MHA Today | February 24, 2021

Staff Contact: Ted Wedel or Daniel Landon

A state House committee passed House Bill 577 and House Bill 922. House Bill 577 prohibits trial attorneys from introducing evidence of the cost of medical care that includes discounts or write-offs for such care. House Bill 922 reduces the statute of limitations for personal injury claims from five years to two years.

A state Senate committee passed Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 171. Senate Bill 3, which is like House Bill 922, also changes the statute of limitations for personal injury claims from five years to two years. Senate Bill 171 clarifies standards regarding the percentage of fault assigned to those who are not party to a liability lawsuit.

Staff Contact: Daniel Landon or Sarah Willson

A state Senate committee approved Senate Bill 173, which modifies provisions relating to antipsychotic drugs for MO HealthNet participants. Once implemented, the bill would help ensure continued access to medication therapy for patients with mental health disorders.

Staff Contact: Rob Monsees or Bill Anderson

A state House committee reviewed House Bill 995, which revamps standards governing patient consent to use laboratory specimens for anonymous research. The impetus for the legislation was the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ transfer of specimens to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 research. Opponents expressed concern that the legislation will disrupt lab operations and long-standing federal standards governing research practices.

Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a correction notice to the previously finalized Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems. MHA published an issue brief with details.

Staff Contact: Jane Drummond

MHA joined numerous state hospital associations in filing amicus briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review adverse decisions affecting hospital reimbursements. In one brief, the parties asked the Court to hear an appeal of a lower court decision upholding a rule reducing payments to off-campus provider-based clinics. The other brief seeks review of a ruling upholding federal regulations that slashed 340B reimbursements by nearly 30%. The cases pending Supreme Court review were brought by the American Hospital Association.

Staff Contact: Steve Warchol or Tam Wiggins

Staff Contact: Steve Warchol or Tam Wiggins

The Hospital Industry Data Institute is hosting a webinar, “Navigating HIDI’s Regional COVID-19 Dashboard,” at 9:30 a.m. CST Friday, Feb. 26. The presentation will be led by HIDI’s Steve Warchol, senior director of client outreach, and Mat Reidhead, vice president of research and analytics. Participants will be reintroduced to the history and functionality of the MHA/HIDI COVID-19 vaccination dashboard through a live demo and discussion, and will gain new understanding on the following.

• current vaccination efforts for your hospital’s service areas and demographics
• how to evaluate uptake among socially vulnerable and vaccine-hesitant populations in your service area
• key indicators in your hospital’s region, such as population living below poverty and indicators of equity in access and vaccine acceptance

The complimentary webinar is available to current users of HIDI Analytic Advantage and those interested in learning more about the dashboard. Online registration is available.

Staff Contact: Christy Carel

Nominations now are being accepted for MHA’s 2021 Trustee of the Year Award. This is a great opportunity to recognize one of your board members for their dedication and engagement in your hospital’s activities. Please consider nominating one of your hospital or health system governing board members for this prestigious award, which will be presented at MHA’s Annual Convention in November. The award criteria can be found on MHA’s website, and nominations are due by Tuesday, June 1.

Staff Contact: Mary Becker

In a recent video, Darin Haug, D.O., Chief Medical Officer for Fitzgibbon Hospital, shares the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. He said, “From a personal standpoint, it was very important for me to get the vaccine. Being as grateful as I am to have it, it really is about the protection of my family and the staff and the colleagues that I work with in the ER and in the hospital. And more importantly, our patients that we care for in the ER – it’s the ability to continue to care, to be protected, to be able to be there for the patients in the emergency department every day.” Fitzgibbon Hospital is hosting walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics for eligible individuals to receive the first dose.