AzHHA’s priority outpatient treatment center licensure bill is signed into law, updated standards for naloxone distribution and news and events of interest to our healthcare community.
AzHHA priority bill signed into law; Legislature passes 100 day mark
AzHHA is pleased to report that one of AzHHA's key priority bills to fix OTC licensure issues (HB2346) was signed into law on Tuesday. The legislature marked day 100 this week, the constitutionally recommended length of the legislative session. Some years the occasion is marked by fanfare at the Capitol, but as both chambers are currently on 'spring break,' no such action occurred. Additionally, both Chambers are now down a legislator after Senator Raquel Terán (D-Dist. 26) stepped down to focus on her run for Congress. Her district is also in Maricopa County, so the same process will apply as that to replace ousted lawmaker Liz Harris. It's expected that Senator Terán will likely be replaced by one of her seatmates from District 26, which would, of course, mean another vacancy in the House. Governor Hobbs also made headlines this week, breaking the state record for the highest number of vetoes in a single year, and of course, we aren't done with the session yet. Her veto total is now up to 63, five more than the previous record held by former Governor Napolitano at 58. Despite this tension, all public reports regarding budget negotiations are positive, indicating the House and Senate leadership are continuing to work through the details.
AHCCCS finalizes its Naloxone Distribution Program standards
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) finalized its standards for the Naloxone Distribution Program (NDP). Hospitals with an emergency department that agree to meet these standards can qualify for a 0.5% differential adjusted payment in the upcoming contract year. To qualify, hospitals need to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to [email protected] no later than April 30. AzHHA has developed a template LOI which may be found here.
AzHHA advances work with Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry
AzHHA’s Care Improvement team is pleased to partner with Contexture on the Arizona Healthcare Directive Registry (AzHDR) Rural Hospital Incentive Program. The registry is a centralized source of information on a participants’ medical wishes as categorized in their advance care planning documents. AzHHA’s work will focus on assisting hospitals with staff education and workflow development that will incorporate the use of the AzHDR into everyday practice. This grant-funded effort will benefit rural hospitals and their communities by making individuals’ healthcare plans readily available.
Nurse to Transition to Practice Program work begins
AzHHA is set to implement a New Graduate Registered Nurse Transition to Practice program that will pair experienced nurses with recent graduates to facilitate their transition into the workforce. This new program, funded through an appropriation legislated in last year’s HB2691 that was actively promoted by AzHHA, will give preference to small and rural hospitals with the goal of increasing the one-year retention rate within the state. Hospitals licensed by ADHS are eligible, including tribal 638 facilities. An application process will be developed to select eligible facilities, targeted through a communications and recruitment plan. Look for updates in upcoming Connection newsletters and AzHHA member communications.
ADHS seeks public comment on draft trauma center rules
The Arizona Department of Health Services is inviting members of the Arizona Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System community to provide comments on its draft trauma center rules. To view the rulemaking process, proposed rule changes and take the online survey, click here.
New human resources solution for AzHHA members with Salary.com
AzHHA welcomes our newest Affiliated Partner, Salary.com, offering a full complement of compensation solutions. Salary.com is the leading resource for compensation data, software, consulting and education to help organizations attract and retain top talent by enabling smarter pay decisions. Salary.com’s Healthcare West Compensation Survey includes 500-plus healthcare-specific and 500-plus benchmark job titles, providing hospitals with the most up-to-date aggregate information on a variety of important topics including industry-specific pay insights, practices and benefits. AzHHA members may participate and receive survey results at up to a 50% discount and receive additional discounts on software products and consulting services. For more information, email AzHHA’s Vice President of Member Services, Laura Dickscheid, at [email protected]
May 3 - Lunch and Learn: HealthXnet insurance information aggregator
AzHHA’s affiliated partner and endorsed vendor, Hospital Services Corporation, will present HealthXnet during a webinar on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 12-1 p.m. Learn how to save time and increase staff efficiency with a one-stop portal that captures live data to determine benefits, eligibility and claim status for most Arizona and national payers. Zero implementation fees and a low average transaction cost save your hospital money and HealthXnet uses secure, cloud-based technology that will place no requirements on your IT department. The HealthXnet award-winning software technology will also enhance the initial contact patient experience. To participate in this webinar, register here.
Upcoming events
Emergency Preparedness Webinar Series
In partnership with Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), the Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER), and others—we invite you to join the monthly emergency preparedness webinars in 2023 to discuss up-to-date information and resources for the areas of focus included in a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness Plan. This monthly series is on the third Wednesday of the month from 3–3:45 p.m. PT.
Webinar Topics:
February (Past Event, Recording Available): Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (Recording and PowerPoint available)
March (Past Event, Recording Available): Incident Command System (Recording and PowerPoint available)
April (Past Event; Recording Available): QSO-21-15-ALL and the EID Self-Assessment Tool (Recording and PowerPoint available)
May 17: Transportation – Know Thy Neighbors
June 21: Business Continuity Planning and Supply Chain Management
July 19: Care Coordination and Surge
August 16: Engaging our Staff | Being Prepared at Home
September 20: Table-Top Exercises: Planning and the After-Action Report
October 18: Top Ten ETag Deficiencies
To register and access the recordings of previous sessions visit: https://www.hsag.com/epp-series.
April is Donate Life Month – this national awareness effort helps to encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation. Visit DonateLifeMonthAZ.org to learn more.
In the news
AHA News: On a Snowy Day, the Warmth of a Stranger Kept One Man Alive (Tucson Live)
Health Care Systems Need to Better Understand Patients as Consumers (Phoenix Business Journal)
Live from HIMSS 2023 Day 2: Oracle, Zoom partner on telehealth (Modern Health)
Tucson Opinion: Our lives, our stories and April 16 (Arizona Daily Star)