KENTUCKY REGIONAL EXTENSION CENTER

Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23 2025: Dr Tama Thé – The Promise of AI for Kentucky Healthcare

Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23 2025: Dr Tama Thé – The Promise of AI for Kentucky Healthcare

Oct 20, 2025

Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Online

Oct. 23 2025, Lexington Kentucky, The Campbell House

REGISTER HERE
Trudi Matthews

Dreams of Data—The Promise of AI for Kentucky Healthcare

Speaker: Dr Tama Thé, MD, Assistant Professor – Department of Emergency Medicine, UK HealthCare 

Artificial intelligence is transforming medicine around the world. How can we make sure that Kentucky doesn’t get left behind? This presentation explores how we can harness AI to build a smarter, more connected healthcare system. We’ll look at how AI can improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce documentation burdens, and help address the physician shortage. We will highlight some of the innovative projects underway at UK HealthCare and get a peek of the broader vision driving the next wave of healthcare transformation.

Dr Tama Thé, MD

Tama Thé specializes in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and is an AI Research fellow with the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is leading AI initiatives both in healthcare at UKHC and across the state, as well as on the main campus at UK, and is the founder of the AI Incubator at the UK College of Medicine.

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

Register Today!

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Free Tobacco Cessation Referral Program for Providers — Limited Enrollment

Oct 17, 2025

A Healthier Kentucky Starts Here: Enroll in the Free Tobacco Cessation Referral Program

The Kentucky REC is partnering with the Kentucky Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program to help providers connect their patients to free, evidence-based support to help them quit using tobacco. Through this partnership, Kentucky REC will assist clinicians in setting up electronic referrals to National Jewish Health (NJH) — the nation’s leading tobacco cessation program. There will be no cost to providers, and no interface connection is required. Your EHR simply needs to allow the addition of direct mail addresses.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Our team will guide participating organizations through every step, integrating the e-referral process into clinical workflows and providing monthly check-ins to:

  • Confirm electronic messages are successfully received by NJH
  • Strengthen workflows to improve referral rates and efficiency
  • Troubleshoot when referrals aren’t being completed or returned

This is a grant-sponsored opportunity, and participation is limited to the first four enrolled organizations.

Interested? Need more information? Contact us! Spaces will fill quickly.
 

CONTACT US

Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23: HIE-Speed Ahead – Connecting Care Smarter

Oct 14, 2025

Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Online

Oct. 23 2025, Lexington Kentucky, The Campbell House

REGISTER HERE
Trudi Matthews

HIE-Speed Ahead: Connecting Care Smarter

Speaker: Andrew Bledsoe, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services 

Get ready to accelerate into the future of health information technology! Andrew Bledsoe of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services introduces KHIE’s new HIE system and its enhanced capabilities, designed to make data exchange faster, smarter, and more seamless than ever. We’ll explore how these upgrades improve care coordination, strengthen connections, and empower providers with the right information at the right time.

About Andrew Bledsoe, Deputy Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services

The intersection of health information technology with quality care delivery has provided Andrew Bledsoe with a unique perspective over his two plus decades in healthcare. Starting his career in a regional hospital, he quickly learned the challenges in healthcare, especially rural medicine, and began investing in the concept of leveraging health information technology to improve outcomes for patients.

His current appointment as the Deputy Inspector General for the Office of the Inspector General within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services primarily focuses on implementing the KHIE Strategic and Operational Plan, promoting the statewide exchange of patient health information, spearheading a number of new services designed to improve care coordination, and offer new avenues to reduce reporting burdens and foster inter-agency collaboration.

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

Register Today!

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CMS Issues FY 2026 IPPS Final Rule: What You Need to Know

Aug 14, 2025

CMS Releases FY 2026 IPPS Final Rule: Key Promoting Interoperability Updates

On July 31, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for the FY 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). This rule—effective October 1, 2025—updates hospital payment rates, quality programs, and health IT requirements.

Of particular importance for hospitals are changes to the Medicare Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program, as CMS continues to push for better electronic data exchange and reduced administrative burden.

Key Medicare PI Program Updates
  • EHR Reporting Period – Beginning in CY 2026 the Electronic Health Record reporting period will be defined as a minimum of one continuous 180-day period each calendar year
  • Security Risk Analysis Measure – Must now attest “Yes” to both security risk analysis and security risk management
  • SAFER Guides Measure – Annual self-assessment using all eight 2025 SAFER Guides is required beginning in CY 2026
  • Bonus Measure (Optional) – Earn bonus points for exchanging data with a Public Health Agency via TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement®) beginning in CY 2026
Additional Proposals & Requests for Feedback

CMS is also seeking input—via the CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule—on:

  • Suppressing scoring for the Electronic Case Reporting measure in CY 2025.
  • Adopting a measure suppression policy for CY 2026
  • Future changes to the PDMP Query measure (e.g., shifting from attestation-based to performance-based reporting)
  • Transitioning to a performance-based reporting for the Medicare PI Program
  • Strategies to improve quality and completeness of health information exchange

WHY IT MATTERS

The FY 2026 IPPS Final Rule reinforces CMS’s steady move toward value-based care and health IT modernization with an emphasis on real-time data exchange, API-driven access, and automated workflows. Hospitals should begin preparing now to ensure compliance with the new requirements heading into 2026 by:

  • Reviewing health IT systems for compliance
  • Assessing public health reporting processes
  • Analyzing cybersecurity strategies

Read the full final rule on the Federal Register.

Need Help Navigating the Changes?

The Kentucky Regional Extension Center is here to help you interpret these updates and align your IT systems with the new requirements. Contact the experts at Kentucky REC with all your Promoting Interoperability questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.

Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23: Hospital Promoting Interoperability and Quality Reporting

Aug 11, 2025

Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Online

Oct. 23 2025, Lexington Kentucky, The Campbell House

REGISTER HERE
Trudi Matthews
Trudi Matthews

Hospital Promoting Interoperability and Quality Reporting

Speakers: Kristina Stolitca and Robin Curnel,  Kentucky REC

Kentucky REC expert advisors Kristina Stolitca and Robin Curnel will share an overview of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals, along with a discussion of Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project for Critical Access Hospitals. This session will provide a detailed review of the 2025 program requirements, including reporting periods, objectives, and measures.

They will also highlight key updates from the recently released FY 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule, with a focus on changes impacting PI program participation and compliance. For MBQIP they will discuss a recent project with the Kentucky Office of Rural Health.

About Kristina Stolitca

Kristina Stolitca is a Health Information Technology Advisor at the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (KY REC), where she has served for nearly 15 years. In this role, she supports hospitals across Kentucky participating in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program, offering expert guidance on regulatory compliance, EHR reporting, and program attestation.

Kristina works directly with hospital staff and executives to assess performance, deliver strategic coaching, and provide hands-on support throughout the program year. She develops tools and resources to help organizations navigate evolving CMS requirements, translating complex federal mandates into clear, actionable guidance.

Her long-standing work at KY REC reflects a deep commitment to improving health IT outcomes for hospitals throughout the Commonwealth.

About Robin Curnel

Robin Curnel is a Health IT and Practice Transformation Advisor and has been with the Kentucky REC for nearly 9 years. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Murray State University and her Masters in Science in Nursing Management and Leadership from University of Southern Indiana – Evansville. Robin has more than 30 years of nursing experience in rural healthcare and hospital services ranging from bedside nursing in several patient care areas up to senior management.

With the Kentucky REC, Robin uses her clinical knowledge and background to provide detailed technical assistance to eligible providers in Medicare’s Promoting Interoperability Program and Quality Payment Program, assistance with quality improvement methodology implementation, practice transformation, and expertise in Telehealth implementation.

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

Register Today!

Hospital Promoting Interoperability and Quality Reporting

Speakers: Kristina Stolitca and Robin Curnel,  Kentucky REC

Kentucky REC expert advisors Kristina Stolitca and Robin Curnel will share an overview of the Medicare Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals, along with a discussion of Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project for Critical Access Hospitals. This session will provide a detailed review of the 2025 program requirements, including reporting periods, objectives, and measures.

They will also highlight key updates from the recently released FY 2026 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule, with a focus on changes impacting PI program participation and compliance. For MBQIP they will discuss a recent project with the Kentucky Office of Rural Health.

About Kristina Stolitca

Kristina Stolitca is a Health Information Technology Advisor at the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (KY REC), where she has served for nearly 15 years. In this role, she supports hospitals across Kentucky participating in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program, offering expert guidance on regulatory compliance, EHR reporting, and program attestation.

Kristina works directly with hospital staff and executives to assess performance, deliver strategic coaching, and provide hands-on support throughout the program year. She develops tools and resources to help organizations navigate evolving CMS requirements, translating complex federal mandates into clear, actionable guidance.

Her long-standing work at KY REC reflects a deep commitment to improving health IT outcomes for hospitals throughout the Commonwealth.

About Robin Curnel

Robin Curnel is a Health IT and Practice Transformation Advisor and has been with the Kentucky REC for nearly 9 years. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Murray State University and her Masters in Science in Nursing Management and Leadership from University of Southern Indiana – Evansville. Robin has more than 30 years of nursing experience in rural healthcare and hospital services ranging from bedside nursing in several patient care areas up to senior management.

With the Kentucky REC, Robin uses her clinical knowledge and background to provide detailed technical assistance to eligible providers in Medicare’s Promoting Interoperability Program and Quality Payment Program, assistance with quality improvement methodology implementation, practice transformation, and expertise in Telehealth implementation.

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

Register Today!

Visit Our Conference Page

Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23: Advancing Kentucky Together – Trudi Matthews

Jul 10, 2025

Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Online

Oct. 23 2025, Lexington Kentucky, The Campbell House

REGISTER HERE
Trudi Matthews

ADVANCING KENTUCKY TOGETHER & LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Speaker: Trudi Matthews,  UK HEalthcare 

For more than two decades, the University of Kentucky and its hospital, UK HealthCare, has established and worked with affiliates — hospitals, clinics and providers — across the state to open greater access to specialty care, such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

During the October 2024 UK Board of Trustees retreat, the Board directed President Capilouto to build on our momentum and take the next critical steps in our mission to advance the wellbeing of our Commonwealth. We are focusing the institution’s capacity and strategic efforts on becoming the university that — along with partners — does more than anyone in the country to improve the health of the state it serves.

The Advancing Kentucky Together Network takes that affiliate model a step further. The Advancing Kentucky Together Network is the next evolution of our partnership model and expands our efforts to address dramatically growing health, education and workforce needs across the state.

About Trudi Matthews

Trudi Matthews serves as Chief of Value Based Programs, Public Policy and Community Initiatives in the Office of the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at UK HealthCare, the health system of the University of Kentucky (UK). In this role, Trudi works with UK HealthCare’s executive team and ambulatory leadership to ensure success in value-based programs for Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurers. Trudi also serves as government affairs and policy lead for UK HealthCare overseeing a team responsible for reviewing and analyzing state and federal government policy initiatives.

Trudi is also Executive Director of the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (REC) at UK. Trudi oversees this state-wide center charged with assisting health care leaders, practices, and hospitals across Kentucky with using technology, connectivity, process improvement and value-based care models to improve the quality and value of health care. From 2015-2019, she was Managing Director of the Kentucky REC, leading and supporting multiple externally sponsored projects such as Kentucky’s Practice Transformation Network Grant, Medicaid Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability Support, and several CDC-funded projects with the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

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

Register Today!

Visit Our Conference Page

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