On Friday, Michael T. Rust announced his plans to retire on December 31, 2019, after 24 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA). Rust leaves a long and impactful legacy not only on the Association, but on all hospitals and health care in the state of Kentucky.

Rust has led KHA through nearly two and a half decades of change in the health care industry. Under his leadership, all the hospitals in Kentucky have retained membership in the Association, helping them speak with one common voice at both the state and federal levels.

“Mike has been an invaluable part of KHA during his tenure,” stated Jane Wheatley, chair of the KHA Board and president of Taylor Regional Hospital in Campbellsville. “He has enhanced the organization at every level and been a unifying force for hospitals throughout the commonwealth. The KHA Board and I are immensely grateful for his service.”

“It has been an honor serving KHA and the hospitals of Kentucky,” Rust noted. “I have enjoyed my time with the Association and I’m proud of the accomplishments we’ve made supporting hospitals and ensuring they can continue to provide the highest quality care to all Kentuckians.”

The KHA Board will engage a search firm in early 2019 to find a successor. To ensure the best possible candidate is selected for the position, a national search will be conducted.

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).

Until you can fill the positions permanently, KHA Solutions Group can help with your staffing challenges.

Qualivis is the Kentucky Hospital Association’s workforce solution and it offers a broad range of placement services. Qualivis reported they have seen an increase in home health needs within the program and they offer easy access to a nationwide network of health care staffing agencies to simplify and speed the search process. That means you spend less time managing contracts and fielding sales calls, and more time building a great team.

Qualivis currently aligns with 13 state hospital associations, helping nearly 400 hospitals nationwide with their workforce needs. Its vendor-neutral approach brings increased market competition in the areas of billing rates, contract terms and performance standards. Regular on-site compliance reviews are conducted with vendors to review the contract terms, compliance with Joint Commission, CMS and state regulatory requirements. Qualivis can...

The Leapfrog Group released its fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grades November 8, assigning letter grades to more than 2,600 acute care hospitals for patient safety performance. Twelve Kentucky hospitals earned an A grade:

Baptist Health Lexington Clark Regional Medical Center, Winchester Georgetown Community Hospital Harrison Memorial Hospital, Cynthiana Middlesboro ARH Hospital Norton Audubon Hospital, Louisville Norton Hospital, Louisville St. Elizabeth Edgewood St. Elizabeth Florence St. Elizabeth Fort Thomas TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital, Bowling Green Whitesburg ARH Hospital Kentucky, as a whole, also moved up in the national rankings to 33rd overall. The changes in Leapfrog's methodology for this round of grades are available at http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/media/file/Leapfrog-Hospital-Safety-Grade_Fall-2018_Scoring-Methodology-Changes.pdf.

KHA will host a Joint Commission Update seminar on December 13 in Louisville. The Joint Commission Accreditation Update for 2018-2019 will provide the information needed to understand and manage changes. Topics to be discussed include the new standards, high-level disinfection survey approach changes, competency assessment and documentation, ligature risk assessment and management and the on-site survey process changes.

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

If you have any questions, contact Sharon Perkins at KHA (sperkins@kyha.com).

Get the resources and training that your facility needs to run an effective antibiotic stewardship program by joining a free, 12-month national project. Beginning in December 2018, the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use provides participating long-term care facilities with antibiotic use guidelines, expert coaching, online education, improvement tools, patient education materials and more to help you prevent harms associated with antibiotics, such as Clostridium difficile. Participants also have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits.

To...

The Kentucky Society for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing (KSHPRM) will host it annual Fall Conference on November 8 at Bernheim Forest in Clermont. The event is free to hospital PR and marketing professional teams.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, hear from an esteemed line up of speakers. Afterwards, the organization will present the 2018 Thoroughbred Awards.

View the brochure for agenda details.

To register, send your name, title, organization, e-mail address and phone number to 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 Convention Corporate Sponsor and KHA Quality Conference Partner Sponsor the University of the Cumberlands!

The University of the Cumberlands is the largest non-profit private university in Kentucky.With more than 40 academic majors, minors and pre-professional programs, students can customize their college experience with their interests and passions.

For more information, visit the University of the Cumberlands website at http://www.ucumberlands.edu/....

The Kentucky Trustee is a quarterly newsletter KHA produces for the benefit of hospital boards. The goal is to provide your trustees with information they need to lead your hospital forward in today’s rapidly changing environment. The fall edition of the Kentucky Trustee is available at https://www.kyha.com/assets/docs/Publications/KT/KTFall18.pdf.

KHA mails the Kentucky Trustee newsletter to all trustees for which the Association has contact information. This is a good time to ensure KHA has your current board members’ addresses.

If you have suggestions for future issues of the Kentucky Trustee, please contact Ginger Dreyer at KHA (502-426-6220 or 800-945-4542 or via e-mail at gdreyer@kyha.com).

KHA will host an important program on Health Care Executives and the Opioid Epidemic immediately following the KHA Health Care Leadership Conference on November 9 in Louisville.

The Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives will offer 1.5 hours of Face-to-Face Education Credits for this panel discussion.

View the brochure for details. Online registration...

 

The Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives will offer 1.5 hours of Face-to-Face Education Credits for this panel discussion on the Health Care Executive's Role with the Opioid Crisis immediately following the KHA Health Care Leadership Conference on November 9 in Louisville.

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

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

The KHA Small Rural and CAH Forum will meet via webinar on October 25 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). The session's guest speaker/presenter is Brock Slabach, vice president of the National Rural Health Association. Slabach will provide a federal policy update. Additionally, Chris Neville with Collective Medical will discuss the special emergency department (ED) program being expanded in Kentucky.

If you have additional topics you would like covered, or need participation information, please contact Elizabeth Cobb at KHA (ecobb@kyha.com).

The Ridge Behavioral Health System, the Kentucky Hospital Association,and the Advocacy Action Network will host the Suicide: Across All Ages and Stages Conference on December 7 in Lexington. This conference will address many of the causes of suicide as well as prediction and prevention. The keynote presentation will discuss the intersection of opioid misuse and suicide.

Suicide takes life without regard to age, income, education, social standing, race, or gender. Overall, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all Americans, the 2nd leading cause of death for adults ages 25-34, and the 3rd leading cause of death for youth ages 15- 24. In Kentucky, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death. On average, one person dies by suicide every 12 hours in Kentucky.

View the brochure for Conference details. Online registration...

KHA Solutions Group Affinity Partner FairCode bridges the gap between your attending physicians and hospital coders. The result? Patient acuity and Case Mix Index is more accurately captured; your reimbursement adjusts accordingly. Physician-conducted medical chart reviews happen in real time, significantly impacting quality and bottom line results. From clinical chart reviews to payor denial defense, FairCode's physicians are a part of your team! Add them to your existing CDI initiatives, and see the difference.

FairCode Associates, LLC was founded in 2001 by a team of physicians and nurses to improve coding documentation and compliance in hospitals. We are dedicated to the correct documentation of patient acuity, and to ensuring that our clients receive full and fair compensation for the care they render.

To learn more about how FairCode can help...

Norton Children's Hospital and the University of Louisville Physicians - Pediatrics will host the Seventh Annual Pediatric and Behavioral Mental Health Symposium on Friday, November 16 at the University of Louisville Shelby Campus in Louisville.

This symposium will address pediatric mental health concerns that often are experienced by individuals secondary to racial bias, immigration status, developmental status, chronic medical conditions and sexual orientation. Providers will gain insight into best practices for mental health screening within diverse populations, treatment options and existing community resources for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, children of immigrant status with mental health concerns and children displaying behavioral problems as a result of chronic medical conditions or developmental disabilities. Additionally, providers will learn strategies to identify at-risk individuals and engage patients and families in developing mutually acceptable plans for utilizing...

In recognition of the hard work of health care professionals, which has caused health care-associated infections to decline, while acknowledging the importance of the continued vigilance of professionals and the public to use best practices in preventing infections, Governor Matthew Bevin proclaimed October 14-20, 2018, as Kentucky Infection Prevention Week.

View the Governor's full proclamation for all the details. For more information on Infection Prevention week, visit http://professionals.site.apic.org/.

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 Corporate Sponsor CMTA!

CMTA is a multi-specialty firm that specializes in cost effective, energy efficient buildings. They are true partners vested in your long-term success.

For more information, visit the CMTA website at https://www.cmta.com/.

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

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Christopher Plummer, mental health technician, and Jerry Osborne, security officer, at Our Lady of Peace (OLOP) as the latest Patient Safety Hero Awardees. They were both nominated by Jason Underwood, Assessment and Referral Center supervisor at OLOP, for their response to a life-threatening situation.

A patient arrived to the Our Lady of Peace Assessment and Referral Center to be assessed. While sitting in the waiting area, it was discovered that the patient was not breathing. A Code Blue was called and Plummer immediately lowered the patient to the floor and began CPR. He began chest compressions while Osborne was positioned to start rescue breathing. After Plummer administered 20 chest compressions, the patient began...

There are only 8 days left until the KHA 2018 Fall Volunteer Conference. Join volunteers, directors of volunteers and gift shop managers from across Kentucky at the Fall Volunteer Conference. Enjoy a day of excellent programming, a silent auction, lunch and a tour of the historic Fasig-Tipton thoroughbred auction company.

This year's event will be held at the historic Fasig-Tipton Thoroughbred Auction Company

View the brochure for a full agenda and program details. Online registration...

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 Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp)!

LabCorp is a leading global life sciences company that is deeply integrated in guiding patient care through its comprehensive clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services. Employing nearly 60,000 employees worldwide, the company’s mission is to improve health and improve lives by delivering world-class diagnostic solutions, bringing innovative medicines to patients faster and using technology to improve the delivery of care.

For more information, visit the LabCorp website at https://www.labcorp.com/....

King’s Daughters Medical Center neurologist Enawgaw Mehari, M.D., has practiced in the U.S. for several years, but he has never forgotten his home country of Ethiopia. Since 1999, Dr. Mehari has spearheaded an organization called People to People (P2P) to, in his words, “facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology to Africa with special emphasis in Ethiopia.”

Dr. Mehari has taken King’s Daughters physicians with him to Ethiopia— oncologist/hematologist Galena Salem, M.D., traveled there with Dr. Mehari in 2017— to teach medical professionals and care for patients. The organization alternates between visits to Ethiopia with medical professionals, and a U.S.-based medical conference for those with connections to Ethiopia. This year, People to People is hosting a worldwide conference in Washington, D.C.

This year marks the conference’s 10th anniversary with several firsts: an in-person and online conference focusing on “the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Ethiopia.”...

From the Somerset Commonwealth Journal:

UK HealthCare/The Norton Healthcare Stroke Care Network has recognized Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital with the “Innovation Award” for its work in improving stroke care for its patients.

At the Network’s annual Summit in Lexington on August 16, Dr. Michael Dobbs, MHCM, director of the Stroke Care Network, praised Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital for their dedication to excellence in stroke care.

“Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital’s commitment to quality improvement and coordination of resources to provide their patients with the highest quality stroke care is to be commended,” Dr. Dobbs said. “Everyone’s goal is to provide the best care for stroke patients as close to home as possible and Lake Cumberland’s efforts embody that principle.”

The “Innovation Award” is given to those who demonstrate remarkable innovation with implementing a leading edge approach to stroke care.

Lisa Bellamy,...

The 2018 A Day for Infection Preventionists will be held November 13 in Louisville. This educational event is aimed at supporting Kentucky infection prevention professionals in their daily work to reduce health care associated infections and provide quality patient care. The one-day conference builds on foundational skills provided in previous educational offerings and explores topics with emerging importance. The target audience includes infection preventionists, chief nursing officers, risk managers, quality improvement and patient safety personnel in the hospital.

CEUs are available for attendees.

For agenda details, view the brochure. To reserve your place, use the convenient online registration.

If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Perkins at KHA (sperkins@kyha.com).

Are you a Hospital Recruiter looking to network with other hospital recruiters around the state? If so, KAHCR invites you to their next meeting at KHA Headquarters in Louisville on October 16.

The Kentucky Association for Healthcare Recruitment (KAHCR), affiliated with the National Association for Healthcare Recruitment (NAHCR), is welcoming new members! The KAHCR chapter membership includes health care recruitment professionals across the State of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The chapter's mission is to provide a forum for those professionals engaged in the recruitment of health care personnel for their institutions, through which programs may be developed for the promotion of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

The group also provides educational programs and engages subject matter experts  on various topics. The chapter meets bi-monthly (see below for details on the next meeting).

If you would like to learn more, please attend this meeting as the organization's guest. RSVP to Kayla Williams by October 11 (Kayla.Williams@bhsi.com).

...

The KIPSQ Fall Forum, October 16 in Louisville, will gather both Patient Safety Organization (PSO) members and non-PSO members to discuss the Opioid Crisis. Presentations will encompass an intensive study conducted by ECRI Institute regarding Opioid use in acute care, a diversion prevention assessment tool and the legalities surrounding this issue.

Health care attorneys, risk management professionals, patient safety officers, quality leaders, nurse leaders, clinical leaders, CEOs, senior executives and administrative leaders are all encouraged to attend. CEUs will be available.

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

If you have any questions, please contact...

The KHA phone system is now repaired. You can again reach us via phone (502-426-6220 or 800-945-4542).

KHA's phone system is currently down. We have contacted our provider for service, but we do not currently know how long the system will be unavailable. All staff has access to email, and if you need to contact us urgently, but do not know which staff member can help, please email communications@kyha.com.

This blog article will be updated when the system is repaired.

KHA's book, Kentucky Hospital Statistics, is now available exclusively online. You can reach the book directly at https://www.kyha.com/kentucky-hospital-statistics.

Kentucky Hospital Statistics is a comprehensive compilation of data on Kentucky hospitals:

Numbers, types and location of hospitals in Kentucky Utilization of services Hospital finances Quality indicators Workforce and the economic impact of Kentucky’s hospitals as employers Statewide demographics Health status of Kentucky Each section will be updated as new data is available. Each update will be announced on the KHA blog.

You can reach the publication on www.kyha.com under Services->Publications->Special Publications or Data Center->Member Services Data or via the direct link listed above.

...

Falls Prevention Awareness Week is September 22 to September 28. Join the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence and the National Council of Aging (NCOA) to help spread awareness and promote strategies for falls prevention through a variety of education and resources as well as participate in social media discussions. To learn more about this week and access resources, click here. To get information on NCOA's Fall Prevention Awareness Day webinar, Facebook Live event and their twitter chat, click here....

Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital in Florence will host an Active Shooter Preparedness Seminar on October 24.

The program will be presented by Gregory A. Howard, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Advisor - Kentucky District since 2009. As a Protective Security Advisor, Howard supports Kentucky’s homeland security efforts by facilitating, coordinating and performing vulnerability assessments for critical infrastructures and assets, and by acting as a physical and technical security advisor to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Prior to serving in this role, Howard retired from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Commander with over 22 years of maritime law enforcement, safety and security experience.

To attend, please RSVP to Chad Beasley at Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital (859-426-2373).

The Kentucky Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (K-HIIN) was honored on Friday with the 2018 Team Achievement Award by the Kentucky Association for Healthcare Quality (KAHQ). The KAHQ Executive Committee noted K-HIIN's multiple projects with hospitals to increase quality care along with, "the results obtained throughout the state are quite impressive" as reasons for the award.

K-HIIN is the latest in a multitude of quality and patient safety projects KHA has coordinated and participated in over the years. The hard work of participating hospitals in this project has resulted in progress in several areas, including Adverse Drug Events – Excessive Anticoagulation, CAUTI, CLABSI, Falls, Stage 3 and 4 Pressure Injuries, and Ventilator-Associated Events.

The K-HIIN team is grateful to KAHQ for this recognition of the dedication they and...