Millions of people are recovering from acute illness or coping with chronic conditions in their own homes, but their care may not always be delivered under the safest of conditions, according to a new report from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Care in the home is increasing due in part to rising healthcare costs, an aging population, patient preference and advances in technology that allow for some complex care to be administered locally.

Home care has its advantages—including greater autonomy for care recipients, lower risk of certain complications (such as sleep disruption) and lower costs—but IHI cautions that in order to achieve these benefits, healthcare providers must be cognizant of risks of harm in the home setting as well. Potential issues include injuries due to physical hazards or medical equipment, pressure injuries, infections, poor nutrition, adverse events related to medication or other treatment, potential abuse or neglect, and healthcare worker burnout.

To help promote safe, person-centered care in the home, IHI’s report outlined the following five guiding principles:

1. Self-determination and person-centered care are fundamental to all aspects of care in the home setting.
2. Every organization providing care in the home must create and maintain a safety culture.
3. A robust learning and improvement system is necessary to achieve and sustain gains in safety.
4. Effective team-based care and care coordination are critical to safety in the home setting.
5. Policies and funding models must incentivize the provision of high-quality, coordinated care in the home and avoid perpetuating care fragmentation related to payment.

As the numbers of people receiving care at home continue to increase, we hope this report will serve as a useful reference for those committed to building on that foundation,” said Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, CPPS, chief clinical and safety officer for IHI.

—Adapted from “Health Care Services At Home Outpacing Attention To Safety,” by Joanna Clark, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, July 16, 2018.

The number of hospital and health system partnership transactions continues to climb, with a total of 50 transactions announced in the first half of 2018, according to a recent analysis by Kaufman Hall.

Activity remains particularly strong among not-for-profit hospitals and health systems, with 16 of 21 transactions announced in the second quarter involving acquisitions by such organizations, compared to five transactions by for-profit acquirers. When combined with first-quarter results, more than 76 percent of deals announced in the first half of 2018 involve not-for-profit acquirers, while less than 24 percent involve for-profit acquirers.

“Not-for-profit hospital and health system leaders nationwide are moving aggressively to broaden their organizations’ base and expand their presence, extending capabilities across larger geographies in order to address continued uncertainty in the industry,” said Anu Singh, managing director at Kaufman Hall. “Partnerships provide them the size and enhanced positioning within their markets to help ensure that these legacy organizations can continue their missions of providing vital care in the communities they serve.”

Here are four additional findings from the report:

• Two transactions announced in the second quarter are among larger organizations with revenues between $500 million to $1 billion.

• Three transactions announced in the second quarter involved religious-affiliated organizations acting as acquirers, and one involved a religious-affiliated target.

• Three transactions involved academic health systems acquiring other organizations.

• Three deals involved less than fully integrated transactions with the establishment of management services agreements.

—Adapted from “Hospital Merger and Acquisition Activity Continues to Rise, According to Kaufman Hall Analysis,” Kaufman, Hall & Associates, July 12, 2018.

Advocate.  Advance.  Lead. 

It’s what we do for our member hospitals and health systems so they can provide high-quality, affordable, accessible health care for Wisconsin families and communities.

WHA is known for its superior government relations results and impactful bipartisan advocacy on behalf of its members, and we have updated and launched a rebrand of our logo this morning to make our mission abundantly clear.  While our overall look will remain consistent to capitalize on WHA’s reputation, we have updated our tag line from “A Valued Voice” to “Advocate. Advance. Lead.” This more clearly reflects WHA’s growth and strong advocacy leadership in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

As part of WHA’s rebrand, we have also redesigned our website at www.wha.org.  We strive to make WHA the premier source of information on Wisconsin health policy and legislative activity, and our new site will support WHA’s vision and advocacy efforts.

WHA organized the site based upon what you want and need – we used what you search for on our site and made that information prominent to give you a better customer experience.  We value your time and have provided materials and data right at your fingertips.

We have:

• Improved website navigation and layout to make it easier to find key information
• Enhanced your customer experience by providing focused topic areas on the site for easy access to data and materials – as well as key issues on the top of each major webpage
• Included a rotator on the homepage to feature key messages / issues
• Featured Health Care Topics A-Z in the top navigation
• More prominently featured WHA products such as the WHA Information Center, PricePoint, CheckPoint and the WHA Quality Center so you can get to those resources quickly

Please feel free to send your feedback and comments regarding the new website to Stephanie Marquis, Vice President of Communications.

We are proud to serve our members, and we know this refreshed look more accurately reflects where WHA is going on your behalf now and in the future.

Eric Borgerding
WHA President and CEO

It is time for you to attain the prestigious FACHE credential. Attaining board certification in healthcare management is how organizations know a healthcare leader is prepared to lead in the dynamic healthcare environment. You will stand out as having met rigorous standards and demonstrated competency in all areas of healthcare leadership when you earn the FACHE credential. There is no better time than the present to get started. Learn more at ache.org/FACHE.

The 2018–19 Regent elections kick off Sept. 17 and will run through Oct. 5. All Members, Fellows and Life Fellows will receive an email with a link to a secure online ballot where they can view candidate statements and vote. Those without email addresses in our database will receive a paper ballot via postal mail. The Wisconsin chapter will be electing a next Regent, please remember to vote!

Healthcare is poised to play a central role in the 2018 state and federal elections, and the results could reverberate across Wisconsin.

Democrats are hoping a blue wave will put the brakes on President Trump’s attack on the Affordable Care Act, but if Republicans retain control of Congress, it may seal the law’s fate. Meanwhile, the races for Governor and the Legislature are certain to shape the future of healthcare for years to come.

A panel of the state’s top healthcare lobbyists will analyze what’s at stake for the Badger State and preview their priorities for the coming year. Panelists:

• Eric Borgerding, CEO, Wisconsin Hospital Association
• Bud Chumbley, CEO, Wisconsin Medical Society
• Stephanie Harrison, CEO, Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association
• John Sauer, CEO, LeadingAge Wisconsin
• Nancy Wenzel, CEO, Wisconsin Association of Health Plans

The event is Tuesday, September 11 at the Madison Club (11:30am – 1pm).  Register now (link).

Article by Kathleen Olewinski, FACHE, 2018-2019 LDP Co-Chair

The 2018-2019 Leadership Development Program (LDP) Cohort IX kicked off their 2018 Site Visits with a day at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin including meetings and tours at the Corporate Center, Children’s Hospital, and Delafield Clinic.

The group started their day at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Corporate Center in Milwaukee, with a light breakfast and an interactive discussion with senior leaders including Scott Turner, COO, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Executive Vice President, Children’s Hospital and Health System; and Thomas Miller, Vice President of Surgical & Diagnostic Services.  Michael Madrzak, Director of Surgical/Interventional Services – Herma Heart Institute, then provided an in-depth overview of the Institute and a video preview of their annual Heart Summit.

The morning continued with presentations from several service lines, and discussions with Sarah Currie, Director of Patient Care Service Line – NICU; Dr. Michael Uhing, Clinical Vice President of Inpatient, Emergency Department & Trauma Center Services and Medical Director of Neonatology; and Cheryl Weber, Lactation Services Manager.

Highlights included a tour of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and engaging dialogue with Eileen Clark, Family Services Manager – Child Life; Megan Struve, Family Services Manager – Social Work; Sarah Currie, Director of Patient Care Service Line – NICU; Dr. Michael Uhing, Clinical Vice President of Inpatient, Emergency Department & Trauma Center Services and Medical Director of Neonatology; Cheryl Weber, Lactation Services Manager; Helen Saha, Director Patient Care Services – Neurosciences; Linda Flannery, Imaging Manager; and Joe Ackerman, Imaging Manager.

During lunch, the group met with Shelisa Dalton, COO – Children’s Specialty Group, and then spent time learning about managed care and community programs from Julie Antholine, Director of Health Plan Operations – Children’s Community Health Plan; Michael Boeder, Director of Foster Care Medical Home – Care 4 Kids; and Wanda Montgomery, Director of Community Partnerships – Community Health & Education.

The group then traveled to CHW Delafield Clinic, and had an engaging conversation with leaders including Holly Colby, Executive Director of Ambulatory Services; Jack Scalcucci, Director of Business and Southeast Regional Services; and Mike Flaherty, Business Manager of Ambulatory Specialty Care, and ACHE WI LDP cohort V alum (2014).  Leaders then facilitated tours of the new clinic, to wrap up the day with cohort IX.

The site visit was hosted by Luke Belter, MBA, Business Manager – Surgical Services, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, who also involved Cedrick Antonio, Treasurer, Future Healthcare Executives at UW-Milwaukee, who he mentors as part of the Leadership Development Program with the ACHE Wisconsin Chapter.

LDP Cohort IX June 2018 Site Visit at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Register Now

Face-to-Face Session Objectives Define how Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are currently structured Understand how the Affordable Care Act currently affects ACOs Grasp the importance of ACOs working with governmental agencies and public health stakeholders Achieve a broad perspective of how ACOs will look in the future Moderator Steven Robinson, MHA, Senior Director Administrator, Aurora UW Medical Group Panelists Sarah Coyne, JD, Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP Lisa Ellinger, MA, Vice President Public Policy, Wisconsin Hospital Association Amanpreet Sethi, MD, Medical Director, Population Health & Risk, Aurora Health Care Family Medicine-Downtown Lodging Plan to attend now and book your hotel room. Rooms are available at The Osthoff Resort at the special rate of $172. To guarantee this rate, reservations must be made by August 27, 2018. To make a reservation, please call The Osthoff Resort at 1-800-876-3399 and request the American College of Healthcare Executives – Wisconsin Chapter room block. Register Here

The annual Wisconsin Health News CEO Roundtable is August 14 in Madison. A panel of the state’s leading health system and hospital leaders will discuss the most pressing issues facing their industry.

Panelists include:

• Sue Turney, CEO, Marshfield Clinic Health System
• Robert Van Meeteren, CEO, Reedsburg Area Medical Center
• Alan Kaplan, CEO, UW Health

Register now (link).