Governor Jim Doyle confirmed this week that he will address WHA’s 2005 Advocacy Day luncheon on May 11. Gov. Doyle joins an agenda that includes Washington correspondent Mark Shields, who has spent 30 years covering American politics, and Christopher Kush, who has trained thousands of people to advocate for their issues.

Visiting with your lawmaker is the most important part of Advocacy Day because your voice needs to be heard on Medicaid, the cigarette tax, and other related issues pending right now in the state budget bill.

The day will wrap up with time to visit your legislator at the Capitol. You are welcome to make your own legislative appointments, and can find your legislator’s contact information in the Speak Up section of WHA’s Web site at www.wha.org/speakUp. Also, WHA will gladly assist you in making your appointment. If you want WHA to schedule an appointment for you, call Angela Miloszewicz directly at 608-268-1801, by Monday, May 2.

More than 225 attendees from 68 different organizations have already made plans to attend. It’s easy to register, and Advocacy Day is a free event to all participants. You can register a variety of ways:

• Print the registration form from the Web site, complete and fax to 608-274-8554,
• Email your registration information to Sherry Rabuck at srabuck@wha.org, or
• Call Sherry at 608-274-1820.

Will your organization be represented at Advocacy Day? Join the others who’ve already registered:

Agnesian HealthCare, Fond du Lac
Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau
Aurora Health Care, Burlington
Aurora Health Care-South Region, Burlington
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center, Elkhorn
Auxiliary of Riverside Medical Center, Waupaca
Beaver Dam Community Hospitals, Inc., Beaver Dam
Bellin Health Systems, Inc Auxiliary, Green Bay
Bellin Hospital, Green Bay
Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit
Black River Memorial Hospital, Black River Falls
Boscobel Area Health Care, Boscobel
Burnett Medical Center, Grantsburg
Calumet Medical Center, Chilton
Children’s Health System, Inc., Milwaukee
Columbus Community Hospital, Inc., Columbus
Divine Savior Healthcare, Portage
Elmbrook Memorial Hospital, Brookfield
Flambeau Hospital, Park Falls
Franciscan Skemp Auxiliary, West Salem
Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, La Crosse
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee
Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Assoc., Inc., Madison
Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse
Hess Memorial Hospital, Mauston
Hudson Hospital, Hudson
Kaukauna Community Health Associates, Kaukauna
Lakeview Medical Center, Rice Lake
Lakeview Rehabilitation Center, Waterford
Luther Midelfort, Eau Claire
Marshall Erdman & Associates, Madison
Memorial Health Center, Medford
Memorial Medical Center, Ashland
Meriter Health Services, Madison
Meriter Health Services, Madison
Meriter Health Services, Madison
Meriter Hospital, Madison
Myrtle Werth Hospital Auxiliary, Menomonie
Oconomowoc Memorial Auxiliary, Oconomowoc
Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc
Partners Health System, Inc., Berlin
Partners of Beaver Dam Community Hospital, Beaver Dam
Partners of Divine Savior Health Care, Portage
Plunkett Raysich Architects, Milwaukee
ProHealth Care, Inc., Waukesha
Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, Sauk City
Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire
Saint Clare’s Hospital, Stevens Point
Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield
Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital, Prairie du Sac
Shawano Medical Center, Shawano
St. Joseph’s Community Health Services, Inc., Hillsboro
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls
St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, Green Bay
St. Michael Hospital, Milwaukee
St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan
St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay
The Monroe Clinic, Monroe
Upland Hills Health, Dodgeville
UW Hospital & Clinics, Madison
WHA Financial Solutions, Inc., Madison
WHA Information Center, LLC, Madison
WI Health & Educ. Facilities Authority, Brookfield
Wisconsin Hospital Association, Madison
Wm. S. Middleton Mem. Veterans Hospital, Madison

"There are countless rewards in everyday duties, when patients are made to feel comfortable and cared for, but the best occasions are when people are cured of their illnesses – that becomes a miracle of medicine."

-- Mary Aina, Laboratory Secretary, Memorial Medical Center, Ashland

It was an evening to remember. For about 300 people who attended the April 28 Pride Program recognition dinner, it was an opportunity to honor the 69 persons who were being recognized for their dedication to a career in health care. For the 69 people who were chosen to represent their hospital, their department, and their career, it was a well-deserved evening in the spotlight.

"Health care employees rise to the challenges before them every day with care, competence, and compassion. It is a privilege to stand before you this evening and have the opportunity to say, ‘thank you,’ which seems like such a small gesture when the work that you do is so important and essential to the health of our patients, communities and state," said WHA President Steve Brenton in his message to the honorees during the program. "You can have the best technology in the world, but what our patients remember about being in a hospital is meeting you, seeing how much you care about them and their families. You are the face of health care."

The audience at the Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells listened intently as short vignettes were read from each honored employees essay as they were congratulated by Judy Warmuth, WHA VP, workforce; Faye Deich, Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives (W-ONE) and Holly Fredrickson from the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration (WSHHRA). WHA, W-ONE, WSHHRA, and the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society sponsor the Pride Program.

The Pride Program is designed to celebrate the health care workforce and the factors that distinguish it from other careers. Employees wrote passionately about the importance of their career to them, and how all the talents, skills and dedication of each employee in a health care setting is related to the same goal—delivering high quality patient care.

"It is all because of the patients and the families we care for. Knowing you make a difference in their lives. That is what health care is all about." — Tammy Arndt, ER Unit Coordinator, Stoughton Hospital, Stoughton

Below is a list of the 2005 Pride Program honorees:

Agnesian HealthCare, Fond du Lac
Karen Redeker, RN

All Saints Healthcare, Racine
Deborah Bradley, RN, BSN, OCN

Amery Regional Medical Center, Amery
Gayle Russo, RN

Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau
Annette Begaye, Radiology Technologist

Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay
Karen Miller, House Supervisor

Aurora Medical Center, Oshkosh
Deborah Lee Fox, Transporter/Film Management Clerk

Aurora Medical Center of Manitowoc County, Two Rivers
Richard Jankovsky, Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Aurora Medical Center of Washington County, Hartford
Elaine Mason, RN

Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee
Serena Clardie, Crisis Counselor

Baldwin Area Medical Center, Baldwin
Christine Cobb-Sauer, CNA

Bay Area Medical Center, Marinette
Kate LaPierre, RN

Bellin Health, Green Bay
Angie Klein, RN

Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit
Pam Taylor, Hostess

Black River Memorial Hospital, Black River Falls
Faye Moseley-Rezin, Registered Dietician

Boscobel Area Health Care, Boscobel
Toni Brown, Director of Health Information

Burnett Medical Center, Grantsburg
Kristin Larson, Self Pay Collector

Columbia St. Mary’s, Glendale
Donna Zacharias-Kempf, Dental Assistant

Community Memorial Hospital, Oconto Falls
Diana Hucek, Foundation & Marketing Manager

Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls
Deb Clissa, Respiratory Care Practitioner

Dr. Kate’s Convalescent Center, Woodruff
Shirley Larsen, Certified Nursing Assistant

Eagle River Memorial Hospital, Eagle River
Theresa Meisenburg, EMT-I, CNA

Elmbrook Memorial Hospital, Brookfield
Susan Juntunen, Marketing Coordinator/Community Relations

Flambeau Hospital, Park Falls
Mark Prohaska, CT Technologist

Fort HealthCare, Fort Atkinson
Jerri Ustby-Cruz, Clinical Coordinator, Health Promotion

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, La Crosse
Lisa Craig, RN

Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee
Charles Mathison, RN, BSN, CWOCN, Program Coordinator

Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse
Diane Harding, RN

Kindred Hospital Milwaukee, Greenfield
Christina Keedick, RN, Clinical Liaison

Lakeview Medical Center, Rice Lake
Tammy Koger, Hospice Volunteer/Bereavement Coordinator

Langlade Memorial Hospital, Antigo
Tonya Deisinger, CNA, Med/Surg; Ward Secretary

Memorial Health Center, Medford
Christina Schilling, Certified Pharmacy Technician

Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County, Darlington
Tammy Evenstad, Community Outreach Director

Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville
Frank Johnson, Jr., CNA

Memorial Medical Center, Ashland
Mary Aina, Laboratory Secretary

Mercy Health System, Janesville
Laurie Collins, RN, Heart & Vascular Program

Mercy Medical Center, Oshkosh
Sarah Troxell, Outpatient Rehab Coordinator

Monroe Clinic, Monroe
Larry Coffey, RN, ICU

Moundview Memorial Hospital, Friendship
Phyllis Deutsch, CNA, Home Health

Myrtle Werth Hospital, Menomonie
Mary Beth Smith, RN

Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, Glendale
Cynthia Stevens, RN

Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, Prairie du Chien
Penny Grassel, Athletic Trainer

Riverview Hospital Association, Wisconsin Rapids
Elisabeth Ruzicka-Zurkowski, Housekeeper

Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire
Debbie Stanton, Human Resources Assistant

Sacred Heart-St. Mary’s Hospital, Rhinelander
Dusty Schoone, Patient Accounts Coordinator

Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield
Marianne Walker, RN

Saint Michael’s Hospital, Stevens Point
Joyce Waite, Outpatient Scheduler

Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital, Prairie du Sac
Diana Mielke, CNA

Shawano Medical Center, Shawano
Jocelyn Champeau, RN, Registered Nurse

St. Clare Hospital & Health Services, Baraboo
Kate Nelson, Customer Service Assistant, Laboratory

St. Francis Hospital, Milwaukee
Rachel McConnell, Nuclear Medicine Technologist

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Milwaukee
Renee Neal, Health Unit Coordinator

St. Joseph’s Community Health Services, Hillsboro
Teresa Nundahl, Social Worker

St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls
Mary Wiley, RN

St. Luke’s Medical Center, Milwaukee
Jamie Kubenik-Maier, RN

St. Luke’s South Shore, Cudahy
Janet Danek, RN

St. Marys Care Center, Madison
Karen Wendt, RN

St. Marys Hospital Medical Center, Madison
Joseph Brokish, RN

St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, Green Bay
Lorrie Shafer, RN

St. Michael Hospital, Milwaukee
Linda Gottlieb, RN

St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan
Mark Hillesheim, Director, Rehabilitation Services

St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay
Stephanie Brown, RN

Stoughton Hospital, Stoughton
Tammy Arndt, Unit Coordinator

The Richland Hospital, Richland Center
Lorraine Dalberg, Laboratory Technologist

The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, Wauwatosa
Patricia Robinson, Patient Access Representative

Tri-County Memorial Hospital, Whitehall
Wendy Krump, Late Cook Supervisor

University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, Madison
Sandy Burns, RN, Nurse Clinician, Oncology

Vernon Memorial Healthcare, Viroqua
JoAnn Von Ruden, Quality Improvement Coordinator & Respiratory Therapist

Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha
Carol Majeskie, RN

West Allis Memorial Hospital, West Allis
Charli Smith, Jr, Medical Technologist

The Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) last week unveiled a scathing analysis of the Department of Health and Family Services’ (DHFS) handling of the Physician Office Visit Data (POVD) program.

Despite millions of dollars raised via annual physician assessments and a staff of 12 full-time state employees, DHFS has failed to produce anything of value from the eight-year-old program. Enacted by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1997, POVD was set up to collect, analyze and then make available physician claims data to help health care purchasers and consumers make informed decisions while aiding health care providers in improving the quality and efficiency of physician-delivered health care. The actual track record in accomplishing these stated goals has been a miserable failure, as now confirmed by an independent agency that is an arm of the Wisconsin Legislature.

"We found numerous problems with the program, including serious concerns with the quality, comparability and comprehensiveness of the data," noted Legislative Audit Bureau staffer Janice Mueller. The report found that data has been of no use to any of the intended stakeholders and that the agency has failed to produce information usable by the general public. In other words, POVD has been a total waste of resources and a failed government mandate. It’s obviously time to move on.

Speaking of moving on, Governor Doyle has proposed that a new health care quality and patient safety board be created to replace the current Board on Healthcare Information (BHI). The new board would be attached to the Department of Administration (not DHFS) and be charged with working with and facilitating ongoing private sector initiatives like WHA’s CheckPoint and the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ). The new board is also envisioned to champion the diffusion of information system technologies designed to improve patient quality and safety while achieving cost efficiencies. With the right leadership, the new board has the potential of being a partner as opposed to an unnecessary "command and control center" for thriving private sector initiatives.

Almost two years ago, the Wisconsin Legislature gave the go-ahead for privatizing hospital claims data collection and dissemination. WHA’s Information Center today is accomplishing with five FTEs something that state bureaucracy failed to achieve with 18 staff…the efficient collection and release of administrative data and public reports in a manner that is viewed as a "poster child" for privatization. POVD must follow suit.

Steve Brenton
President

In a case that could deal a devastating blow to Wisconsin’s favorable medical liability environment and the future supply of physicians in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments on April 26 in Ferdon v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund. This case comes at a time when states across the country are replicating Wisconsin’s medical liability system, attempting to address their workforce shortage and access to care issues caused by medical liability crises in their states that have occurred absent such a system.

In Ferdon, the plaintiffs, with the support of the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Attorneys and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America who each filed an amicus brief in this case, have asked the court to declare as unconstitutional Wisconsin’s 10-year-old non-economic damage cap in medical malpractice cases. The plaintiffs also asked the Court to invalidate Wisconsin’s statutory future medical expenses account, which requires that awards of future medical expenses to an injured plaintiff be paid to the plaintiff as those expenses are incurred rather than immediately as a lump sum.

WHA, together with the American Hospital Association (AHA) filed an amicus brief in this case supporting the constitutionality of the non-economic damage cap and the future medical expenses account.

Steven Means, attorney for the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, argued to the Court that the Legislature had a rational basis for enacting the caps as a part of Wisconsin’s comprehensive medical liability system. Means pointed out that in addition to the non-economic damage cap, Wisconsin’s comprehensive medical liability system mandates that physicians carry their own minimum amount of liability coverage, mandates that physicians pay premiums to the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund to provide for no limit coverage for injury claims, and also has no cap on awards of economic damages.

The Legislature, within its power, rationally balanced the competing interests of patients, health care providers, and insurers when it reinstated the non-economic damage cap in 1995, argued Means. Furthermore, Means explained that the noneconomic damage cap has engendered an environment in Wisconsin where health care is accessible, and noted that doctors don’t want to practice in states that don’t have such a cap.

Justice Louis Butler, however, questioned whether the cap was rationally related to what the jury determined was the plaintiff’s non-economic damages. Other justices also questioned whether more or fewer physicians are practicing in Wisconsin due to the cap, and what effect the cap has had on overall health care costs.

Marie Stanton, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, argued to the Court that the cap was never needed because there has never been a medical liability insurance crisis. Furthermore, she said that all caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice actions should be abolished, regardless of the amount of the cap.

"We do not believe a medical malpractice victim should have anyone but a jury" determine a plaintiff’s damages, Stanton argued.

However, Justice Patience Roggensack pressed Stanton regarding her claim that there has never been a medical liability insurance crisis, and questioned whether the non-economic damage cap could be pulled out of Wisconsin’s overall medical liability scheme.

WHA and AHA argued in their brief submitted to the court that maintaining the non-economic damage cap in medical malpractice cases is key to addressing Wisconsin’s growing physician shortage that is particularly problematic in rural areas and Milwaukee. WHA and the Wisconsin Medical Society document the shortage in a March 2004 study entitled "Who Will Care for Our Patients?" According to the brief, "Upsetting the legislature’s policy choice by finding [the caps] unconstitutional could have a devastating impact on hospitals’ ability to provide patient care."

As a part of Wisconsin’s comprehensive medical liability system, non-economic damages, including damages for pain and suffering, in medical malpractice lawsuits are capped at about $433,000 (adjusted yearly for inflation). Wisconsin law further caps non-economic damages in all wrongful death lawsuits at $350,000 in the case of a deceased adult and $500,000 in the case of a deceased child.

Wisconsin has no cap on economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Economic damages include, for example, damages for loss of earnings, and loss of earning capacity, and damages related to future medical treatment, care, or custody. Furthermore, Wisconsin hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers are required to pay into the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund to provide for no limit coverage for injury claims – thus ensuring a solvent source for a patients’ recovery of damages.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) has developed resources to help hospitals establish practical and responsible policies and procedures for collecting payments from patients at the time of service. These resources are a follow up to our "Uncompensated Care Guidelines," published in 2004.

The rise in the number of uninsured people, coupled with more co-pays and deductibles from traditional insurance plans and newer health savings accounts, could lead to an increase in bad debt for hospitals. The problem is further complicated by the difficulty many hospitals have in collecting patient fees at the time of service.

In this time of increasing patient responsibility for health care bills, hospitals need to improve their collection efforts. Failure to do so will not only lead to an increase in bad debt, but will also result in large payments to collection agencies, some with contingency fees as high as 30 percent and average rate of returns of only 25 percent.

To help provide guidance in balancing the responsibilities outlined above, WHA’s Council on Finance and Payment developed the guidelines to assist members in their collection practices and to help them communicate what Wisconsin patients can expect from their hospitals. These documents are meant as a guide and certainly don’t cover every situation or issue that might be unique to individual hospitals. It is important that hospitals balance many factors when setting up their upfront collection effort including logistics, staffing, cash controls, education and training, mission, etc.

WHA Information Center’s PricePoint Web site now has a branch office.

Shortly after the launch of PricePoint in February, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) approached WHAIC to propose a partnership. The effort culminated in last week’s unveiling of Oregon’s own PricePoint site.

"OAHHS was eager to provide charge information to Oregon consumers, and they saw PricePoint as a useful model," said WHAIC Vice President Joe Kachelski. "Starting with Wisconsin’s PricePoint, we were able to make some minor adjustments to accommodate their needs, and they had their own functioning Web site in just a few weeks."

Under the partnership with OAHHS, WHA Information Center hosts the Oregon PricePoint Web site using data provided by OAHHS. Kachelski credited WHA Software Developer Tony Tosi for coordinating the project.

Other state hospital associations have indicated an interest in contracting with WHAIC in a similar fashion. "It’s clear that among our sister organizations, WHA is perceived as being a leader in health care transparency initiatives," Kachelski said.

On April 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule for fiscal year 2006. Based on our preliminary read, here are some of the rule’s key provisions:

• Payment Update: The rule proposes a market basket update of 3.2 percent for those hospitals that submit data on 10 quality measures (In FY 2005, 98 percent of the nearly 4,000 acute care hospitals in the country agreed to provide this quality data.) and 2.8 percent for those that do not.
• Labor share: The labor share of the standardized amount, which is the portion of Medicare payment that is adjusted for wages, would decrease from 71.7 percent to 69.7 percent.
• Transfers: CMS is proposing an expansion of the post acute care transfer provision from 29 DRGs to 223, by proposing a new set of criteria for determining DRGs subject to this policy. The proposal would cost hospitals $880 million in FY 2006 alone, the equivalent of a 1.1 percent cut in hospital payments.
• Outliers: The rule would raise the outlier threshold from its current level of approximately $25,800 to $26,675.

CAH provision clarifications: The rule clarifies issues relating to changes in MSA designations from the 2000 census and its impact on CAH status, necessary provider status, and the issue of relocation for CAH’s undergoing building projects (see article below).

Since the establishment of Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Programs (Flex Programs), under which individual states may designate certain facilities as critical access hospitals (CAHs), over 50 Wisconsin hospitals have become CAHs.

One of the requirements of the Flex Program was that in order to qualify, the hospital must be located in a rural area. This meant either that the hospital was not in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), or it was reclassified as rural by the state. Since the revision of MSAs due to the 2000 census, some CAHs around the country find themselves in a county that had changed from rural to urban status. In Wisconsin, three counties that have CAHs have been reclassified as part of an MSA: Columbia, Iowa, and Oconto. The rule now allows for these hospitals to seek reclassification to rural status from the state prior to September 30, 2006.

Another issue facing some CAHs is the deadline regarding necessary provider status. Prior to January 1, 2006, states can deem hospitals as necessary providers even if they are less than 35 miles from the nearest hospital by meeting certain criteria. As of January 1, 2006, states will no longer be able to designate a CAH based upon the necessary provider determination. The 35-mile rule will have to be met. This creates issues regarding hospital building projects. The rule looks to provide some relief for those CAHs that had building plans in the works prior to December 8, 2003 (sunset provision date), but will not have a new facility by January 1, 2006. In these instances, the following situations are considered:

• Replacement in the same location: As long as the new construction is undertaken within 250 yards of the current building, or if the replacement is constructed on land that is contiguous to the current CAH, and the land was owned prior to the change in law, it is considered a replacement of the existing provider and still eligible for CAH status.
  
• Relocation of a CAH: If the CAH is constructing a new facility in a location that does not qualify as a replacement, a determination needs to be made whether the new building is a relocation of a current provider or a cessation of business at one location and establishment of a new business at another location. Factors that will be considered include distance, same service area, same services provided, and the same staff. CMS is proposing a 75 percent threshold for same services and staff.
  
• Cessation of business: If the building project doesn’t qualify as a replacement or relocation, the proposed rule says the new building constitutes a cessation of business at the old building which would terminate the CAH designation.

For CAHs considering building projects that are not on the existing campus after the December 8, 2003 sunset announcement date, with a scheduled opening date after January 1, 2006, it appears that the issue of the 35-mile rule is very problematic. Specifically, while the draft CMS language is not totally clear, it appears that any CAH that cannot document that it commenced with a building program by the December 8, 2003 date will be precluded from relocating its facility to another site. WHA will be seeking additional clarification on this issue, but if this interpretation is correct, it would reflect a major policy shift at CMS which would require a legislative solution.

WHA is analyzing these proposed regulations and will be making comments. We will also be working with the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative and the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health to assist the affected CAHs in maintaining their necessary provider status.

This year, the inpatient psychiatric prospective payment system (PPS) was implemented for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1. For psychiatric facilities and acute-care and critical access hospitals providing psychiatric services, this is a crucial time for preparing and converting to the new payment system.

A June 9 seminar, entitled "Prospective Payment System for Inpatient Psychiatry," will review several examples of inpatient psychiatry cases and learn how to accurately diagnose, code and treat patients to ensure adequate reimbursement. An overview of the PPS payment components, adjustment factors and transition period will be shared, as well as a case study examining an inpatient psychiatry unit before and after the implementation of PPS.

Participants will learn the PPS payment components and adjustment factors, patient assessment and evaluation procedures, and how to manage patients’ lengths of stay based on need and reimbursement.

This seminar is for psychiatric directors and managers, nursing directors and managers, medical records directors, health information management directors and coders, medical records directors, CFOs and finance analysts from all facilities offering inpatient psychiatry services.

The conference will be held on June 9, 2005, from 9 am to 3:30 pm at the Bridgewood Resort Hotel & Conference Center in Neenah. A brochure and a registration form are included in this week’s packet and on the Web site at www.wha.org. Easy, on-line registration is available as well.

Payments to providers serving members of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan (HIRSP) will increase two percent under the fiscal year 2006 budget approved April 22 by the HIRSP Board of Governors. Under state statute, WHA has a seat on the Board.

The budget, which goes into effect July 1 of this year, sets provider reimbursement levels at 143.2 percent of Medical Assistance rates. The latest increase means HIRSP provider reimbursements have increased 6.3 percent over the last two years after having declined for the previous three years.

HIRSP is the state’s health insurance program for medically uninsurable individuals who do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance. The program currently covers nearly 19,000 people.

By law, policyholder premiums are set to recover 60 percent of program costs. Health insurers and providers share the funding burden for the remaining 40 percent. Insurers pay assessments based on their respective Wisconsin market shares. Provider contributions are made in the form of reductions in the rates they would otherwise be paid under the HIRSP policy.

The Madre Angela Dental Clinic, past winner of the WHA Foundation’s Global Vision Community Partnership Award, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a celebration on May 10.

The Clinic, located in space provided by St. Francis Hospital on the near south side of Milwaukee, provides $1.2 million in dental services to 2,600 children and adults annually, serving the unemployed and working poor in its community. The Clinic proudly offers a 300 percent return on investment – for every dollar donated, more than three dollars in dental services are delivered.

As a Global Vision Award winner, the Clinic was presented with a $1,250 unrestricted grant in 2001. That grant money was used to provide urgent care services, said Bill Solberg, director of community services for Columbia St. Mary’s. "The most challenging thing to raise funds for is urgent care, and every extra dollar we have is put toward urgent care," said Solberg, who oversees the vulnerable population service programs offered by Columbia St. Mary’s.

The Madre Angela Dental Clinic is a collaboration of many community partners committed to improving access to oral health services for children and adults with limited resources. Those partners include WHA members Aurora Health Care, Covenant HealthCare System and Columbia St. Mary’s, Inc.

The call for nominations for the 2005 Global Vision Partnership Award will be made to hospital CEOs on May 27, with all nominations due by August 27, 2005. To be eligible for selection, the community health initiative/project must:

• Be nominated by a WHA member
• Be in existence for a minimum of two years
• Address a documented community health need, using a creative or innovative approach
• Incorporate a collaborative approach/partnership in the development and implementation of the project
• Produce measurable results

The 2005 award winners will be honored at a luncheon at the WHA Annual Convention in September and receive a $2,500 unrestricted grant.

The WHA Foundation, Inc. supports the educational, research and charitable programs of WHA and its members. For more information on the WHA Foundation or the Global Vision Partnership Award, contact Jennifer Frank at 608-274-1820 or jfrank@wha.org.

Now a highlight of the annual Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum, the Project Showcase will once again allow attendees to share information about their current quality and safety improvement initiatives, in a poster board format, as part of the 2005 Forum.

A project submission brochure for the 2005 Wisconsin Quality & Safety Forum is included in this week’s packet and on WHA’s Web site at www.wha.org. Examples of projects eligible for submission include those that enhance organization-wide improvement culture and structure; are undertaken to improve quality or safety of care; and demonstrate how quality improvement practices are utilized in an organization.

New for 2005 is the on-line submission process. Showcase projects submissions will only be accepted via completion of the new on-line submission form at www.wha.org/QSFshowcase. The on-line form will be available on Monday, May 2, and all submissions are due to WHA, via the on-line form, by July 1. For questions about project submission, contact Brian Competente at 608-274-1820 or bcompetente@wha.org.