The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) today announced that its board of directors has appointed Nancy Galvagni as President and Chief Executive Officer.

In December, long-time KHA President Michael T. Rust announced his retirement after 24 years with the organization. The KHA Board of Trustees then began a nationwide search for his successor. The organization engaged the services of Witt/Kieffer to conduct the search.

Galvagni has been with KHA since 1979 and has served as the senior vice president for the past 20 years. In addition, she has served as the executive director of the Kentucky Institute for Patient Safety and Quality (KIPSQ), a federally certified patient safety organization and subsidiary of KHA. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, is a past president...

The National Institute on Drug Abuse ranks Kentucky among the top 10 states with the highest opioid-related overdose deaths, and Kentucky’s hospitals are on the front line in the fight to help the state recover. To assist the state’s hospitals in this battle, the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) is partnering with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as part of the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE) to launch the Kentucky Statewide Opioid Stewardship (KY SOS) program.

Opioid stewardship involves a coordinated effort to reduce opioid-related harm by developing alternative means to manage pain and, when opioids are used, assuring that opioid prescribing and patient monitoring aligns with evidence-based guidelines. KY SOS will focus on reducing opioid overprescribing and improving safe opioid use...

KHA's mobile app is a 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! There will not be USB drives of presentations this year. All presentations will be on the app or the KHA Convention website, www.khaconference.com.

The app includes:

Hospital Directory; KHA Staff Directory; Events Calendar; Advocacy Information; Sponsors; and More. 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...

The digital edition of KHA's 2019 Membership Directory and Legislative Directory is available now. Visit www.kyha.com and click on Print Directory on the right side of the page to view. You can also follow this link to reach the Directory directly.

Hospital executives will receive printed copies of the Directory shortly.

Clicking on any of the following Table of Contents links will deliver you directly to that page of the Directory.

...

As you know, KHA has embarked on a journey to identify the next President and CEO for KHA. The initial step entailed engaging Witt/Kieffer, a national executive search firm to partner with the Association in conducting a thorough national search for KHA’s next leader.

As a next step, the Search Committee invites KHA members to provide input regarding the candidate profile and other topics as the search process formally commences. Witt/Kieffer's team, Paul Bohne, Adriane Willig and John McFarland, is setting up two calls to gather feedback from KHA's members. During the calls, they will be seeking your input on topics such as:

Vision for the Association Opportunities and challenges facing KHA Expectations for the next leader and measures of success Views on leadership experience and characteristics that candidates should possess Dates and times for the conference calls are:

Tuesday, February...

To give staff members the opportunity celebrate the holidays with their families, KHA Headquarters will have the following closures in the next two weeks:

Thursday, December 20 - The office will close at noon for the KHA Christmas Party.

Monday, December 24 to Wednesday, December 26 - The office will be closed for Christmas.

Monday, December 31 - The office will close at noon for New Years Eve.

Tuesday, January 1- The office will be closed for New Years Day.

Happy Holidays from the KHA Staff!

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.

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 recently updated its member database software. As the Association uses this software to send out group emails, some hospitals may be blocking those messages thinking they are spam.

In order to ensure you receive communications from KHA, please make sure you add kyha@memberclicks-mail.net to your list of approved senders. You might also want to alert your IT team to this change.

If you are new to KHA, or if you just need a refresher about what the Association does for you, there is a new tool to help! Visit the new KHA Membership Guide online at https://www.kyha.com/membership-guide.

The guide provides a short overview of KHA's governance and services as well as where to find more details on the website. The Staff section of the guide also provides a listing of staff members to contact based on different topics/issues you may wish to discuss.

If you have any questions, the KHA staff is here to serve you.

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.

On July 1, the 2018-2019 KHA Board of Trustees officially takes office. Jane Wheatley, chief executive officer of Taylor Regional Hospital in Campbellsville, will serve as Chair of the Board for the new fiscal year. Garren Colvin, chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare, will serve as Chair-Elect.

A complete listing of the Board is available at https://www.kyha.com/assets/docs/KHABoardMembers2018.pdf.

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.

On February 27, KHA received notice from the state Office of Inspector General (OIG) that plans of correction in response to an OIG inspection/complaint investigation can no longer contain disclaimer statements. This is effective immediately.

If a facility submits a plan of correction with a disclaimer statement in it, the plan of correction will be considered unacceptable and the facility will be notified accordingly. OIG will not be able to conduct revisits or place a facility back in compliance until an acceptable plan of correction is received.

Sandra Houchen, director of the Division of Health Care for the OIG stated that she understood these disclaimer statements have been a long-term, ongoing practice by facilities in this state and other states. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in Region IV has instructed that the state survey agencies are not to accept plans of correction that contain disclaimer statements going forward.

KHA is sad to announce the passing of Joyce Dauenhauer, who worked with KHA for 16 years before her retirement in 2010. A service to celebrate Joyce's life is being held today at 1:00 pm in the Chapel of Arch L. Heady Funeral Home in Louisville, with burial to follow at Cave Hill.

Expressions of sympathy can be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation Louisville Chapter or The Parkinson's Foundation Louisville Chapter.

Condolences for the family can be left at www.archlheadywestport.com.

The comment period for Kentucky's proposed Medicaid Waiver has been extended to August 14. The extension was posted by the Administration to the web yesterday.

Visit http://chfs.ky.gov/dms/kh for instructions on how to submit your comments if you missed the original July 22 deadline.

Today, the 2016-2017 KHA Board of Trustees officially takes office. Susan Starling, president/chief executive officer of Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital in Irvine, will serve as Chair of the Board for the new fiscal year. Jerry Penner, chief executive officer of Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, will serve as Chair-Elect.

A complete listing of the Board is available at http://www.new-kyha.com/Portals/5/NewsDocs/KHABoard2016.pdf.

Governor Matt Bevin held a news conference Wednesday morning to announce his plan to replace Kentucky's expanded Medicaid program.

Bevin would like to launch a program called “Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health” (HEALTH). It would be a waiver application process for people wanting Medicaid coverage. This plan is a 1115 waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a demonstration project designed to "provide dignity to individuals as they move towards self-reliability, accountability and ultimately independence from public assistance." It is only for the Medicaid expansion population — those between 100-138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FP)L. Governor Bevin stressed that this program is for able-bodied participants, and not the frail or elderly.

“This proposal is modeled after the very same health plan offered to Kentucky state employees including incentives to promote healthy lifestyles. This plan offers common sense strategies to help our citizens...

An emergency amendment to a regulation to make Zika Virus Disease reportable in Kentucky has been signed by Governor Matt Bevin. The approved emergency amendment to the Reportable Disease Surveillance regulation (902 KAR 2:020) was then filed on June 15 with the Legislative Research Commission. The emergency amendment was effective as of the date filed with the LRC.

Thus, Zika Virus Disease is now reportable in Kentucky. Notification shall be considered priority and shall be made within one (1) business day.

For Priority Reporting, a report made within one (1) business day shall be:

 Submitted electronically, by fax, or by telephone to the local health department serving the county in which the patient resides; and If submitted by telephone, followed up by electronic or fax submission of a report to the local health department serving the county in which the patient resides within one (1) business day. A report submitted by fax shall be made with...

Kim Dees will be leaving the KHA staff at the end of June upon mutual agreement with KHA President Mike Rust. Dees has served for nine years as KHA’s Vice President for Health Professions. The loss of anticipated grant funding from an American Apprenticeship Initiative earlier in the year and dissolution of the Workforce Consortium last year eliminated funding support for the position. At the same time, Dees was investigating other opportunities she hopes to pursue that may continue to offer her the opportunity to interact with KHA members and nursing leadership, both in hospitals and universities.

Various responsibilities previously undertaken by Dees will be assigned to other staff.

KHA has appointed Susan Starling, chief executive officer of Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital in Irvine, as the KHA Board Chair Elect for 2015-2016. She replaces Vicki Darnell, who recently retired, on the KHA Board of Trustees.

Starling will serve as Chair Elect for the remainder of the Association year.

This week, KHA is updating its main website, www.kyha.com. This will include a complete upgrade with a number of new features for members. During the transition, the website will be down and inaccessible. KHA staff will work to make sure this causes as little inconvenience as possible; however, the outage could last 24-48 hours.

As soon as the change is complete, there will be information in KHA Health e-News about the new features and how to access your individual site account.

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

Baptist Health Paducah and hospital Baptist Health Madisonville have both received federal approval to move forward with plans to develop long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) within each facility. Baptist Health is partnering with ContinueCARE Hospital, a not-for-profit Community Hospital Corporation subsidiary based in Plano, Texas, to operate the new hospitals within the current facilities at Paducah and Madisonville.

The first stage of the new “hospital within a hospital” program for long-term patients will both open at Baptist Health Madisonville and Baptist Health Paducah this summer, eventually saving 540 families a year in Madisonville and 800 families a year in the Paducah area from having to travel out of the area for care.

During the demonstration phase, the hospitals will meet the needs of their patients instead of transferring them out to a distant facility. Once licensed, the local facility will be able to accept more patients from neighboring hospitals.

Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) specialize in treating critically-ill patients needing extended care for 25 days or more who:...

Based upon a request from the KHA Strategic Planning Committee, the Association is a creating a new Action Alert System for its members.  If you have not already signed up by creating an account with Reach Alert, please take a moment to find the email from Ginger Dreyer at KHA on October 8 with your personal registration code.   Or, contact Ginger at KHA (502-426-6220 or 800-945-4542 or via e-mail at gdreyer@kyha.com) to obtain your personal registration code.

The KHA Action Alert System  will advise you of breaking, time sensitive information and of pending legislation, changes in the law or other situations that require your immediate attention. 

You will get to decide how you wish to receive alerts: cell phone text messages, automated voice call to a cell phone and/or email.

KHA will use the Action Alert System for timely, though not necessarily, emergency messages....

In an effort to spread the word and to make sure that health care providers (and school personnel) are familiar with the Caregiver Authorization Law, KHA is alerting hospitals that when caregivers come in and present an affidavit stating they are the primary caregiver of the child, that health care treatment is then authorized.

The law was passed last year (SB 176) and it allows a relative caregiver to sign an affidavit to access key services for the children in their care without the need for legal custody or guardianship.  Caregivers can complete an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, stating that they are the primary caregiver of the child, and then by presenting the form, they can authorize health care treatment, educational services, and school enrollment.

The Kentucky Youth Advocates worked with an attorney from Legal Aid to create a model affidavit which is essentially a form that caregivers can complete to create their own affidavit, based on what is now statute.  The form can then be presented...

Coroners, funeral home personnel, physicians and others responsible for the registration of death certificates will soon be required to electronically file information needed to complete death certificates, using the Kentucky Electronic Death Registration System (KY-EDRS).  

The change will take effect January 1, 2015, phasing out the paper based system currently used by the Office of Vital Statistics in conjunction with electronic reporting.  The transition to exclusive electronic filing, mandated by state law, is anticipated to speed the process, while maintaining the accuracy and security of the records.

Additional information is available on the KY-EDRS website at this link.

In order to serve its members better, KHA is always striving to find new ways to keep the membership informed of the latest news and information affecting hospitals across Kentucky. To meet this goal, KHA is changing how this news is delivered.

To make sure you receive the news as it happens, KHA will now be posting stories directly to a news page on its website,www.kyha.com. The stories will be posted right away, and you will be notified via the daily KHA Health e-News e-mail anytime an article is published. There will be a link in that e-mail if you want to read the article in full. This new format will take the place of the current CEO Briefing.

If there is urgent or sensitive information, chief executive officers will receive an e-mail right away.

Finally, once a month, hospital and system chief executive officers will receive an e-mail of the most important issues on which KHA is focusing.

If you have any questions, please...