KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Annual Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor RQI Partners.

Since 1985, The Brook Hospitals have been providing quality mental health and addiction treatment services. The Brook Hospitals have two facilities located in Louisville, Kentucky.

For more information, visit the RQI Partners website at https://rqipartners.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

Seventy-five hospital representatives attended KHA's Hospital Day at the Legislature in Frankfort last week. It was a great turn out for the annual event, which brings hospital leaders together with legislators.

The group was addressed by House Health & Family Services Chair, Representative Kim Moser, and Senate Health & Welfare Chair, Senator Ralph Alvarado. Chairman Alvarado and Chairwoman Moser addressed a number of pieces of legislation under consideration by the General Assembly. Chairman Alvarado specifically spoke about his legislation to end Surprise Billing and how he had worked closely with all stakeholders to develop his bill. He also addressed the need to rein-in legal advertising that could frighten patients into suddenly quitting their medications....

On February 7, Deanna Parker, assistant vice president of emergency services and EMS liaison at Hardin Memorial Health, spoke at a conference with Collective Medical on the impact care collaboration has had on the patients and staff at Hardin Memorial.

Last year, Hardin partnered with Stepworks, a substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery center, to help improve care outcomes for patients struggling with SUD. The partnership allows Hardin to automatically communicate with Stepworks via the Collective Medical platform when a Stepworks patient returns to the emergency department (ED), in real-time. A case manager from Stepworks can then reach out to the patient to discuss how the patient got off track and decide the best course of action...

KHA, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and UK HealthCare are proud to announce the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) has received a one-year extension, which will continue the program through June 2021.

Currently, 120 Kentucky hospitals are participating in the KY SOS program working to fight the opioid epidemic throughout the state. Hospitals are committed to reducing opioid overprescribing and improving safe opioid use.

For more details about KY SOS, including upcoming webinars and events, visit www.kentuckysos.com.

 

The Kentucky Hospital Association, along with Gallagher’s Human Resource and Compensation Consulting division (formally known as “Integrated Healthcare Strategies”), is excited to launch the 2020 KHA Physician Compensation and Production Survey. The survey results will include a free copy of the National Gallagher Physician Compensation and Production Survey for participants, as well as a custom report comprised of data representing KHA member participants only (if sufficient sample size exists to comply with Safe Harbor Reporting Guidelines).

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Bronze Sponsor Champlin Architecture!

Champlin Architecture is an innovative, design-driven firm invested in pushing creativity, collaboration and construction to deliver unique buildings that inspire through form and delight through function.

For more information, visit the Champlin Architecture website at http://www.thinkchamplin.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Annual Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor The Brook Hospitals.

Since 1985, The Brook Hospitals have been providing quality mental health and addiction treatment services. The Brook Hospitals have two facilities located in Louisville, Kentucky.

For more information, visit the The Brook Hospitals website at https://thebrookhospitals.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact...

Each year, KHA recognizes an outstanding hospital trustee with its Health Care Governance Leadership Award during the KHA Annual Convention Awards Luncheon. This year’s Awards Luncheon will be held on May 22 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington.

Nomination criteria and a nominating form are available at http://www.new-kyha.com/Portals/5/NewsDocs/2020HealthCareGovernanceAwardNominationForm.pdf.

Please return the form by March 31. Should you have any questions regarding the awards process, please contact Sharon Perkins at KHA (sperkins@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Annual Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE).

KHIE is a secure, interoperable electronic network that supports the statewide exchange of patient health information among health care providers across the commonwealth.

For more information, visit the KHIE website at https://khie.ky.gov.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com)....

 

KHA will host an Environment of Care and Life Safety Overview including behavioral health and beta-test of the new EC survey process on February 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast in Louisville.

This one-day program will provide valuable information for those responsible for creating the Environment of Care and Life Safety programs and who must understand the Joint Commission survey methodology and recent changes to the standards. Information will be provided so attendees can implement a practical, continuously compliant program to achieve maximum performance while effectively preparing for unscheduled Joint Commission and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services surveys. Attendees will also receive guidance to understand and interpret the most serious deficiencies commonly found in surveys. Sufficient time will be provided for questions...

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Bronze Sponsor Community Hospital Corporation!

CHC owns, manages and consults with community hospitals across the country. Services include: ownership/leasing, management, operational consulting, post-acute services and GPO access.

For more information, visit the Community Hospital Corporation website at https://communityhospitalcorp.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

On Monday, KHA Contacted Congressman Brett Guthrie regarding the Ban Surprise Billing Act. As Guthrie is a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, which will mark up this legislation, it is important he hears the concerns Kentucky hospitals have with the bill.

Based on a summary of the legislation, the Ban Surprise Billing Act relies on a median in-network rate to resolve out-of-network payments. The legislation would require out-of-network providers to accept the median in-network rate unless the amount paid was above $750 and only then could the payment be disputed through an independent dispute resolution process to determine the final payment.

KHA and member hospitals are opposed to payment at the median in-network rate. While it is understandable that insurers may initially pay this amount to comply with prompt pay laws, out-of-network providers should be given the ability to dispute this payment. KHA supports legislation which would set out a period under which the out-of-network...

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Bronze Sponsor Coker Group!

Coker Group works with hospitals and physicians groups to develop customized solutions in five main service areas: Strategy, Operations, Finance, Technology and Compliance.

For more information, visit the Coker Group website at http://www.cokergroup.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor Cepheid.

Cepheid is a manufacturer of infectious disease molecular diagnostic tests and the gen-expert system.

For more information, visit the Cepheid website at https://www.cepheid.com.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Annual Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor Magnolia Medical Technologies.

Magnolia Medical Technologies has developed the technology clinically demonstrated to reduce blood culture contamination and false-positive results for sepsis.

For more information, visit the Magnolia Medical Technologies website at https://magnolia-medical.com/....

KHA Affinity Partner SUNRx will host a series of webinars on 340B. KHA members are welcome to participate in these complimentary events.

March 10 2:00 p.m. (ET) Regulatory Update - Snapshot of Regulatory Activity Brochure Registration

June 9 2:00 p.m. (ET) 340B Innovation Targeting the Uninsured Save the Date

September 8 2:00 p.m. (ET) 340B Innovation...

On Friday, KHA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule (MFAR), which could jeopardize existing provider tax, inter-governmental transfers (IGT) and supplemental payment programs. KHA urged CMS to withdraw the rule as it would change the review process for supplemental payment programs and provider tax waivers along with granting itself unfettered discretion in evaluating permitted state financing arrangements through vague concepts such as "totality of circumstances," "net effect" and "undue burden."

A copy of the comments is available for members on the comments page of the KHA website at www.kyha.com/comments. If you have any further question, please feel free to contact Nancy Galvagni at KHA (ngalvagni@kyha.com).

This month’s refresh of Hospital Compare will include an update to hospital overall star ratings. This could again generate media interest, so KHA is sharing the AHA Member Advisory with members with some background information along with talking points on hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). Note that CMS has indicated it plans to propose more significant changes to the methodology this year, likely as part of the FY 2021 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule this spring.

This month’s Hospital Compare update also will include the FY 2020 results of the HAC reduction...

Register now for the first Kentucky Chapter ACHE program of 2020. The program will be held in Frankfort on February 20 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. (ET), right after the Kentucky Hospital Day at the Legislature (separate registration).

A panel of Kentucky hospital leaders will speak on the importance of Emergency Department Service Standards: Best Practice Approach for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE). Participants can earn 1.5 ACHE Face-to-Face Credits.

View the agenda for details. Online registration is available for your convenience.

If you have any questions, please contact Pam Kirchem at KHA (pkirchem@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Bronze Sponsor and KHA Quality Conference Partner Boehringer Ingelheim!

Family owned since 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Improving health and quality of life for patients is the goal of this research-driven pharmaceutical company.

For more information, visit the Boehringer Ingelheim website at https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/.

To become...

KHA will host a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Awareness webinar on February 12 at 11:00 a.m. This webinar is complimentary for members and will focus on awareness of SANE law in Kentucky, the definition of SANE-ready designation and challenges around having processes in emergency departments statewide to ensure a sexual assault exam can be performed 24/7 if a SANE nurse is not available.

Keynote speakers for this webinar will be Carrie Jackson from the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP) along with Vicki Yazel and Amanda Corzine, SANE coordinators from University of Louisville Hospital.

Please invite your emergency department leaders, staff and others from your facility to make sure your entire team is knowledgeable of the law and the requirements your must meet.

For log in information, please contact Carla Donnell at KHA (cdonnell@kyha.com).

...

 

Registration is now open for the Annual KHA Quality Conference, March 4-6 in Lexington.

Hospitals, physicians and other health providers are experiencing the need to improve their services and skills to meet the growing needs of tomorrow’s communities. This is a time when all of health care must join together to seek innovations and to maximize the quality services provided to patients at all levels of care.

The 2020 Quality Conference is designed to bring together all health care stakeholders to provide a better understanding of the patient’s needs. With better care and the closure of communication gaps, patient outcomes will continue to improve in Kentucky.

Special thanks to the many conference sponsors for their support this year!

View the brochure...

The KHA Hospital Day at the Legislature is a key, annual event that provides members with a unique opportunity to speak with one powerful voice during the Kentucky General Assembly. This year's event will be held Thursday, February 20 at the Frankfort Country Club, 101 Duntreath Street, in Frankfort. Register online now to reserve your seat!

Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. (ET), with breakfast starting at 8:00 AM. Confirmed speakers include Cabinet for Health and Family Services Interim Secretary Eric Friedlander and new Department for Medicaid Services Commissioner Lisa Lee. The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will adjourn by 10:15 AM, ET so members can go to the Capitol to meet with their...

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Silver Sponsor CardioSolution!

CardioSolution offers a unique turn-key solution delivering comprehensive cardiovascular service line solutions to hospitals nationwide.

For more information, visit the CardioSolution website at https://www.cardiosolution.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

KHA is grateful for the support of its Annual Sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of services. Please join KHA in thanking Silver Sponsor Frost Brown Todd!

With over 500 attorneys, Frost Brown Todd has developed a reputation for effectively serving the ever-changing needs of clients within the health care and insurance industry.

For more information, visit the Frost Brown Todd website at https://www.frostbrowntodd.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

The American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity encourages all hospitals to complete its 2019 Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Survey. The survey is designed to inform the field about its ongoing efforts to address health equity, diversity and inclusion. Aggregate findings from the survey will be shared in various forms, including whitepapers, presentations and educational forums. Hospital and health system CEOs whose organizations have not yet completed the survey received a reminder on January 10. Please complete the survey by the extended deadline February 14, 2020.

For more information, contact AHA survey support at surveysupport@aha.org or 800-530-9092.

KHA is grateful for the support of its event sponsors! Through their generous donations, KHA is better able to support its members and provide a wide array of events like the KHA Annual Quality Conference. Please join KHA in thanking event sponsor Nozin.

Backed years of research and development, supported by NIH grants and successful clinical trials, Nozin products are directed at growing health maintenance and disease prevention markets.

For more information, visit the Nozin website at https://www.nozin.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

By Sherry Kolb, RN - President of Qualivis, a KHA Solutions Group Affinity Partner

When you think of a hospital, you think of a safe space – a place to go to recover from illness or heal from injury. Increasingly, however, that sense of security is threatened by acts of violence committed against the people who have dedicated their career to help others. Data from numerous national organizations indicate that workplace violence is on the rise, with health care workers at a four times greater risk of being a victim of on-the-job violence than workers in any other industry. In fact, 2013 data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicate that 9,200 non-fatal workplace violence-related injuries were reported that year among health care workers. This accounts for more than 67 percent of all non-fatal workplace violence-related injuries across all industries. Research from the Occupational Safety and Health...

Throughout the year, KHA will host a series of webinars with featured speaker Sue Dill Calloway on updates to CMS standards. These programs ensure your hospital is prepared to meet all new requirements and is in compliance.

Schedule

January 29 CMS Hospital QAPI Worksheet and Revised Standards Brochure Registration

February 19 Medical Record: Compliance with CMS Hospital CoPs and Proposed Changes Brochure Registration

...

KHA will host the Annual Quality Conference on March 4, 5 and 6 at the Campbell House Hotel in Lexington. The title of the Conference is “Quality through Collaboration, Together We Will Have One Powerful Voice.” The 2.5-day conference will include sessions on partnerships and collaboration, honoring the work of the HIIN, next steps in quality, improvement science, Kentucky work on the opioid epidemic and various pharmacy-related topics. Please mark your calendars and join your colleagues from across the state at the Conference. The Conference brochure will be sent soon.

Like last year, KHA is seeking poster abstracts for presentations that support quality improvement, patient safety, leadership in health care and improved patient outcomes. See the “Call for Abstracts” document for details. The deadline for poster abstracts is Friday, February 7. Please...