Aug 10, 2015
Kentucky REC has been selected as the honoree for the 2015 A.O. Sullivan Award for Excellence in Education presented to an organization that takes creative approaches to developing and implementing programs, which enhance the level of knowledge, education and career opportunity in healthcare.
Since 2007 IGE Media, publisher of Medical News and Medical News For You, has recognized excellence in the business of healthcare at the exclusive MediStar Awards, which honors eight healthcare professionals for their achievements in advocacy, innovation, education, leadership, design, aging care, as well as announces the Physician and Nurse of the Year award. For more information about MediStar Awards, click here.
We are honored to receive this MediStar Award and join this elite group of healthcare leaders.
View 2015 MediStar Honorees here.
Jul 21, 2015
We are pleased to announce that all six healthcare organizations participating in our inaugural Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Cohort have received national recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a well-respected, non-profit organization that has been a central figure in driving improvement throughout the healthcare system. PCMH designation by NCQA is an indicator that healthcare practices and clinics are providing high-quality, patient-centered care to their clients and in their communities.
Congratulations to:
UK HealthCare Family and Community Medicine – Lexington, KY – Level 3
Georgetown Pediatrics – Georgetown, KY – Level 3
Central Internal Medicine – Lexington, KY – Level 3
Bluegrass Community and Family Practice – Bardstown, KY – Level 3
Family Medicine Clinic of Danville – Danville, KY – Level 2
Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky – Hazard, KY – Level 2
These pioneer provider organizations, representing over 75 primary care providers, joined Kentucky REC’s inaugural group of PCMH practices in early 2014 and have worked diligently to improve patient care in their practices and communities.
“This is a major accomplishment for these practices. These six practices worked with us over 15 months, dedicating the time and resources needed to transform their practices to this patient-centered care model. The hard work by everyone involved allowed the practices to achieve the highest levels of recognition and improve the quality of care for their patients,” stated Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, Executive Director, Kentucky REC.
Kentucky REC provides coaching and assistance to support practices and clinics as they transform from a traditional sick care model to new models focused on comprehensive, coordinated care that keeps patients healthier and reduces complications. At the center of the PCMH model is a primary care physician office, where healthcare professionals work as a team to provide care that is individually determined to meet each patient’s specific need.
This approach fosters an environment in which patients develop and maintain an ongoing relationship with their primary care physician and a healthcare team focused on enhanced care coordination and office-based disease management planning. As such, the practice becomes the patient’s “home” for preventive, chronic, and ambulatory care.
The Kentucky REC PCMH Cohort focused on helping the practices demonstrate that they meet nationally recognized NCQA PCMH standards. Practices that achieved recognition worked with Kentucky REC to demonstrate the practice is able to:
• Provide access during and after business hours and communicate effectively with patients
• Use readily accessible, clinically useful information to assist in comprehensive care
• Collaborate with patients and families to pursue goals for achieving optimal health
• Improve effectiveness of care, safety, and efficiency by accessing timely information for tests and results, measuring and reporting performance, giving physicians regular feedback, and taking actions to improve, and maximizing use of electronic communications to facilitate coordination of care
Care provided by primary care physicians in a PCMH is consistently associated with better outcomes, reduced mortality, fewer preventable hospital admissions for patients with chronic diseases, lower utilization, improved patient compliance with recommended care, and lower Medicare costs.
“We’d like to congratulate these pioneer practices for becoming nationally recognized Patient-Centered Medical Homes,” stated Trudi Matthews, Managing Director, Kentucky REC. “UK and its Kentucky Regional Extension Center are pleased to provide support for innovative approaches to improving care for Kentuckians.”
Jun 1, 2015
We are honored to be nominated for Medical News MediStar Awards two years in a row!
Kentucky REC has been nominated for the following 2015 MediStar Awards:
The A.O. Sullivan Award for Excellence in Education
The Kentucky Life Science Council Healthcare Innovation Award
Congratulations to our Executive Director, Rob Edwards for his nomination as well!
Click here for 2015 Nominees
Jun 10, 2014
Apr 28, 2014
Congratulations to our 3 MediStar Award Finalists:
Mark D. Birdwhistell-UK HealthCare
The Seven Counties Services Healthcare Advocacy Award
Presented to an individual or organization that has worked to raise awareness of health challenges in our region and worked to affect change.
Dr. Carol Steltenkamp- Kentucky REC & UK HealthCare
The Hall Render Leadership in Healthcare Award
Presented to a progressive and entrepreneurial individual who is not afraid to take risks and whose job performance is considered exemplary by providers, patients and peers.
Kentucky Regional Extension Center
The Healthcare Innovation Award
Presented to an organization that has developed a new procedure, device, service, program or treatment that improves the delivery of care.
Since 2007 IGE Media, publisher of Medical News and Medical News For You, has recognized excellence in the business of healthcare at the exclusive MediStar Awards, which honors eight healthcare professionals for their achievements in advocacy, innovation, education, leadership, design, aging care, as well as announces the Physician and Nurse of the Year award. On May 13, the tradition of celebrating the region’s “Best of the Best” in healthcare will continue at the 2014 MediStar Awards.
For more information about MediStar Awards, click here.
Mar 26, 2014
Kentucky REC is pleased to introduce you to the 4 Kentuckians named National Health IT Fellows by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
Kentucky’s National Health IT Fellows include:
Angela Murphy, MHA of Norton HealthCare in Louisville, KY
Becky Blevins of Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital in Danville, KY
Kacey Bolton, RN of London Women’s Care in London, KY
Dr. James Gould, MD of Oncology Associates of West Kentucky in Paducah, KY
The prestigious Health IT Fellows program highlights clinicians, administrators, and office staff who have leveraged meaningful use and health IT to improve patient care. The Health IT Fellows are nominated based on their stature as recognized health IT leaders in their communities. ONC selects the Fellows based on a variety of factors, including their experience leveraging meaningful use and their ability to share their experiences to replicate solutions to common health IT challenges. The Fellows represent a variety of unique perspectives, as they come from a multiple clinical and specialty backgrounds, geographic locations, and practice roles. The Health IT Fellows program includes 50 champions representing 28 states.
Health IT Fellows are empowered to work with the local and national community to promote open and productive dialogue around health IT. Kentucky REC will collaborate with these four Kentucky Fellows to share their experience in leveraging health IT and meaningful use to improve patient care. These Fellows will provide grassroots insight and critical feedback on resources and tools our organization has developed. In addition, they will serve as a local resource for providers and stakeholders in our community, offering advice and sharing their challenges and successes with Health IT.
Meet the Fellows:
Angela Murphy
Ms. Angela Murphy, MHA, is Associate Vice President for Physician Development at Norton Healthcare is Louisville, Kentucky. She is also an instructor of health management and health policy at Webster University. Ms. Murphy has worked in the health care arena for over 20 years and has experience with physician relations, strategic planning, quality management, service line operations, and managed care contracting. In her current role, Ms. Murphy is responsible for meaningful use education and operations. She was instrumental in implementing an EHR across Norton Healthcare’s 15 physician offices and led more than 300 eligible providers to meaningful use in just six months. Her efforts have helped Norton Healthcare’s providers exchange quality data, which has improved care coordination and communication with patients.
Becky Blevins
Becky Blevins is Information Services Project Manager at Ephraim McDowell Health in Danville, Kentucky. With more than ten years of experience in health care information systems, she is an expert in systems integration and has led complex projects integrating disparate electronic health record (EHR) systems to improve patient care. In 2013, Ms. Blevins received a Champion award from the Kentucky Governor’s Office of Electronic Health Information. In addition, Ms. Blevins helped Ephraim McDowell providers achieve meaningful use and improve quality of care. Thanks to her work, providers can use EHRs to identify and provide patients with patient-specific education materials, which help patients and families better manage their health and health care.
Kasey Bolton
Nurse Kacey Bolton, RN, is Clinical Director at London Women’s Care (LWC), an OB/GYN rural health clinic located in London, Kentucky. Nurse Bolton has been a registered nurse for the past fifteen years and is passionate about women’s health. She recently coordinated LWC’s journey to meaningful use and knows firsthand how vital meaningful use and electronic health records (EHRs) are to providing excellent patient care. Her practice is using the EHR system to generate lists of patients with hypertension to provide timely follow-up care. The practice is also using the EHR system to improve overall documentation, and all of the practice’s providers have achieved meaningful use.
James Gould
Dr. James Gould, MD, is a founding member of Oncology Associates, a rural medical oncology practice based in Paducah, Kentucky. Since 1993, he has been senior medical partner, practitioner, and research coordinator at the practice. When Oncology Associates adopted an electronic health record (EHR) system in 2004, Dr. Gould took the lead on template composition to better serve the clinical needs of oncologists. With the EHR system, Dr. Gould and his colleagues are able to remotely access patient records, enter computerized orders and improve continuity of care for their patients. Dr. Gould is also working as a beta developer with a health care software company to provide next-generation software testing and treatment guidelines for oncologists.
Click here to learn more about the Health IT Fellows Program
