Charlie Baker was sworn in as the seventy-second governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at noon on Thursday. He succeeds Deval Patrick who made the traditional “lone walk” out of the front door of the State House on Wednesday evening, signifying his return to private citizenship.

In his inaugural speech, Baker said, “Healthcare costs are an enormous burden on everyone, dragging down our collective ability to grow and hire more people. We'll pursue many paths on this challenge.” He called for “full price and performance transparency”. Baker also labeled opiate addiction an “epidemic” and said, “As Governor, I intend to tackle this problem head on.”  Last fall, MHA created a Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force and informed then-Governor-elect Baker of its existence and the desire to work collaboratively with his administration to end the opiate addiction problem.

After the speech, MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, said, “An imperative of anyone who cares about our state – from  Governor Patrick to Governor Baker, to MHA and the members we represent – is to preserve the successful parts of our healthcare system while working to improve the rest. It's an important challenge since healthcare is a foundation of our economy and our state’s global reputation. We look forward to working closely with Governor Baker to help him as he leads Massachusetts, and we wish him the best of luck.” 

During Governor Deval Patrick’s eight years as governor, the historic Chapter 58 universal coverage law (that was signed by his predecessor Mitt Romney) was fully implemented, and the state undertook the transparency and e-health initiatives in Chapter 305 in 2008, Chapter 288’s premium relief in 2010, and the payment and delivery reforms in the 2012’s Chapter 224.  While debate will continue on the laws and how they’re implemented, no one argues the profoundly ambitious changes to healthcare that have occurred, as a result of legislative and administrative actions, during Patrick’s tenure as governor.

Governor Patrick’s administration was open and receptive to discussions with MHA about the direction of the healthcare system, and its funding.  Administration officials at agencies, such as those within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, worked collaboratively with hospitals on a wide variety of issues, including health coverage for low-income residents, quality measurement, hospital reimbursement, and payment and delivery reforms. After a challenging economic recession and budget crisis, which significantly affected MassHealth hospital reimbursement, Patrick in recent years made strong steps to improve payments to hospitals.

Among the triumphs and some missteps of the Administration, it was obvious that healthcare reform was always a top priority. As the governor referenced in a 2013 Faneuil Hall speech, health reform "is a values statement. It’s about insuring people against a medical catastrophe. It’s about being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper by helping others help themselves.”  

Therese Murray (D-Plymouth), who departed the legislature this week after 22 years of service, including the past eight years as president of the Massachusetts State Senate, has been awarded MHA’s Stephen J. Hegarty Award, which recognizes extraordinary commitment to the health and welfare of the citizens of the commonwealth through consistent advocacy and support of measures aimed at improving the quality and delivery of healthcare.

Others receiving the award include U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Charlie Baker (for his efforts as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Gov. William Weld), U.S. Representative J. Joseph Moakley, State Senator Richard T. Moore, former State Senate President Robert Travaglini, and former CMS Administrator Don Berwick. 

Hegarty was MHA president from 1986-1995. Following a cancer diagnosis at age 43, Hegarty began to review the entire healthcare system from the patient perspective and focused on the importance of a patient-centered health delivery system.  He died at the age of 47.

Murray will be succeeded in the Senate Presidency by Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst), who on Wednesday was elected by his colleagues to fill the top leadership post.

MHA's Lynn Nicholas (left) presents Senator Murray with Hegarty Award

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, has announced a two-year initiative that will provide intensive technical assistance to a total of 20 hospitals to implement AHRQ evidence-based toolkits for pressure ulcer and fall reduction.  Participating hospitals can choose to work on either or both topics. This program is complementary to the QIN-QIO and the HEN programs, in which many Massachusetts hospitals have participated. AHRQ is looking for good geographic and size diversity. The form here gives further details of the program. Interested hospitals must sign up by January 22.

Massachusetts hospitals post pressure ulcer and falls data, along with other nursing-sensitive care measures, on the PatientCareLink website. Massachusetts, through PatientCareLink was the first state to voluntarily make hospital staffing and nursing-sensitive quality information public. 

MHA’s Mid-Winter Leadership Forum

Although space is quickly filling up, it’s not too late to sign up for one of MHA’s premier events – the Mid-Winter Leadership Forum on Friday, January 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel. This year’s topic is Aligning Mission and Margin: Integrating Behavioral Health into the Equation, and will focus on emerging innovations in care management for behavioral and mental health treatment.  The Mid-Winter Forum is always a must-attend gathering of executives from across the Massachusetts hospital, health system, and healthcare community.

Massachusetts Hospitals’ FY2014 Staffing Reports Posted

The PatientCareLink (PCL) website, which allows the public to see how each nursing unit in nearly every Massachusetts hospital is staffed, has been updated with the latest actual staffing reports for FY2014. Budgeted 2014 staffing plans were posted on the site in December 2013. The constantly changing needs of patients are reflected in the differences between the actual and planned staffing reports.

To view the reports, visit here .

Web visitors can select specific hospitals and see the actual staffing reports for a total of 722 individual units, including emergency departments, at 90 hospitals across the state. Hospitals also explain any significant variation (+/-5%) from their budgeted staffing plans on the site. This is the ninth year Massachusetts has voluntarily posted hospital staffing information for public access.

“The actual staffing reports can help patients and families better understand how important the entire caregiving team is to safe and high quality care,” said Pat Noga, PhD, RN, VP for Clinical Affairs at MHA, which co-sponsors the PatientCareLink site with the Organization of Nurse Leaders, MA & RI, and the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.

MGH Institute for Patient Care Symposium

Mark your calendar for the MGH Institute for Patient Care Symposium, which this year is entitled “Healthcare and the Gordian Knot” and is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, June 15 and 16 at the Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115.  MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE will be speaking at the event. Registration information is available here.  

State Issues Regulations, Material on End-of-Life Care

At the end of December, DPH issued recommended information for providers to use in developing materials for end-of-life care planning with patients. DPH’s materials were developed pursuant to regulations that require hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, health centers, and assisted living facilities to provide information regarding the availability of palliative and end-of-life care options to appropriate patients. The regulations, in turn, were mandated through the Chapter 224 reform law.

The overall goal of the regulations and the information DPH issued is to help patients be more informed about end of life and other advanced care planning options.  In particular, the materials should encourage the patient to think about these important issues, make a decision, and communicate his or her beliefs, values, wishes, etc. to the right persons (i.e. family, the provider, or others).

The regulations and the materials (in 10 languages) are all available on this state website , as well as through PatientCareLink, where DPH’s “Know Your Choices” brochure along with other resources for patients to participate in their care are posted.

2015 FALL LEAN IN HEALTHCARE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
STARTING: FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 (8 SESSIONS TOTAL)
8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
BEVERLY HOSPITAL, BEVERLY, MASS.

In this program, participants will learn in a classroom setting the fundamentals of continuous improvement. They will then work in teams to apply the principles and tools of continuous improvement in an actual healthcare process at Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Mass. Each day participants will be introduced to appropriate best practices to address the challenges facing healthcare professionals. This learn-by-doing method will prepare students to return to their own workplace with the confidence to implement continuous improvement methodologies.

This essential program was developed to provide the healthcare professional with the knowledge and experience needed to effect positive change within their own organizations. It will be held at Beverly Hospital so that a combination of classroom learning, as well as learning-by-doing instruction, can take place. Visit here for more information, including registration.