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August 9, 2020
Measuring Progress Toward Racial Equity
When MHA’s Executive Committee approved our Commitment to Racial Equity recently, we put in writing our shared mission to right historic wrongs in our communities, our hospitals, and in the health care field.

The Committee expects us to produce real, meaningful change both in our organizations and in our communities.

With the help of our member-led groups and many of your health equity leaders, we’re working to set measurable goals for MHA’s part of the work.

Next month, the Committee also will consider field-wide metrics—part of our pledge to deliver transparent, uniform metrics to show advancement toward racial equity.

Dr. Maulik Joshi, CEO at Meritus Health, in a piece in NEJM Catalyst, urges health care leaders to move beyond “general talk on issues and actively work on specific actions.”

That is exactly what we all must to do.

Hospitals will continue to play a key role in social progress as major employers, essential voices in policy discussions, and as organizations having a deep history of caring for people, particularly the most vulnerable.

As Maryland hospitals always have done, we will join with one another to meet this enormous challenge.
Even amid the pandemic—when time and resources are sorely limited— we must move forward. To make deep and lasting changes will take time, so we cannot delay.

Everyone at MHA is committed to this vital mission. We look forward to partnering with you on the hard work ahead.
Bob Atlas
President & CEO
AHA, AMA, ANA Release PSA Urging the Public to Wear a Mask
The American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and American Nurses Association released a public service announcement urging the American public to take three simple steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and wash hands frequently.
Gov. Hogan Joins Bipartisan Interstate Compact For 3 Million Rapid Antigen Tests
Gov. Larry Hogan, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a bipartisan interstate compact with the Rockefeller Foundation to expand the use of rapid point-of-care antigen tests to slow the spread of COVID-19 and continue safely reopening the states. North Carolina and Utah joined after the initial agreement was reached. Additional states, cities, and local governments may join the compact in the coming days and weeks. Together the states are demonstrating to private manufacturers that there is significant demand to scale up production of these tests, which deliver results in 15-20 minutes. With the agreement, the states are in discussions with Becton Dickinson and Quidel—the U.S. manufacturers of antigen tests that have already been authorized by the FDA—to purchase 500,000 tests per state, for a total of 3 million tests.
CMS Delays Mandate on Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Tuesday that mandatory use of the renewed Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131 has been delayed until Jan. 1, 2021. The ABN form is utilized when Medicare payment is expected to be denied for certain services. The renewed ABN form can be used prior to the mandatory deadline. The form and accompanying instructions can be found on the CMS website. 
Clinical Lessons from the Northeast Surge: Post-Acute Care
The Northeast hospital associations and the Jefferson College of Population Health are hosting weekly webinars through Sept. 22 focused on approaches to and solutions for the clinical dilemmas that arose during COVID-19 surge. The most recent webinar, hosted by the New Jersey Hospital Association on Tuesday, focused on best practices, challenges, and lessons learned regarding post-acute care.

Representatives from the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center shared that they:

  • Created an outbreak plan before the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Initiated universal testing
  • Enforced social distancing among residents
  • Offered respiratory and temperature screenings
  • Staffed their COVID unit
  • Maintained levels of PPE

 For more information, the full presentation is available on the Jefferson College website.
Webinars Offer Guidance on COVID-19 Response
Ann Scott Blouin, RN, PhD, FACHE, president of PSQ Advisory, is offering a series of three webinars covering a variety of topics about the response to COVID-19.

The three, approximately 40-minute each, webinars cover the following topics:


Each webinar is presented with a co-speaker, who is knowledgeable about that specific topic. 
MHA Advocates for Permanent Medicaid Telehealth Flexibilities
Last week, MHA submitted a letter to Maryland Medicaid, advocating for the retention of telehealth flexibilities on a permanent basis. MHA has been in continuous communications with Medicaid and the Maryland Insurance Administration since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis about the need to expand telehealth coverage in light of its proven care delivery benefits, which have been amplified over the past few months. While the extension of the federal public health emergency to Oct. 23 means that Medicaid and Medicare telehealth flexibilities will remain intact for at least the next two months, private payers have been rolling back telehealth coverage in recent weeks. MHA is focused on telehealth as a member priority throughout this fall and into next year’s legislative session. For more information please contact Maansi Raswant or Jennifer Witten.
Care Redesign Program User Group Meeting Sept. 10
MHA will host a user group meeting for hospitals enrolled in the Hospital Care Improvement Program (HCIP) and Episode Care Improvement Program (ECIP) Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m. via webinar. The meeting will focus on updates to the programs, as well as the rollout of performance period six (2021). The group will also have time to discuss the Care Redesign Program during COVID-19. For more information contact Erin Dorrien. 
HSCRC to Review Initial Baseline Data for Care Transitions CTI
The Health Services Cost Review Commission will conduct an industry user group webinar Aug. 21 from 1-2 p.m. to review initial baseline data for the Care Transitions CTI. Topics also will include logic within intake templates, how to best fill out intake template tabs, initial submissions, and strategies to increase low episode counts. The meeting will be held via webinar, and registration is available online.
Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) Network Adequacy Work Group
The MIA held a virtual Network Adequacy Work Group meeting Aug. 5. The series of meetings on network adequacy focus on MIA’s revision of regulations focused on travel distance, appointment wait time, and provider-to-enrollee ration standards. MIA requires each to be detailed in annual commercial carrier access plan filings. The Aug. 5 discussion centered on carrier methodologies for access plan data submissions, as well as concerns over the lack of waiver requests made by carriers when they are unable to meet certain network adequacy standards. The group also discussed wait times, credentialing, and confidentiality of carriers’ access plan submissions. While this August meeting was originally intended as the last work group meeting, Commissioner Kathleen Birrane expressed interest in holding one more meeting, focused on the role of telehealth in network adequacy. Written comments regarding the regulatory revisions are due Aug. 19. MHA will continue to engage with MIA and other providers to advocate for more stringent carrier network adequacy standards. For more information, contact Maansi Raswant.
CMS Releases Multiple Rules
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released 2021 proposed rules on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Outpatient Prospective Payment System/Ambulatory Surgical Center. CMS also released the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility 2021 final rule.

MHA staff are reviewing relevant provisions within these proposed rules, particularly focusing on retention of certain telehealth flexibilities that were enacted in light of the COVID-19 federal public health emergency (PHE) and scope of practice expansions for non-physician providers. CMS’ proposed telehealth expansions include adding services to the list of approved Medicare telehealth services, temporarily extending payment for emergency department visits through the calendar year in which the PHE ends and permitting more non-physician providers to offer services via telehealth. For additional information, contact Diana Hsu.
During the first surge (March-May 2020) Maryland’s hospitals reported that inpatient activity on average fell below last year by 30%, with surgical activity dropping about double (60%).

Source: CRISP COVID Hospital Volume Trends report and Hospital monthly unaudited revenue and volumes report to HSCRC
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