The latest update from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the SSI ratio release indicates we can expect to see 2007 and 2008 numbers in early to mid-April and possibly revised 2006 and 2009 values as well.

Headquartered in Virginia and endorsed by VHHA Services, DSH Management Solutions (DMS) is an industry leader in full-cycle management of federal disproportionate share/340b, providing proprietary technology and infrastructure to pro-actively manage all components of these critical revenue streams.

DMS’ expertise includes:

• Full-cycle traditional federal DSH revenue management

• 340b pharmaceutical program eligibility

• Title XIX supplemental revenue

• SSI/Medicaid membership management (SSIMM/TXIX-MM)

• Uncompensated care reporting (Worksheet S-10)

• Web-enabled software for lease or subscription services

DMS data mining technology allows for virtual real-time population management of governmental eligibility for Medicare/Medicaid/S-CHIP/General Assistance groups to ensure eligibility maintenance and program monitoring. SSIMM provides the tools to enable hospitals to gain control over this key metric.

VHHA will host a Webinar in the coming months, “DSH Under Healthcare Reform,” presented by Robert Gricius, CEO of DSH Mgmt Solutions. More information will be available shortly.

For more information on DMS, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

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VHHA Services Helping to Improve Efficiencies in the Home Care Market (1/20/12)

Two New Studies Explore Evolving Trends in Physician Compensation (7/1/11)

As detailed in the May 6, 2010, edition of FYI Weekly, VHHA Services, in partnership with the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA), requests assistance with a Health Information Technology Survey to determine if and to what extent providing health information technology (HIT) workforce staffing services will assist our members in achieving meaningful use, qualifying for the available financial incentives and developing future technology projects. Participation in the survey will ensure VHHA members have the required expertise to meet current and future demand.

The survey is seeking information on:

• Current IT staffing approaches

• Core system vendors

• Major IT system implementations over the next 18 -24 months

• Current and projected IT staffing needs by area

• General issues and challenges you are currently facing in attaining meaningful use

The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MNHRVWQ. Thank you in advance for your participation. For more information, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

Provista, VHHA’s endorsed secondary group purchasing organization (GPO), announces newly available significant cost savings to members on purchases of capital assets through its national group buy program. This program provides substantial cost savings and value-added benefits through volume negotiated pricing and discounts that are compared against “best price paid” data available through MD Buyline.

Effective May 1 through September 30, VHHA members can achieve up to 48 percent savings on capital equipment through group buys toward the purchase of any of the equipment listed below.

Category	Supplier
Centrifuges	Cardinal Health
CT Equipment	Siemens Toshiba
CV Equipment	Siemens Toshiba
Digital Radiography	Carestream Health GE Healthcare
Mini C-Arms	OrthoScan
MR Equipment	Siemens
PET/Nuclear Medicine Equipment	Siemens
Reusable Hand Held Surgical Instruments	CareFusion
Radiology/Fluoroscopy Systems	Siemens
Stretchers (runs 5/1/11-6/30/11)	Stryker

In addition, NOVAPLUS, Provista’s private label brand of pharmacy, and medical-surgical product portfolio haveexpanded to over 1,000 items saving 17 percent on average compared to brand-name equivalents. The 2011 NOVAPLUS product portfolio includes anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, medical, orthopedic, pharmaceutical, respiratory and surgical products.

For more information, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, (ONCHIT) in order for the majority of hospitals to attain meaningful use of electronic health records as required by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, organizations will require 50,000 more trained health care workers than can currently be produced.

In response, VHHA Services, in partnership with the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA), is exploring if and to what extent providing HIT Workforce Staffing Services will assist our member hospitals in achieving meaningful use and qualifying for the available financial incentives.

The VHHA Staffing – SCHA partnership has offered a supplemental staffing program for RNs and allied health staff for seven years. Supported by many VHHA members, the program works as a liaison between health care facilities and prescreened staffing firms to improve the quality and consistency of temporary staff when needed while reducing the administrative challenges. The first step in this process is to conduct a survey that will be made available in the coming weeks. Thank you in advance for your consideration and participation in the survey.

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Members Benefit from AP Solutions Offering (4/1/11)

In 2010, VHHA Services partnered with Commerce Bank to promote its Automated Accounts Payable (AP) Solution, a program designed to generate revenue to VHHA members simply by processing their vendor invoices through the Visa Network.

Under this program, organizations receive a monthly revenue share based on their spend volume. As an added benefit to VHHA members, Commerce Bank is aggregating the spend volume of all participating members, which provides a greater return over similar AP programs available in the marketplace.

Endorsed by 24 state hospital associations, Commerce Bank’s AP Solution is utilized by over 400 hospitals and has been recognized as the leading health care AP solution of its kind nationwide. The web-based application requires no financial investment and no software to operate.

With over 18,000 health care vendors already participating in the program, Commerce Bank has a dedicated vendor enrollment team that manages the entire process. Last year alone, Commerce Bank processed $3.5 billion in health care AP payments.

For a vendor match list, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

HealthcareSource helps hospitals acquire, develop and retain the best workforce possible throught its software-as-a-service solutions. Used at over 1,500 health care facilities and well-known for its Position Manager® applicant tracking system, HealthcareSource has several new products now available to VHHA members at a discounted price:

• Performance Manager® simplifies the health care performance management process by automating the workflow and content for performance appraisals, competencies, training and performance reporting. With Performance Manager, administrative processes are simplified and compliance with HR policies and The Joint Commission standards is easier.

• Physician Recruitment Manager^SM is an intuitive, web-based, affordable physician applicant tracking system that allows you to hire superior physician talent and achieve greater overall efficiency. It automates candidate screening, pre-credentialing and referencing and produces recruitment reports that measure and optimize workflow.

• TestSource® behavioral assessments improve new-hire retention by making good hiring decisions more predictive. By integrating validated health care behavioral competencies into your selection process, TestSource can help you increase new-hire retention, identify service-oriented applicants and provide interviewers with a structured, behavioral-based interview process.

For more information, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

The use of locum tenens is rising, underlining the ongoing shortage of doctors nationwide, a new survey indicates. Conducted by Staff Care, a national temporary physician staffing firm and a VHHA Services preferred vendor, the survey polled hospital and medical group managersabout their use of temporary physicians, also known as locum tenens. The majority of those surveyed (85 percent) said their facilities had used temporary physicians sometime in the last 12 months, up from 72 percent the previous year. The primary reason hospitals and medical groups use temporary doctors, cited by 63 percent of those surveyed, is to fill in until a permanent doctor can be found.

The survey also suggests which types of physicians are in the most demand as temporary practitioners. Number one on the list are psychiatrists and other behavioral health specialists, followed by primary care physicians.

For a copy of Staff Care’s 2011 Survey of Temporary Physician Staffing Trends, contact Kurt Mosley at kurt.mosley@amnhealthcare.com or (469) 524-1446.

As previously cited by the CDC Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings, the need for research of persistent hand and surface sanitizers has led to the successful development of a Persistent Action Plan (PAP) by Germ Pro Products, Inc.

Four member hospitals completed trials of the PAP to determine if the addition of a hand sanitizing lotion and surface disinfectant, both with persistent sanitizers, helped prevent HAIs.

Participating hospitals reported an average 41.5 percent HAI reduction per 1,000 patient days. Compared to baseline, 59 fewer infections were reported during the trial period, saving over $1.2 million. (D. Scott II, CDC, “The Direct Medical Costs of HAI in US Hospitals” 2009.)

Developed to complement existing hand hygiene and environmental cleaning practices, Germ Pro helps reduce HAIs by adding:

• A hand lotion, with a four-hour broad spectrum kill that helps hands heal from the harsh effects of alcohol and repeated hand washings; and

• A surface disinfectant that kills pathogens for 28 days when applied to touch points after routine cleaning.

For more information, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

Merritt Hawkins, VHHA’s preferred partner for physician recruitment and consulting, recently completed a 110-page report entitled Health Reform and the Decline of Physician Practice on behalf of The Physicians Foundation, a non-profit grant making organization composed of over 20 state medical societies.

The report, which includes a new survey of some 2,400 physicians, offers valuable insight into how health reform will transform physician practices and the physician/hospital relationship. It features highly instructive case studies of practice models likely to proliferate in the post-reform era, such as the medical home, accountable care organizations, concierge practices and community health centers. It also includes a detailed examination of how health reform will affect the supply of physicians and ways in which hospitals and health systems can extend the physician workforce.

This topic is one that both hospital leaders and physicians nationwide are examining closely. For a copy of the report, contact David Jenkins at djenkins@vhha.com or (804) 965-1350.

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