The Kentucky Hospital Association currently has two positions open — Director of Quality & Health Professions and Emergency Preparedness/Trauma Coordinator.

The Director Quality & Health Professions for KHA will provide expertise on issues related to health professions. The Director will provide oversight of work including development of detailed quality and patient safety improvement project plans, engagement of hospitals and execution of project plans including documentation and tracking of project results and related data.

In addition, this position will lead and facilitate collaborative activities on behalf of Kentucky hospitals with a focus on engaging hospital quality improvement staff, management, nursing and other clinical and non-clinical front-line staff for Kentucky hospitals to achieve success in focus areas of the work plan of the Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality (KIPSQ).

The Director will work closely with other KHA staff assigned to quality and patient safety projects to assure coordination of staff activities; shall demonstrate accountability for the successful completion of all contracts and grants that focus on quality improvement and patient safety; and will supervise the KHA Quality Improvement Analyst and the Infection Prevention Improvement Advisor. Required education: MSN....

The Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP) released a video yesterday to provide training for hospitals on how they should respond to patients seeking help after a sexual assault.

This video will help facilities to understand their legal requirements, implement proper protocols and ensure emergency medical personnel are educated on proper care.



For easy links to this video and more resources from KASAP, visit https://www.kasap.org/get-info/resource-library/hospital-training-video-project.

The video is also available on the KHA website along with more education and resources for sexual assault response at http://www.kyha.com/sexual-assault-response.

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Early Bird Registration for the KHA Annual Volunteer Conference will close on August 26. Volunteers, auxillians, foundation and health care leaders from across the state will meet on September 26 to discuss new and exciting techniques to excel in their local programs. This is a completely revised conference bringing focus on the most requested topics and issues faced by hospital volunteer groups. Join KHA to reflect on the past, prepare for new challenges and learn how to rise to a new vision.

The registration fee includes two days of conference attendance, conference materials, meals (including entry into the networking reception with vendors and admission to the BBQ dinner with entertainment provided by the Moron Brothers) and eligibility for personal and facility...

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the KHA Committee on Volunteer Services, enhance the services KHA offers its members and help the Association find ways to highlight the great work of hospital volunteer and auxiliary programs across the state, hospitals are asked to complete a survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/khavolunteersurvey) on volunteer services at their facility.

The survey is very brief and should only take 3 minutes to complete. Please feel free to forward this information to the correct staff member at your facility.

The Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (KACEP), the nation's largest emergency medical organization with more than 37,000 emergency physicians, endorses technology that enables emergency physicians to access, in real time, essential patient medical record information from different organizations across the community.

Collective Medical's emergency department information exchange (EDie) software is an ED-specific application that provides emergency physicians with instant access to a patient's history from other EDie-connected clinics, facilities, treatment centers and other emergency departments. This software has been proven to improve patient outcomes and avoid readmissions. Integrated access to patient medical records lowers health care costs through eliminating testing...

KHA Solutions Group Affinity Partner ChartWise’s three-time best in KLAS award-winning CDI software provides the most advanced and proven Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) and Denials Management (DM) solution available to meet the myriad of revenue cycle challenges faced by providers.

Developed by medical and coding professionals, ChartWise combines Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology with sophisticated clinically designed workflows that guide physicians, documentation and denials management personnel to identify and validate all clinical complications and indicators that have not been specified completely or accurately in the clinical record.

ChartWise is used by over 125 hospitals today with an average ROI of 13X...

KHA and the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) Advisory Committee invites KY SOS hospital representatives to attend an upcoming Regional Training Meeting to begin KY SOS efforts across the state.

The Regional Training Meetings will highlight specific standards for the SOS program while educating hospitals and clinical leaders on the KY SOS program and its requirements. Hospitals will be provided tools to implement and further their opioid stewardship efforts at these meetings. Lunch in included.

Project Leads and/or other opioid stewardship champions, like physicians, nurses and pharmacists, are encouraged to attend one of the following meetings:

September 10 - Louisville September 11 - Lexington September 26 - Bowling Green September 30 - Paducah October 11 - Hazard

If...

On August 6, DeLoitte hosted a briefing webinar to familiarize the KHA Waiver Implementation Workgroup with the Kentucky Integrated Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (KI-HIPP) program. KI-HIPP is a voluntary Medicaid program that helps eligible Medicaid members cover the cost of an employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) plan. Members who choose to enroll in the program do not lose their Medicaid benefits.

KHA members are urged to view the presentation deck from the webinar to familiarize themselves with the program. You can also visit the KI-HIPP webpage...

KHA will host a Roundtable Meeting with Congressman Brett Guthrie at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital on August 23 starting at 1:00 p.m. (CT). This is a great opportunity to further Kentucky hospitals’ key federal issues and how they affect the Congressman's district specifically.

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP to Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

The 2019 Healthcare Coalition Conference is September 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency Louisville and the Kentucky International Convention Center. The Conference is designed to meet the educational needs of health care engineers, professionals involved in managing safety & security in health care facilities, as well as professionals in health care supply chain and materials management.

The Healthcare Coalition Conference will include top-notch educational content, hours of continuing education credits, as well as ongoing opportunities to discuss emerging issues and best practices with colleagues, vendors and consultants.

Registration is available online at https://kshe.org/event/hcc2019registration.

KHA Director of Administration Ashley Peterson was recently selected as an Ambassador for Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky’s (PCAKY) 2019 Kids Are Worth It Conference. KHA members are invited to attend the event September 9-10 in Lexington.

The program will cover trending topics such as what providers should know about opioids and children, human trafficking, attitudes towards corporal punishment, drug and alcohol trends, suicide prevention, helping children after loss, sudden unexpected infant deaths, preventing child neglect, homelessness in families/children, pediatric abusive head trauma, collaborating on investigations, working with trauma exposed children and many more

The Kentucky Hospital Association was proud to be a part of facilitating PCAKY’s Safe Sleep Practices & Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Video this year.

For more information about the conference, visit https://www.pcaky.org/node/69.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) has released a one-page questionnaire to assist health care providers in identifying risk factors of individuals diagnosed with acute hepatitis A.

The department asks providers to complete this form for all suspected cases of acute hepatitis and fax to your local health department. As a reminder, please also continue to obtain proper diagnostic specimens (IgM anti-HAV) and collect an additional vial of blood to submit for genotyping.

If you need further information, please use the KDPH contacts below:

Amanda Hunt, BSN, RN, CLC Nurse Consultant (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C) Department for Public Health Division of Epidemiology & Health Planning Reportable Disease Section Telephone: (502) 564-3261 x4242 Secure Fax: (502) 696-3803 Email: Amanda.Hunt@ky.gov...

KHA is pleased to announce that Harold C. “Bud” Warman, Jr., FACHE has joined the Association staff as Vice President of Member Services. In his position at KHA, he will deal with member issues and oversee KHA’s rural health care initiatives, the Kentucky Hospital Research & Education Foundation (KHREF) and government relations.

Warman is a graduate of West Virginia University and received his Master’s degree in Health Care Administration and Management from Xavier University. Before becoming a part of the Association’s team, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Highlands Regional Medical Center in Prestonsburg for 21 years, and served as the 2012-2013 Chair of the KHA Board of Trustees.

His wealth of experience, knowledge and education will make him a tremendous asset to the Association and its members.

If you plan to attend, kindly send an email by August 16 to apeterson@kyha.com.

Is 2019 the year you will Advance your ACHE membership and earn the prestigious FELLOW in the American College of Healthcare Executives or FACHE Credential? Why put it off any longer?

The graphic to the left explains the eligibility requirements to take this step in further developing your professional career.

If you have met, or you will soon meet, all requirements to be eligible, The Kentucky Chapter of ACHE invites you to a special Board of Governors (BOG) Exam Review on Friday, August 16, in Louisville. Harshaw-Trane sponsors this annual event and the details and registration information are available on the event website....

The first step for hospitals that have committed to the KY SOS program will be to complete the Needs Assessment Survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6DCVFWH . The Needs Assessment Survey is mandatory for participating in this program and must be completed by Monday August 12.

The Advisory Committee will review these surveys and will tailor metrics and education based upon your responses. The goal is to continue and further your efforts regarding opioid stewardship while reducing the workload burden in your facility.

After completion of the Needs Assessment Survey, the next step for the program will be attendance at a Regional Training meeting this fall in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Hazard or Paducah. More information will...

Nearly 88 infants are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) daily in the U.S.

Despite being widely recognized as the most tragic victims of the opioid crisis — as it is the maternal use of opioids that causes the newborn’s opioid dependency — the specialized care necessary to manage withdrawal in a newborn often ends when that baby leaves the hospital. Post-discharge, parents take their babies back to rural communities where the hospital staff may be unaware of the newborn’s underlying illness and the risks associated with it.

Earlier this year, Highlands Regional Medical Center, in Prestonsburg, helped pioneer new functionality...

On August 14, KHA will host a webinar on Conditions of Participation (CoP) for Nursing. Please save the date and make plans now to participate. This webinar is a must-attend program for any clinical nurse, nurse leader or person interested in ensuring compliance with the CMS hospitals conditions of participation (CoP) in nursing.

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

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

On August 20, KHA will host a program on the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) for critical access hospital (CAH) quality leaders.

MBQIP provides an opportunity for individual hospitals to look at their own data, measure their outcomes against other CAHs and partner with other hospitals in the state around quality improvement initiatives to improve outcomes and provide the highest quality care to each and every one of their patients.Conference participants will:

Develop strategies for improving social media and communications. Identify challenges to timely and appropriate care transitions. Review relevant and timely quality data See the program brochure for additional details. Online registration...

On Tuesday, KHA submitted comments to the Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs regarding the regulation on telehealth service coverage and reimbursement.

KHA expressed gratitude to the Cabinet for recognizing the needs to expand the use of telehealth services to increase access to health care services throughout the state. The comments stressed the need for payment parity and encouraged the department to assure consistency in terms and definitions.

To see a full copy of KHA's comments, members can visit the Policy page of www.kyha.com.

If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Galvagni at KHA (ngalvagni@kyha.com).

The second episode of The Kentucky Hospitals Podcast is now available to download. Members can access the latest episodes at www.kyha.com/podcast. Just log in on any desktop or mobile device for a list of episodes. You can also click the Subscribe button there to receive email notifications when a new episode is produced.

In this episode, KHA President Nancy Galvagni discusses KHA's recent advocacy trip to Washington, DC. Listeners will hear details of the discussions the KHA team had with members of the Kentucky congressional delegation.

Please feel free to contact Ginger Dreyer...

 

A group of KHA members visited Washington last week, led by KHA President Nancy Galvagni, to meet with members of the Kentucky congressional delegation.

Thanks to the team for taking time from their busy schedules to participate in this important advocacy trip. Pictured above are Bud Warman, Highlands Regional Medical Center; Joe Grossman, Appalachian Regional Healthcare; Nancy Galvagni; Nina Eisner, Ridge Behavioral Health System; Sherri Craig, CHI Saint Joseph Health and KentuckyOne Health; Rosanne Nields, St. Elizabeth Healthcare; and Lourdes Baez, Baptist Health.

Participants presented KHA's Federal Issues for Summer 2019 to the congressmen and their staff members while discussing...

Last week, KHA was honored with the American Hospital Association's Center for Health Innovation Performance Improvement Award during the 2019 AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego. The award recognized KHA's Kentucky Hospital Innovation and Improvement Network (K-HIIN) team for their great work assisting member hospitals with quality improvement.

This is a huge honor for K-HIIN and the endeavors of all the participating Kentucky hospitals who work tirelessly to provide the best quality care for all Kentuckians!

Accepting the award (pictured above) were K-HIIN Pharmacy Consultant Emily Henderson, PharmD,  and KHA Director of Data Collection and Training Melanie Moch, CPC.

The National Safe Haven Alliance (NSHA) recently provided KHA with a PowerPoint presentation to share with hospitals. The presentation has basic training for hospitals that do not currently have procedures in place for if a mother in crisis should need help to safely surrender her baby to the Safe Haven Program.

Download the presentation to use it in your facility. If you need further information, please contact NSHA Representative Sherry Foushee (sfoushee@nationalsafehavenalliance.org).

Below are two announcements of funding opportunities of interest to hospitals. Follow the corresponding links for more information.

On opioids: The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) has released their first Request for Proposals (RFP) on improving access to appropriate opioid use disorder treatment and services for underserved and vulnerable populations. For more information, please visit FORE’s website.

On CDFIs: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Capital Magnet Fund Program will fund certified CDFIs and certain non-profit organizations...

The Kentucky Society for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing (KSHPRM) is now accepting entries for the 2019 Thoroughbred Awards. The Award competition is designed to recognize marketing/public relations professionals who achieved excellence in projects ranging from publications and multimedia programs to advertising and fundraising in the past year.

Entries are due no later than September 15 Projects entered must have been completed July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 Entry fee is $45 The call for nominations, entry details and forms will be available shortly at http://www.kshprm.net.

If you have any questions, please contact KSHPRM Thoroughbred Awards Chair Jill Scoggins (jill.scoggins@louisville.edu).

KHA will host a Roundtable Meeting with Congressman Brett Guthrie at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital on August 23 starting at 1:00 p.m. (CT). This is a great opportunity to further Kentucky hospitals’ key federal issues and how they affect the Congressman's district specifically.

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP to Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com).

KHA is recognizing all the hospitals who have joined the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) on social media. Make sure you are following KHA (see platform details below) in order to see when your hospital is highlighted. Feel free to like, comment and share the posts with your followers so more people can see the commitment Kentucky hospitals have to combating the opioid epidemic.

KY SOS uses the hashtag #kyhospitalsos to make searches for the topic simple. Feel free to use #kyhospitalsos when sharing your activity in the program.

Facebook @KYHospitals

Twitter @KYHospitals

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/kentucky-hospital-association

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On August 20, KHA will host a program on the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) for critical access hospitals (CAHs). Please save the date and make plans now to attend.

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

On August 14, KHA will host a webinar on Conditions of Paticipation (CoP) for Nursing. Please save the date and make plans now to participate.

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