Ohio Hospital Association

As the united voice for Ohio's 247 hospitals and 15 health systems, the Ohio hospital association leverages data and expertise to be the leader in influencing health policy, driving quality improvement initiatives and advocating for economic sustainability to serve its diverse membership. Oha lives its mission to collaborate with member hospitals and health systems to ensure a healthy Ohio. The association launched a new three-year strategic plan with initiatives focusing on advocacy, economic sustainability, and health outcomes for patients and communities. Oha has been the single statewide entity representing hospitals in Ohio since 1915, serving a unique role as a trusted forum in which hospitals come together for increased understanding and resolution of issues of concern throughout the state. Oha remained a strategic partner and advocate for hospitals during the third year of the global covid-19 pandemic providing support for vaccinations and preventative health measures. During fourth quarter Ohio hospitals were impacted by aggressive variants of the coronavirus (omicron and delta) resulting in surges of acute patients across the state. Oha led an important effort with the state to deploy nearly two thousand Ohio national guard members at sixty-two hospitals and eighteen testing centers. OHA worked with member hospitals to determine needs and coordinated allocation of resources. Oha communicated with state and federal leaders the serious financial challenges facing Ohio hospitals. An emergency order signed by governor mike DeWine in June authorized sixty-two million of the one-time hospital relief payments appropriated by the Ohio general assembly. Oha policy and data teams collaborated to offer three dashboards focusing on comprehensive overview of Medicaid programmatic funding, hospital care assurance program, and Medicaid rate dashboard. Oha staff provided members with important resources regarding new state and federal surprise billing legislation. Groundwork for the 2024-2025 state budgeting process was championed by OHA advocacy and policy teams focusing on communication and advocacy. Oha leverages clinical, data expertise to support members. Through the continuous service readiness program, eighty-two member hospitals participated in two education conferences. Oha's hand hygiene program is nationally recognized for improving health outcomes and this year 58 member hospitals worked with OHA to provide more than two hundred and sixty-three thousand observations within their hospitals. A new statewide virtual collaborative launched with sixteen hospital and health system subscribers collaborating to conduct four virtual and one in-person forums with 224-member hospital associates participating. Oha's partnership with the Ohio department of health, Ohio first steps, partnered this year with the Ohio commission on fatherhood to recognize hospitals for engaging fathers and partners in the ten steps to successful breastfeeding. Staff and partners continue to lead a statewide initiative focusing on sepsis. There were seven education sessions with more than six hundred attendees. Oha resumed offering its annual meeting event in-person this year after two years of offering virtual format. More than one thousand three hundred hospital leaders and staff members returned for the event. The meeting featured seventy-three educational sessions including a third day devoted to the opioid stewardship summit with over three hundred attendees and fifteen poster presentations. The total number of continuing education credits earned by members through OHA educational activities grew to five thousand one hundred and sixty-four this year. An increase in the number of OHA member associates in the association's seven professional membership societies increase to two thousand three hundred and one. Cost-saving solutions for member hospitals were provided to members to help boost their efficiency and lower costs by leveraging and the association's group purchasing power on energy procurement, workers' compensation coverage and management of unemployment claims. Oha's energy and sustainability program earned the 2022 energy star partner of the year for sustained excellence award from the U.S. environmental protection agency and the U.S. department of energy. Ohio is the leader nationally with 23 energy star certified hospitals.