticking everyone else with the costs of their programs, especially when they are seeking to expand a program that is knowingly underfunded and already shifts hundreds of millions in costs to Wisconsin employers and their employees."

Under the plan, health care providers, not DHFS, would be required to enforce and collect the co-payment. WHA believes very few of the co-payments will actually be pursued or collected because BadgerCare Plus enrollees are from low-income families.

Another factor is the abysmally low payments hospitals currently receive from state-run health care programs. With BadgerCare already paying as little as $80 for an ER visit, it will make little business sense to try and collect the new $75 fee. Instead, WHA says, the cost will likely be shifted to other payers in the health care system. In 2005, some $550 million in unpaid Medicaid/BadgerCare hospital costs (not charges) were shifted to employers, employees and individuals with commercial insurance.

WHA thinks it has a better idea that will sell with the Legislature – make the co-payments payable to and collected by DHFS.

"It’s taxpayers who are paying for these programs now, and taxpayers who will foot the bill for expanding these programs in the future, so it’s the taxpayers who should be reimbursed," said WHA Senior Vice President Eric Borgerding. "If DHFS wants to charge a co-pay for a program it wants to expand, then DHFS should collect the payments, not health care providers, and certainly not the employers these costs will ultimately be shifted to."

The co-pay proposal also comes at a time when hospitals across the country are coming under greater government and trial lawyer scrutiny for trying to collect unpaid bills, including co-payments. Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager has been pressuring hospitals to scale back their collection efforts, while hospitals across the state have revamped their billing, collection and financial assistance policies to better serve low-income and uninsured families.

"While we are getting closer to achieving the goal, the campaign is short almost $11,000 towards the $185,000 goal with the general elections just one month away," said WHA’s Vice President of Government Affairs Jodi Bloch.

"It is equally important to disburse as many of those contributions as possible," added Bloch. The political action funds have disbursed nearly as much in 2006 as has been raised over the course of the year, disbursing over $165,000 to candidate campaign committees.

During the last month, over $17,000 has been raised. 570 individual contributors have donated to this year’s political action fundraising campaign compared to 498, a 14 percent increase from this same time last year. Since 2001, total individual contributions have increased 325 percent.

Persons contributing this year have been and will continue to be published in the Valued Voice on a monthly basis. Contributors are listed by amount categories and in the order the contribution was received. The next publication of contributors in The Valued Voice will be in the October 20 edition.

The New Mexico Hospitals and Health Systems Association (NMHHSA) launched its version of WHA Information Center’s (WHAIC’s) PricePoint Web site on September 20.

In doing so, NMHHSA became the third hospital association outside of Wisconsin to use WHAIC’s PricePoint platform. New Mexico hospitals are submitting data voluntarily to respond to a desire by policymakers and patients for more pricing transparency in health care.

"We are proud of the New Mexico hospitals that have stepped up to the plate in taking on this initiative on a voluntary basis," said Jeff Dye, NMHHSA President and CEO. "We received tremendous support from WHAIC in the development of New Mexico’s PricePoint site. We couldn’t have done it without Wisconsin’s expertise," Dye said.

Joe Kachelski, WHAIC Vice President, said several other states are nearing the launch of their own versions of PricePoint. "Many of our sister hospital associations see PricePoint as a national model for facilitating hospital pricing transparency," he said. "By early 2007, there will probably be 10 states using PricePoint."

Terry is a Republican from Chippewa Falls first elected to the Assembly in 2004. He is married and owns a sporting goods store. Terry is a member of the Assembly Health and Insurance Committees.

Michael is a Democrat from Eau Claire. Michael is married and works for the Eau Claire school district as a custodian. He is currently the President of the local AFSCME.

Candidate Survey Results:

Candidates’ answers to selected abbreviated questions from WHA’s 2006 candidate survey appear below. Candidate Michael Turner did not return the survey. To view the entire survey for this or any other race, contact Eric Borgerding or Jodi Bloch at 608-274-1820.

1. Wisconsin’s Medicaid and BadgerCare programs pay hospitals about 49 cents for every dollar it costs hospitals to care for these patients. In 2005, this resulted in $550 million of unpaid costs that were shifted to the private sector. Known as the "Hidden Health Care Tax," this level of cost-shifting due to un-funded government programs contributes to rising health insurance premiums. The situation is much the same for Wisconsin’s nursing homes, many of which are owned/subsidized by hospitals. Would you support the state budgeting additional funds to pay hospitals and nursing homes more adequately and to reduce the "Hidden Health Care Tax" on Wisconsin employers?

Moulton: YES.

2. This past session, WHA supported increasing the tobacco tax by as much as $1 and dedicating a large portion of those funds to the Medicaid program and reducing the "Hidden Health Care Tax." Tobacco related diseases cost Wisconsin’s Medicaid program $442 million annually. Forty-three other states, including Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, have increased their tax since 2002 and Wisconsin now ranks 29th in what we tax tobacco. A 2005 poll of Wisconsin voters showed overwhelming support (75%) for increasing the tobacco tax if the money is earmarked for state health care programs.

Moulton: UNDECIDED.

3. State programs, including Medicaid and BadgerCare, provide health insurance for many people who would otherwise be uninsured. For most others, their employer provides health insurance with varying levels of deductibles and co-pays. But more employers are finding it difficult to continue offering this benefit due to increasing health insurance premiums.

To help make insurance more affordable, some are proposing to expand taxpayer-funded programs like BadgerCare to include more people, including those with employer-sponsored coverage. Others believe we must enact policies to make health insurance more affordable and preserve the employer-sponsored system. Excluding programs for the uninsured, do you believe the primary provider of health insurance should be Wisconsin employers or Wisconsin government?"

Moulton: Employers. "Create an environment that allows the true competitive forces of a free market to reduce costs. Encourage health plans to redesign around prevention and disease management with employee involvement."

4. Under current law, employee contributions to employer-provided health insurance are exempt from state and federal income tax. However, Wisconsin is one of a handful of states that does not allow a state income tax deduction for contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA). A bill to accomplish this was passed three times by the Legislature, and vetoed each time by Governor Doyle. Do you support allowing individuals to deduct contributions to HSAs from their state income taxes (estimated cost $4.5 million in 2006)?

The 23rd Senate District in Northwestern Wisconsin stretches east to west from Clark County to Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn Counties as well as a small southern portion of Barron County.

District Hospitals:

Bloomer Memorial Medical Center, Luther Hospital, Eau Claire, Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville, Our Lady of Victory Hospital, Stanley and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls

Candidate Profiles:

Dave Zien is a member of the Republican Party. He resides in Eau Claire. He was elected to the State Senate in 1993 and is current chair of the Senate Judiciary, Corrections & Privacy Committee. Dave is a Vietnam Veteran and avid motorcyclist.

Pat Kreitlow is a member of the Democratic Party. He resides in Eau Claire with his wife and two daughters. Pat is a former TV broadcaster, and his wife is a physician. Prior to working in TV, Pat also worked in radio as a news director and broadcaster.

Candidate Survey Results:

Candidates’ answers to selected abbreviated questions from WHA’s 2006 candidate survey appear below. To view the entire survey for this or any other race, contact Eric Borgerding or Jodi Bloch at 608-274-1820.

1. Wisconsin’s Medicaid and BadgerCare programs pay hospitals about 49 cents for every dollar it costs hospitals to care for these patients. In 2005, this resulted in $550 million of unpaid costs that were shifted to the private sector. Known as the "Hidden Health Care Tax," this level of cost-shifting due to un-funded government programs contributes to rising health insurance premiums. The situation is much the same for Wisconsin’s nursing homes, many of which are owned/subsidized by hospitals. Would you support the state budgeting additional funds to pay hospitals and nursing homes more adequately and to reduce the "Hidden Health Care Tax" on Wisconsin employers?

Zien: YES. "Though the amount of the increase would be contingent upon budgetary constraints."

Kreitlow: YES. "Our first priorities, however, should be providing affordable coverage for individuals and seeking more federal funds for Medicaid and BadgerCare programs. Budget savings should allow the state to provide more funds to hospitals and nursing homes."

2. This past session, WHA supported increasing the tobacco tax by as much as $1 and dedicating a large portion of those funds to the Medicaid program and reducing the "Hidden Health Care Tax." Tobacco related diseases cost Wisconsin’s Medicaid program $442 million annually. Forty-three other states, including Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, have increased their tax since 2002 and Wisconsin now ranks 29^th in what we tax tobacco. A 2005 poll of Wisconsin voters showed overwhelming support (75%) for increasing the tobacco tax if the money is earmarked for state health care programs.

Zien: NO. "I support increases to worthwhile programs such as increasing MA payment reimbursement, depending upon Wisconsin’s budget situation. During tight fiscal times the state needs to live within its means, not increase taxes to pay for programs."

Kreitlow: UNDECIDED. "While I have no hesitation about implementing so-called ‘sin taxes,’ I am concerned that increasing the cigarette tax even further places a heavier burden on poor families. There are other sources worth examining first to ensure that everyone who benefits from a stable health care system pays for it."

3. State programs, including Medicaid and BadgerCare, provide health insurance for many people who would otherwise be uninsured. For most others, their employer provides health insurance with varying levels of deductibles and co-pays. But more employers are finding it difficult to continue offering this benefit due to increasing health insurance premiums.

To help make insurance more affordable, some are proposing to expand taxpayer-funded programs like BadgerCare to include more people, including those with employer-sponsored coverage. Others believe we must enact policies to make health insurance more affordable and preserve the employer-sponsored system. Excluding programs for the uninsured, do you believe the primary provider of health insurance should be Wisconsin employers or Wisconsin government?"

Zien: Employers. "The state needs to give employers the tools to provide affordable health care. Meanwhile citizens must take personal responsibility to stay fit, active and healthy."

Kreitlow: Neither. "The primary provider of health insurance should be the individual with assistance provided by ‘us,’ the government. Assistance should first be provided by the federal government, but since the federal government has all but abdicated responsibility for 46 million Americans, our state leaders should work on programs that have cooperation from employers through per-employee fees or incentives to provide coverage themselves."

4. Under current law, employee contributions to employer-provided health insurance are exempt from state and federal income tax. However, Wisconsin is one of a handful of states that does not allow a state income tax deduction for contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA). A bill to accomplish this was passed three times by the Legislature, and vetoed each time by Governor Doyle. Do you support allowing individuals to deduct contributions to HSAs from their state income taxes (estimated cost $4.5 million in 2006)?

Zien: YES.

A group of 50 hospital employees, board members, and medical staff members attended a September 22 legislative visit by Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) and Rep. Gene Hahn (R-Cambria). The hospital is represented by both legislators.

Sen. Miller and Rep. Hahn provided an overview on legislative issues from the 2005-2006 session, such as health care costs, medical malpractice, Medicaid, SeniorCare, renewable fuels, campaign finance, road funding and energy policy. Sen. Miller also specifically gave details on his health care proposal on universal coverage. Afterwards, the legislators took questions from the audience for 20 minutes.

Columbus Community Hospital CEO Ed Harding was also able to provide an update for the legislators on the hospital’s construction project. A brief tour was given.

Hospital visits provide great relationship-building experiences for hospital employees and legislators. The HEAT program thanks Columbus Community Hospital and its staff for caring about their hospital enough to make a difference!

Mary Von Ehren, wife of Warren Von Ehren, passed away on September 30, 2006 in Madison. Warren Von Ehren was executive director of the WHA from 1960-1973 and president from 1973-1986. Mary actively supported Warren during his years at WHA.

Mary was a registered nurse and served in the U.S. Army, which is where she met Warren. Mary’s first overseas assignment was in England, where her hospital unit accepted some of the first casualties from D-Day. For many years, Mary volunteered for the Red Cross. A Memorial Service was held for Mary on October 5 in Madison; her ashes will be interned at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released in a notice on September 29 the final occupational mix adjustments, wage indices and payment rates for the fiscal year 2007 hospital inpatient prospective payment system. The notice can be found online at www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/downloads/cms-1488-N.pdf. No diagnosis-related group relative weights changed by more than 0.8 percent from the tentative weights announced in the August 18 inpatient final rule, while the outlier threshold increased by $10 from the tentative rate of $24,475. The final inpatient PPS standardized amounts are about $4 less. Although CMS initially planned to adjust only 10 percent of the wage index for occupational mix in FY 2007 because it questioned the veracity of the data, a federal appeals court in April required the agency to collect new data and fully adjust the occupational mix. The occupational mix adjustment neutralizes the affect of a hospital's mix of employees on the wage index.

WHA, with the help of RC Healthcare, kicked off the 2008 wage index improvement project with a meeting/conference call on Thursday, October 5. WHA has been partnering with RC Healthcare for the past several years and has achieved excellent results on improving Wisconsin wage indices, which has a major impact on Medicare reimbursement for PPS hospitals.

The results of on-site and remote wage index reviews performed by RC Healthcare on data used in determining the 2007 wage index will benefit Wisconsin hospitals by over $10 million.

Among RC Healthcare’s findings – outlined below – are revisions to initial filings consistent with what they have been reviewing in the WHA annual wage index seminars:

• Several hospitals reported 27 payroll periods in the fiscal year, understating their average hourly wage increases by 3.8 percent.
• RC Healthcare identified millions of dollars in unreported or understated home office expense, and hundreds of thousands of hours for removal due to reconciliations, error corrections, on-call, and PTO buyback.
• They documented Contract Part A physician expense in a number of hospitals and added wage related costs through G/L review and FTE allocation of physician departments.
• RC worked with hospitals to defend and support fiscal intermediary (FI) audits and worked with one hospital to draft an appeal to CMS following a denial by the Fiscal Intermediary.

RC Healthcare will be working directly with all Wisconsin PPS hospitals to help them review their Medicare cost report S-3 worksheet submissions for inconsistencies and to navigate through the CMS wage index process.

Plan to attend the 2006 Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum, scheduled October 16-17, for a chance to learn from nationally recognized experts, as well as from your peers at the showcase of 33 current quality improvement and patient safety projects from Wisconsin. Six of these improvement projects will be highlighted as breakout presentations, giving attendees the chance to learn more about the project, its outcome and how to implement it.

Health care quality managers, risk managers, CEOs/administrators, clinician managers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, patient care services staff, quality improvement team members, and others are encouraged to attend. This year’s Forum is co-sponsored by MetaStar and the Wisconsin Medical Society, and will be held at the brand new Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Stevens Point.

On October 18, WHA and MetaStar are co-sponsoring a special symposium focused on well-tested approaches for sustaining and spreading the six changes of the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 100K Lives Campaign.

The agenda for the "Symposium on Sustainability and Spread will include an expert on the British National Health Service’s sustainability work, an IHI representative to discuss the recent campaign, and a variety of panel discussions by hospitals on the challenges and successes encountered in implementing and sustaining the six changes. Attendees can expect to come away with practical ideas for making the six changes and other improvement efforts in their own hospitals.

The Symposium will be held at the new Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Stevens Point, and will be held immediately following the 2006 Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum. Registration information for the October 18 symposium is included in the brochure for the Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum, which is available in this week’s packet and online at www.wha.org. Attendance at the Quality Forum is not a pre-requisite for attending the symposium, but you must pre-register.

The "ICD-9-CM and DRG Update" program is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on October 24 at the Clarion Suites, Madison. This seminar is designed for those with at least a basic knowledge of ICD-9-CM coding. The program will cover the extensive coding and DRG changes that went into effect on October 1, 2006. Examples of how these changes will impact your reimbursement will be shared.

The educational seminar "ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS – How Do We Prepare?" is scheduled for October 24 from 1-4 p.m., also at the Clarion Suites, Madison. The program will provide a broad overview of the complex changes to both the diagnosis and procedure coding systems currently projected for implementation in 2010. The main focus of this session, however, will be to assist attendees in developing an implementation plan and setting the foundation needed for this change in their businesses. Now is the time to develop the plans to ensure a smooth transition to the new ICD-10 coding systems.

Coding staff, financial management, HIM coders, HIM managers, information systems personnel, medical staff, and senior managers are encouraged to attend one or both sessions.

The educational seminar "2007 Procedure Coding for Chargemasters" is scheduled for November 8, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Great Wolf Lodge, Wisconsin Dells. This program will focus on updating your Chargemaster for the 2007 reporting requirements and new Chargemaster opportunities to keep you "in the know" for CPT and HCPCS coding revisions and new codes impacting the charge document processes.

November 9 Education Offered on New APCs

The education seminar "New Year, New Challenges, New APCs, and New Headaches" is scheduled for November 9, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Great Wolf Lodge, Wisconsin Dells. This is a seminar that goes beyond the basics. The OPPS Final Rule for 2007 will be reviewed in-depth, along with review of the latest CMS program memorandums.

Chargemaster/APC coordinators, coding staff, office managers, CFOs, and others who are responsible for charge generation processes are encouraged to attend these events.

Brochures and registration forms are included in this week’s packet and on the web site at www.wha.org. On-line registration is available. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has approved each seminar for five (5) continuing education hours.

Each year, over 12,000 patients access free or low-cost health care services at the Fox Cities Community Clinic. The clinic, an affiliation of Affinity Health System and ThedaCare, provides health care services to the Fox Valley’s underserved population. A variety of other area organizations also contribute resources to support the clinic.

"We served 3,000 patients when we first opened in 1997, far exceeding yearly projections," shared Rebecca Thompson, executive director of the Fox Cities Community Clinic. "Since then, the volume of patients we serve has continued to grow significantly every year."

"They provide a much needed service for me and others in our community," said Mary Eastman, 58, a patient at the clinic. "I really believe that I would not be getting the care that I need if the Fox Cities Clinic wasn’t here for me."

Thompson noted that the clinic’s focus is changing. "We were originally designed to meet the urgent, one-time needs of patients," she said. "Yet, a good majority of the underserved population needs ongoing care to manage more complex, chronic conditions. So, we are transitioning our care to better meet these more permanent needs."

Agape Community Center, Milwaukee

Overnight summer camp offers unique experiences that many of today’s children may take for granted: peace and quiet from the sounds of the central city, three meals a day, resting on a sleeping bag gazing at the stars in the sky, and last but not least, the chance to simply "be a kid." Yet, overnight camp is an unattainable luxury for many of the neighborhood youth who live near Agape Community Center, on Milwaukee’s north side.

In order to send area children to camps throughout Wisconsin, Agape held several targeted fund drives in 2005. One professional, who also serves as a mentor to a teen through one of Agape’s programs, motivated the staff in her office, and together they raised more than $500 in individual gifts. Another friend of the Community Center hand-delivered $820 in cash through an appeal she made to co-workers. Members of a suburban congregation donated new sleeping bags and beach towels. Individuals from another area church donated barrels of packable camp items. By late June 2005, staff at Agape had enough scholarships and supplies to send 75 happy and excited youth to camp. The camps ran just one week, but these children now share the memory of a lifetime thanks to this program.

Eagle River Memorial Hospital, Eagle River and Howard Young Medical Center, Woodruff

"These folks really went out of their way to help us and it has definitely made our lives easier and helped improve our patient care," said Gary Pusateri, MD, medical director at the Lac Vieux Desert Health Clinic, near Ironwood, Michigan.

Pusateri, the sole physician at the tribal clinic located about 30 miles north of Eagle River, is describing Fred Bouwman, network project manager at Howard Young Health Care, and Christine Caz, Eagle River Memorial Hospital’s community services coordinator. Bouwman and Caz recently teamed with the physician and others at the tribal home of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to provide quick Internet access to hospital records and information on any tribal clinic patient.

According to Pusateri, the enhanced access to patient information has greatly improved the level of efficiency in care he can provide to the more than 2,000 patients who use the health services of the Lac Vieux Desert Health Clinic.

Good Samaritan Health Center, Merrill

In 2005, Good Samaritan Health Center provided more than $3.3 million in free care and services for the poor and the community. Services offered included preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic care along with health and wellness education programs.

The hospital’s community programs, most of which are free, include weekly blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, CPR classes, childbirth, parenting and sibling classes, infant massage, Yoga and other exercise classes, Safety Day Camp, arthritis programs, and cancer education and screenings.

Good Samaritan also provides lab and radiology support to the St. Vincent dePaul Free Clinic, a service for the uninsured or those who cannot afford care. "Without Good Samaritan, we would not be able to continue our current level of service to those in need," noted Denise Klade, RN.

Ministry Home Care, Multiple Wisconsin Locations

Ministry Home Care’s hospice teams offer end-of-life care to people in central, north central, and eastern Wisconsin, regardless of their ability to pay. In 2005, nearly 1,000 people received hospice care; about 20 percent of those individuals were underinsured or not insured. Services include a full team of hospice professionals, medications, supplies, home medical equipment and respite care.

The team also supports the patients’ family and caregivers, helping them to prepare as the illness progresses and to cope with the grief when their loved one dies. Surviving family members are offered at least 13 months of grief support after the death — helping them through the many firsts — the first birthday, first Thanksgiving, first New Year’s, first Mother’s Day, and the first anniversary of the death.

Joanie Thiel, whose son Andrew died in hospice, said, "It’s so nice to have someone to talk to and say, ‘How am I supposed to feel? How should we cope?’ And they have the answers."

Grief services are not limited to those families involved in hospice. Programs provide free grief support and/or education to anyone in the area who has experienced a death.

Our Lady of Victory Hospital, Stanley

"Sometimes I wonder, where did this angel come from?" said Pam Wilson, a participant in Our Lady of Victory Hospital’s Community Link program. Pam is referring to Jill Pollert, the program’s coordinator who has helped her access many needed medical and other resources, and brought a renewed hope to her life.

Wilson first came to Our Lady of Victory in 2001, seeking emergency care for a range of medical problems. A lack of health insurance had barred her from receiving needed treatment in the past.

"Through our Community Care program, Pam has been able to access so many services that she really needed," Pollert confirmed. "She originally came to us for help with her medical bills, and we were able to help her access care through our Community Care program." She added, "While we worked to help her find affordable medical coverage that included prescriptions, we temporarily helped her get medications though our Prescription Drug Patient Assistance program. Through our Faith In Action program, we made sure she got to her doctor and other medical appointments. And, as a result of her participation in our Community Link program, Pam was connected with a Social Security disability representative who helped her secure benefits after about 10 years of denials and appeals," Pollert added.

Ministry Medical Group

To encourage healthier lifestyles in its communities, Ministry Medical Group clinics throughout central Wisconsin actively sponsor a walking program called the "10,000 Step Exercise Program."

The program asks participants to wear a pedometer all day to track daily activity and encourages them to strive to take 10,000 steps a day (the equivalent of walking roughly five miles) to achieve good health. A person who walks 10,000 steps a day will burn between 2,000 and 3,500 extra calories per week, which will result in achieving a vastly better health profile and longer lifespan.

Why 10,000 steps? "Health and fitness researchers find that people can achieve health benefits by exercising at a less intense level than previously thought," said Nancy Swisher, MD, a family practice physician with Ministry Medical Group.

The program has helped participant Bill Konkel. He first donned his pedometer to keep track of his steps while playing golf. "I am now trying to get in my 10,000 steps on non-golf days," he shared. "No one who knows me would ever believe I would be a walker."

Saint Clare’s Hospital, Weston

Thanks to a donation from Saint Clare’s Hospital, area students have a secure after-school destination. The hospital donated funds to the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area to assist the Greenheck after-school program at D.C. Everest High School. The program, a collaboration of the Boys & Girls Club, the D.C. Everest Area School District, and the Village of Weston, is designed for students who have no place to go after school hours. They may have completed their sports season, or just need a place to use time constructively after the school day ends.

"We really needed to provide something local for our kids," said Kris Gilmore, superintendent of the D.C. Everest Area School District. "The program is open to any student who lives in this area and wants to participate."

Gilmore said that the Greenheck program gives students an opportunity to be someplace, doing something productive, instead of being home alone. "It offers a homework club, dance group, computer technology club, games, and community service opportunities, so the kids are very involved," added Gilmore. "We know that between 3 and 7 p.m. — that block of time after school, before mom and dad get home from work — is the time that kids are most at risk for behaviors that we don’t want them to get involved in," she said.

Sacred Heart-Saint Mary’s Hospitals, Tomahawk and Rhinelander

Shortly before the birth of their first child, Tondra Koser and her husband relocated to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Her husband’s job brought the reluctant young woman to the Northwoods.

"I didn’t like Rhinelander when we first moved here," Koser shared, "My family and friends were more than five hours away, and I didn’t know anyone."

After her baby, Makayla, was born, a representative from Family Resource Connection, a local organization funded by a variety of area sponsors, including Sacred Heart-Saint Mary’s Hospitals, visited Koser in the hospital and made a tremendous difference in the young mother’s life.

"She introduced herself and talked with me about a number of things — such as their programs and others in town that could help me adjust to being a new mother with no close support network," said Koser.

Several years later, when 16-month-old Bridget was born, Koser found renewed appreciation for her Family Resource Connection visitor. "Because of colic, Bridget cried the first seven months of her life," she said. "I can’t begin to tell you how much I looked forward to having someone come and help me cope. It has helped me keep my sanity, find the resources I need and make a lot of good friends along the way. I can’t say enough about this program."

Saint Michael’s Hospital, Stevens Point

When Nick Norrgran, 5, was hospitalized with pneumonia at Saint Michael’s Hospital last fall, there were so many things he missed — his family, friends, school, and above all, his dogs at home. Fortunately, the hospital had recently implemented a Pet Therapy program, and Nick had some special visitors during his stay.

Four certified pet therapy dogs — Eli, Yukon, Shadow and Brody — currently make rounds on pediatric, medical and surgical floors at the hospital. Three of the dogs visited Nick during his stay; a special treat since the dogs typically visit interested patients just once per week. Deb Hall, Eli’s owner and handler, said, "When you know the benefits that animals can give to people, you want to share it, and Eli is such a wonderful dog."

According to a study published in the September issue of The Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA), patient care decisions are best determined by case mix, the complexity of care required, and the size of the care unit. The study, "Nurse Staffing, Nurse Intensity, Staff Mix, and Direct Nursing Care Costs Across Massachusetts Hospitals," was prepared by John Welton, PhD, RN; Lynn Unruh, PhD, RN, LHRM; and Edward Halloran, PhD, RN, FAAN, academics from outside of Massachusetts, who used staffing data from the Patients First website in constructing their study.

The study found a high degree of variability in Patient-to-RN ratios, nursing intensity, skill mix, and RN costs per patient day among the 601 inpatient units studied showing that nursing resource expenditure at Massachusetts hospitals is complex and affected by case mix, unit size, and complexity of care -- not just the number of patients.

Due to the wide range of illnesses Massachusetts’ hospitals treat, plus the complexity of managing staff to treat these variable conditions in both rural and urban settings, the study finds it is inadvisable to mandate statewide staffing patterns. The study also compares Massachusetts with California, the only state to create a law imposing minimum staffing levels in hospitals. It finds that Massachusetts already has "better staffing, higher RN and staff intensity, and higher percentages of RN to total nursing staff percentages than California hospitals even after (California’s) minimum nurse staffing law was implemented."

The Meriter Health Services Board has announced the appointment of James L. Woodward as the next president and chief executive officer of Meriter Health Services and Meriter Hospital. Woodward comes to Meriter from Winchester Medical Center where he has served the past five years as chief executive officer.

Winchester Medical Center is a 411-bed regional referral center serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Medical Center has 2,500 employees, a 300 member medical staff, and offers a comprehensive array of services.

"We are pleased that Jim Woodward has accepted our offer to lead Meriter. He is a leader whose passion and vision will sustain and enhance Meriter as an independent community hospital and health care system," says Jac Garner, Meriter board chair. "Jim’s selection ensures that Meriter’s focus continues to be on providing our region with excellent and innovative health care, and that we remain dedicated to our community well into the future."

John Splude, chairman & CEO of HK Systems, Inc., and Rick Johnson, CFO, senior vice president of finance and treasurer of Badger Meter, were recently elected to Ministry Health Care’s Board of Directors. Ministry President and CEO Nick Desien said their combined business and financial acumen will be assets to the Board.