Initial figures released this week by the Wisconsin Ethics Board once again show WHA near the top of Wisconsin’s 715 registered lobbying organizations. According to an analysis by WisPolitics, from January 1 through June 30 of 2006, WHA ranked third among the "traditional lobbying powers" in the amount of dollars ($440,233) devoted to lobbying. Others in the top four were the Forest County Potawatomi ($728,868), WEAC ($548,503) and WMC ($412,184).

"The numbers continue to reflect the priority our members place on aggressive and effective advocacy in the state Capitol; that’s why they pay dues and belong to WHA," said Borgerding. "Over the past few years, the bulk of our lobbying efforts have changed from a defensive or reactive posture to being far more proactive. While there will always be bad ideas out there that need to be addressed, our team is proud of the positive things we were able to accomplish this session."

Of the 2,738 hours WHA staff spent lobbying in the first six months of the year, 1,177 hours were devoted to AB 1073, legislation restoring a cap on non-economic damages. WHA’s effort was the highest of all groups registered to lobby on AB 1073 and six times more than the leading opponent of the legislation.

"It’s not just how much time we spend in the Capitol, it’s what we spend our time and resources lobbying on," said Borgerding. "The four issues we lobbied most heavily were aimed at preserving and expanding access to health care."

In addition to AB 1073, WHA lobbied successfully to: defeat the Taxpayer Protection Amendment (AJR 77/SJR63), which could have threatened funding for Medicaid; pass the Quality Improvement Act (SB 578 – vetoed by Governor Doyle) to expand information about health care quality and safety; and pass an administrative rule increasing access to dental care for Medicaid recipients.

WHA’s new Task Force on Access and Coverage held its first meeting this week at WHA headquarters. The Task Force, chaired by Leo Brideau, president/CEO, Columbia St. Mary’s, Milwaukee, is charged with assessing the current Wisconsin environment as it relates to potential initiatives that can improve access and coverage for vulnerable populations. The WHA Board expects the Task Force to examine and inventory proposed state and national initiatives and identify specific proposals that should be supported consistent with WHA’s strategic plan.

At the July 31 meeting, WHA senior staff provided an overview of the current national environment, noting the general consensus that individual state initiatives, as opposed to comprehensive national legislation, will continue to take center stage over the next couple of years.

Task Force members also received and discussed a report on the current Wisconsin environment, including a review of Wisconsin’s current coverage status, recent efforts to improve coverage, and the likely 2007 political environment. Task Force members agreed that the issue of health care costs will heavily influence ongoing dialogue.

WHA senior staff reviewed several major Wisconsin initiatives that are likely to be "in play" in 2007. In addition to discussing the plans, Task Force members also identified specific constituencies supporting the initiatives and discussed anticipated political support for the proposals.

Task Force Chair Leo Brideau led a group discussion that began to identify principles that WHA should use in considering advocacy positions on current and future access and coverage initiatives. Input provided by Task Force members will be organized by staff into a discussion paper that will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Task Force.

"This first Task Force meeting provided a great opportunity for our members to begin wrestling with this hugely important topic," said Task Force Chair Leo Brideau. "We had excellent dialogue among Task Force members and what I sense to be a real commitment for WHA to continue playing an important and proactive role in advancing initiatives that will improve access and coverage for our vulnerable populations."

The WHA Task Force on Access and Coverage will likely hold a meeting in September and probably early November with the goal of forwarding recommendations to the WHA Board at the December Board meeting.

Individuals including CEOs, employees, volunteers, and trustees affiliated with 60 hospitals from around the state have raised over $121,000 to date. This accounts for 65 percent of the $185,000 fundraising campaign’s monetary goal.

Contributors by name and affiliated organization have been and will continue to be published in The Valued Voice on a monthly basis. Contributors are listed by contribution amount categories and in the order the contribution was received. Contributors also receive a bi-monthly campaign newsletter, which provides additional information about the campaign, election race spotlights, upcoming events, and insider information on the upcoming elections.

The next list of contributors will be published in the August 18 edition of The Valued Voice. For more information, contact Jenny Boese or Jodi Bloch at 608-274-1820.

Among the several factors driving rising health care costs is the utilization of health care services, due in large part to the early onset of chronic illness and the ability of the delivery system to diagnose and treat these illnesses.

Recent research reported in Health Affairs identified increases in demand for health services as a direct result of increased risk factors in the population, such as obesity, to be the most significant factor in rising health care costs. And the fact is that these chronic diseases are exploding in our population, often due to lifestyle choices.

The major conclusion of the Health Affairs article was that demand for treatment is a much larger factor in rising health care costs than is cost increase per unit of service. Between 1987 and 2002, private health insurance spending per person increased nearly 60 percent with most of that new spending due to higher utilization of services for chronic diseases. Diseases studied included diabetes, lung conditions, high cholesterol and cancer. Here’s a graph describing the Health Affairs findings.

The fact that utilization of health care services is the number one health care cost driver presents quite the conundrum for lawmakers who wish to "legislate" a health care costs "solution." The fact is that improving an individual’s health status largely defies legislative address.

Steve Brenton
President

Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva *** September 27-29, 2006

Grand Geneva Resort Room Reservation Cut-Off: September 6

Conference & Golf Registrations: Due September 8 to WHA

Both Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Cong. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) are offering reform proposals aimed at achieving greater health care coverage for individuals by allowing states to develop state-appropriate plans.

"For too long, Congress has sat on the sidelines while the country’s health care crisis has gotten worse," Senator Feingold said. "With 46 million Americans struggling without health insurance, we must find a way to break the current stalemate, and that’s what my legislation is all about."

Under his proposal, states would be given the flexibility and assistance to achieve universal health care. No set program would be prescribed but, rather, states would be allowed to achieve the goal of universal coverage through plans that are state-specific. The Feingold proposal would fund a five-year pilot project in several states in order to launch the initiative. A Health Care Reform Task Force would evaluate state applications, select state projects, oversee implementation of the state proposals and review progress. It is estimated to cost $34 billion over 10 years.

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is joining the effort to address health care coverage. In late July she joined with Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), and Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO) to offer the Health Partnership Through Creative Federalism Act. Under her proposal, states would also submit plans to a bipartisan commission to garner federal grants to expand health care coverage and access in their state. The commission would be charged with reviewing appropriate proposals and then submitting those to Congress for approval. The bill contains a budget neutrality provision that requires the funded programs to have no combined net cost during their five-year operation.

Her legislation has been developed over the course of several years with Congressional colleagues and others from across the political spectrum, including policy advisors from the Heritage Foundation, the Brookings Institution, the National Governors Association, and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in their effort to engage in fruitful, honest, bipartisan dialogue.

"Health care reform should be one of our highest national priorities," Cong. Baldwin said. "I’m proud of the progress my colleagues and I have made and, working together, I’m hopeful that our goals can be achieved," she said.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved legislation, HR 4157, by a vote of 270-148. The legislation, also known as the "Better Health Information System Act" or "Health Information Technology Promotion Act," moves the nation’s health care system towards increased technology usage.

HR 4157 as passed includes provisions to:

• Establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and its responsibilities.

• Provide for a study of federal and state health privacy laws and standards, allowing for revisions should those prove necessary.

• Provide limited exceptions to the federal self-referral and anti-kickback rules. Under the provision, hospitals would be able to share technology including software and training among others with physicians without being subject to penalties.
  
• Require a modernized ICD-10 coding system by October 2010.
  
• Require the Dept of Health & Human Services (HHS) to submit a report on the progress of the American Health Information Community (AHIC) in developing a strategic plan for coordination of nationwide health information technology standards.

As reported in last week’s Valued Voice, attempts were made late in the process to include a provision in HR 4157 that would have required hospitals to report to HHS a range of prices received from private payers and insurers for certain services. Strong grassroots efforts by hospitals resulted in the provision being pulled from consideration. There are still concerns it may resurface in the future. WHA will work with AHA to keep our Members of Congress informed of the negative impact this or similar requirements could pose to health care competition.

Wisconsin Members of Congress voting in support of HR 4157 include Congs. Green, Kind, Petri, Ryan, Sensenbrenner. Voting against include Congs. Baldwin, Moore, Obey.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released three final rules for (FY) 2007. Based on WHA’s preliminary review of all three, here are their key provisions.

Inpatient PPS Rule

The policies and payment rates included in this final rule become effective October 1. Some of the rule’s key provisions are outlined below. However, note that many of the figures included in this rule should be considered tentative, as the wage index, which is used in many of the major calculations, has not been finalized. CMS will publish a second notice in the Federal Register before October 1 finalizing the figures.

Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) Changes: CMS will make major changes in the calculation of DRG relative weights for FY 2007.

• CMS will move from charge-based to cost-based DRG weights. CMS made significant technical corrections and methodological changes that will mitigate the extreme volatility for many DRGs.

• While CMS will not delay the DRG changes, it will phase in the changes over three years. During FY 2007, 33 percent of the DRG weight will be based on the new methodology while 67 percent of the weight will be based on the old methodology.

• Rather than implement the Consolidated Severity Adjusted DRGs discussed in the proposed rule, CMS will delete eight, modify 32 and add 20 DRGs within 13 clinical areas in order to better recognize patient severity. In addition, CMS will engage a contractor and work with the field to further refine the DRGs for implementation in FY 2008.

WHA will fully analyze the rule to determine the impact of the DRG changes on hospitals.

Payment Update: The rule proposes a market basket update of 3.5 percent for those hospitals that submit data on the previously required 10 quality measures and pledge to report on a total of 22 measures. CMS will not require hospitals to retroactively collect data for the new measures, as proposed, but instead will require submission for services beginning with patients discharged on or after July 1. Per the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, hospitals that do not report these measures will receive an update of market basket minus 2.0 percent, or 1.5 percent.

Outliers: The rule raises the outlier threshold from its current level of $23,600 to $24,475, $1,055 lower than proposed. CMS altered the methodology used to calculate the fixed-loss threshold. Over the last three years, the old methodology inappropriately reduced Medicare payments to hospitals by an estimated $3 billion. We expect this change will result in Medicare outlier spending that is closer to the 5.1 percent of funds set aside.

Wage Index: The rule incorporates the expiration of Section 508 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which was a one-time geographic reclassification opportunity for hospitals that met certain criteria. It also fully implements the occupational mix adjustment using the data collected this June. However, because the final occupational mix data was just transmitted from the fiscal intermediaries to CMS on July 27, the final wage index tables are not included in the rule. CMS will publish the final tables in a separate Federal Register notice and on its Web site sometime before October 1.

The final rule will be published in the August 18 Federal Register; a display copy currently is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/downloads/cms1488f.pdf. Look for a more detailed analysis of the proposed rule in the coming weeks.

Rehabilitation PPS Rule

CMS also issued this week the final FY 2007 rule for the inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment system. A preliminary review of the rule finds:

• A 3.3 percent market basket update, as required by law.
• A payment cut of 2.6 percent to adjust for coding.
• A slight decrease from the proposed outlier threshold of $5,609, to $5,534.

This final rule provides two exceptions to the physician self-referral, or "Stark" Regulations – the first allows donation of e-prescribing software, and the second exception allows for the donation of "electronic health records (EHRs) items and services." The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released parallel final rules providing safe harbors under the anti-kickback regulations. Given that hospitals are unlikely to provide "stand alone" e-prescribing technology, this bulletin focuses on the EHR regulations.

CMS and OIG included expansions to the range of covered services that can be provided under the EHR exception, including software, connectivity, training, and ongoing maintenance. Donated software may include administrative functions, and must have e-prescribing functionality. However, donations of hardware are not protected under the regulations governing EHRs and related items. Both the Stark exception and the anti-kickback safe harbor will end in 2013.

Both the Stark and anti-kickback provisions require that donated software be interoperable, and, according to the rule, can be deemed so if it has been certified by an entity recognized by the Secretary within the previous 12 months. While WHA supports the goal of interoperability, we are concerned that current certification efforts are not far enough along, and that hospitals may face implementation issues from this provision. We also are concerned about the administrative burdens of both the documentation requirements and the requirements for "donors," such as hospitals, to ensure that physicians do not already have equivalent technology.

• No cap will be placed on the value of a donation, but the receiving physician must pay for at least 15 percent of donor’s costs.
• Donations may be given to any physician, not just those on a hospital’s medical staff.
• Hospitals may use criteria not directly related to volume or value of referrals in selecting physicians with whom to work.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized the Federal Registry rules that apply to reimbursement for hospitals that are paid under the inpatient prospective payment system (PPS). The amendments to regulation 412,64(d)(2) include a 2.0 percentage point reduction in payment for FY 2007 for hospitals that do not comply with requirements to report quality data provided for under section 5001(a) of Public Law 109-171. To obtain full payment, PPS hospitals must:

Note: Although the HCAHPS patient survey will be implemented beginning in October 2006, CMS does not anticipate requiring participation for the FY2007 annual payment update.

For additional information about this proposed rule, refer to the Federal Registry, Vol. 71, No. 79, pages 24091-24101, or contact Dana Richardson at drichardson@wha.org or 608-274-1820.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a notice updating the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2007. The notice provides SNFs with a full market basket update of 3.1 percent while making no other significant rule changes.

Other provisions include:

• Core-Based Statistical Areas to be used in wage index. The SNF PPS would continue to use hospital wage data in constructing the wage index to be applied to SNFs. For FFY 2007, it would fully adopt Core-based Statistical Areas as labor market areas to determine the area wage index, ending the one-year transition to the new labor-market areas provided in FFY 2006.
  
• Delivery and Quality of Care. CMS discusses a number of initiatives associated with the delivery and quality of care in the post-acute care setting including: a demonstration focused on uniform assessment and data collection across different sites of post-acute service, development of a nursing home value based purchasing demonstration, initiation of a new nursing home quality initiative focused on improving quality of life and efficiency of care, and general discussion of issues addressed in the inpatient PPS proposed rule focused around health information technology and transparency.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed changes to the Home Health Agency (HHA) Prospective Payment System (PPS) that would require HHAs to submit quality data in order to receive a full update for calendar year (CY) 2007.

This proposal implements Section 5201(c) of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005. For CY 2007, CMS will evaluate home health care quality by relying on the submission of 10 Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) quality measures. These measures are currently being publicly reported through the CMS Home Health Compare Web site. HHAs that do not submit OASIS data will be subject to a 2.0 percent reduction in payments. Since HHAs are required, as a Medicare condition of participation, to submit OASIS data, CMS expects that all HHAs will be eligible for a full market basket update in CY 2007.

Other provisions include:

• Market basket increase of 3.1 percent. This reflects the estimate of the full market basket increase for CY 2007 and results in a proposed National 60-Day Episode payment amount of $2,334.47. As discussed above, HHAs that do not submit quality data will be subject to a market basket reduction of 2.0 percent.
  
• Core-Based Statistical Areas to be used in wage index. The HHA PPS would continue to use hospital wage data in constructing the home health wage index to be applied to HHAs. For CY 2007, it would fully adopt Core-based Statistical Areas as labor market areas to determine the area wage index, ending the one-year transition to the new labor-market areas provided in CY 2006.
  
• 5.0 percent Rural Add-on. HH services furnished in rural areas will receive a 5.0 percent increase to the payment amount for CY 2007. This add-on is required by Section 5201(b) of the DRA.
  
• Payment for certain Durable Medical Equipment (DME). CMS is also proposing to implement section 5101 of the DRA, revising the payment methodology for oxygen equipment, oxygen contents and capped rental DME.

The proposed rule was published in the August 3 Federal Register, and comments will be accepted until September 25.

The Department of Health & Family Services will hold the 4th Annual Statewide Partners’ Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Conference on September 11-12 at the La Crosse Convention Center. The conference is primarily for lead staff and preparedness staff from hospitals, local and state health departments, tribal health agencies, public health and hospital preparedness regions, hospital labs, and other staff with responsibilities in preparing the Wisconsin health system for public health emergencies.

Day two of the conference will be of particular interest to hospitals as a special workshop on hospital security will be held from 8 am – 2:30 pm. Included in this session is a presentation on risk communication during a public health emergency.

For more information and to register, go to http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/preparedness/conference.htm. The registration fee is $75 in advance, $100 at the door.

In an effort to play a part in improving the workforce crisis in Wisconsin hospitals, the WHA Foundation, Inc., has awarded 31 scholarships, worth approximately $33,000, to students obtaining health-related degrees from the state’s technical college system during the 2005-2006 school year.

This is the third year that the WHA Foundation has provided scholarships to students in the final semester of a two-year, health-related degree program at any of the 16 technical college campuses in Wisconsin. Each scholarship winner is reimbursed for actual tuition and book expenses, up to $2,000.

Of the 31 scholarship recipients, 22 are pursuing associate degrees in nursing. Others are pursuing degrees in radiography, occupational therapy, physical therapy, health information technology, clinical laboratory, and respiratory care.

A unique twist to the Foundation scholarship program is that, unlike most scholarships, it covers tuition and book expenses for the final semester of the degree program, to assist and encourage students to make that one final push toward graduation and a career in health care. In a thank you letter to the Foundation, one scholarship recipient writes, "Your support is invaluable to students such as myself who are not only busy studying, but are also busy raising families and holding down jobs. Your support has helped me make my dream come true."

Another recipient writes, "Returning to school has been difficult at times due to the investments of time and finances. Yet, to this day, I know I made the right decision because I truly enjoy my new career! … Someday, I hope to be in a position in which I may be able to donate to a scholarship fund to help others as you have helped me."

Since the program’s inception in mid-2003, a total of 82 scholarships, worth more than $92,000, have been awarded. Efforts are now underway by WHA Foundation staff to gather and update employment information about all current and past scholarship recipients.

WHA and the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration (WSHHRA) are co-sponsoring their third annual seminar focused on best practices for health care human resource professionals.

This is an opportunity to find out what strategies and programs your colleagues are implementing that have had proven success in improving their HR departments. Sessions will focus on a variety of HR best practices from around the state and will include an overview of a successful regional alliance, integration of a nurse practitioner program into a hospital-based employee health program, creating a cost-effective training program, and ways to enhance leadership skills.

The "Best Practices for HR Departments" seminar will be held on August 17, 2006, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Jefferson Street Inn, Wausau. A brochure with registration form is included in this week’s packet and on the Web site at www.wha.org. Online registration is available.

The Wisconsin Heart Hospital provides tours and educational meetings for various groups in the community. These groups include students, professionals, seniors, etc.

We often host events for high school classes from all over Southeastern WI, from all different economic backgrounds, to get a "behind-the-scenes" tour of the hospital, as well as giving them an opportunity to meet with nurses, physicians, imaging personnel, and then provide education on heart health and risk factors.

Listed below are quotes from thank you cards that we received from children in a special education class at Sussex Hamilton High School:

"Dr. Chapman,
Thank you for teaching us how important heart health is. It was fun to see how the heart works. It was a great tour of the heart hospital." - Ashley

"I had fun at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. I saw Dr. Chapman. I had lunch there. We learned about the heart. I go to the doctor." - Dejun

"Dear Heart Hospital Staff,
Thank you for taking me on a tour of your building. We really enjoyed having you guys for a tour. Thank you also for serving me lunch. I really enjoyed it." - Jamie

"Thank you for the tour at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. We learned a lot. Dr. Chapman was very nice. I liked seeing how the heart works." - Katie

"I had fun at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital today. Thank you for a tour around the hospital. Thank you for the pens, paper and pedometers." - Justin

"Wisconsin Heart Hospital,
Thank you for the tour. And I liked the lab, patient room, and lunch. I really liked the lunch that you served us. Thank you again for the lovely tour Wisconsin Heart Hospital. Dr. Chapman, thanks for the field trip to the Wisconsin Heart Hospital." - Nicholas

"Thank you for the tour. I had a great time. We saw water inside the wall." - Tany

"Thank you for telling us about the hospital. I liked the tour of the patient room and lunch too." - David

"Thank you for the tour of The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. Thank you for the pens, paper and pedometers. I like the tour and the lunch." - Kristina

Second Chance, a co-sponsored program of the West Allis police department and Rogers Memorial Hospital, helps first-time juvenile offenders understand the seriousness of their arrest and the possible long-term consequences of their behaviors.

The 90-day program was established in February 1998, and has served over 1,700 youth ranging in age from 11 to 17. To be eligible, the youth cannot have a prior arrest record, must show a cooperative attitude toward law officers, and the arrest must be for a minor offense, such as being out past the West Allis 11 p.m. curfew, underage drinking, underage tobacco use, or truancy. Youth that qualify are referred to the program by the court system in West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. There is a $50 participation fee that goes to support youth activities throughout West Allis.

"Second Chance has three meetings – the first and last include the judge, the juvenile, his or her parents, and me," said Detective Guy Novak of the West Allis Police Department, who leads the program. "Initially we meet to review the juvenile’s assigned community service hours, and at the third meeting we verify that the juvenile has completed those service hours and not received another ticket, been truant or run away from home during the program’s 90 days."

In the second meeting, the juveniles learn first hand about consequences of actions from a former convicted felon, Tracy Starke, who talks openly about how drug and alcohol abuse, criminal behavior, and a prison sentence impacted his life and his family. "We’ve received hundreds of letters from kids who say hearing Tracy really had a strong impact on their lives," said Detective Novak.

When a youth completes Second Chance, the judge dismisses the case. "Our goal is to give the kids an opportunity to avoid having a police record and to get them back on the straight and narrow early on before they become involved in more serious activities," Detective Novak said.

All juveniles completing Second Chance are tracked until they reach 18, and Detective Novak reported that only 8 percent of the participants receive another ticket during that time. "We can only track tickets issued in our own municipality, but over 80 percent of the kids live in West Allis, so we’re pleased with these results," he added.

Second Chance participants with an alcohol-related citation are strongly urged to attend an optional three-hour class presented by Rogers Memorial Hospital and led by Mickey Gabbert, Certified Clinical Supervisor, CADCIII and manager of Chemical Dependency Services at Rogers Memorial Hospital.

"We present studies on how experimental use of alcohol and drugs affects your body and your brain," said Gabbert. "We show the kids that marijuana causes short-term memory loss and that the first-time alcohol and drug use age in Milwaukee of 13 and 14 respectively is younger than the national average. We talk about peer pressure and provide them with coping skills to avoid being pushed into dangerous activities."

"Our department is fortunate to have Rogers Memorial experts such as Mickey volunteering in the Second Chance program. His classes are always filled and kids often comment how much they learned from his presentations," said Detective Novak. Donations to help cover Second Chance study materials are appreciated and can be arranged by contacting Detective Novak at 414-302-8085.

GoldenCare is a free St. Mary’s program for people aged 60 and above. One of the services GoldenCare offers its members is assistance with their insurance paperwork and billing problems. Recently one of our members needed help sorting through a financial situation that was having a huge impact on his life. This gentleman had placed his trust in someone who ultimately betrayed him by stealing his checkbook and draining his account. Bank overdraft notices began arriving at his home; however, the man had never completed school and couldn’t read, so at first he was not aware of the serious nature of the situation.

He finally gathered all the notices and letters and brought them to the GoldenCare Advisor, who had not been aware until this time that the gentleman couldn’t read. In working through the financial issues, the advisor discovered that the GoldenCare member had gone for 2 days without food and had quit taking his heart medication.

The GoldenCare Advisor was able to (1) work with his bank to get the overdraft charges corrected, (2) arrange for the bank to handle his future bill payment, (3) enlist the help of St. Mary’s Hospital, which provided him with food (for 10 days) while the bank corrected overcharges, etc., (4) connect with a St. Mary’s social worker who arranged with Meals on Wheels to deliver meals to him, and (5) assist the social worker in making arrangements with the GoldenCare member’s pharmacy to get him the medications he needed until his finances were straightened out.

Later, this same member had difficulties in understanding the new Medicare Part D and its impact on his benefits. Investigation by the GoldenCare Advisor revealed that under his existing coverage, if the gentleman had signed up for Medicare Part D, he would have become uninsured. Because of her assistance, this member continues to have good supplemental and prescription coverage.

SynergyHealth St. Joseph’s Hospital Helped Create Mock Emergency to Teach Real-Life Lessons About the Consequences of Drunk Driving

Staff at SynergyHealth St. Joseph’s Hospital staged a realistic mock emergency in the Emergency Care Center May 11, 2006 as part of a community effort to teach teens about the consequences of drinking and driving. The event was part of the two-day "Every 15 Minutes" program organized by the Washington County Injury Prevention Coalition. It involved a mock crash set up at the West Bend high schools and viewed by students.

Two students playing injured and dying victims of the drunk driving crash were transported by EMS to St. Joseph’s and "treated" by the critical care team.

St. Joseph’s Hospital staff joined an Injury Prevention Coalition that included community representatives from law enforcement, education, health care, and others. The coalition worked on plans for the event for more than a year.

Pam Monroe, RN, an Emergency Care Center nurse and a member of the Injury Prevention Coalition served as emcee for the high school student assembly held May 12 in which a dramatic video of the previous day’s events showed scenes from the crash site, the hospital, the funeral home, courtroom, and jail, and students and adults shared their experiences.

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

Later this fall, WHA will release the first statewide hospital community benefits report. While the financial data is impressive, it doesn’t begin to illustrate the impact that community benefits programs have on people’s lives. The stories of how hospitals reach out to the community to help improve lives and save lives, every day, are touching reminders that hospitals are different from other industries because their mission is to not just treat disease, but to prevent it by raising the health status of the entire community.

Some stories tell of small projects, others are large collaborative efforts, but all achieve the purpose that is at the heart of health care, helping others. Some of the stories will be used in the Community Benefit Report, but all will be featured on a community benefit Web site, listed by hospital and city. WHA plans to also print a "supplement" to the Community Benefit Report that will include all the stories categorized by city and also by topic.

"We are going to feature the stories as the centerpiece of our community benefit reporting efforts. People can’t see the value of community benefits by looking at hard numbers, but when you read that someone attended a free screening and received help for a previously undetected ailment, it raises the awareness of the important role that a hospital fills in the community," according to Mary Kay Grasmick, WHA, who is now organizing the printed report, Web site, and publication of the stories.

WHA thanks the 61 member hospitals and health systems that are listed below, who have sent more than 70 stories. Contact Grasmick as soon as possible if you sent a story to WHA and your hospital is not on this list. She is accepting stories until August 11.

Amery Regional Medical Center, Amery

Aspirus Hospital, Wausau

Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee

Barron Medical Center, Barron

Bay Area Medical Center, Marinette

Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit

Black River Memorial Hospital, Black River Falls

Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, Ozaukee

Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital - Columbia Campus, Milwaukee

Columbia St. Mary’s Inc. - Milwaukee Campus, Milwaukee

Columbus Community Hospital, Columbus

Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls

Flambeau Hospital, Park Falls

Fort HealthCare, Fort Atkinson

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare-Mayo Health System

Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee

Grant Regional Medical Center, Lancaster

Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse (2)

Hayward Area Memorial Hospital, Hayward

Hudson Hospital, Hudson

Luther Midelfort, Eau Claire (3)

Memorial Health Center, Medford (2)

Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville

Mercy Health System, Janesville

Meriter Hospital, Madison

Ministry Dental Center, Stevens Point (2)

Ministry Health Care - Affinity Health System, Fox Valley

Ministry Health Care - Agape Community Center, Milwaukee

Ministry Health Care - Eagle River Memorial Hospital, Eagle River

Ministry Health Care - Good Samaritan Health Center, Merrill

Ministry Health Care - Howard Young Medical Center, Woodruff

Ministry Health Care - Ministry Home Care, Multiple locations

Ministry Health Care - Ministry Medical Group

Ministry Health Care - Our Lady of Victory Hospital, Stanley

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

Ministry Health Care - Saint Clare’s Hospital, Weston

Ministry Health Care - Saint Michael’s Hospital, Stevens Point

Moundview Memorial Hospital & Clinics, Adams

New London Family Medical Center, New London

Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc

Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire (3)

Sacred Heart Rehab Institute, Milwaukee

Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield

Saint Michael’s Hospital, Stevens Point

St. Clare Hospital, Baraboo

St. Joseph’s Community Hospital, West Bend

St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chippewa Falls

St. Mary’s Hospital, Madison

St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center, Green Bay (4)

St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan

St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay

Stoughton Hospital Association, Stoughton

The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, Wauwatosa

ThedaCare (Appleton Medical Center, Appleton; Theda Clark Medical Center, Neenah; New London Family Medical Center, New London)

University Hospital & Clinics, Madison

Vernon Memorial Hospital, Viroqua

Waukesha Memorial and Oconomowoc Hospital, Waukesha, Oconomowoc

Westfields Hospital, New Richmond

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – All Saints, Racine

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – Southeast Wisconsin (3)

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – Elmbrook Memorial Hospital, Brookfield; St. Francis, Milwaukee; St. Joseph’s, Milwaukee

Vernon Memorial Hospital and orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Lawrence were featured in the July 9 issue of U.S. News and World Report in an article about community hospitals called, "Good Help, Close to Home." The story describes patient Don Wilke’s decision to have his hip replaced at Vernon Memorial Hospital by Dr. Lawrence, and the tools that are in place for patients to check on the quality of care provided by the hospital and the physician they choose. Dr. Lawrence does about 80 hip replacements each year, which puts the hospital short of the 100 recommended by several studies. But, the article notes that it is considerably above the suggested individual physician benchmark of 50.

The article also says, "Besides board certification in orthopedic surgery—a must when considering any major orthopedic operation—Lawrence did a post-residency fellowship in joint replacement, a strong indication of competence. Vernon employs physical therapists who work closely with the orthopedic department, something doctors say helps ensure that patients receive proper care in recovery."