July 7, 2016

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AzHHA Opposes Recreational Marijuana
Shayna Diamond, Director of Community Affairs

The Board of Directors for the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) has formally voted to oppose the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act. The initiative would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in the State of Arizona, and its campaign has submitted petition signatures to appear on the November ballot.

“The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association opposes the legalization of marijuana for recreational use because it is antithetical to our mission to build better healthcare and health for the patients, people and communities of Arizona”, says AzHHA President & CEO Greg Vigdor.  “There is much uncertainty – and risk – in this ballot initiative given the short, unsteady track record of states where the drug has been legalized for recreational use. Arizona already faces considerable public health challenges, especially when it comes to substance abuse. Expanding access to recreational marijuana will only exacerbate these issues.”

AzHHA will activate its opposition to this initiative over the coming months in collaboration with other opponents.

New Report on Legal Barriers to Care Transformation
Ann-Marie Alameddin, Vice President of Strategy and General Counsel

The American Hospital Association (AHA) this week shared with Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services a new report that examines the barriers to transforming health care delivery created by outdated fraud and abuse laws. The report, part of the larger campaign to promote relief for hospitals and health systems facing an avalanche of regulations, recommends the enactment of comprehensive safe harbors to remove outdated barriers and replace them with measures to foster teamwork and ensure accountability.

Legal (Fraud and Abuse) Barriers to Care Transformation and How to Address Them tackles seven major barriers created by the Stark and Anti-Kickback Laws and/or regulations that impact hospitals and their efforts to coordinate care every day. Specifically, the report looks at how those laws impede:

1.  Sharing electronic health records and analytic tools to coordinate care.
2.  Aligning incentives to redesign care and improve outcomes.
3.  Providing incentives to employ more efficient and effective treatment options.
4.  Rewarding a team-based approach that includes non-physician practitioners.
5.  Collaborative arrangements to coordinate care when the patient leaves the hospital.
6.  Assisting a patient with discharge planning.
7.  Providing assistance to patients to maintain their health when they return home.

The report also features a practical examination of how these barriers adversely impact patient care by following the case of a hypothetical, yet typical, 75-year-old patient with multiple chronic conditions as he is cared for by his hospitals, doctors and other caregivers involved in a continuum of care. With the creation of multiple new alternative payment models under Medicare, Congress is taking a closer look at how these laws impede the goals of these programs and care for Medicare patients. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) last week released a white paper examining aspects of the Stark law that prevent moving to alternative payment models. It is our goal that the AHA’s report will help further the dialogue as Congress looks to modernize the laws to support better patient care and hospital success under these new payment models.

Promoting and Engaging in Advance Care Planning
Sandy Severson, Vice President, Care Improvement

Talking with your patients about dying isn't easy, but it is vitally important. Thoughtful Life Conversations (TLC) is a statewide collaborative community of individuals and organizations promoting high quality, compassionate care for all Arizonans who are seriously ill or approaching the end of life. AzHHA is pleased to offer a training, "Let's Talk: Promoting and Engaging in Adavance Care Planning free of charge for those who are willing to partner with TLC volunteers to co-lead one additional training over the next year to engage organizations, individuals and/or communities in advance care planning. Although there is no fee to attend, space is limited. For more information and to register, click here. 

Point of Pride 

Dr. Michael Peck, associate medical director of MIHS’s Arizona Burn Center, is the new President of the American Burn Association (ABA). Dr. Peck will join the team of over 3,500 healthcare professionals in ABA on the journey to improve the lives of everyone affected by a burn injury. As President of ABA, Dr. Peck’s responsibilities will include representing the ABA domestically and internationally, advocating on burn-related issues in Washington, D.C., promoting and supporting burn-related research, patient care, education, rehabilitation and prevention. We would like to congratulate Dr. Peck and the entire MIHS Arizona Burn Center Team for their hard work and dedication.