The tidal wave that swept most of the country Tuesday night (November 7) also washed over the Wisconsin State Senate, spilled into the Assembly, buoyed incumbent Governor Jim Doyle, and may have sank AG candidate Kathleen Falk.

In a race the punditry projected would be much closer, Doyle handily defeated Green Bay Congressman Mark Green by a margin of 52.8 percent to 45.3 percent. Only the second Wisconsin Democrat to be elected to consecutive terms as governor, Doyle is expected to move full speed ahead with a number of health care proposals, including opening BadgerCare for 30,000 more people and creating a health care reinsurance pool for small business.

Democrats in the Senate took four seats away from Republicans to reclaim the majority they lost four years ago. Incumbent Republicans Ron Brown (Eau Claire), Tom Reynolds (West Allis), and Dave Zien (Eau Claire) fell to Democrats Kathleen Vinehout (Alma), Jim Sullivan (Wauwatosa), and Pat Kreitlow (Eau Claire), respectively. Rep. John Lehman (D-Racine) defeated Republican Bill McReynolds to take the open 21st Senate district seat vacated by Sturtevant Republican Cathy Stepp.

The victories give Democrats an 18-15 majority in the Senate. Sen. Judy Robson (D-Beloit) will assume the post of Majority Leader, while Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) will be the new Republican Minority Leader. New Senate committee chairmanships, including the Health Committee and co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee, are yet to be determined, but expected soon.

Republicans maintained control of the State Assembly but Democrats made significant gains, taking seven seats and maybe an eighth. Incumbents Steve Freese (Dodgeville), Judy Krawczyk (Green Bay), Mark Pettis (Hertel), Gabe Loeffelholz (Platteville), and Rob Kreibich (Eau Claire) all went down to defeat. Another GOP incumbent, Debi Towns (Janesville), was losing to challenger Kim Hixson (Whitewater) by nine votes out of 20,500 cast. A recount is pending. (For a list of new legislators, see the "Grassroots Spotlight" in this issue of The Valued Voice.)

Republicans will hold at least 52 seats in the Assembly, down from the 60-seat majority they held throughout the 2005-06 legislative session. Assembly Republican and Democrat leaders will be elected next Tuesday (November 14), including the person who will replace John Gard as Assembly Speaker.

In both houses, health care reform will be a top agenda item when lawmakers return to Madison in January. With Democrats controlling the Governor’s office and Senate, and Republicans maintaining the majority in the Assembly, it is difficult to predict whether progress will be made.

"Regardless of which party prevailed, health care will demand lawmakers’ attention," said WHA Senior Vice President Eric Borgerding. "Given the split control of the houses and Governor Doyle’s leanings towards the competitive model, it is unlikely that radical upheavals or single payer, global budget proposals will be signed into law. WHA stands ready to work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, who is committed to finding rational and, more importantly, sustainable solutions to our health care dilemma."

For his part, Doyle continues to oppose tried and failed regulatory approaches of the past, including hospital rate setting and certificate of need (CON). Instead, he is pursuing a combination of expanding government programs (BadgerCare) and creating a state-sponsored reinsurance pool to relieve small businesses of the most costly component of their health insurance premiums, catastrophic claims.

Finally, former federal prosecutor J.B. Van Hollen appears to have defeated Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk in the race for Attorney General. Van Hollen’s margin of victory stands at just .4% out of over 2.1 million votes cast. Falk, who is down by roughly 9,000 votes, has not conceded pending a canvass of the votes.

This race took on greater importance for hospitals than in the past due largely to the actions of current Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager. With Lautenschlager at the helm, the Department of Justice has taken a hostile, often politically motivated, approach to hospitals and health care providers, including the recent filing of criminal charges against a Madison nurse for unintentional errors that resulted in a patient’s death.

More than a hundred supporters gathered in front of the Dane County Courthouse in Madison on November 9 as Julie Thao, RN made her first court appearance. Nurses from as far away as Evansville came to Madison to support Thao and oppose the criminalization of medical errors. The court ordered a signature bond and scheduled a status conference for the parties on December 4, 2006.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) this week supported the position taken by the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Nurses Association that criminal prosecution of a health care professional for an unintentional error is inappropriate and unwarranted. ISMP is an internationally recognized expert resource on patient safety and is well respected as a premier resource for impartial, timely, and accurate medication safety information.

In a statement released to the national press, ISMP said, "When a fatal medication error occurs, there often is considerable pressure from the public and the legal system to blame and discipline individuals for mistakes. However, criminal prosecution sends the false message that clinical perfection is an attainable goal, and that "good" health care practitioners never make errors.

"Practitioners begin to fear disciplinary action if they make a mistake, and reporting of errors decreases, making it more difficult to determine root causes. The belief that a medication error could lead to felony charges, steep fines, and a jail sentence also can have a chilling effect on recruitment and retention of health care providers—particularly nurses, who are already in short supply."

In an editorial published by ISMP on their Web site, they opine: While there is considerable pressure from the public and the legal system to blame and punish individuals who make fatal errors, filing criminal charges against a health care provider who is involved in a medication error is unquestionably egregious and may only serve to drive the reporting of errors underground.

Wisconsin hospitals have been recognized both within the state and nationally for publicly reporting community benefits. In an effort to continue to support WHA members as they design and implement community benefits programs, WHA will hold a Community Benefits Forum December 7 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. This seminar is more advanced than the training sessions WHA held in March of this year, which focused on helping members fill out the online community benefits reporting tool. At the December 7 Community Benefit Forum, several member hospitals that will share how they implemented specific programs in their communities based on community needs assessments.

These hospitals will share best practices related to forming working partnerships with public health departments, collecting and tracking community benefits, gathering patient and citizen stories, and how to communicate community benefits to key stakeholders and the public. Networking will be encouraged over the lunch break.

Following this program, participants will know how to:

• Identify and implement community health initiatives
• Gather community benefits data accurately and efficiently using simple tricks and tools
• Understand the role that governance, mission and vision have in supporting and guiding community benefit programming
• Communicate the benefits they bring to the communities they serve

The workshop will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells on December 7 from 9 am – 3 pm. The registration fee is $95 for member hospitals with a $75 per person team rate if two or more register from the same organization. The non-hospital rate for this event is $150 per person. Registration materials are in this week’s packet, and are also available at www.wha.org/education/pdf/2006commbenefits12-7.pdf.

For more information on content, contact Mary Kay Grasmick, mgrasmick@wha.org; direct questions related to registration to Sherry Rabuck, srabuck@wha.org, or call 274-1820.

As the January open enrollment season approaches, several studies have recently been released detailing cost trends in medical, pharmacy, and dental premiums in 2006 and providing projections for 2007.

This month’s issue of Solutions Spotlight, included in this week’s packet, provides an overview of surveys conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Segal Company, Towers Perrin, and Aon.

Less than one month ago, WHA released the first annual Community Benefits Report — Wisconsin Hospitals Connecting With Their Communities. The report was the culmination of an enthusiastic statewide commitment by WHA members to catalog, measure and report community benefits provided by Wisconsin hospitals. In releasing the report on October 18, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to attain 100 percent hospital participation in the reporting of quality, safety, pricing, and community benefits.

WHA’s Board is committed to sustaining and enhancing the Association’s community benefit reporting initiative as a long-term strategic program priority. Response to date from members, the media, and policy makers suggests that our initiative has been well received and there is an opportunity to improve our efforts in the future.

In that vein, here’s a plug for an important educational opportunity for hospital staff involved in community benefit data collection, reporting and publicity.

WHA Community Benefits Forum
Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells
December 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The December program represents the next important step in WHA’s long-term community benefit commitment. Program participants will hear from hospital and public health leaders who design and implement programs to meet identified health needs in their communities. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact and exchange "best practices" with peers and colleagues.

The learning objectives for the December 7 Community Benefits Forum include: identification of and implementation strategies for community health initiatives; the gathering of community benefits data accurately and efficiently, using simple data-gathering tricks and tools; and understanding the role that governance, mission and vision have in supporting and guiding community benefit programming.

Our recent statewide report was an impressive opening round in what should be viewed as a journey for our mission-driven organizations. The December 7 program should be viewed as a "must attend" for WHA members interested in improving and enhancing current hospital-specific activity.

Steve Brenton
President

The November elections ushered in a new wave of legislators to all levels of government. In Madison, Democrats regained the majority in the State Senate for the first time since 2002 and picked up seats in the State Assembly for the first time since 1990. In Washington DC, there will be even greater changes, as all leadership and committee power switches to Democratic control. As with every new election, these changes provide Wisconsin hospitals an important opportunity to build relationships with elected officials.

How can hospitals introduce themselves to newly elected legislators and re-introduce themselves to returning legislators? Here are some simple suggestions. Invite legislators to tour your hospital and campus, meet with staff, meet with the board of trustees, and meet with volunteers. All of these give legislators a hands-on look at the valuable role hospitals play in Wisconsin communities.

State Legislature

The new State Legislature will convene in January 2007 with a freshman class of 20. This equals a 15 percent turnover rate, which is comparable to the past three election cycles (see box).

Democrats will now control the State Senate by an 18-15 majority. Newly elected Democratic Senators include:

• Jim Sullivan (5th Senate District) — Democrat from Wauwatosa who defeated Republican incumbent Tom Reynolds
• John Lehman (21st Senate District) — Democrat from Racine who won this open seat
• Pat Kreitlow (23rd Senate District) — Democrat from Chippewa Falls who defeated Republican incumbent Dave Zien
• Kathleen Vinehout (31st Senate District) — Democrat from Eau Claire who defeated Republican incumbent Ron Brown

The State Assembly will remain in Republican hands though their margin of control is yet to be determined with several races still too close to call. Newly elected State Representatives include the following:

• Gary Tauchen (6th Assembly District) — Republican from Bonduel
• Jim Ott (23rd Assembly District) — Republican from Mequon
• Ann Hraychuck (28th Assembly District) — Democrat from Balsam Lake who defeated Republican incumbent Mark Pettis
• John Murtha (29th Assembly District) — Republican from Baldwin
• Andy Jorgensen (37th Assembly District) — Democrat from Fort Atkinson
• Kevin Petersen (40th Assembly District) — Republican from Waupaca
• Phil Garthwaite (49th Assembly District) — Democrat from Platteville who defeated Republican incumbent Gabe Loeffelholz
• Steve Hilgenberg (51st Assembly District) — Democrat from Dodgeville who defeated Republican incumbent Steve Freese
• Gordon Hintz (54th Assembly District) — Democrat from Oshkosh
• Roger Roth (56th Assembly District) — Republican from Appleton
• Cory Mason (62nd Assembly District) — Democrat from Racine
• Jim Soletski (88th Assembly District) — Democrat from Green Bay who defeated Republican incumbent Judy Krawczyk
• John Nygren (89th Assembly District) — Republican from Marinette
• Jeff Smith (93rd Assembly District) — Democrat from Eau Claire who defeated Republican incumbent Rob Kreibich
• Bill Kramer (97th Assembly District) — Republican from Waukesha
• Rich Zipperer (98th Assembly District) — Republican from Pewaukee
  

Wisconsin will see one new member in Congress with the election of Democrat Steve Kagen of Appleton. Kagen won the right to represent Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District in Northeastern Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s 10-member Congressional delegation will now include seven Democrats (Sens. Feingold, Kohl; Reps. Baldwin, Kagen, Kind, Moore, Obey) and three Republicans (Petri, Ryan, Sensenbrenner).

With Democrats controlling all leadership and committees in Congress, Wisconsin will likely see one of its own, Cong. David Obey (D-WI 7), take over as chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee. Other Wisconsin members are expected to move into committee leadership posts and take prominence as committee assignments are determined.

Grassroots Opportunity For Hospitals

With each election comes a shifting political landscape, and Wisconsin hospitals will continue to develop excellent relationships with our elected officials so we can work together in addressing important hospital and health care issues. Hospital employees, trustees and volunteers can each play an important role in this effort.

"If we are serious about getting our elected officials in Madison to help solve the health care problems in Wisconsin, then people must become proactive and start talking to their legislators," said Ken Anderson, a volunteer at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. "Taking a few minutes to call, write, or email your representatives and talking about your specific concerns can mean the difference between positive changes or maintaining the status quo."

Ken is right: together we can speak with a unified voice about the value and benefit our hospitals provide to communities all across Wisconsin.

If your hospital would like to know more about election results or would like assistance in setting up meetings with legislators, please contact Jenny Boese at 608-268-1816 or jboese@wha.org.

Last Thanksgiving, when it was easy to be preoccupied by upcoming holidays and plans, the employees at Door County Memorial Hospital took time once again to think of those in need. As they have done for the past few years, thoughtful and giving people throughout the hospital gave money, time and effort to make sure that 49 families unable to celebrate on their own didn’t go without a holiday meal.

The idea originated at the hospital’s North Shore Medical Clinic (NSMC), and was brought to fruition by the Recruitment, Retention, Development and Continuing Education Committee a few years back. The now "annual" tradition was spearheaded this year by Brenda Leist, NSMC’s clinic coordinator. In her appeal to the employees, Brenda asked departments to combine their resources to allow almost any department to at least sponsor one holiday meal for a family.

The purchasing of food was accomplished by the DCMH Hospitality Services department and distribution to the families was left to Door County’s "Feed My People," which operates a food pantry in Sturgeon Bay all year long.

Everyone involved in the project was appreciative of how smoothly everything was accomplished and, once again, how generous the contributors were. From Brenda, who initiated the annual event once again to those who sent the food items on their way, their efforts reinforced that DCMH truly is a place "where caring makes the connection."

Additional efforts by the Hospital’s NSMC team included another annual holiday event – the collection and distribution of hats, mittens and scarves to those in need at Christmas time. The tree for anonymous donation "ornaments" was erected in the NSMC reception area and remained up during the holiday season. Hats, mittens and scarves, once again, were distributed by "Clothe My People," which operates a free clothing distribution center year round in Door County.

Submit hospital community benefit stories to Mary Kay Grasmick, editor, mgrasmick@wha.org or call 608-274-1820.

Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee has achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credential Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that demonstrate excellence in nursing practice and adherence to national standards for the organization and delivery of nursing services.

Froedtert Hospital went through a rigorous evaluation that included extensive interviews and reviews of nursing services. Of the more than 5,000 hospitals in the United States, less than 4.5 percent have Magnet status. Froedtert is the sixth Wisconsin hospital/hospital group to achieve this national recognition.

The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, a program of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is accepting applications for the position of Director. The Director is responsible for management of programs and staff, as well as providing strong state and national leadership on rural health care policy. The position requires knowledge of rural health care policy issues, legislative processes, underserved populations, health care delivery systems, and development and implementation of programs with local, state, and federal partners.