Health Care Quality Week is the week dedicated to celebrating the contributions professionals have made in the field and bringing greater awareness to the profession of health care quality. Health care quality professionals work in every health care setting to enhance care delivery, optimize value and improve outcomes by leading activities in one or more of the following core quality functions:

Patient safety Regulatory and accreditation Quality review and accountability Performance and process improvement Health data analytics Population health and care transitions Take a moment this week to thank your quality and patient safety team for the work they do every day to help your hospital care for patients and have the best outcomes possible for the patient, their family and the health care team! For more information, visit http://nahq.org/about/healthcare-quality-week.

Join the Kentucky Hospital Association and the Kentucky Hospital Improvement and Innovation Network (K-HIIN) team in celebrating International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) this week! The 2017 theme for IIPW is Antibiotic Resistance. It is critical that health care professionals across the continuum preserve antibiotics for the future. By joining your friends, family members and health care colleagues in celebrating IIPW,, you are raising awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety.

Infection preventionists work tirelessly every day to keep patients and their families, as well as staff members, safe from infection! Please take time this week to thank them for all they do!

Throughout 2017, many changes have and are expected to occur in The Joint Commission Accreditation process and the effects it will have on accredited organizations. With the implementation of the Project REFRESH SAFER Matrix for scoring and the changes related to Pain Management, there will be some interesting challenges for all health care organizations. The Joint Commission Update 2018 on December 12 in Louisville will provide information needed to understand and manage these accreditation process changes. 

Topics to be discussed are:

The Project REFRESH and the SAFER Scoring Matrix Survey Preparation/Tracer Prep, Antimicrobial Stewardship Suicide Risk and Psychiatric Unit tracer information frequently cited and challenging standards 2018 Requirements for Education and Identification of important Electronic Medical Record Navigation Points. View the brochure...

KIPSQ members making care safer in KY by discussing Patient Identification Errors at the PSO's Safe Table Event on October 10.

Reach and network with Kentucky hospital decision makers by becoming a sponsor of the 2018 KHA Quality Conference. This event attracts nearly 200 health care professionals from Kentucky hospitals.

Attendees include hospital chief executive officers, chief nursing officers, quality directors, infection preventionists, pharmacy directors, chief medical officers and other health care professionals. The conference features recognized health care leaders and subject matter experts while providing multiple networking opportunities with key hospital decision makers.

For details, view the event sponsorship brochure.

If you have any questions,...

The West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) invites careLearning clients in both Kentucky and Ohio to their Live User Group Meeting on October 13 at the WVHA Office in Charleston, West Virginia. The meeting is free to all careLearning clients and lunch is included.

View the the agenda for program details.

To register, visit http://www.wvha.org/Events/Registrations/careLearning-Fall-2107-User-Group.aspx.

Please complete one registration for each person that plans to attend, limit two (2) people per organization, by October 10.



If you have any questions please feel free to contact Peggy Engelkemier at careLearning (peggyeng@carelearning.com) or Jim Kranz at WVHA (orjkranz@wvha.org).

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Eric Nordman, antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist at St. Elizabeth Edgewood as the latest Patient Safety Hero Awardee.  Tracie Shelton, director of patient safety/accreditation and infection control nominated Nordman for his efforts in leading patient safety improvements throughout the hospital.  

As per Shelton, Nordman holds a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from Northern Kentucky University, and he holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati. He served as the Antimicrobial Stewardship Team Lead for the Quality Transformation C-diff initiative. He met with and educated hospitalists and gastroenterologists on appropriate testing and best practice ordering protocols for C-diff. He created an EPIC report to identify patients with...

On October 3, KHA participated in the annual state hospital association meeting with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Region IV Office in Atlanta. Associations heard updates from CMS regarding enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), post payment audits by Medicare Advantage plans, pilot programs to reduce hospital readmissions of nursing home residents and more. A specific report on EMTALA violations being seen in Region 4 will be sent to members.

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

Registration is now open for the Fall KHA District meetings. Make your plans now to attend! View the flyer for agenda details. Online registration is available for your convenience.

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

The status of the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) surveys for respective State Fiscal Years (SFY) is now available. Several facilities are listed for the 2014 reviews and are requested to submit their information as soon as possible if they have not. 

Final settlements and resolution of appeals of prior SFYs are currently underway in abeyance pending the result of ongoing litigation at the federal level regarding payments from Third-party Payors.

The Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services and the 5 Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are hosting provider forums across the state. These forums are designed to allow any and all health care providers (including behavioral health and substance use providers) who have contracts with MCOs and serve Medicaid consumers to meet face-to-face and discuss concerns about proper billing, prior authorizations, prompt pay, appeals processes or any other specific issues related to the continued implementation of Managed Care.

In attendance will be senior level staff from each Managed Care Organization, senior staff from the Department of Insurance (DOI), Office of Inspector General, Department for Medicaid Services, Department for Public Health, Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, and the Office of the Secretary.

October 17 in Hopkinsville October 23 in Louisville October 25 in Morehead October 31 in Somerset November 3 in Highland...

Thanks to Kentucky Congressmen Hal Rogers, James Comer and John Yarmuth for signing a Dear Colleague letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to abandon its proposal to reduce Medicare Part B payment for drugs acquired through the 340B Drug Pricing Program. "Given the important role that the 340B program plays in our communities, we strongly urge CMS to abandon this proposal and redirect its efforts toward actions to address the cost of drugs via other policies that would not harm our constituents," the representatives wrote. 

CMS has proposed to pay for separately payable, non pass-through drugs purchased through the 340B program at the average sales price (ASP) minus 22.5%, rather than the current rate of ASP plus 6%. Two hundred twenty-eight members of the House of Representatives signed the letter to CMS. Eighty-five Kentucky hospitals qualify to receive 340B discounted outpatient drugs. Please join KHA in thanking Congressmen Rogers, Comer and Yarmuth.

For further...

Immediately after KHA"s Health Care Leadership Conference on November 3, the Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives will provide a program where members can earn 1.5 Face-to-Face Education credits.

The session will focus on "green" hospitals and health care and how health leaders can change the culture in their organizations as they cut long-term operating costs while becoming more visible within the community "as an exemplar for environmental sustainibility."

A brochure is available with session details, and online registration is now open.

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

If you have participated in the Kentucky Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive program in the past and have not been paid through program year 6, the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (REC) can you achieve Meaningful Use and earn the remaining incentive monies. The Kentucky Medicaid EHR Incentive program will continue through 2021.

The Kentucky REC Health IT advisors will assist you through this process by reviewing your Meaningful Use reports, completing a gap analysis and action plan, and assisting with the submission of your attestation. They will also educate and guide you along the way.

The reporting period for 2017 is any continuous 90 days in the calendar year. So, the last 90 days of the year will begin on October 3, 2017. The deadline to submit your attestation is March 31, 2018.

If you registered for the Medicaid Meaningful Use Program in the past, but have only attested to AIU the first year, you will need to attest by October 1, 2017, using a 90-day reporting period in calendar year 2017 to...

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Sherri Boggs, quality, risk and safety manager at Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Louisville as the latest Patient Safety Hero Awardee. Boggs was nominated by Keith Rankin, the hospital's director of nursing, for her efforts in leading patient safety improvements throughout the facility.  

Rankin called Boggs the "crown jewel" in the efforts that have gone into the building of a great safety culture at Our Lady of Peace over the last 5+ years. She has led the journey by taking the reins and keeping all other leaders and departments on a steady track for success. When starting their "Safety First" journey, the measures that were in place to review events and prevent harm were mediocre at best Rankin noted. It seemed as though serious safety events were frequent and that processes were examined infrequently. Boggs was a key piece of transforming that culture and as a result, OLOP has grown into a facility that places safety at the front of care. Their patients feel safe and the facts show this,. The hospital has extended its time without a Serious Safety Event to over 400 days, which is an incredible feat in a facility with such a high-risk population. 

...

On September 8, KHA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2018. The Association has significant concerns with this proposal's reductions in payment for 340B hospitals as well as changes to remove total knee replacement from the inpatient only list, which is unsafe and will negatively impact hospitals participating in the CMS Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) and the Bundled Payment for Care Improvements (BPCI) programs.

A copy of KHA's comments are available on the Policy page (members only) of www.kyha.com.

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

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and Long-term Care Hospital (LTCH) providers are encouraged to review their performance data on each quality measure based on First Quarter 2016 to Fourth Quarter 2016 data, prior to the December 2017 IRF and LTCH Compare refresh, during which this data will be publicly displayed.

Providers have 30 days to review their performance data (September 1, 2017 through September 30, 2017).

Corrections to the underlying data will not be permitted during this time. However, providers can request a CMS review during the preview period if they believe their data is inaccurate.

For more information:

...

KHA realizes that keeping employees trained appropriately and ensuring their skills and competencies remain up-to-date are constant challenges for hospitals and health care providers. For that reason, KHA, along with 40 other state hospital associations and the American Hospital Association, partnered to create careLearning, an internet-based education management solution.

careLearning is an online education company designed to help health care organizations by providing reliable, trusted and easily accessible talent management solutions. careLearning’s competency, eLearning and performance products are developed to ensure that your employees are provided with the appropriate training and education based on an assessment of the skills, knowledge and abilities required and an...

KHA Solutions Group has partnered with MASA MTS to provide a Community Solution to high air and ground ambulance out-of-network bills.

Americans today suffer from a false sense of security that their medical coverage will pay for all costs associated with emergency or critical care transport. The reality is that a majority of Americans are only partially covered for these high costs.

If a doctor or ambulance crew decides that a patient needs an air ambulance, their health insurer only pays part of the bill and because the ambulance companies are out of network, the balance of the bill goes to the patient.

MASA provides membership programs that employers can offer to employees to cover these expenses. With MASA, members will have ZERO out-of- pocket expenses for any emergent air or ground transport, REGARDLESS of who transports them! Membership programs...

The 2018 KHA Legislative Platform will be presented to the Association membership for approval at the annual KHA Health Care Leadership Conference (HCLC) on November 3 at the Embassy Suites Lexington.

As government leaders at the state and federal level are continuing to debate changes to the Affordable Care Act, it is an ideal time for the KHA Health Care Leadership Conference. Kentucky health care leaders can learn how President Trump’s administration will change health care as they join their peers and learn from Kentucky’s Senate and House leaders as well as state and national political experts. The Conference also gives attendees the opportunity to keep Kentucky's elected officials...

Yesterday, Kentucky Medicaid Commissioner Steve Miller announced a one-month delay to the implementation of a new Medicaid policy to no longer pay for early elective deliveries (EEDs) unless certain documentation is provided. This will also apply to Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). KHA requested the delay to provide additional time for hospitals to obtain more details about the policy and the required documentation, and to implement process changes in their facilities.

Notice of the policy change was initially provided through a June 23, 2017, letter to hospitals, which had a start date of September 1, 2017. Under the addendum, denials will start for claims with dates of service beginning on or after November 1, 2017. Also, hospitals will get a reminder notice of the November 1 effective date on claims paid with dates of service through October 31, 2017, that do not meet the new requirements.

KHA is working with the Department for Medicaid Services to provide a webinar...

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Brooke Roberts, Joshua Veilleux, Sam Gabbert and Sonya Downs at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Hospital as Patient Safety Hero Awardees. All were nominated by Twinetta Nusz, program manager of patient safety, for their efforts in leading patient safety improvements throughout the hospital. Congratulations to all of the awardees and the entire team at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Hospital for all of their patient safety successes.  

To nominate a member of your hospital's team, please visit the K-HIIN Patent Safety...

The Texas Hospital Association has established the THA Hospital Employee Assistance Fund to help hospital employees who experienced significant property loss or damage because of Hurricane Harvey. All funds will be used to directly assist hospital employees in Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster areas; administrative services are being provided in kind so that 100 percent of donated funds will be used to assist hospital employees. AHA has contributed an initial $50,000 to get the fund started. For more information or to make a donation, visit https://www.tha.org/Harvey/ReliefFund. AHA is working with THA on other ways hospitals and health systems can assist their colleagues in Texas and will share more information when available.

KHA and the K-HIIN group recently recognized Tim Trottier, chief executive officer of Spring View Hospital, as the latest Patient Safety Hero Awardee.  Trottier was nominated by Linda Hunter, the facility's chief nursing officer, for his efforts in leading patient safety improvements throughout the hospital. According to Hunter, Trottier was instrumental in helping Spring View improve quality, safety and satisfaction within the hospital. His achievements include improved patient, physician and employee satisfaction and decreased patient harms. 

To demonstrate his commitment to quality and patient safety he became a “Certified Professional in Patient Safety” CPPS. He most recently engaged a Patient Family Advisory Board (PFAB) that will lead the hospital’s mission to “Make Communities Healthier.”

...

KHA is pleased to announce that the Hospital Longitudinal Analysis Reports are available for Fourth Quarter 2016 and First Quarter 2017. Participating hospitals received a secure email yesterday with two reports – the Kentucky State Report and a hospital-specific Readmissions Report.

KHA will host a webinar to discuss how to interpret the reports: 

DataGen Readmissions Demo for the Kentucky Hospital Association Thursday, August 31 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. (ET)

Webinar link: https://datagen.webex.com/datagen/j.php?MTID=mf832dc9a5a1c36fa48df83d7ccdd7e2a Meeting...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to cut payments for most “separately payable Part B drugs” purchased under the 340B program and dispensed to Medicare hospital outpatients in its Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) calendar year (CY) 2018 proposed rule. “Separately payable Part B drugs” generally refer to those that have per-day costs about the packaging threshold, pass through drugs and certain antiemetics. CMS proposes payment at Average Sales Price (ASP) minus 22.5%, rather than ASP plus 6% (the current payment rate), for a nearly 30% cut.

Yesterday, KHA sent the chief financial officer of each 340B hospital paid under the OPPS a brief survey regarding the impact of this payment cut. KHA will summarize this data in support of its comments to CMS (due September 11)  opposing these cuts. 

CEOs, please encourage your CFO to respond to the survey by Wednesday, September 6.

If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Galvagni at KHA...

Governor Matt Bevin was joined by state legislators and officials from St. Elizabeth Florence on Wednesday, as he ceremonially signed recently enacted Senate Bill 42. 

Sponsored by Senator John Schickel, SB 42 permits a law enforcement officer to make an arrest for assault in the 4th degree, when the violation occurs in a hospital and the officer has probable cause.

Pictured above are (left to right) Representative Diane St. Onge, Representative 
Sal Santoro, a city police department representative, Senator John Schickel, St. Elizabeth Healthcare President Garren Colvin, a sheriff's department representative and Governor Bevin.

What happens when a computer or the internet or your phone system are not working? Does each department know what its critical functions are and how to continue working? Is your EMR really the first system that must be restored?

To answer these questions, KHA will host a webinar to discuss Business Impact Analysis and Contingency Planning on Wednesday, October 4. For details, view the brochure.

Online registration is now open. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Perkins at KHA (sperkins@kyha.com).

The Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services (KY DMS) is clarifying coverage for early elective deliveries (EED) including non-medically necessary inductions and cesarean deliveries. Claims submitted for labor inductions or cesarean sections on or before 39 weeks gestation that are not properly documented as medically necessary will be denied by Kentucky Medicaid including Kentucky Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs).

KY DMS's goals are to: 1) guide providers and hospitals to sound practice recommendations made by AGOG; 2) reduce morbidity in neonates from birth trauma and fetal immaturity; 3) reduce non-medically necessary deliveries less than 39 weeks gestation and; 4) encourage greater collaborations between hospitals and their physicians in developing quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving birth outcomes in Kentucky.

Medicaid delivery claims submitted, with dates of service on or after 9/1/2017, from enrolled hospitals and practitioners for elective inductions...

Yesterday, KHA sent the new Hospital CEO Dashboard Report to all Kentucky hospital CEOs via email.

The CEO Dashboard contains:

Hospital Utilization Data  Hospital Physician Data (Attending and Surgical)  Hospital Product Line Distribution  Financial Data (Payer Information)  Quality Data  Workforce Data Please note, KHA will start collecting Referring Physician data as of October 1, 2017, and future reports you show Referring and Surgical Physician data.

The data sources for this report include KHA InfoSuite, Kentucky Quality Counts (K-HIIN) data, Hospital Compare and KHA Annual Workforce Survey data from calendar year of 2016.

Hospital CEOS will receive updated reports on a quarterly basis. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the data, please contact Chuck Warnick (cwarnick@kyha.com) or Melanie Moch ( mmoch@kyha.com) at KHA.

...