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.

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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...

The 2019 KHA Legislative Platform will be presented to the Association membership for approval at the annual KHA Health Care Leadership Conference (HCLC) on November 9 at the Louisville Marriott East.

Governor Bevin’s Executive Cabinet Secretary Scott Brinkman will report from the Executive Branch on health care, Medicaid, the drug epidemic and other challenges facing the commonwealth.

Leaders of the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives will reveal plans for the upcoming session and how health care factors into their parties' agendas. A media panel will address the hot topics associated with the 2019 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, the future of politics in Kentucky and its impact at the state and federal levels.

Finally, U.S. House editor...

KHA, in association with The Ridge Behavioral Health System and the Advocacy Action Network, will host a conference on suicide prevention systems on Friday, December 7 at The Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington. Mark your calendars now!

The focus this year is Suicide: Among All Ages and Stages.

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 second leading cause of death for adults ages 25-34 and the third 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.

The conference has an experienced lineup of presenters, including Kristen Quinlan, PhD, Evaluator for SAMHSA’s CAPT Northeast Resource Team and Epidemiologist for SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Dr. Quinlan is a senior research associate at Education Development Center,...

If you are looking to build connections and/or establish affiliations or joint ventures with Kentucky hospitals to better assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities in a cost-effective manner, consider being a sponsor of the Kentucky Hospital Association.

Sponsorships include opportunities at KHA's signature event, the 90th Annual Convention — May 8-10, 2019.

There are several different sponsorship levels to meet your needs. If you have any questions, please contact Claire Arant at KHA (carant@kyha.com) or visit the Sponsorship Opportunities page of our website at www.kyha.com/sponsorship-opportunities.

KHA Solutions Group Affinity Partner FairCode Associates was founded in 2001 by a team of physicians and nurses to improve coding documentation and compliance in hospitals. They are dedicated to the correct documentation of patient acuity, and to ensuring that their clients receive full and fair compensation for the care they render.

FairCode's specially trained physicians and coding professionals have been working with clients nationwide. This list includes academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, rural community hospitals and multi-hospital health systems.

They work closely with your coders and CDI team members to bridge the gap between clinical documentation and the assignment of codes. Using advanced technology to support peer-to-peer communication with attending physicians, a DRG-specific database of historic changes, (to say nothing...

KHA will host a Full Membership Update call on Thursday, September 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. (ET). The agenda for the call is as follows:

1. Medicaid Update
2. UPL Update
3. CON Update

To participate, please dial: 1-877-594-8353
When prompted, enter participant number: 16020884

KHA is conducting a survey on hospital policies and procedures regarding Hepatitis A in the emergency department.

Please take a few moments to complete the brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KHAHepA2018 by September 14.

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Peterson at KHA (apeterson@kyha.com).

Open Enrollment for the 2019 Medicaid Plan Year will take place from November 1 - November 30, 2018. While new beneficiaries can enroll in Medicaid at any time, Open Enrollment is the only chance for beneficiaries who are already receiving Medicaid to switch their Managed Care Organization (MCO).

The Open Enrollment period gives beneficiaries the opportunity to consider what MCO offers the best plan for their family's needs and situation.

If beneficiaries want to change their MCO during Open Enrollment, they can visit benefind.ky.gov, visit their local Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) office or talk to their local Assister.

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 Gold Sponsor Barnett Benvenuti & Butler PLLC!

The attorneys and staff of Barnett Benvenuti & Butler (BB&B) are dedicated to the law of health care. Their clients appreciate responsive attorneys, substantive advice and efficient solutions tailored to the particular needs of health care providers. The firm's legal team is driven to provide exceptional service through effective advocacy and wise counsel. Their focus on health law helps you focus on health care.

For more information, visit the BB&B website at http://www.bbb-law.com/....

Emergencies and accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Are your employees prepared for the financial burdens that could arise due to extremely high medical transportation costs both at home or while traveling the country?

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 the majority of people are only partially covered for these costs.

MASA Medical Transport Solutions provides more than just benefits. They provide the ultimate peace of mind from emergency medical transport bills after even the best insurance companies have paid their part.

Here’s what you can expect with MASA:

Payroll deducted - $7 per pay period ($14 a month)....