KHA is excited to announce James C. Musser, Esq. has joined the KHA staff as the new Vice President of Health Policy. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in health policy and legislative issues in both Frankfort and Washington, DC. Musser’s policy expertise also includes the federal budget, taxes and entitlement programs.

Most recently, Musser served as the Executive Director of the Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. His role at the Cabinet involved overseeing legislative and regulatory initiatives and acting as the Cabinet’s chief liaison to the General Assembly.

Before joining the Cabinet, Musser spent 25 years in Washington, DC, where he served as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Labor after working...

Today, KHA staff celebrated the long and successful career of Chuck Warnick, Vice President of Data Analysis and Planning. He will retire at the end of the year, but will continue as a consultant to the Association for its strategic planning process in 2020.

Warnick joined KHA in 2007 to oversee the operation of the Discharge Data Set Program and has been instrumental in the development and the statewide use of KHA InfoSuite, the state database decision support tool available to members at no extra cost. Warnick has also developed and produced countless reports and data analysis to assist the membership and to support KHA's representation and advocacy efforts.

Before joining KHA, Warnick with Thomson Healthcare in Franklin, Tennessee, overseeing all the company's consulting support projects using...

Two new team members recently joined the KHA staff — Phil Brandenburg, Director of Data Analytics, and Carla Donnell, Director of Patient Safety, Quality/Health Professions.

Phil Brandenburg has 16 years experience in health care, 14 years experience in health care data analysis and ten years experience as a user of KHA InfoSuite. Phil was a beta tester for the current version and is considered a super user of the product. He has also trained numerous analysts and planning personnel.

Phil is a Navy Aviation veteran and a native of Kentucky, who received his MBA in Management and a BBA in Computer Information Systems from Eastern Kentucky University. Additionally, he received a BS in Health Care Management from the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale. 

Phil will oversee...

KHA's Pharmacy Consultant Emily Henderson, PharmD was recently elected as a first-time member of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Henderson attended UK from 1994 to 2001, when she received her doctorate of pharmacy degree, summa cum laude, from the UK College of Pharmacy. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority and the Rho Chi pharmacy honor society. From 2001 to 2016, Henderson was employed by Kroger as a staff pharmacist. She now works with the Kentucky Hospital Improvement and Innovation Network (K-HIIN) to promote quality improvement and patient safety in hospitals across the Commonwealth and as the project lead for the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS). She is a member of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association and the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists....

Two KHA staff members are retiring after successful careers — Donna Meador and Brad Learn. Join us in celebrating their careers and wishing them well.

On Friday, Michael T. Rust announced his plans to retire on December 31, 2019, after 24 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA). Rust leaves a long and impactful legacy not only on the Association, but on all hospitals and health care in the state of Kentucky.

Rust has led KHA through nearly two and a half decades of change in the health care industry. Under his leadership, all the hospitals in Kentucky have retained membership in the Association, helping them speak with one common voice at both the state and federal levels.

“Mike has been an invaluable part of KHA during his tenure,” stated Jane Wheatley, chair of the KHA Board and president of Taylor Regional Hospital in Campbellsville. “He has enhanced the organization at every level and been a unifying force for hospitals throughout the commonwealth. The KHA Board and I are immensely grateful for his service.”

“It has been an honor serving KHA and the hospitals of Kentucky,” Rust noted. “I have enjoyed my time with the Association and I’m proud of the accomplishments we’ve made supporting hospitals and ensuring they can continue to provide the highest quality care to all Kentuckians.”

The KHA Board will engage a search firm in early 2019 to find a successor. To ensure the best possible candidate is selected for the position, a national search will be conducted.

KHA's Vice President of Government Relations Sarah S. Nicholson announced her retirement today. She has been a dedicated member of the KHA staff for over 38 years. Throughout her entire career here, she has worked tirelessly advocating at the state and federal levels to protect and advance Kentucky hospitals.

The entire KHA staff and membership will miss working with Sarah, but we know she is excited to enjoy her retirement with her family – especially her grandchildren. We wish Sarah all the best on her new adventure.

Sarah’s final day with KHA will be later this year.