• ICD-10 coding changes

• VIDEO: Debbie Rickelman onWHA’s Information Center

• Greater Plains Collaborative

• Update on health care reform signups

• Wisconsin patient care improving

ICD-10 hospital coding changes

Effective October 1, 2014 hospitals and health systems, public and private payers, and clearinghouses will use the new ICD-10 coding system on health care claims and for other data reporting. Hospitals and health systems that fail to comply will have their claims rejected by Medicare and other payers. Since it is predicted that coding production will decline with ICD-10, there could be a delay in submitting claims that could lead to cash flow problems.

In a recent guest column on WHA.org, Debbie Rickelman, vice president of Wisconsin Hospital Association’s (WHA) Information Center, explains the transition across Wisconsin and how senior leaders can help their hospitals and health systems see the benefit of these coding changes.

To read more from Debbie guest post, CLICK HERE.

A few months back, I talked with Debbie about what the WHA Information Center is and how we, as health care marketers and communications professionals can use those resources. To watch the video, scroll below or CLICK HERE to watch it on my YouTube channel.

3 Wisconsin health systems part of new seven-state clinical research network

Marshfield Clinic, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health are among 10 medical centers part of a new seven-state network funded by the federal health reform law to provide evidence to help patients and their caregivers make better-informed decisions.

The Greater Plains Collaborative, which is part of the Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, expands the number of active patients whose medical information will be available to each institution to 6 million patients. Of the seven states in the collaborative, Wisconsin is the only one to have three medical centers participate. To read more, CLICK HERE.

State beats national rate for health care signups

Wisconsin ranks 16th in the nation for enrolling those eligible for coverage under the health reform law, having enrolled 8.5 percent of that population of 482,000, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The national enrollment is 7.8 percent and most of the top 20 states have set up their own marketplaces. Only Maine, North Carolina and Montana have enrolled a larger share of those eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage among states using the federally-facilitated exchange. To read more from Wisconsin Health News, CLICK HERE.

Report shows Wisconsin hospitals are improving patient care

A recent report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, which has worked with 108 hospitals on nine quality initiatives, documents some of the progress Wisconsin hospitals have made to improve patient care. The hospitals:

• Reduced infections from central lines used to deliver fluids, medications and blood by an estimated 42% since 2008.

• Reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 33% since 2010.

• Reduced surgical site infections by an estimated 37% since 2011.

• Reduced readmissions by an estimated 22% since 2011.

• Reduced early elective deliveries of babies, which increase the risk for complications, by 78% since mid-2012.

The figures are just a snapshot. But they show the improvements that can result when hospitals make quality initiatives a priority. To read more from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, CLICK HERE.

In partnership with the WHA, this blog features headlines and hot button issues concerning Wisconsin hospitals, clinics and organizations. Here, you’ll read and watch videos about new legislation, hospital measurement and performance initiatives and the tools and resources you need to understand and manage today’s current, complex and controversial health care issues.

If you have other news, resources or links to share, please comment below or email Trish Skram, blogger and research content specialist for WHPRMS, at trishskram@gmail.com.