KHA sponsor Qventus provides a comprehensive “system of action” that enables hospitals and health systems to optimize patient flow. Incorporating modern principles of behavioral, management and data science, the Qventus platform allows health care organizations to transform their operations by identifying bottlenecks before they occur, orchestrating actions among frontline teams and managing ongoing performance improvement.

With Qventus, leading hospitals and health systems such as Emory University Hospital, Fairview, Mercy, and New York Presbyterian have been able to significantly decrease length of stay, reduce excess days, increase patient volumes and more -- resulting in higher margins, improved caregiver well-being and enhanced patient care.

For additional information, visit www.qventus.com.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) along with the Governor’s office is asking Kentucky hospitals for support in reaching at-risk populations in the quest to vaccinate for Hepatitis A. Please see the Department's letter and call to action for details.

This is an extremely important issue, so KHA has contacted hospital CEOs, CMOs and CNOs to act on this opportunity.

If you have any questions, please contact the DPH Immunization Team (502-564-4478).

KHA salutes Harrison Memorial Hospital and its CEO Sheila Currans for being the first hospital in the state as well as the first in Blue Grass District to join the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS). Currans joined the program at the Blue Grass District Meeting in March.

Opioid stewardship involves a coordinated effort to reduce opioid-related harm by developing alternative means to manage pain and, when opioids are used, assuring that opioid prescribing and patient monitoring aligns with evidence-based guidelines. KY SOS will focus on reducing opioid overprescribing and improving safe opioid use by providing hospitals and health systems with education and resources on how to attain the highest level of performance on opioid stewardship.

KHA is proud to lead the KY SOS program as hospitals...

The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) today announced that its board of directors has appointed Nancy Galvagni as President and Chief Executive Officer.

In December, long-time KHA President Michael T. Rust announced his retirement after 24 years with the organization. The KHA Board of Trustees then began a nationwide search for his successor. The organization engaged the services of Witt/Kieffer to conduct the search.

Galvagni has been with KHA since 1979 and has served as the senior vice president for the past 20 years. In addition, she has served as the executive director of the Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality (KIPSQ), a federally certified patient safety organization and subsidiary of KHA. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, is a past president...

The Kentucky Health Information Management Association (KHIMA) will host its 2019 Annual Meeting June 3-4 in Richmond.

This year's theme is Navigating the Seas of HIM. Health Information Management (HIM) professionals have weathered many storms over the past several years, including MIPS, MACRA, value-based purchasing and health care reform just to name a few. When the seas finally calm, new storms approach. HIM professionals must grow and nurture their skills to be ready to weather the storms of heath care.

HIM professionals are invited to the conference to learn from experts and one another, about how to navigate the ever changing seas of HIM.

Online registration is available for your convenience.

In addition, the organization has secured a block of rooms at the Marriott in Richmond for a discounted rate. The following...

The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) held its yearly Awards Luncheon on May 10, as part of the 90^th Annual KHA Convention in Lexington. During the event, six hospitals from across the state were recognized with KHA Quality Awards. This award is presented to honor hospital leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment in patient care.

KHA and the Kentucky Hospital Research and Education Foundation (KHREF) are providing a one-day seminar for Critical Access Hospital (CAH) swing bed coordinators. The content of the seminar will promote swing bed program growth, care quality and compliance with Conditions of Participation. This program is provided to KHA CAH members through the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. A registration fee of only $50 will be charged to cover meal expenses.

The program brochure provides agenda details. Online registration is available for your convenience.

If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Cobb at KHA (ecobb@kyha.com).



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An Awards Luncheon was the culminating event at the Kentucky Hospital Association 90th Annual Convention in Lexington, May 8-10.

The highlight of the luncheon was the installment of the 2019-2020 Chair of the KHA Board of Trustees Garren Colvin, chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood. Colvin will begin his tenure as Chair on July 1.

Colvin has served as president and chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare since June 2015. In January 2011, Colvin was named executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to 2011, he served as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He has more than 30 years of experience in the industry.

KHA’s...

Baptist Health will be rolling out the red carpet on Monday, May 6, for a movie premiere that will save the lives of thousands of Kentucky infants.

The movie, created by Prevent Child Abuse of Kentucky, educates caregivers about safe sleep practices and pediatric abusive head trauma. The Kentucky Hospital Association will distribute it to every birthing center in the state, meaning it will be viewed by more than 50,000 new parents each year in more than 100 hospitals.

WellCare Health Plans sponsored the video.

“With 54,000 live births in Kentucky each year, we know there’s a significant audience of new parents that can benefit from learning how to keep their babies as safe as possible,” stated Jill Seyfred, Executive Director, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.

The Kentucky Hospital Association, along with other key partners, will play an important role in ensuring this educational video reaches this sizable audience. “Becoming a new parent can be both overwhelming...

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 Qventus!

Qventus provides a comprehensive “system of action” that incorporated modern principles of behavioral, management and data science that enables hospitals and health systems to optimize patient flow.

For more information, visit the Qventus website at https://www.qventus.com/.

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

The National Institute on Drug Abuse ranks Kentucky among the top 10 states with the highest opioid-related overdose deaths, and Kentucky’s hospitals are on the front line in the fight to help the state recover. To assist the state’s hospitals in this battle, the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) is partnering with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as part of the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE) to launch the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) program.

Opioid stewardship involves a coordinated effort to reduce opioid-related harm by developing alternative means to manage pain and, when opioids are used, assuring that opioid prescribing and patient monitoring aligns with evidence-based guidelines. KY SOS will focus on reducing opioid overprescribing and improving safe opioid use...

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 Alliant Management Services!

Alliant has specialized in rural hospital management since 1978. While many changes have occurred in health care over the years, Alliant’s commitment to provide expertise exclusively to rural markets remains unchanged.

For more information, visit Alliant's website at https://alliantmanagement.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant...

KHA submitted comments on proposed changes to 907 KAR 3:170 establishing payment rules for Medicaid coverage of telehealth services. Due to a filing error, 907 KAR 3:170 was withdrawn. As a result of this error, the Statement of Consideration of received comments will not be prepared or filed.

This administrative regulation will be refiled before July 1, 2019. DMS has shared that that several parts of the administrative regulation will be changed from the previous version, some reflecting comments received from KHA and members.

KHA is pleased with these anticipated improvements and will keep the membership updated.

If you have any questions, contact Elizabeth G. Cobb, MPH at KHA (ecobb@kyha.com).

Registration is now open for the Third Annual Kentucky Telehealth Summit, May 23 at the Knicely Conference Center at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

The agenda includes:

Technology-assisted Remote Patient Monitoring of chronically ill patients in their home Guidelines to starting a clinical telehealth Service Project ECHO in Kentucky Telehealth in Primary Care Telehealth in behavioral health And much more Registration information...

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed increasing the Medicare Wage Index for low-wage index hospitals, with the goal of supporting quality health care in rural areas. KHA is analyzing the 600+ page rule and will be filing comments, but is encouraged by the proposed changes intended to reduce the disparities between low and high wage index areas which has been a key issue for Kentucky’s hospitals advocated by KHA. (See KHA's comments on the disparity on page 14 of the Association's Federal Priorities).

According to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, "One in five Americans are living in rural areas and the hospitals that serve them are the backbone of our nation's health care system. Rural Americans face many obstacles as the result of our fragmented health care system, including living in communities with disproportionally higher poverty rates, more chronic conditions and more uninsured or underinsured individuals."

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KHA's mobile app is a great resource for Convention and beyond! The app not only provides all the details, maps, schedules and presentations for Convention, but also includes information members can use year round! There will not be USB drives of presentations this year. All presentations will be on the app or the KHA Convention website, www.khaconference.com.

The app includes:

Hospital Directory; KHA Staff Directory; Events Calendar; Advocacy Information; Sponsors; and More. If you downloaded the Convention app last year, you can simply update the app on your mobile device. Sometimes after an app update, rebooting your device can be helpful.

For...

KHA had an outstanding legislative session this year. All of our priority bills passed unanimously and were then signed by the Governor! This success was made possible through the collective efforts of the members and your assistance in contacting your local legislators.

Please review the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly Final Report for Hospitals, which contains a summary of KHA’s priority bills, including a detailed description of HB 320 which will provide supplemental Medicaid payments to hospitals. Information...

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 ChartWise Medical System, Inc.

ChartWise CDI is the KLAS award-winning Clinical Documentation Improvement solution integrated across the health care continuum, increasing efficiency and reducing risk, with a proven fast ROI.

For more information, visit the ChartWise Medical System website at http://www.chartwisemed.com/.

To become a sponsor, contact Claire Arant at KHA...

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 the Kentucky Regional Extension Center!

The Kentucky Regional Extension Center (Kentucky REC) serves as a trusted advisor to health care organizations, clinicians and leaders, helping them to manage the complex and changing world of health care.

For more information, visit the Kentucky REC website at https://www.kentuckyrec.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 Corporate Sponsor Medical Waste Services!

Medical Waste Services is based in Ashland, Kentucky, and provides medical waste pick up and secure document shredding. They offer competitive pricing with no unfair contracts.

For more information, visit the Medical Waste Services website at https://medicalwasteservices.us/.

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 Corporate Sponsor 3M | M*Modal!

M*Modal's cloud-based clinical documentation solutions connect workflows for efficient and accurate medical speech recognition, medical transcription, CDI and coding. The company facilitates physician-patient relationships by making it easy for doctors to capture the patient story, and by delivering information when it is needed most — at the point of care.

For more information, visit the M*Modal website at https://mmodal.com/.

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The American Hospital Association is recruiting hospital and health system trustees to serve on its Committee on Governance and Regional Policy Boards beginning in January 2020.

Please see AHA's flyer, which includes details and a link to the application form. If you know of trustees from your facilities who would make good candidates, please let them know of this opportunity.

Applications are due May 23.

If you have any questions, please contact AHA's Director of Member Relations Joan M. Ryzner (312-422-3321 or via email at jryzner@aha.org).

 

Up to 7.5 hours of ACHE face-to-face credits are available at KHA's 90th Annual Convention, May 8-10 in Lexington. Additionally, the Kentucky Chapter of the ACHE will host its Award Luncheon on May 9.

Details on all the ACHE sessions are available on the Convention website at https://www.khaconference.com/ache-sessions.

The KHA Convention website also has details on the entire agenda,  special events, links to online registration and a printable program....

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 Quality Air Solutions!

Quality Air Solutions is the exclusive stocking distributor for Parker Balston steam filters in steam sterilization systems and compressed air filtration for hospitals in Kentucky.

For more information, visit the Quality Air Solutions website at http://www.qualityairsolutions.net/.

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 Corporate Sponsor Nihon Kohden America!

Nihon Kohden is a cardiac monitoring and telemetry company that offers a full suite of solutions, helping to deliver premium care and enhance nursing workflow. "Different Thinking for Better Health Care."

For more information, visit the Nihon Kohden America website at https://www.nihonkohden.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 Corporate Sponsor JACO!

JACO is a leading manufacturer of point-of-care EHR mobile computer carts, wall stations and wall arm technology. JACO is an ISO-Certified, women-owned business

For more information, visit the JACO website at https://www.jacoinc.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 Bronze Sponsor Voalte!

Voalte develops smartphone solutions that simplify caregiver communication. As the only company to offer a comprehensive Mobile Communication Strategy, Voalte enables care teams inside and outside the hospital to access and exchange information securely. Voalte customers benefit from a solid smartphone infrastructure that supports their existing systems and expands to accommodate future technologies. Founded in 2008, Voalte is a privately held company based in Sarasota, Florida.

For more information, visit the Voalte website at http://www.voalte.com/.

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As you’re making your plans to attend the KHA 90th Annual Convention (May 8-10), we wanted to provide an update on hotel room availability. The KHA room block at the host hotel (The Hyatt Regency Lexington) is almost sold out. The rest of the hotel is completely booked for the night of May 9 due to a concert in Rupp Arena. Rooms at the Hyatt are still available May 7-8.

As the rest of the block of Hyatt rooms will fill quickly, KHA has worked with the Hyatt to find other rooms available in Lexington on May 9. Please use any of the following links to book your hotel room.

Hyatt Regency (a few rooms left with the KHA block; book quickly) Group Code: KHA9 or mention the KHA Annual Meeting Reservations: 800-233-1234 or online at: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/LEXRL/G-KHA9

Embassy Suites by Hilton/UK Coldstream 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, Kentucky Group Code: KHC Reservations:...

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 Luckett & Farley!

Established in 1853, Louisville-based architecture, engineering and interior design firm, Luckett & Farley, harnesses the collective creativity of over 100 employee-owners to execute design excellence.

For more information, visit the Luckett & Farley website at https://www.luckett-farley.com/.

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

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Sokhon Pok, at T. J. Samson Community Hospital, as the latest Patient Safety Hero Awardee. Pok was nominated by Andrea Purchis, T. J. Samson Infection Preventionist, who elaborated on why he deserved the award:

"I am so proud to have Sokhon Pok at our hospital. He is an exemplary nurse. On my daily rounds I assess foley needs on our patients. Every single time I have mentioned to Sokhon that his patient's foley has the capability to come out, he has it out within the hour. He never gives accuses for patient safety and he understands the risk of leaving these devices in."

Congratulations to Pok and all the T. J. Samson Community Hospital Hospital staff for their quality health care achievements!

Pictured left to...