The GNYHA Board of Governors met on September 28, 2000, and took the following actions:

• approved an application for Institutional Membership by Southampton Hospital and an application for Associate Membership by Palisades Medical Center (of the New York Presbyterian Healthcare System);

• heard a report on GNYHA's continued advocacy efforts for its members at the Federal level, including the latest Congressional proposals to secure relief for hospitals and continuing care providers from the damaging effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) and the latest phase of the national media campaign to secure additional BBA relief by the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care; an update on GNYHA's continued effort to prevent large cuts in Federal Medicaid funding for New York through changes in Federal Upper Payment Limit Regulations; and GNYHA's efforts to ensure that funds are appropriately allocated for staff recruitment, retention, and training for New York's not-for-profit nursing homes, as well as to secure fiscal relief for New York nursing homes with high capital costs;

• was updated on GNYHA's initiatives to secure significant payer reform, including a collaborative relationship with Aetna and ongoing discussions with other payers;

• heard a presentation on GNYHA's work to address members' cash flow and capital formation concerns, including Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System implementation, special New York State payments (including Community Health Care Conversion Demonstration Project funds and Graduate Medical Education Incentive Pool funds), and a follow-up to GNYHA's recent Capital Formation Symposium;

• heard an overview of the methodology used to determine the U.S. News and World Report hospital rankings, and the studies GNYHA has undertaken to critique the rankings, and approved the formation of an Outcomes Research Committee to oversee GNYHA's research agenda regarding differences between New York and other health care markets;

• was briefed on GNYHA's initiatives regarding quality of care and human subjects research, aimed at reducing medical errors and improving compliance with requirements for the protection of human subjects in research;

• had a discussion of the worsening nursing shortage and discussed possible solutions;

• was briefed on the recently enacted revisions to part-time clinic regulations; and

• heard a financial report for GNYHA and its subsidiaries for the period ending June 30, 2000.