[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING MIDDLETOWN REGIONAL HOSPITAL'S INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH 
                                PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 1999

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in observance of National 
Hospital Week and to bring special attention to Middletown Regional 
Hospital in Middletown, Ohio. Middletown has been awarded the American 
Hospital Association's prestigious 1999 NOVA Award, which recognizes 
innovative programs that respond to community needs.
  Middletown Regional Hospital is a 310-bed facility which is sole 
provider of Middletown's hospital services. In 1996, an alarming trend 
came to light: Middletown's readmission rate had quadrupled in just two 
years from 1.5 percent to 6.2 percent. Rather than ignoring the rate 
increase and simply collecting the additional revenues which accompany 
higher readmission rates, the hospital administration set out to 
determine the root causes of the problem and determine what, if 
anything, the hospital and its staff could do to lower rates. After 
discussions with community members and health care stakeholders, as 
well as a thorough review of the relevant data and literature, the 
folks at Middletown Regional Hospital determined that many patients 
lacked the financial resources and the general knowledge to properly 
care for themselves after discharge and as a result were using the 
emergency room as their primary source of medical care.
  In an effort to stem the increasing readmissions, Middletown Regional 
Hospital implemented its ``Making a Case for Community Health'' program 
which is the focus of the NOVA award. Here's how the program works: a 
registered nurse, such as Deborah Tibbs, is designated as a case 
manager for as many as 40 chronically ill patients who have a history 
of high emergency room use. Patients are referred to the program by a 
variety of sources and enrolled regardless of whether their care is 
provided through Medicaid, private insurance, or even if they have no 
insurance at all. Deborah spends her time visiting with patients and 
educating them on how to ``manage'' their illness independently. She 
advises them on their lifestyle habits, answers their medication 
questions, and is only a phone call away 24 hours a day, seven days a 
week to provide advice when one of her patients is having troubles. 
Deborah's services are provided free of charge to the patient.
  The results have been dramatic. Hospital admissions for program 
participants have dropped by more than 50 percent, the average length 
of stay when they are admitted is down by more than one full day and, 
as a result, $1.5 million less was spent on the care of theses 
patients.
  The ``Making a Case for Community Health'' program is a grand success 
because the hospital stepped up when they saw a community need and 
committed significant financial resources. The result has been better 
quality care and lower health care costs. I applaud their efforts and 
hope other communities will follow their lead.

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