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Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP) NewsletterVolume 2, Issue 8November 2, 2007
AnnouncementsArchives of Fall 2007 Webinar Series on Accountability Available This series of four webinars discussed the elements of a quality health care system including value based purchasing, provider incentives, transparency, and performance measurements. Links to archived copies of each webinar are located below. Transparency in Health Care
Provider Incentives to Improve Accountability
The Outcomes of Addiction Treatment and Approaches to Measuring Performance Using Data and Performance Measures to Evaluate State Health Reform Activities
October CHAP Meeting Resources
Chronic Care and QualityMRSA Screening Laws Enacted
Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota and Pennsylvania have recently passed laws that require hospitals to screen patients for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics, and about 85 percent of all MRSA exposures happen in a health care setting. The Illinois statute requires that hospitals screen all intensive care and at-risk patients, and that MRSA patients be isolated. A second Illinois law requires hospitals to determine which infections pose the greatest risk to patients and develop plans to prevent their spread. The Garden State law mandates hospitals to screen all intensive care patients and others in high risk groups, and also requires isolation of MRSA patients, the development of an MRSA prevention program and worker education. The Pennsylvania law requires testing of the highest risk hospital patients and patients transferred from nursing homes.
Resources Illinois law: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/95/PDF/095-0312.pdf
Healthcare Access
Golden State Compromise In California, a compromise between the Assembly Democrats’ bill, AB 8, and Governor Schwarzenegger’s health reform proposal was passed by the Assembly Health Committee on November 14. The new bill, ABX1 1, would require all Californians to obtain health insurance coverage, if affordable, and would assess fees, the amount of which would depend on payroll size, from employers not providing health insurance to their employees. Public programs would also be expanded to include children and parents with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level and childless adults earning up to 250 percent of the FPL. However, Assembly Democrats and the Governor have not yet agreed on issues such as the financing of the reform package and the affordability of the health plans. A full vote on the bill has been postponed until the two sides can come to a consensus. The following is a detailed framework analysis of ABX1 1 prepared by Health Management Associates for the California HealthCare Foundation: http://www.calhealthreform.org/pdf/FrameworkAssessmentABX11Nov2007.pdf
Addiction Prevention and TreatmentStopping Overdose Deaths
Hoping to stem a tide of overdose deaths, Massachusetts health authorities will start distributing the medication Narcan to heroin addicts at community health centers statewide, the Boston Globe reports. Heroin and other opiate overdoses killed 544 people in the state in 2005, the most recent year for which data is available. That is twice the number of individuals killed by firearms. Narcan (known generically as naloxone) has been used in hospital emergency rooms for years to treat overdoses. The drug works by counteracting life-threatening depression of the respiratory and central nervous systems, thereby restoring normal breathing patterns. State officials expect the program to cost $50,000 and involve 450 addicts, who also will be encouraged to enter substance abuse treatment. Critics argue that providing Narcan encourages addicts to continue heroin use under a false sense of invincibility while further delaying entrance into treatment. Boston, New York, Baltimore, Chicago and other large cities have already launched Narcan distribution programs. Participants in the Baltimore program have claimed to have treated 194 overdoses, with heroin deaths in the city dropping one-third below their peak in 1999. In Boston, participants have claimed 60 reversals of overdoses since the program began. Providers and WorkforceMost New Jersey Hospital Nurses Report Suffering Harm on the Job New Jersey’s biggest nursing union conducted a survey that found that close to two thirds of New Jersey hospital nurses have injuries from lifting patients, over half have been exposed to “superbugs” such as MRSA, and a third have experienced workplace violence. The results of the survey were to be presented to the Senate Budget Committee on December 3, which is considering two related bills to require New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes to make changes to prevent violence and to protect staff from on-the-job injuries. For more information, go to http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS01/712030347/1002 In other news: New law gives pharmacists more authority (Illinois) State monitors nurses strike (West Virginia) Hawaii needs more doctors, panel says Report lists solutions for state's nursing shortage (Maryland) Study by the Center for Studying Health System Change on ‘unhealthy’ trends in physician services An international study by the Commonwealth Fund finds that medical homes improve care coordination
Technical Assistance Support Available…just give us a callThrough the Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP), NCSL has been funded to respond in greater depth to state legislatures’ requests for technical assistance concerning chronic care and quality, healthcare access, addiction prevention and treatment, and providers and workforce. Topics are, of course, tailored to your state's needs. Examples of types of assistance available include support for a briefing or workshop for a legislative committee or study commission that provides information from other states and experts in the field or working with legislative staff to identify related actions in other states and useful resources. If you are interested in learning more about the services NCSL could provide, please contact any of the individuals listed here. Chronic Care & Quality: Carla Curran, carla.curran@ncsl.org, 303-364-1373 Healthcare Access: Donna Folkemer, donna.folkemer@ncsl.org, 202-624-8171 Addiction Prevention & Treatment: Allison Colker, allison.colker@ncsl.org, 202-624-3581 Providers & Workforce: Tara Lubin, tara.lubin@ncsl.org, 202-624-3558 For more information on CHAP and these critical issue areas, visit our website! http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/forum/chap/index.htm The Critical Health Areas Project (CHAP) newsletter is published monthly by the Forum for State Health Policy Leadership at NCSL and funded through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. |
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