The HASD&IC Board of Directors convened on March 23. Board Chair Tom Gammiere, Corporate SVP/Regional Chief Executive – South, Scripps Health, officiated.
- Welcome: Paradise Valley Hospital CEO Neerav Jadeja was appointed to the board, effective March 23. Neerav previously served on the board from 2016 to 2018.
- Best wishes: Robin Gomez announced her departure from Alvarado Hospital Medical Center and the HASD&IC Board of Directors, effective March 9. Robin has served on the board since 2019.
- COVID-19 and Public Health Services (PHS) Update: County of San Diego Public Health Services (PHS) Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, and Medical Director for Epidemiology and Immunizations Services Seema Shah, MD, provided an epidemiological update on COVID-19, reporting a significant decrease in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, and comparatively lower rates in residents who are fully vaccinated and boosted vs. those who are unvaccinated. Next steps will include surveillance of “long COVID,” whole genome sequencing, and expanded wastewater surveillance. A look back to 2021 PHS activities focused on COVID-19 response and testing, HIV (getting to zero), tuberculosis prevention, perinatal equity, and domestic violence/strangulation. Future plans include a new public health building; additional Live Well on Wheels vehicles; transitioning the local immunization registry to the CA Immunization Registry 2 System; and strategic initiatives that continue to focus on building better health, living safely, sustainable environments/thriving, and operational excellence.
- 2022 CHPAC/CHPAC-FED Campaign: The campaign had reached 50% of the statewide goal as of March 16. Thank you to members for your collective support of CHPAC and helping to elect and connect with candidates who understand the important role hospitals play in our state. Please visit the CHPAC page to learn more and join in support.
- Emergency Medical Services: HASD&IC remains in ongoing discussions with the County of San Diego Emergency Medical Services Agency on the diversion revision process and continues to advocate for hospital leadership to be included. Ensuring all factors and possible consequences of a revised policy are understood and considered is critical.
- Homeless Point-in-Time Count: HASD&IC engaged hospitals and health systems in a supportive effort of the 2022 We All Count (Homeless Point-in-Time Count). Participating hospitals provided information on the number of patients experiencing homelessness. HASD&IC staff will continue to improve and refine the data request process, as the value of this data is significant.
- Hospital Quality Institute (HQI): An updated Hospital Quality Improvement Platform will be released in April for enhanced processing, analytics, and custom reporting. This web-based comparative quality analytics platform is free for members, uses data hospitals are already reporting, and helps hospitals identify challenging areas and trends to improve performance. The HQI Cares BETA HEART® program has launched, and 25 hospitals have joined the program to date. Program fees are covered, and hospitals are eligible for generous incentives for completion of various program-related milestones. BETA HEART (healing, empathy, accountability, resolution, and trust) is a coordinated program that helps organizations create a reliable, sustainable, and transparent culture of safety. Please contact Boris Kalanj at bkalanj@hqinstitute.org for more information.
- California Hospital Association (CHA): Carmela Coyle, CHA President & CEO, gave an update and led discussion in several areas:
- COVID-19: An upswing in COVID-19 cases globally and potential surges nationally remain a concern, as do current workforce shortages. CHA continues to advocate for maintaining space waivers and state licensure flexibilities needed for emergency preparedness.
- State Issues: Seismic remains a top priority with the following legislation being tracked: Assembly Bill 1882 (R. Rivas, D-Hollister, oppose unless amended) and Senate Bill 1339 (Pan, D-Sacramento, support if amended). CHA proposes the state convert public hospitals’ Medi-Cal fee-for-service inpatient reimbursement to a value-based structure that includes state general fund support. CHA is working in partnership with firefighters and the Local Emergency Medical Services Agency to reduce ambulance patient offload times.
- Federal Issues: Members are encouraged to sign the American Hospital Association (AHA) patient billing guidelines pledge and to complete the annual AHA Annual Survey to assure California is well represented. Custom communications have been sent.
For more information on the HASD&IC Board of Directors meeting or any of the issues discussed, please email Dimitrios Alexiou.
