Reporter roundup

Elana Gordon of KCUR in Kansas City has inquired about hospital workforce statistics. She's working on background for Gov. Jay Nixon's visit to UMKC to promote health education funding.

Alan Bavley of The Kansas City Star has requested (and will receive) Kansas City Area 1st Quarter utilization data for 2008 and 2009 today. An E-Lert to MHA KCMHC members will precede the delivery of the data.

Workforce data available

The Missouri Hospital Association has posted the 2009 MHA Workforce Survey on MHAnet. This year's report contains similar data as prior years, however the format is revised for ease of use. MHAnet also provides a quick link button on the Web site's front page.

Disciplining docs

Public Citizen has released a report critical of the nation's hospitals practices on physician discipline. Missouri has 140 hospitals registered with the National Practitioner Data Bank of which 70 have never filed a disciplinary report. ABC News covered the story yesterday.

Community benefit

The Springfield Business Journal has a fine article about the contributions of the areas hospitals and health systems to the economy and quality of life in Springfield. The statewide hospital community benefit and economic impact report from the Missouri Hospital Association should be available within the next several weeks. Hospital executives will be notified before MHA posts the data.

Updated: Consumer's Union report pending

The American Hospital Association has word that Consumer's Union is pitching a new report on patient safety to reporters. The study is timed to reflect the 10th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine's "To Err is Human" Report. Talking points are here.