Path to Equity Requires Clear Goals, Bold Pace
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Hospitals and health systems have a clear imperative to make real strides on health equity. At Friday’s MHA Executive Committee meeting, Donna Jacobs of UMMS, chair of the MHA Health Equity Task Force, and Dr. Sherita Golden of Johns Hopkins Medicine, chair of MHA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Group, outlined the opportunity. They spoke of pursuing sustainable change and “to do well by the people we serve.”
The guidance of these member-led groups is vital as we seek fieldwide consensus on goals and measures for the MHA Racial Equity Commitment launched in June.
Every MHA member is working on its own. As a field, the Executive Committee believes we can report transparently, measure success, and hold each other accountable. They told hospitals to be bold in the pace of change but also to be humble as we listen in conversations with our teams and communities.
What we’re doing now leverages the AHA’s 2015 Equity of Care pledge and furthers MHA’s health equity initiative from 2018. To move more quickly, to see real improvement, the committee was clear it will take dedication and action, not just words.
We’re simultaneously pushing for policy change. Our Legislative & Regulatory Council has endorsed advancing health equity as a legislative priority. MHA is a key proponent of the Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) initiative announced last week. Under a bill to be introduced in the Maryland General Assembly, areas with poor health outcomes could become HERCs, eligible for grants, tax incentives, and loan repayment assistance to support access to quality health care. This program aims to lessen racial, ethnic, disability-related, and geographic health inequities.
We’ll soon share metrics for these efforts. We must come together as an industry and set bold goals and deliverables. Hospitals and health systems will demonstrate leadership and we will make a difference.
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Bob Atlas
President & CEO
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Joint COVID Legislative Work Group Meets
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Last week, the Maryland General Assembly’s Joint COVID Legislative Work Group heard an update from the Maryland Department of Health on the Administration’s pandemic response. Secretary Bobby Neall, Chief Operating Officer Dennis Schrader, and Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan discussed the Department’s efforts on testing, contact tracing, PPE, and surge capacity, as well as the new work to build a vaccine infrastructure in Maryland. Dr. Tom Inglesby, Director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, also provided an update on various COVID metrics and efforts. For more information, see the slides presented at the meeting. For other questions, contact MHA’s Brian Frazee.
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MHA to Host TeleTracking Demo and Q&A for Maryland Hospitals Sept. 24
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MHA has arranged for TeleTracking to demo functionality and answer your question next Thursday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m. Members can ask questions about the daily data submission process and learn best practices for using the software. RSVP to Pat Ross to receive the meeting invitation with logistics for the session.
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MHA is celebrating 50 years advancing health and health care—it is a privilege to advocate and educate on your behalf. To commemorate this milestone by sharing news and information throughout the next month or two, including:
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American Hospital Association Requests Clarity on CARES Act Provider Relief Funding
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On Friday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar requesting revisions to the HHS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document. AHA noted problematic restrictions on the use of some CARES Provider Health and Social Services Emergency Fund dollars that prevent hospitals from using the funding to cover health-care related expenses and lost revenue. The FAQs impose restrictions which in turn, negatively impact hospitals. For example, individual hospitals that attested prior to June 2—before the FAQs were revised to explicitly authorize a parent hospital system to attest and reallocate funds to hospitals within the system—are not allowed to revise the attestation. While AHA is seeking clarifications and changes, HHS has not yet decided what, if any changes, to implement. Hospitals should proceed under the current guidance until it is otherwise revised. A graphic illustrating the adverse impact of not releasing clarifying guidance is also included in the letter.
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Legislators Receive Briefing on COVID Disparities
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Last week, the Public Health and Minority Health Disparities subcommittee held a briefing on the impact of COVID-19 on racial disparities in Maryland. The committee heard from experts on the historical impact of racism and the residual implicit bias present today. Panelists discussed how communities of color are disproportionally impacted during the pandemic including higher case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths, along with innovative strategies underway to mitigate the impact on these communities. The Maryland Department of Health also announced the establishment of the new Hispanic Outreach Task Force to reduce the positivity rate in the 21224-zip code, a predominately Hispanic community. MHA is preparing for the introduction of several pieces of legislation addressing health disparities. On Monday, MHA’s Council on Legislative & Regulatory Policy approved Advancing Health Equity as a priority for the upcoming session. Presentations from each of the panelists are available here.
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The Conversation on Race: Combating Systemic Racism in Healthcare
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The Maryland Healthcare Education Institute is hosting several virtual programs aimed at combating systemic racism in health care. Sponsored by MHA, the series begins next week and runs through early November
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HealthCare Access Maryland’s Fall Community Conversation Series
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As part of our Commitment to Racial Equity, MHA is sponsoring HealthCare Access Maryland’s fall virtual speaker series. The first event, Investing in Employee Health in the Age of COVID, is this Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 2 p.m. The session focuses on the employer’s role in ensuring health equity among their employees and in their community. Dr. Michelle Gourdine from the University of Maryland Medical System will participate on the panel. To register for the event click here.
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Registration Open for Maryland Rural Health Association Virtual Conference
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MHA Hosts Stakeholder Innovation Group, Seeks Blanket Telehealth Waivers
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At the Stakeholder Innovation Group (SIG) meeting last Wednesday, David Sharp, Director of the Center for Health Information Technology and Innovative Care Delivery at the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC), presented the MHCC plan for convening a workgroup on telemedicine. This group, formed at the request of the SIG, will discuss state level actions to continue the access to telehealth services available during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was broad support that flexibilities improving access to telehealth during the state of emergency enhanced patient care and should continue after the public health emergency is lifted. MHA, on behalf of the hospital field, submitted a request to the state to pursue the extension of telehealth waivers for Medicare. This proposal, developed with stakeholder input and technical assistance from the Health Services Cost Review Commission, will be submitted to CMS by the end of 2020. The SIG also discussed additional Medicare waivers available under the new federal rural health model or Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART). Meeting materials and a recording can be found here. For more information about this meeting or the SIG, contact Erin Dorrien.
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Compassion Tribe Virtual Conference: Pivoting to the Future
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Registration is open for the Compassion Tribe Virtual Conference hosted by the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute and the Healthcare Experience Foundation on Oct. 29 – 30. The event is focused on supporting, encouraging, and building resilient teams. Topics include:
- Why Compassion Matters
- Leading into an Uncertain Future
- Courageous Conversations
- Maintaining People Centeredness
- Communicating Up, Listening Down
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Maryland Health Insurance Coverage and Protection Commission Meeting
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On Sept. 14, the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage and Protection Commission met in the first of two planned meeting in preparation for the 2021 legislative session. MHA is represented by CEO Bob Atlas on this commission. At the meeting, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE) reported that the reinsurance program successfully resulted in lower premiums and increased enrollment in the individual market. MHBE also noted that carrier accountability reports are due Oct. 30. These reports are meant to describe carrier activities in managing the costs and utilization of enrollees whose claims were reimbursed under the reinsurance program, which are intended to align with state health objectives. The Department of Legislative Services gave an overview of how other states fund their share of the reinsurance program. And representatives from Families USA discussed new policy options to link unemployment insurance applications to health enrollment in a manner similar to the Easy Enrollment program. MHA continues to engage with work groups and task forces that emerge from the Commission’s agenda as part of efforts to increase access to meaningful health insurance coverage. For additional information, contact Maansi Raswant or Jennifer Witten.
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Donations Available for Frontline Caregivers
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Frontline Impact Project is working to help meet some of the day-to-day personal needs of frontline health care workers. More than 55 companies have donated $2.7 million worth of food, beverage, personal care, and wellness products to nearly 500 hospitals in 41 states. To request donations for your employees, visit frontlineimpact.org. There is no fee and the organization has been vetted by the American Hospital Association.
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National Group Buys Program Offers Savings for MHA Members
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MHA members are eligible for Vizient’s National Group Buys through MHA Prime. The program offers opportunities to realize substantial savings and enhanced contract value on select products and services. To date, Vizient’s capital equipment group buys have saved state hospitals more than $421 million. Group buys are available in 45 major categories, including biomedical engineering, imaging, business office, cardiology, laboratory, central supply, emergency room, medical records, and surgery. For more information contact your MHA Prime Client Executives: Joy Money at 240-856-3303 or Diane Bruno at 410-790-8031.
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Maryland Hospital COVID Statistics
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Maryland has the 17th lowest rate of COVID inpatients in the country at 574 per one million population. This week COVID hospitalizations are trending downward—3% below the previous seven-day average. State hospitals treated more than 15,000 patients since early March and most patients are in the Capital and Central regions. Be sure to check the MHA COVID Dashboard for the latest data. It is updated multiple times each week.
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Maryland Hospital Association | www.mhaonline.org
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