Rep. Meyer provides legislative update to advocacy council

Rep. Ann Meyer (R-Fort Dodge) joined the IHA Council on Representation and Advocacy Friday morning. Meyer, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee and a registered nurse, updated council members about tort reform (House File 102). The bill has passed the house subcommittee and is scheduled for review in the full committee on Monday.

If it advances out of the HHS committee, the bill will be eligible for floor debate next week. Rep. Meyer encourages hospital members to contact their legislators to express their support for placing hard caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases.

IHA President and CEO Chris Mitchell also presented the council with a new charge to promptly review emerging health care legislation. The council also will recommend new legislative initiatives.

The council also discussed:

• Federal and state legislative updates.

Hospital workplace violence prevention initiatives.

IHA members encouraged to attend AHA annual meeting

IHA President and CEO Chris Mitchell is inviting IHA members to join him and IHA staff in Washington, D.C., for the 2023 American Hospital Association Annual Meeting. Iowa hospital CEOs and trustees will visit with Senate and congressional staff, participate in educational opportunities and meet other hospital advocates from across the country.

Mitchell and IHA's Senior Director of Advocacy Erin Cubit will be in attendance. IHA will sponsor a luncheon, dinner and Hill visits during the conference.

The AHA Annual Meeting is scheduled Sunday, April 23-Tuesday, April 25, at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.. AHA has a hotel block reserved for conference participants. The hotel block will expire March 23.

IHA has released a tentative agenda of IHA events during the AHA annual meeting:

Sunday, April 23

• Registration.
• ACHE educational sessions.
• Trustee educational sessions.
• AHAPAC luncheon (by invitation only).
• Rural Washington update.
• Post-acute care update.
• Crisis of Care: Behavioral Health in our Communities.
• The Politics of Policy: Health Care's Next Move.
• AHA Leadership Celebration.

Monday, April 24 (tentative)

• Registration and attend AHA Annual Meeting.
• Federal Forum plenary session.
• Pressure Points: The Financial Future of the Field and Impact on Patients.
• AHA recognition luncheon.
• Federal Forum afternoon plenary session.
• Receptions.
• Complimentary dinner with IHA staff (location to be determined).

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 (tentative)

• Attend AHA Annual Meeting.
• Federal Forum closing plenary.
• Luncheon and briefing (IHA-sponsored). Agenda and location to follow closer to the date.

Hill visits - Meetings with Senators and representatives to be scheduled throughout the day. Will end in time for attendees to travel to the airport. Time to be confirmed closer to the date.

Members attending the AHA conference and IHA-sponsored activities are asked to notify IHA by Friday, March 24. Email Pam Gridley or Erin Cubit at IHA with questions.

New grant program simplifies clinical workflows

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy launched a statewide initiative to make clinical workflows more efficient. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy and Bamboo Health, through an Overdose Data to Action grant, is offering free integration between Iowa’s prescription monitoring program and electronic health records.

Bamboo Health’s system enables providers and pharmacists to access a patient’s prescription monitoring system report and NarxCare analytics, saving time by removing several steps from clinical workflows. To request integration, IHA members should create accounts in Bamboo Health’s Customer Connect, log in and follow prompts for set up