KENTUCKY REGIONAL EXTENSION CENTER

Remembering Ernie Scott

Remembering Ernie Scott

The Kentucky REC team is saddened to learn of the passing of our colleague Ernie Scott, Director of of the Kentucky Office of Rural Health. Ernie and his team have partnered with Kentucky REC since the early days of our service to Kentucky providers.

We worked together to improve healthcare IT, access, and quality throughout the Commonwealth, with a special focus on rural areas of Kentucky. As the Director of the Kentucky Office of Rural Health, Ernie always focused on bettering all aspects of healthcare, with a special focus on education, training, and patient care. He will be greatly missed.

Ernie Scott’s Obituary

Ernie Scott

April 13 Webinar: Primary Care & Mental Health – Cross Specialty Collaboration

Webinars and Resources

Behavioral Health Community of Practice

The Behavioral Health Community of Practice, organized by UK HealthCare & Kentucky REC, connects adult and pediatric primary care providers, specialists and organizations through learning sessions where behavioral health experts present best practices, tools and resources to optimize mental health care.

The format of the Community of Practice is monthly one-hour webinar meetings October 2022 through May 2023 from noon – 1 pm. Each session includes education, best practice overviews, interactive trainings on tools and resources, and group discussions.

April

Primary Care & Mental Health - Cross Specialty Collaboration

Session 7 – Thursday April 13th

Noon — 1:00 pm ET

  • Finding Referral Partners
  • Managing Care Together
  • Linkage Between Chronic Disease and Depression
April

Primary Care & Mental Health - Cross Specialty Collaboration

Session 7 – Thursday April 13th

Noon — 1:00 pm ET

  • Evidence-based Guidelines
  • How Health Care Teams Can Support Non-Pharmacological Interventions

Resource: There’s an App for That Flyer

Visit HERE for more information, including previous session recordings, resources, and to register for upcoming events, including FREE Mental Health First Aid Training.

To learn more, visit THIS UK HealthCare web page.

QUESTIONS? Contact us at Kentucky REC or call us: 859-323-3090.

Grant Opportunity: Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support – Deadline March 17

Grant Opportunity: Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Research Study & Quality Improvement

The Kentucky Regional Extension Center, in partnership with The University of Kentucky College of Public Health and UK HealthCare Department of Family & Community Medicine are inviting you to apply to participate in a research study and learning collaborative to improve access and utilization of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSMES) within the state of Kentucky.

DSMES is an evidence-based educational program that helps people with diabetes better control their blood sugar (improved hemoglobin A1c) and reduce diabetes-related complications and healthcare costs. DSMES is included in the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes current clinical practice guidelines. Despite this evidence, DSMES remains strikingly underutilized with fewer than 10% of eligible patients receiving this helpful service.

The Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) “UP FOR IT” Learning Collaborative focuses on improving the referral process to DSMES services for clinics in Kentucky. It is part of a larger NIH-funded research project studying the adoption of practice facilitation and an electronic clinic-community referral system to increase DSMES utilization.

Selected organizations are eligible to receive up to $12,000 in client practice payments to help offset the costs of participation in terms of time, administrative support, data collection/reporting, provider/staff training.

Interested organizations are asked to submit a COMPLETED APPLICATION by 12pm EDT FRIDAY, MARCH 17th, 2024 HERE.

For questions concerning the collaborative or the application, contact Kentucky REC or call us at 859-323-3090.

See THIS DOCUMENT for additional details on this grant-funded research study opportunity.

Watch the recording from the Info Call held on 2/17/23 HERE.

Contact the experts at Kentucky REC with all your quality improvement questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.

Mental Health First Aid – Free Training

As part of the Healthy Kentucky Behavioral Health Community of Practice,
multiple sessions of Mental Health First Aid training
are available for free with dates now through April 2023

Space is limited, so register soon!

 

Adult MHFA Flier

 

HERE is a flyer about Mental Health First Aid.

HERE is a flyer focused on Mental Health First Aid for Adults.

Interested in joining the Healthy Kentucky Behavioral Health Community of Practice?
Our next event is March 2, 2023: Responding to Mental Health Crises in Primary Care

HERE
is the Resource Page where you can register and find more information, including past event recordings.

Questions about Mental Health First Aid or the Behavioral Health Community of Practice? Contact us at Kentucky REC or 859-323-3090.

March 14 Webinar: QPP Year 7 – Understanding FQHC & RHC Eligibility

Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health clinics are tasked with providing care to under-served, at-risk patients, and those in rural areas who have limited access to healthcare. What an awesome charge, to be tasked with improving the health and well-being of those who may not otherwise have access to care. The question often comes up for these organizations: how does MIPS apply to FQHC and RHC practices and clinicians?

FQHCs and RHCs providing services to Medicare patients generally bill for facility charges within the Medicare Part A all-inclusive rate. However, FQHCs and RHCs billing for Medicare Part B Services rendered under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) could find that they are eligible for MIPS payment adjustments. Those who are not aware that they are required to report for MIPS may be subject to negative payment adjustments for failure to adhere to CMS guidelines for the Quality Payment Program.

Our Kentucky REC team of expert advisors will share important information for understanding FQHC and RHC provider eligibility in the QPP for the 2023 performance year. We will explore regulatory requirements for CMS’s Quality Payment Program, how to determine organization eligibility, and next steps for eligible clinicians and practices.

 

QPP YEAR 7 WEBINAR: UNDERSTANDING FQHC & RHC ELIGIBILITY FOR QPP PARTICIPATION (Open to Public)
 
TUESDAY MARCH 14 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET

 

Contact the experts at Kentucky REC with all your QPP, MIPS, and APM questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.

Major Changes to NCQA PCMH and PCSP Programs

NCQA has recently evaluated their Patient Centered Medical Home and Specialty Practice recognition programs. After the review, they are making some significant changes to both programs, as shared below:

  • Beginning in 2024, PCMH and PCSP practices will be required to use an electronic health record (EHR).
  • Beginning in 2024, standardized measures will be required for PCMH (reporting period 1.1.23 – 12.31.23).
  • Some standardized measures may pose challenges to some, so NCQA will allow organizations to submit a request for custom measure(s).
  • Organizations will also be allowed to submit a request for exceptions to calendar year reporting on a case-by-case basis.

Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions about practice transformation. Our team of experts is here to help: 859-323-3090.