Mark your calendar for some upcoming Differential Adjusted Payments (DAP) deadlines for hospitals receiving AHCCCS payments.
Legislative update
Representatives from Benson Hospital and Yuma Regional Medical Center made their case before the Rural Caucus Wednesday about why AzHHA’s top priority, HB2691, is needed in rural Arizona. AzHHA is grateful to its partners at the community colleges who joined us for the presentation.
Next week is the last week to hear bills in their opposite chamber except for the Appropriations Committees, which receive an extra week. Anything that doesn’t make it on an agenda next week is mostly dead for this year, but of course, can always be revived as a strike everything amendment, or with a suspension of the rules. Nothing is truly dead until the legislature adjourns sine die. It was a challenging week for hospitals at the state Capitol. Three troubling bills AzHHA has opposed passed out of the Senate on Monday: SB1393, SB1514, and SB1567. SB1514, which deals with hospital visitation policies, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration. SB1567 was referred to the House Commerce Committee. SB1393 was not assigned on Wednesday but could be assigned as early as tomorrow. On a positive note, SB1272 which extends AHCCCS coverage for new mothers until twelve months postpartum from its current limit of 60 days, passed its final committee on Wednesday. It can now move to a vote of the full House, where it is expected to pass.
Reminder: Upcoming DAP deadlines
Mark your calendar for some upcoming Differential Adjusted Payments (DAP) deadlines for hospitals receiving AHCCCS payments:
- Health Information Exchange DAP - By April 1, hospitals and other eligible healthcare providers must submit a Health Information Exchange letter of intent (LOI) to Health Current at [email protected]. LOI templates may be found on the Health Current website.
- Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) DAP - By April 1, hospitals, except Indian Health Service/Tribal 638 facilities, wishing to receive the SDOH DAP must complete an SDOH registration form and SDOH addendum and submit documents to [email protected]. Forms may be found on the Health Current website.
Questions about DAP may be directed to AzHHA’s Director of Policy and Reimbursement, Amy Upston, at [email protected].
March 31 deadline to report on period 2 provider relief payments
Providers who received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments exceeding $10,000 total between July 1 and December 31, 2020, must report how they used those funds to the Health Resources and Services Administration by the end of this month. Failure to report by March 31, 2022, may result in exclusion from receiving or retaining future PRF payments.
FDA extends shelf life for refrigerated Jansen COVID-19 vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended its emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Jansen COVID-19 Vaccine on March 4. The amendment to the EUA includes the authorization to extend the shelf life of the vaccine stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius, from six to nine months.
How to Reduce Hiring Risk in 2022 – Free webinar on background screening best practices and useful tips
Join AzHHA’s Affiliated Partner, Universal Background Screening, for a free webinar that will provide all the latest insights into critical employment screening issues and how to reduce hiring risk. Agenda topics include recent litigation and avoiding pitfalls; federal and state legislation; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Joint Commission and Arizona regulatory updates; Ban the Box updates and other trends and open Q&A. Register here for this complimentary virtual event to occur March 23 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Patient safety awareness week
It is Patient Safety Awareness Week, a week to raise awareness about patient safety and take action. Since 2012, AzHHA has successfully led a number of hospital-based initiatives statewide, namely the HEN, HIIN and now Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC). These programs support hospitals as we continue building momentum and capacity in patient safety to address national and local priorities. In addition, HQIC supports hospitals responding to public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, to ensure safe care and facilitate preparedness for future public health crises. To learn more about how the pandemic has impacted patient safety, download this infographic prepared by the Patent Safety Movement.
Additional AzHHA led programs that focus is on improving patient safety and care include the Arizona Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Collaborative and the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP). This Collaborative helps hospitals and clinics across the state implement maternal evidence-based practices and safety bundles. The goal is to end preventable maternal death and severe maternal mortality. The Arizona AIM Collaborative currently focuses on Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Bundle with plans to implement the following bundles in the future. MBQIC on the other hand focuses on improving patient safety within Arizona’s critical access hospitals. The program focus areas include patient safety, patient engagement, care transition and outpatient measures.
Questions about AzHHA’s Care Improvement programs may be emailed to [email protected].
Upcoming Events
March 24 – AzCHER Annual Conference
Reserve your seat at our upcoming annual conference March 24, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Phoenix. The one-day conference theme is Collaboration, Coordination, and Cooperation. The conference agenda features a range of topics including partner integration, healthcare workforce, supply chain integrity, resiliency and more. Attendees will hear from and directly interact with speakers from real-world events such as Colorado’s New Year wildfire. For more information and to register, visit our conference webpage here.
Introduction to POLST
Interested in learning how to use the Arizona POLST form with your patients? The one-hour Introduction to POLST workshop equips healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST, Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, in Arizona. The objectives are to describe what POLST is at the state and national level, explain why POLST is important, define the population for POLST, when to begin the conversation and who completes POLST, describe the process for completing, reviewing and updating POLST and learn the process of submitting healthcare planning documents to the Arizona Healthcare Directive Registry. To register for a workshop, click on a date below.
May 7 - Communication in Serious Illness Workshop
The objectives for this 2.5-hour didactic session are to review the need for a systematic approach to having more, better and earlier conversations about patient values and priorities in serious illness, defining a population with serious illness for whom improved communication holds many benefits, applying a structured communication tool to facilitate communication with patients with serious illness, and reviewing the value of summarizing, follow up and documentation. Learn more and register here.
In the News
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