July 2013 Hot Topics

• Becker’s Hospital Review picks seven Wisconsin hospitals for its national list
• Wisconsin hospitals sign up for WISHIN Pulse
• State budget signed into law by Governor Walker
• ACA employer mandate halted until 2015

Becker’s Hospital Review recently picked seven Wisconsin hospitals in its annual “Top 100 Great Community Hospitals” list. The list recognizes the quality of care and service to the community of hospitals, typically in rural communities, with fewer than 550 beds and minimal teaching programs.

To develop this list, the Becker’s Hospital Review editorial team accepted nominations, conducted research and considered other reputable hospital ranking sources such as U.S. News & World Report, Truven Health Analytics’ 100 Top Hospitals, HealthGrades, Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the Studer Group and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipients.

Below are Wisconsin hospitals that made the list:

1. Appleton Medical Center
2. Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital
3. Aurora Sheboygan (Wis.) Memorial Medical Center
4. Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital
5. Sacred Heart Hospital
6. Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics
7. Waukesha Memorial Hospital

To read more, CLICK HERE.

WISHIN Pulse set to launch

Fifty hospitals, clinics and health systems have signed up to participate in the statewide health information exchange that will allow providers to collaborate electronically with counterparts from different systems.

UW Health Partners Watertown Regional Medical Center is set to go live with WISHIN Pulse on July 12 and will be followed by other organizations over the next several months.

Others signed up to participate include Aurora Health Care, Froedtert Health and Dean Health System.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

Wisconsin budget signed into law by Governor Walker

Governor Walker signed the 2013-2015 Wisconsin state biennial budget into law June 30. The budget bill, which is required to be passed by June 30 of every odd-numbered year, spends roughly $68 billion, including over $750 million of state funds in the Medicaid program over the next two years. In Wisconsin, the Governor has the ability to eliminate words and sentences in the budget through the “line-item veto”—a very significant power that allows him to change the budget as passed by both chambers of the Legislature. Walker signed this year’s budget June 30, 2013, the last day before the budget was to go into effect July 1, 2013 (the start of the new state fiscal year). The Governor included some line-item vetoes but none directly affecting changes in Medicaid eligibility or any of WHA’s other priorities.

To read more from WHA’s Valued Voice, CLICK HERE. 

ACA employer mandate halted until 2015

The Obama Administration is delaying health care reform’s employer mandate until 2015 to give businesses another year to prepare for this requirement.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers with 50 or more workers are required to provide health coverage to their workers or pay a penalty. The mandate was scheduled to begin in 2014.

The mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty is still scheduled to go into effect in 2014.

WHA is offering a member forum on the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provisions on July 25. For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

This post was researched and written by Trish Skram, blogger and research content specialist for WHPRMS. Trish also manages Mercy Health System’s public relations and social media efforts for its 3 hospitals and 68 facilities in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. To read more, CLICK HERE.