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Connection Newsletter
By AzHHA Communications ● Aug. 08, 2024
Smart Brevity® count: 5.5 mins...1504 words
In this issue, read about:
- The keynote speakers for the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference.
- CMS final rates for FY 2025 for Medicare psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities.
- Final FY 2025 rates from CMS for IPPS and LTCH PPS.
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📢Check out our keynote speakers for the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference
What’s new: We have secured our keynote speakers for the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference taking place Oct. 16-18, 2024, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz.
Why it matters: This year’s conference theme is centered around leading through disruption and change as we bring healthcare leaders together to reflect on the current state of the industry and anticipate what is ahead. Our keynote speakers are:
- Shawn G. DuBravac, Ph.D., CFA, global futurist, trendsetter and New York Times bestselling author at Avrio Institute, who will present on “What healthcare leaders need to understand about AI.”
- Natalie Johnson, MS, co-founder, chief visionary, facilitator, consultant and coach at Vidl Work, who will present on “Dare to LeadTM.”
The big picture: View the 2-and-a-half-day conference agenda here, including breakout session tracks with best practices in leadership workforce, policy and hospital finance.
What’s next: Register now to receive an early bird discount. This discount ends Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.
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CMS finalizes FY 2025 Medicare psychiatric and rehabilitation facility rates
What’s new: Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the FY 2025 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule and the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) PPS final rule. Both rules are effective Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.
IPF PPS rates will increase by 2.8% above the current year (a market basket update of 3.3% less a 0.5 percentage point productivity adjustment).
- An additional decrease of 0.3 percentage points is expected due to changes in the outlier payment, effectively lowering the increase to 2.5%.
- CMS adopts the all-cause risk-standardized emergency department visits following IPF discharge measure but will not be requiring more frequent reporting of data as proposed initially.
IRF PPS rates will increase by 3.0% (a market basket update of 3.5% less a 0.5 percentage point productivity adjustment).
- An additional decrease of 0.2 percentage points is expected due to changes in the outlier payment, effectively lowering the increase to 2.8%.
- While no changes were made to the quality reporting program, four new social determinants of health (SDOH) measures will need to be collected for the patient assessment instrument beginning with FY 2028 data.
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CMS finalizes FY 2025 IPPS and LTCH PPS rates
What’s new: Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the FY 2025 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rates and the long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) rates.
IPPS rates are increasing by a paltry 2.9% (3.4% for a market basket rate increase less a 0.5 percentage point productivity cut). The final rule:
- Establishes a new mandatory Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) which would provide bundled payments for five surgical procedures beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Acute care hospitals in certain geographic regions will be subject to this new model.
- Establishes a separate payment for small independent hospitals to maintain access to essential medicines.
- Adds seven new measures to the inpatient quality reporting (IQR) program.
- Finalizes changes to the antimicrobial use and resistance (AUR) surveillance measure.
LTCH PPS rates are increasing overall by only 2.2% over the current year. The final rule:
- Includes a 3.5% market basket increase less a 0.5 percentage point productivity cut.
- Substantially increases the high-cost outlier from $59,873 to $77,048 (a 0.8% decrease to rates).
- Increases site neutral payment rates by 4.2%.
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Arizona Transition to Practice Program: Apply now!
Applications are being accepted for future cohorts of the Arizona Transition to Practice Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses.
- Program start dates align with graduation dates. New graduate nurses will be eligible for the cohort closest to their NCLEX pass date.
Who’s eligible to apply:
- Any Arizona healthcare facility licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services that hires new graduate registered nurses may apply.
- Priority is given to critical access hospitals or hospitals located in counties with a population of less than 500,000 people.
- Hospitals with existing 12-month Transition to Practice programs are not eligible.
Why it matters: The Arizona Transition to Practice Program:
- Supports and develops new nurses.
- Provides evidence-based professional development.
- Accelerates the novice nurse to a competent nurse more rapidly.
- Addresses resilience and emergency preparedness.
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Member webinar: EMTALA surveys, deficiencies and interactions with agencies
The final webinar in a three-part series to answer questions about EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, will take place from noon to 1:30 pm. on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. This webinar will cover EMTALA surveys, deficiencies and interactions with agencies.
Our esteemed speakers include:
- Odette Colburn from Valleywise Health, and
- Karen Owens from the Phoenix, Ariz. law firm of Coppersmith Brockelman, PLC.
The bottom line: The webinar is free of charge for AzHHA members.
- If you register for this session, please download the EMTALA manual by acknowledging the licensing agreement here.
- Attendees who will benefit the most from this webinar include legal and compliance representatives, hospital CEOs, hospital CNOs, risk managers, ED nurse managers and ED medical directors.
Questions? Reach out to [email protected].
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Announcing the Quality Awards Luncheon sponsor for the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference
What’s new: AzHHA is excited to announce the Quality Awards Luncheon sponsor of this year’s Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference, Creighton University!
Get to know Creighton University in Arizona: A leading national university, Creighton is supporting the growing need for healthcare professionals in the Southwest through its 195,000-square-foot health sciences campus in the Phoenix Medical Quarter. Nearly 900 students across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant programs are being educated in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, or care for the whole person.
- The School of Medicine sponsors residents and fellows in specialty programs hosted at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Valleywise Health and District Medical Group through the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance to meet the growing need for healthcare providers in Arizona.
- An expanding partnership between the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and St. Vincent de Paul provides increased access to quality healthcare for the uninsured while developing a skilled healthcare workforce.
- Creighton University’s College of Professional and Continuing Education offers tailored professional development and continuing education programs for physicians, clinicians and industry leaders, including the Healthcare Leadership Academy in partnership with AzHHA.
For more information, please visit creighton.edu/phoenix.
Thank you to Creighton University for being the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference’s Quality Awards Luncheon sponsor!
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August is National Immunization Awareness Month
This annual observance highlights the importance of getting recommended vaccines throughout your life.
Why it matters: We want to encourage conversations between patients and providers to ensure patients are protected against serious diseases by getting caught up on routine vaccination.
All staff in healthcare practices, including non-clinical staff, play important roles during this awareness month:
Go deeper: More immunization resources are available on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.
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Tuesday, Aug. 13 - AHCCCS Recovery Audit Program webinar
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is hosting a webinar to provide an overview of the Recovery Audit Contractors audit program, resources and information, and key contacts to guide you through the process. Learn more and register.
Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 - Introduction to POLST
Join physician orders for life-sustaining treatment paradigm (POLST) for their one-hour virtual workshops equipping healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST in Arizona. Register here.
Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 - Healthcare Recruitment and Retention Forum
This event will explore healthcare recruitment and retention challenges and solutions, including generational differences in preferences for employment. Shifts in Human Resource practices - including those for Access and Functional Needs populations - will also be discussed. Learn more and register.
Oct. 16-18 – 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference
The 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference will once again be held at the exquisite Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson on Oct. 16-18. This will be an inspirational gathering of more than 200 hospital and healthcare executives seeking opportunities for continuing education, meaningful discussion and relationship building. Register by Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, to receive an early bird discount.
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