MHA submitted two comment letters to the Health Services Cost Review Commission this week. The first was on the HSCRC's proposed Rate Application and Approval Procedures regulation. The proposal, introduced at the September public meeting on an emergency basis, would lift the moratorium on full rate applications effective November 1. The regulation outlines full rate application filing requirements and considerations. The Inter-Hospital Cost Comparison methodology, the HSCRC's efficiency measure and foundation for full rate applications, will be discussed by HSCRC staff at the October public meeting. MHA will work with HSCRC staff and hospital members to provide feedback on the proposed methodology immediately following the staff proposal. For more information, contact Brett McCone. The second was on HSCRC's quality policy priorities, principles and direction. The letter urges commission staff to focus on the measures and policies that are needed to support the next phase of the All-Payer model. The letter asks staff to make two quality issues a priority, develop at least one population health metric, and align with the national Hospital-Acquired Conditions measures. For more information, contact Traci La Valle.

The HOPE Act's January 1, 2018, deadline for each hospital to have a discharge protocol for patients treated for a drug overdose, or identified as having a substance use disorder, is fast approaching. These protocols may include: coordinating with peer recovery counselors, connecting patients with community services, and prescribing naloxone. This fall, MHA will convene a series of three forums for hospitals to identify and share the essential elements of protocols for discharging these patients from the emergency department. They will be held October 25, November 8 and November 29. Contact Nicole Stallings with questions.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is modernizing and moving into the next phase of its 10-year-old teamwork and communications program, TeamSTEPPS®, by focusing on online training, with continuing education credits and a mobile app available at no charge. While the agency will no longer offer in-person training, it provides ready-to-use curricula, including the base curriculum as well as specialty modules for office-based care providers, long-term care settings, and rapid response teams. TeamSTEPPS case studies provide examples of how health systems and offices have benefited from TeamSTEPPS to improve wait times, reduce provider burdens, and improve communication among health care professional teams and patients. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the American Hospital Association is helping the Puerto Rico Hospital Association provide aid to the U.S. territory's hospital employees. Because PRHA does not have the ability to set up a hospital employee relief fund due to infrastructure challenges, AHA has activated The Care Fund at www.thecarefund.net.  Similar to other disaster funds, this information will be shared with all AHA members and the wider health care community. AHA has donated $50,000 to get The Care Fund started.