By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 12:04 PM
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital
Research and Educational Trust (HRET) set regular milestones for HIIN
programs around the country. The latest milestone required 70 percent of
the hospitals participating in K-HIIN to submit data on all applicable
topic areas for the time period of October 2016 through February 2017.
K-HIIN hospitals went above and beyond the goal, as 94 percent of the
participating hospitals met their milestone in all applicable areas.
K-HIIN received additional funding for meeting this pre-set milestone,
which will be passed on to all the participating hospitals who met their
individual milestones. It is because of the hard work and dedication of the
hospitals that K-HIIN continues to receive this funding to improve patient
care and quality in Kentucky.
Hospitals meeting milestones 1-3 will receive their funding this week.
If you have any question about K-HIIIN and other quality programs at KHA,
please contact Donna Meador at KHA ( dmeador@kyha.com)....
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:55 AM
KHA Diamond Sponsor Bluegrass Care Navigators, previously Hospice of the Bluegrass, was recently named a 2017 Hospice Honors Elite recipient by Deyta Analytics, a division of HEALTHCAREfirst. Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.
Separately, Modern Healthcare has honored Bluegrass Care Navigators, naming it one of its “2017 Best Places to Work.” The annual national award recognizes companies that continuously strive to improve their work environment and increase employee engagement, satisfaction and retention through innovative changes in the workplace. It was only the second year that Bluegrass Care Navigators participated in the program.
KHA is thankful for all the sponsors that help support the Association and its goals.
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:20 AM
 KHA Solutions Group Affinity Partner SUNRx offers the easiest and most effective way for rural health
providers to take advantage of the 340B opportunity. SUNRx helps hospitals
and health centers:
Generate Revenue.
Capture revenue from patients with third-party coverage, and generate
$40 or more from each qualifying claim.
Reduce costs.
Reduce the cost of medications for eligible patients by half.
Launch contract pharmacy networks.
Hospitals do not need a 340B inventory, additional staff or an
outpatient pharmacy. SunRx can build a seamless network of retail
pharmacies to dispense 340B discount drugs.
Improve patient care.
Help patients save money on medications so they fill their
prescriptions, go to the emergency room less often and have...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 9:17 AM
KHA is pleased to release the Utilization Trend Report, updated with data from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2016.
A copy of the report is available on the KHA website's Data Center, under Utilization.
If you have any questions, please contact Chuck Warnick at KHA (502-426-6220 or 800-945-4542 or via cwarnick@kyha.com).
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Thursday, May 25, 2017 8:47 AM
KHA is grateful the support of the membership during the 2017 Kentucky General Assembly. When hospitals combine their strength and collectively express their concerns to elected officials, more can be accomplished.
A special thanks goes to KHA Legislative Committee Chair, Joe Koch, whose term ends July 1, for
successfully leading the Committee for the last four years. Thank you, Joe, for
your outstanding guidance and leadership throughout these important and
challenging years of legislation and regulatory changes at both the state
and federal levels.
2017 Kentucky General Assembly Report for Hospitals
Two out of KHA’s three liability reform priorities this session were passed
as a first step toward making even greater strides to reform the medical
liability climate in Kentucky. SB 4 (Alvarado,
(R-Winchester), for the establishment of medical review panels, was signed
into law by Governor Matt Bevin as well as HB 223 (Fischer, R- Ft. Thomas), for the lowering of the
statutory...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Thursday, May 25, 2017 8:32 AM
The Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence (KCADV) is hosting a webinar to increase the knowledge, skills and awareness of professionals about changes in the domestic violence mandatory reporting statute. This session will also cover mandatory reporting statutes for child abuse and vulnerable adult abuse.
HB 309 amends KRS 209A and requires professionals — including law enforcement, licensed mental health professionals, and health care workers — to provide a suspected victim of domestic violence and abuse or dating violence and abuse with educational materials related to domestic violence and abuse or dating violence and abuse. The law goes into effect across Kentucky on June 29.
Webinars will be offered each Friday in June and July.
The Webinar will:
Present an overview of new mandatory reporting requirements affected by HB 309;
Review existing requirements regarding child abuse and vulnerable adult abuse;
Expand understanding of domestic violence services and...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Thursday, May 25, 2017 7:58 AM
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet's Division of Compliance Assistance (DCA) is providing an introduction-level
workshop that will help participants understand how to properly manage and
dispose of different kinds of waste. It will also cover waste reduction
techniques and how to develop a recycling program.
Speakers from the Division of Waste Management and DCA will explain how to
identify and manage different types of waste, upcoming regulations and
methods to reduce waste generation, including ways to develop and implement
a recycling program. Attendees that will benefit from attendance include environmental or facility managers.
Special guest Leggett & Platt, Inc., a mattress manufacturer in
Winchester, will discuss their successful recycling and
community outreach programs. At the workshop’s end, attendees may visit the
Leggett & Platt plant to observe the facility and program in action.
The
...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 8:20 AM
The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) presented awards to four hospital
volunteer groups during the Association’s Auxiliary/Volunteer Luncheon on
May 18, at the 88th Annual KHA Convention in Lexington. The
HANDS Awards (Helping Accomplish Noteworthy Duties Successfully) recognize
outstanding volunteer/auxiliary programs in hospitals across the state.
This year’s recipients are:
Baptist Health La Grange
Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital
Hardin Memorial Health
UK HealthCare
 Baptist Health La Grange volunteers created a library project for their
facility. The Little Free Library Project began in 2015 after one of the
hospital’s volunteers, Dede McIntyre, saw an article describing the Little
Free Libraries, a non-profit organization with...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 7:53 AM
The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) held its yearly Awards Luncheon on
May 19, as part of the 88th 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.
This year’s recipients were:
Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital
, in Irvine, for their work in LEAN Management and Rapid Improvement
Events;
Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center
, in Leitchfield, for their use of a patient safety partner in
implementing a discharge follow-up call system to collect data and
prevent unnecessary readmissions;
Frankfort Regional Medical Center
, in Frankfort, for using an innovative approach in managing COPD
patients across the continuum of care;
Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital
, in Louisville, for studying...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 8:14 AM
 While many hospitals avoid temporary staffing, the use of travelers remains
a viable solution when more traditional approaches are not successful. KHA Affinity Solutions Group Partner Healthcare Staffing Services is an important tool to manage traveler
staffing and is available at no cost to KHA members. Healthcare Staffing
Services also offers an online staffing management tool for posting and
confirming open positions, scheduling and invoicing. Specific benefits
of Healthcare Staffing Services include:
Single contract for all participating agencies
Compliance audits
No hidden fees
Joint Commission certified agencies only
No guaranteed hours required
Compensation for non-qualified staff, no...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 8:08 AM
 The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) presented several awards during the
Association’s Awards Luncheon on May 19, at the 88th Annual KHA Convention in Lexington.
The highlight of the luncheon was the installment of the 2017-2018 Chair of
the KHA Board of Trustees, Jerome Penner, chief executive
officer of Murray-Calloway County Hospital, in Murray. Penner will begin
his tenure as Chair on July 1.
KHA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, was bestowed upon Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health
affairs at the University of Kentucky. This award is presented to an
individual who has given untiring and exceptional service to their
hospital, community, the state and the Association. Since coming to the...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Monday, May 22, 2017 9:15 AM
The Centers for Disease Control's (CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics conducts the National
Health Care Surveys, which include the National Hospital Care Survey ( NHCS), National
Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ( NHAMCS), and the
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ( NAMCS). These
nationally representative surveys provide data and information used by
Congress, health care services researchers and others to shape health care
policy and the future of health care in the United States.
The National Center for Health Statistics is accepting registration from
eligible clinicians (ECs), eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals
(EHs) or critical access hospitals (CAHs) of their intent to submit data to
the National Health Care Surveys as part of the Merit-Based Incentive
Payment System (MIPS) and the...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Wednesday, May 17, 2017 8:57 AM
 KHA Solutions Group has added the Patient Transition
of Care platform from Sequentia Corporation as its latest partner in its Affinity Partner program. Sequentia’s web-based solution offers health care providers the system,
tools and data necessary to fully optimize the patient transition of care
process from “end to end” in the continuum of care. Beginning with patient
admission into a hospital for acute care, the Sequentia system tracks,
accelerates and enhances the patient journey into and through post-acute
care, with any type of care provider that is required to deliver the best
patient care outcome. Hospitals using the Sequentia platform can achieve
significant operational and financial performance improvements.
Sequentia Corporation is a developer and provider of health care technology solutions, and the Sequentia TOC platform is a Certified...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Monday, May 15, 2017 9:27 AM
KHA is pleased to announce the Association's app is new, improved and ready for download. The app not only provides all the details, maps, schedules and presentations for Convention, but now includes information members can use year round!
The app includes:
- Hospital Directory;
- KHA Staff Directory;
- Events Calendar;
- Advocacy Information;
- Sponsors; and
- More As The App Evolves.
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Friday, May 12, 2017 7:45 AM
The KHA 88th Annual Convention in Lexington is less than a week away. The event includes a track especially designed for nurse leaders. Some outstanding Kentucky Nursing Research will be highlighted and the Kentucky Organization of Nurse Leaders (KONL) will hold a business meeting.
Review the nursing track agenda for presentation details, and visit the KHA Convention website to register today.
If you have any questions, please contact Carol Walters at KHA ( cwalters@kyha.com). ...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Thursday, May 11, 2017 8:08 AM
CGS has just issued a clarification regarding its mandate for sleep
centers to hold specific accreditation. Under the clarification, sleep
centers (hospital-based and freestanding) will have 90 days to apply for
accreditation from one of the three approved entities, and one year to
actually undergo the survey and receive accreditation. This is welcome news
for Kentucky hospitals with sleep labs. On April 28, KHA sent a letter to
CGS requesting additional time for hospitals to obtain accreditation and
requesting grandfathered status for Joint Commission-accredited hospitals
until their next survey. KHA is pleased that CGS is willing to provide
additional time for hospitals to gain accreditation so that beneficiary
access to care is not harmed.
The Joint Commission will work with all Kentucky Joint Commission- accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) on scheduling the ambulatory accreditation of
their sleep center based upon when they are due for their next triennial
hospital...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Wednesday, May 10, 2017 10:08 AM
The Kentucky Society for Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing (KSHPRM) will host its annual spring conference on June 7 in Owensboro. KSHPRM's main purpose is to provide quality education and networking for marketing, public relations and physician liaison members, and since it has been providing this service for decades, the organization has built up its education
fund. To reward its members, KSHPRM is inviting everyone to attend the spring conference at NO COST to thank you and the
hospital/organization you represent for your support!
Please register in advance to secure your seat.
When: Wednesday, June 7
Starts: 9:00 a.m. (CT)
Ends: 2:15 p.m. (CT)
Where: Owensboro Convention Center
Who: YOU and your entire marketing team and physician liaisons
Why: Learning, staff development, networking with your peers and
referring hospitals
Sponsor Tables will also be free to introduce new vendors to KSHPRM as
well as to thank past...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Wednesday, May 10, 2017 9:59 AM
The KHA 88th Annual Convention is May 18-19 in Lexington. There is a track especially designed for hospital attorneys. Topics will include credentialing, social media & ethics, cyber threats, Section 603 and a legislative update. The Kentucky Academy of Hospital Attorneys (KAHA) will also hold a business meeting during the Convention.
Review the legal track agenda for presentation details, and visit the KHA Convention website to register today.
If you have any questions, please contact Carol Walters at KHA (cwalters@kyha.com).
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Friday, May 05, 2017 8:23 AM
Good oral health policy should reflect the opinions of its stakeholders.
The Kentucky Oral Health Program (through the Department for Public Health) is conducting a survey for many different
stakeholders to glean attitudes and values regarding the state’s oral
health status and issues. The survey, available at
https://kdph.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cva98qXxpcbmksZ
takes less than 8 minutes to complete. There are no “fill in the blank” questions and all responses are confidential. Please respond by the close of business on May 12.
Health care professionals and hospital executives are also invited to attend the two-day Kentucky Oral Health Stakeholders
Meeting on May 31.
This meeting is to update Kentucky’s Strategic Plan for Oral Health. It brings together oral health stakeholders from across the state for their input and ideas about oral health, access to care and the development of new programs...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Thursday, May 04, 2017 8:48 AM
The KHA 88th Annual Convention is May 18-19 in Lexington. There is a track especially designed for hospital financial officers, which includes ACHE face-to-face credits.
Review the financial track agenda for presentation details, and visit the KHA Convention website to register today.
If you have any questions, please contact Carol Walters at KHA (cwalters@kyha.com).
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 02, 2017 8:27 AM

Few would dispute that health care systems across the globe are not
performing up to their potential. The problems are highly complex and no
one entity can solve them by acting alone. The greatest opportunity to
deliver on the promise may lie in involving “unusual suspects” in
communities, guided by a new definition of health, new ways to tell the
truth about providers’ performance and a recognition that the
patient/consumer is already in control of their health. When these
principles guide design, hospitals can create a health care system worthy
of the trust of those who depend on it literally for their lives.
During the KHA Convention, May 18-19 in Lexington, Laura Adams will present “Connecting...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 02, 2017 8:17 AM

KHA Solutions Group brings greater value to the membership by offering a shared services program that takes advantage of the Association’s collective negotiating strength. Solutions Group's Affinity Partner Program develops mutually beneficial relationships between hospitals and the private sector – relationships that are relevant, cost-effective and supportive of hospitals’ priorities.
One of the Program's partners, Commerce Bank is a leading financial services company and is offering ControlPay® AP Payments which automates payments to vendors and offers revenue share back to hospitals in the form of rebates. By automating vendor payments, hospitals save check writing time and expense. Revenue Share is volume driven based upon each hospital’s spending level and the aggregated spend of participating hospitals. As more hospitals partake and the volume grows, all will benefit with a higher revenue share percentage.
ControlPay...
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 02, 2017 8:04 AM
On April 28, KHA sent a letter to CGS, Kentucky’s Medicare administrator, objecting to the new sleep lab separate accreditation requirement and requesting a delay and grandfathering of all Joint Commission accredited hospitals.
The notice for the new requirement left less than two months for hospitals to secure the necessary accreditation to continue providing sleep study services to Medicare patients. This change in policy not only caught hospitals off guard, but provides an insufficient and unreasonable timeframe for hospitals to comply.
A copy of the full letter is available on the Policy page of the KHA website (under Advocacy).
If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Galvagni at KHA ( ngalvagni@kyha.com).
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By Ginger - Site Admin on
Tuesday, May 02, 2017 7:55 AM
The Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) will host its 2017 Spring Webinar in May. One of the topics this session will be the federally mandated Ordering Referring and Prescribing (ORP) changes.
You must register at http://www.kymmis.com/ in order to participate in this webinar. There a several scheduled workshops to accommodate all providers, and each workshop is exactly the same.
Choose a time:
- 10:00 a.m. (ET)
- 3: 00 p.m. (ET)
Choose a date:
- Monday, May 15
- Wednesday, May 17
- Tuesday, May 23
- Tuesday, May 30
If you have any questions regarding the webinars, contact DMS Provider Inquiry (800-807-1232).
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