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Stronger Together: The Unique Power of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association

Stronger Together: The Unique Power of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association 595 212 Abbie Miller

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA) was formed 40 years ago when the CEOs of Ohio’s six children’s hospitals got together to address a new methodology for reimbursement that did not take into consideration pediatric conditions and acuity.

“Ohio’s children’s hospitals are safety net hospitals for kids and the largest Medicaid providers in the state; 54% of the patients who seek care at our six member children’s hospitals rely on Medicaid for insurance coverage,” explains Nick Lashutka, president of OCHA.

“Compared to adult hospitals who see a significantly lower average Medicaid payor mix, even small changes in Medicaid reimbursement can be disastrous for children’s hospitals in Ohio.”
By working together with legislative leaders, they ultimately created a Medicaid outlier program that established a methodology that appropriately accounts for the unique needs of children with high acuity conditions such as cystic fibrosis or those who needed Level IV NICU care.

That coming together was just the beginning. Since then, OCHA has worked with the Ohio General Assembly to protect child health, primarily through advocacy for Medicaid. They’ve also joined forces with the national Children’s Hospital Association and other state-specific groups to advocate on the federal level.

“Ohio’s children’s hospitals compete in the marketplace, but when it comes to advocacy, we are 100% unified,” says Lashutka. “And we don’t just flag problems. They collaborate to present solutions to complex policy problems affecting children.”

This solution-oriented mindset may not be common among state advocacy groups, but it is one of the secrets to the successes OCHA has achieved.

“We feel strongly that we are the experts,” Lashutka says. “Legislators need solutions, so it’s our job to help them achieve solutions that not only meet their goals but also protect child healthcare. This happens through education, education and some more education.”

When it comes to negatively impacting child health through legislation, Lashutka and others say that it is generally the unintended negative impact of a change that was made with adults in mind.

“People sometimes forget the unique care that children’s hospitals provide. Adult care and adult systems can take more of the focus,” says Aileen Collins, Government Relations manager at Nationwide Children’s. “It’s our job to make sure that the unique needs of children are not overlooked and we consistently bring child health to the table.”

About the author

Abbie (Roth) Miller, MS, MWC, is a passionate communicator of science. As the manager of medical and science content at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, she shares stories about innovative research and discovery with audiences ranging from parents to preeminent researchers and leaders. She is a Medical Writer Certified®, credentialed by the American Medical Writers Association, and received her masters of science in Health Communication from Boston University.

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