Two companies have reached out to KHA to share housing information with hospitals for your staff members and patient families who may need additional housing during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Historic Boone Tavern Hotel - Available Lodging for Those in Need (Central KY)

"Right now is a very difficult time for those who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 emergency. The sacrifices that are being made by those individuals, as well as their families, is not lost on us. This being said, the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel would like to offer a very special discount for overnight stays for any of those who are reading this message and may need it - whether you are a hospital/medical field member, first-responder, or simply a person in need of a room. Boone Tavern is located right off of I-75 in the heart of Central Kentucky, just south of Lexington and Richmond. As of now, we do also have options for in-house guests to order food and beverage for breakfast, lunch and dinner at discounted prices, as well...

KHA has added Coronavirus toolkits to the KHA website at www.kyha.com/coronavirus. They can also be reached directly from the homepage, www.kyha.com.

There are three toolkits available targeted at hospital administrators, health care professionals and the general public. All three will be updated regularly, so check back often for the latest resources.

If you have any questions, please contact Ginger Dreyer at KHA (gdreyer@kyha.com).

A new section of the KHA website provides resources for hospitals to help combat workplace violence in the health care setting. Visit http://www.kyha.com/health-care-workplace-violence for resources, references and updated news on the latest efforts to address this serious issue.

The information will be updated as new resources become available.

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Bartlett at KHA (rbartlett@kyha.com).

The third episode of The Kentucky Hospitals Podcast is now available to download. Members can access the latest episodes at www.kyha.com/podcast. Just log in on any desktop or mobile device for a list of episodes. You can also click the Subscribe button there to receive email notifications when a new episode is produced.

In episode 4, hear a report on the KHA Board of Trustees meeting, the UPL program (now called the Medicaid Hospital Rate Improvement Program or HRIP), certificate of need, price transparency, upcoming meetings and Nancy Galvagni's latest trip to Washington where she...

The third episode of The Kentucky Hospitals Podcast is now available to download. Members can access the latest episodes at www.kyha.com/podcast. Just log in on any desktop or mobile device for a list of episodes. You can also click the Subscribe button there to receive email notifications when a new episode is produced.

In this episode, hear about recent visits to Frankfort where KHA staff and a member testified before the Cabinet for Health & Family Services as well as legislators on hospital data, price transparency and Medicaid issues. Plus, hear about the update to the Medicare...

The second episode of The Kentucky Hospitals Podcast is now available to download. Members can access the latest episodes at www.kyha.com/podcast. Just log in on any desktop or mobile device for a list of episodes. You can also click the Subscribe button there to receive email notifications when a new episode is produced.

In this episode, KHA President Nancy Galvagni discusses KHA's recent advocacy trip to Washington, DC. Listeners will hear details of the discussions the KHA team had with members of the Kentucky congressional delegation.

Please feel free to contact Ginger Dreyer...

KHA is always looking for new ways to communicate with its members. To provide a new platform that presents the latest Association information in a convenient format, KHA is proud to present its brand new resource: The Kentucky Hospitals Podcast.

Members can access the latest episodes at www.kyha.com/podcast. Just log in on any desktop or mobile device for a list of episodes. You can click the Subscribe button there to receive email notifications when a new episode is produced.

The inaugural episode covers key issues KHA is currently working on for the membership including "surprise...

KHA hosted a well-attended webinar today to update the membership on key information surrounding the implementation of the Kentucky HEALTH Medicaid 1115 waiver. A recording is available on the Waiver Resources page of KHA's website. The page can be found under the Advocacy tab at www.kyha.com. You must log in to access these resources. Your user id is usually your email address.

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

Don't forget, the KHA 89th Annual Convention starts tomorrow, May 10 and runs through Friday, May 11 at the Hyatt Regency and Lexington Convention Center. There will be no daily news email during Convention.

If you have not registered, on site registration is available with credit card payments. 

Remember to download the Kentucky Hospital Association app to your mobile device for schedules, maps and presentations. The presentations are also available for download on the Convention web page, https://www.kyha.com/kha-annual-convention.

KHA's mobile app is 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!

The app includes:

Hospital Directory; KHA Staff Directory; Events Calendar; Advocacy Information; Sponsors; and More As The App Evolves. 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 new app users, visit the App Store...

There are now Kentucky Medicaid Waiver resources for hospitals available on the KHA website, www.kyha.com. You must be signed in to view the page, which you can reach directly at https://www.kyha.com/1115-waiver-resources or via the Advocacy page of the website.

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

The Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) requirements went into effect February 20.The following information and resources will help hospitals ensure they are meeting the requirements correctly.

On August 6, 2015, Congress enacted the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act (NOTICE Act) which requires hospitals, including critical access hospitals (CAHs), to provide written and oral explanation to individuals who receive observation services as outpatients for more than 24 hours. The process for delivery of this notice, the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON), was addressed in rulemaking, and the resulting regulations are located at 42 CFR Part 489.20(y).

The MOON must be delivered to beneficiaries in Original Medicare (fee-for-service) and Medicare Advantage enrollees who receive observation services as outpatients for more than 24 hours....

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register that establishes national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid providers and suppliers to ensure that they adequately plan for both natural and man-made disasters.

The proposed rule addresses emergency preparedness requirements that 17 provider and supplier types must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

This proposed rule could have a significant impact on hospitals. For example, the rule includes language that relates to the behavior of the new electronic health record (EHR) systems during a disaster or emergency, and a requirement that EHR systems be redundantly backed up both in region and out of region.

KHA Emergency Preparedness Director Richard Bartlett has prepared resources for hospitals to educate themselves regarding the proposed changes and to prepare in case the rule is approved. Visit http://www.kyha.com/proposed-rule-change-on-cop-related-to-emergency-preparedness/...