April 2003

April 01, 2003 

UPCOMING EVENTS
April 24, 2003, A Day At The Capitol

Wondering how to effectively advocate and communicate your organization's message to our state government? How you can connect with the press? What can your legislator do for you and your organization? Learn more at HCO's spring workshop, April 24 in Salem, "A Day at the Capitol." Registration is $25 at the door and includes lunch. For more information see the HCO web site: http://www.healthcarecommunicatorsoforegon.org/upcoming_events.htm

MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
HCO Names 2003 Board
The 2003 Board of Directors is as follows:
President - Dianne Danowski Smith APR, Portland Director, The Ulum Group in Portland;
Past President - Todd Sprague, Director of Marketing & Community Relations,St. Charles Medical Center in Bend;
Secretary - Kathleen Nickel, Director of Marketing & Communications,Mercy Healthcare in Roseburg
Membership/Treasurer - Karen Normandin Communications Director, Oregon Association of Hospitals & Health Systems in Lake Oswego
Newsletter and Communications Coordinator - Barbara Pongracz-Bartha, Publications Writer in Lake Oswego
Events Coordinator - Lori Callister, Lori Callister Marketing & Communications in Portland
Member-At-Large - Delaine Humphreys Community Encourager, Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport

HCO Member Budak Supports OHSU Web Development Project
HCO member Martin Budak was account executive for OakTree, a web technology and design firm, on its project to develop and launch a web site for Oregon Health Science University at www.oregonbrains.org. The web site debuted in February to launch OHSU's Brain Awareness Season 2003 and includes a comprehensive list of the season's events. Additionally it includes information on various brain topics, fun brain facts, neuroscience research news, links to brain resources and tips on how to keep the brain healthy at all stages of life. The work reflects OakTree's specialized talents in working with the health care industry to craft web sites that work well for the lay public as well as the health professional, says Budak. "We enjoyed the opportunity to work with OHSU. They were a great client."

INTERESTING TID-BITS

Federal Update on Healthcare Issues

OAHHS Capitol Comments March Issue
http://www.oahhs.org/publications/cc/cc030503.htm  
Congress is starting on the 2003 agenda, starting with medical liability and HR 5, which contains non-economic damage caps, a sliding scale for attorney fees, and other revisions of medical liability. Also discusses need for Oregon senators "yes" vote on this bill, the 2004 budget resolution to provide Medicare funding and prescription drug programs, and announces the AHA Annual Meeting-April 27-29.

Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems Conducts Medicaid Reimbursement Study

OAHHS Capitol Comments March Issue
OAHHS released a study in March that shows that hospitals are being paid $130 million less (annually) than their actual cost of caring for Medicaid patients in the Oregon Health Plan. The study found that systematic underpayment of hospitals and relatively low payment to physicians may lead to serious problems in Oregon's health care market, such as accessing physician services for low-income Oregonians; increased shifting of Medicaid costs to purchasers of commercial health insurance, and an increase in hospital emergency room visits by Medicaid enrollees.

 
The study was conducted by the Lewin Group, a national health and human services consulting firm. According to Lewin's analysis, hospitals will lose 35-40% on every Medicaid patient they care for, and facilities will not be able to operate if the state makes further reductions to reimbursement rates. If DHS proceeds with its intended cuts, we will see closures, cuts in services and severely reduced patient access to health care. A full copy of the report, key findings and an overview of the Oregon Health Plan Medicaid program are available from the OAHHS web page, www.oahhs.org click under Breaking News

Crisis Management

www.nibra.nl/nibra/show/id=45717  

Disaster Control and Crisis Management in the Netherlands. Find out how this densely populated European country handles responses to crises and what roles they have assigned to police and fire units, "links in the medical assistance chain." Also defines the difference between "disaster" and "crisis."

Employee Communication

www.strategichealthcare.com  

This monthly publication features an article about how Philip Walkley Jr., the CEO of Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas, increased communication between himself and his staff. He had his office door removed and found that the new open-door policy helped break down barriers at the hospital, leading to gains in employee satisfaction. Also contains comments on current nursing shortage.

Quality of Care Case Study

www.mcshome.com/ad5.html  

Marketing and Communication Strategies uses this example of a newspaper advertisement created for National Hospital Week in May to celebrate the staff at University of Iowa Health Care. The ad told the story of how a family who lost a father maintained their good feelings about the quality of care at this hospital.

Discussing Death with Children

www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/terminallyill/discuss.html  

This page is devoted to the topic, Care of the Terminally Ill Child"Most children of all ages need honest and accurate information regarding their illness, treatment plan, treatment options, and prognosis," the Web page begins. Children's feelings of guilt,fear, and separation are considered in this page from Lucile PackardChildren's Hospital at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto,California.

Your Two Cents

Send suggestions, interesting Internet sites, job postings and comments/complaints about the HCO web site, www.healthcarecommunicatorsoforegon.org  or this newsletter to pongracz@aracnet.com