Alabama Hospital Association

Sponsored meetings: the Alabama Hospital Association conducts two major meetings for its membership each year. Both of these meetings provide timely educational programs qualifying for continuing education credit from executive, financial and clinical licensing entities. The annual meeting, with 85 Hospital executives participating, covered the following topics: intersection of big tech and healthcare, nuclear verdicts and settlements, medicare dsh & 340b reimbursement, improving efficiency and its impact on finances but more importantly patient care, managing the nursing crisis, medical cannabis and more, the bright future of growth for Alabama hospitals requires a new balanced scorecard and human trafficking how hospitals can help. The Association recognized $238,332 in sponsorship revenue from this meeting and received $25,215 in registration income. The other major educational program conducted during the year is geared toward senior Hospital management, trustee board members, legislators and other stake holders. This two-day meeting held in february 2023 had 137 Hospital executives participating. Specific educational topics included the future of work, building a new workforce in Alabama and the current state of Hospital finances. The Association recognized $106,689 in sponsorship revenue fees for this meeting. And received $35,770 in registration income.

Quality: alaha continues to support hospitals statewide on various quality improvement and infection prevention initiatives to ensure the best patient care possible. There are monthly meetings of quality directors and infection preventionists where information is provided and best practices are shared. Twice a year, almost 200 Hospital quality leaders gather for a day-long quality and patient safety conference. In addition, alaha contracts with the state's qio to provide focused work for 18 hospitals on specified quality improvement topics (such as preventing infections, adverse drug events and readmissions). In addition, the Association supports 9 different community coalitions that include not only hospitals, but also other healthcare providers, consumer advocacy organizations, and other community stakeholder organizations. In these communities the resources and coaching focus on topics such as care transitions, behavioral health and chronic conditions. This past year, we hosted an infection prevention bootcamp for new infection preventionists, the second annual one and are currently hosting a training to prepare individuals for the certification for infection preventionists. Our infection prevention efforts also include site visits to hospitals to assist with ongoing prevention practices or to help troubleshoot program areas. For the year alaha received $364,713 in administrative and contract fees for these efforts.

Grants & administrative fees: the Alabama Hospital Association contracts with the state of Alabama department of public health for the administration of a Hospital preparedness grant. This grant provides redundant telecommunications via cellular service to prepare hospitals for natural and man-made disasters. During the year, 105 hospitals participated in the grant receiving a total of $39,733 in funding. The Association also administered grants targeting rural hospitals to include those designated as medicare critical access hospitals. One of the grants funded the following projects/initiatives: swing beds, learning action networks on leadership rounding for both employees and patients, education on social determinants of health quality measures. $186,983 was expended for this grant benefiting 41 hospitals. Another grant, ship (small Hospital improvement program) provides federal funds to assist 42 hospitals with 49 beds or less to implement Hospital improvement programs. $499,303.48 was expended for this grant. The final grant targeting rural hospitals provided funding to offset Hospital costs caring for covid patients (staffing, ppe, telehealth). $6,420,995 was expended for this grant benefitting 35 hospitals. Alaha also administered a federal grant on behalf of the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response (aspr) for a funding opportunity that is intended to support the urgent preparedness and response needs of hospitals, health systems, and health care workers on the front lines of this pandemic in order to prepare them to safely and successfully identify, isolate, assess, transport, and treat patients with covid-19 or persons under investigation (puis) for covid-19, and that it is well prepared for future special pathogen disease outbreaks. The grant awards totaled $805,485.95 benefitting 35 hospitals. One last grant included covid-19 coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds benefitting 91 hospitals that collectively received $95,356,278. The Association did not earn an administrative fee from this grant. The Association received $168,611 in administrative fees from the above referenced grants and or contracts.