HAH Accomplishments in 2005In 2005 the accomplishments of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii included the following:
- Lobbied successfully to pass bills that will:
(1) Allow hospitals and other health care organizations to establish case review forums with legally protected information for the purpose of advancing patient safety;
(2) Create a scholarship program for nurses seeking advanced degrees so they can become faculty at nurse education institutions; and
(3) Authorize hospitals and clinics to provide information to the police about the nature and extent of injuries to people who have been severely injured in motor vehicle collisions.
- Lobbied successfully to stop bills that would have:
(1) Established nurse staffing requirements in law;
(2) Prohibited mandatory nurse overtime; and
(3) Repealed Hawaii's Prepaid Healthcare Act that requires employers to provide health care insurance to full-time employees.
- Continued to strengthen our relationships with State political leaders and the Congressional Delegation.
- Worked closely with the Director of Human Services to draw down an additional $7 million in federal Medicaid funds that was distributed to hospitals to help offset losses due to charity care and uncompensated care.
- Established a website for reporting patient safety data to the public to enable them to be more actively engaged in their own care.
- Established a task force to develop a system for reporting infections acquired in hospitals to the public.
- Conducted a three-day bioterrorism exercise at North Hawaii Community Hospital called Waiponi II.
- Deployed the Hawaii DMAT strike teams in support of Hurricane Katrina and Wilma emergency operations.
- Established a comprehensive logistics system consisting of emergency treatment tents, equipment and supplies to support hospital emergency operations anywhere in the State of Hawaii.
- Continued to serve as a liaison to national organizations of which HAH is an affiliate in order to collaborate on key issues at the federal level.
- Worked with the Department of Human Services to keep HAH members updated on the development of the QuestEx proposal that is designed to create a managed care system, similar to Quest, for providing care to the Medicaid aged, blind, and disabled population.
- Conducted successful education programs, including a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) 2006 standards workshop, as well as various in-service programs for long term care, home care, and hospice providers.
- Organized a successful general membership meeting that included presentations by the Chief Executive Officer of the American Diabetes Association and others.
- Organized a Board of Directors retreat that identified issues to be addressed in the coming year.
- Contracted with Ernst & Young for the seventh annual report of the financial condition of hospitals and LTC facilities in Hawaii
- Contracted with the Hawaii Health Information Corporation for a Trends for Action report on health care statistics and implications for public policy.
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