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CHA Issues Summary of Medicaid Managed Care Final Rule

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CHA has issued a detailed summary, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, of the Medicaid Managed Care final rule recently issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

CEO Message: Preparing for a Record COVID-19 Surge

This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

Toward the end of July, the number of positive COVID-19 cases reached a high for the year, topping a little more than 12,000 in a single day. On Nov. 14, there were nearly 11,000 cases, according to the state’s dashboard, with projections for an exponential rise in the coming weeks that could dwarf the summer’s peak (the first week of November alone saw more than a 51% increase in cases in a one-week period). 

To date, more than 18,000 Californians have lost their lives due to COVID-19. 

Updates for the Week of Nov. 16

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates this week:​

CMS to Retire Original Compare Tools Dec. 1
Hospital Price Transparency Webcast — Dec. 8

Della Weinhuff’s Volunteer Career Spanned 41 Years 

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Della Weinhuff, Torrance Memorial Medical Center (TMMC) auxiliary past president, passed away in September at the age of 96. She volunteered at the main information desk and spent many years as gift shop co-manager at TMMC before retiring in 2017. She spent a remarkable 41 years as a volunteer and amassed more than 27,000 hours of service. 

Input Needed on State of Volunteer Programs

This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

In March, we requested responses from the questionnaire, “How is COVID-19 Impacting Your Volunteers?” and learned many hospitals suspended their programs, some modified them with limited volunteer activity, and few volunteer leaders were furloughed. 

In July, we requested a status update with the questionnaire, “Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 in Hospital Volunteer Programs.” Responses indicated most hospitals were in the planning process of returning volunteers, some received additional tasks and responsibilities due to COVID-19 and gift shops were closed or open with limited operations. 

Gift Shop Closure Brought More Than Just Revenue Losses

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Due to COVID-19 precautions the Enloe Medical Center Gift Shop closed March 13. It became immediately apparent that it was more than a loss in revenue — employee morale also suffered because of the gift shop closure. With employees ordering Enloe-logoed apparel that would normally be purchased in the gift shop, we began fulfilling those orders in our Volunteer Services office. It soon became clear that in between seeing patients, fitting it into their short break schedules, working NOC shifts, or working at a satellite location our staff had difficulties finding the time to pick up their orders. To accommodate them and fulfill the orders, I offered to deliver their items. Initially, I was worried that these deliveries would be time consuming, but realistically it did not take very long, and they have been so grateful for the service.

Since candy and soda have historically, been our best-sellers, I began relocating those products to our Volunteer Services office, along with some seasonal items that I then worked into our office décor. When employees reached out to us to inquire about the gift shop, we let them know that candy and soda were available for purchase at our office. 

A Volunteer’s Perspective

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To set the scene: my situation is such that my hospital, Mercy Hospitals in Bakersfield, does not have a volunteer services manager, but does have an auxiliary. As president of the auxiliary, I do not have the same role as a volunteer services manager, which has made it difficult to help our volunteers navigate this pandemic.

As part of a major health care system, Dignity Health, guidance for returning volunteers is universal for all 150-plus system hospitals. Before returning volunteers to the hospital, the COVID positivity percentage rate must be below a rate that is specific to each hospital community for a minimum of 30 days. Once these criterion are met, volunteers can begin returning. However, additional restrictions will be enforced, including age, pre-existing conditions, hospital service areas, local health department approval, and training. With the percentages currently above the desired rate and our county currently in the “purple” tier, it is unknown when volunteers will return.