KENTUCKY REGIONAL EXTENSION CENTER

Registration Open! Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23

Registration Open! Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 23

The Campbell House, Lexington, Kentucky – Join Us in Person or Online

Join us for an engaging day where we share essential topics shaping healthcare today and into the future. Our agenda includes in depth discussions of Quality Initiatives, HIPAA, Hospital Promoting Interoperability, and more.

Whether you’re a clinician, administrator, or a member of healthcare staff, this event is tailored to equip you with the insights and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare.

Guest speakers will join us to present on relevant topics. Details and Agenda coming soon!

Questions? Contact the Kentucky REC Annual Conference Team at Kentucky REC. 859-323-3090.

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program – Data Submission Window Open

The Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) System is now open and accepting calendar year 2024 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program data submissions and attestations from eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals.

The data submission deadline for the CY 2024 requirements, including eCQM data, has been changed from February 28, 2025 to Friday, March 14, 2025.

As a reminder, hospitals are required to:

  • Report data using the ONC Health Information Technology certification criteria to meet the certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) requirement. Get your ID # from the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL).
  • Successfully submit four calendar quarters of data for six eCQMs:
    • Three self-selected eCQMs from the CY 2024 Available eCQMs Table
    • Three CMS-selected eCQMs: Safe Use of Opioids-Concurrent Prescribing, Cesarean Birth (PC-02), and Severe Obstetric Complications (PC-07)
  • Submit web-based measure data for any continuous, self-selected 180-day EHR period within the calendar year.

Note: Failure to report at least a “1” for all required measures with a numerator or reporting a “No” for a Yes/No response measure will result in a total score of 0 points for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program.

  • Earn a minimum total score of 60 points
  • Complete the following requirements by attesting “Yes” to both
    • Acting to Limit or Restrict the Compatibility or Interoperability of CEHRT
    • ONC Direct Review
  • Complete the following measures under the Protect Patient Health Information Objective by attesting “Yes” to both
    • SAFER Guides
    • Security Risk Analysis
  • Submit data for the following measures under each objective below:
    • Electronic Prescribing Objective
      • e-Prescribing
      • Query of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
    • Health Information Exchange Objective (Participants must select one of the three reporting options below)
      • Report on both the Support Electronic Referral Loops by Sending Health Information measure and the Support Electronic Referral Loops by Receiving and Reconciling Health Information OR Report on the Health Information Exchange (HIE) Bi-Directional Exchange OR Report on the Enabling Exchange Under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA)
    • Provider to Patient Exchange Objective
      • Provide Patients Electronic Access to Their Health Information
    • Public Health and Clinical Data Exchange (A level of active engagement is required for each measure below)
      • Syndromic Surveillance Reporting
      • Immunization Registry Reporting
      • Electronic Case Reporting
      • Electronic Reportable Laboratory Result Reporting
      • Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Surveillance
    • Voluntarily submit data for the following optional measures/requirements  (Select One):
      • Clinical Data Registry Reporting
      • Public Health Registry Reporting

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

 

 

Kentucky REC Premier Partner Award – KHIE

Kentucky REC is proud to work with so many organizations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our fellow Kentuckians. Presentations were made at our Annual Conference on Oct 24th in Lexington.

Premier Partner Award – KHIE

The Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE), under the leadership of Andrew Bledsoe, Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Inspector General and KHIE, has been a driving force in transforming healthcare connectivity across the state.

For over fourteen years, the partnership between KHIE and the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (KYREC) has been essential in fostering a truly connected healthcare environment in Kentucky.

Through their tireless efforts, KHIE has helped healthcare providers adopt EHRs, promote interoperability, and build a foundation for better patient care and more effective public health reporting.

This award recognizes KHIE’s longstanding commitment to advancing health initiatives and improving community well-being.
Thanks to Andrew’s leadership, KHIE has led the charge, ensuring seamless data sharing, improving care coordination, and driving innovations in health information technology. KHIE’s unwavering dedication to collaboration has not only elevated patient outcomes but also set the benchmark for interoperability and technological excellence in healthcare.

KHIE’s work over the years has redefined what’s possible when health organizations unite their strengths. By bridging technological gaps and creating innovative solutions, KHIE has become a model for success in interoperability, making a lasting impact on public health in Kentucky.

The Premier Partner Award is a testament to the visionary leadership and continued commitment to enhancing healthcare for all Kentuckians. Congratulations, KHIE! 

 

Kentucky REC Client Excellence Awards – Norton Healthcare

Kentucky REC is proud to work with so many organizations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our fellow Kentuckians. Presentations were made at our Annual Conference on Oct 24th in Lexington.

Hospital Promoting Interoperability Award – Norton Healthcare

Norton Healthcare is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients throughout Greater Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and beyond. The not-for-profit hospital and health care system has five Louisville-based hospitals, three hospitals in Southern Indiana and one under construction in West Louisville, scheduled to open next month.

Our primary contact at Norton for the Medicare PI Program is Kathleen Lyons. She is the Manager of Hospital Promoting Interoperability at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, and has been with Norton for almost 20 years. She received her Associate’s in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Kathleen has over 30 years of experience in healthcare, ranging from bedside nursing, practice administration and research to healthcare informatics. 

We began our partnership on the Medicare PI Program in 2014. We have monthly calls, provide education, and really drill-down on program details. Kathleen is usually the first client hospital to contact us when new legislation drops. She has an incredible work ethic and Norton Healthcare is lucky to have her. We help monitor their PI reports to track trends in their data. Kathleen shares weekly reports with us. Year after year, Norton exceeds requirements and successfully attests to the Medicare PI Program. 

Over the past 10 years, we have not only developed a great working relationship, but a friendship as well. We are so proud of Norton’s consistent PI performance.

Congratulations to Norton Healthcare on your award, it is very well deserved. We hope to work together for another 10 years!

 

Kentucky Hospitals! TEAM Model APM Webinar Release Date: Friday Nov 15

TEAM Model APM – Transforming Episode Accountability Model for Acute Care Hospitals

TEAM Model APM Pre-Recorded Webinar
Release Date: Friday, 11/15/2024

On November 15th, your trusted REC experts will release a pre-recorded webinar focusing on CMS’s recently announced new MANDATORY payment arrangement: Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). This model is set to launch January 1st, 2026 for selected acute care hospitals in 188 core-based statistical areas (CBSAs).

Many Kentucky hospitals will be required to participate in this first phase, specifically hospitals located in:

Bowling Green
Corbin
Glasgow
Lexington-Fayette
Middlesboro

This model is a 5-year project beginning January 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2030.

Our experts will provide regulatory analysis of this new program and will explore: episodes of care; timelines; financial up-side and down-side risk glidepaths; and other need-to-know elements set forth by CMS in this new model.

REGISTER TODAY to be in-the-know on this very important topic impacting clinicians and Acute Care Hospitals across Kentucky and the nation.

For details and more information on TEAM from CMS, visit HERE.

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