May 11, 2020
Join us Wednesday June 10 for an informational webinar as we review the Stage 3 Medicare Promoting Interoperability (Meaningful Use) requirements for Program Year 2020, for both Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals. The Kentucky REC has been providing advice and guidance across the Commonwealth for over 10 years, helping Kentucky hospitals small and large, comply with regulations and avoid penalties. We look forwarding to sharing how our team of experts can help your organization achieve its goals.
Webinar – Medicare Promoting Interoperability for Hospitals
Wednesday June 10, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions about Promoting Interoperability for hospitals. Our experts are here to help: 859-323-3090
Apr 14, 2020
Kentucky Health Information Exchange Incentive Opportunity Announced!
In collaboration with the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) and the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE), Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid (Anthem) is offering participating Anthem providers the opportunity to apply for assistance to help offset the costs associated with connecting to KHIE. If approved, providers may be awarded up to $2,000, per tax identification number (TIN) and/or business entity, until all funds up to $100,000 are depleted. Approved providers will be notified using the email address provided on the Application.
Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2020 (may be extended due to COVID-19 national emergency).
More information and the application can be found HERE.
Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions. We’re here to help and are available at 859-323-3090.
“This effort was made possible by Grant Number PON2 746 2000001660 from KY CHFS and US DHHS. The project described was supported by Grant Number PON2 746 2000001660 from KY CHFS and US DHHS.”
Apr 27, 2020
REMINDER:
4/30/2020 at 8 pm EST is the Deadline for Eligible Clinicians and/or Practices to submit their 2019 Quality Payment Program performance data. CMS has also extended the deadline to submit for an Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances Hardship.
While CMS has afforded flexibility to automatically apply this Hardship for ECs that have not submitted any data by the deadline, it is best to apply for the Hardship if you have submitted any data for 2019 or in the past, or if you are participating as a group. The automatic hardship has provisions to protect individual ECs at this time.
The good news is that these changes provide those participating in the Quality Payment Program extensive flexibility.
You can access CMS information and the application HERE.
Contact your advisor, or email the experts at Kentucky REC with your questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.
Feb 21, 2020
Nearly half of Kentucky adults have either diabetes or prediabetes.
But far too many don’t know it.
In a new documentary, KET shines a light on the alarming number of people with undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes and show how Kentuckians are working to reduce those rates. There is good news to share – with lifestyle changes and proper care and support, diabetes can be managed and in many cases, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed.
Make plans now to watch KET on Monday, February 24 at 9PM EST. You might see some familiar Kentucky faces, as well as Dr. Ann Albright, Director for the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program is funded in part by a grant from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
Additional Airing Times:
Sunday February 23, 2020 2:00 am EST
Sunday February 23, 2020 10:30 am EST
Sunday February 23, 2020 7:00 pm EST
Wednesday February 26, 2020 12:00 am EST
Wednesday February 26, 2020 2:00 am EST
Wednesday February 26, 2020 8:30 am EST
Wednesday February 26, 2020 5:00 pm EST
You can read an in-depth interview with Dr. Albright here.
Kentucky REC advisors work with the Kentucky Department of Public Health on initiatives to address chronic disease issues in Kentucky. You can read about some of our work here.
Contact our experts at Kentucky REC for all your quality improvement questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.
Dec 11, 2019
The QPP Resource Center for CMS designated small practices (fewer than 15 clinicians) now offers a Qualified Registry to users of the Resource Center Portal. Eligible clinicians can use MIPScast® Qualified Registry to submit their data to CMS.
Read through the 2019 Participation Guide for an overview, explanation, and reasons to consider using MIPScast® as a Qualified Registry for reporting to CMS. It also includes registration steps, how to access the necessary consent forms through the portal, and important dates to keep in mind.
Reasons to Consider Using MIPScast® QR for Reporting to CMS:
You may want to use the MIPScast® QR reporting option simply for the convenience of having a trusted partner do the submission work for you, and skip HARP account access requests and connecting to providers to submit data. Perhaps you want the confidence of knowing your data has been reviewed to check for completeness, catch potential validation issues earlier, and that it includes any available reporting options/bonuses that can boost your total score.
Many clinicians are still without the functionality and updated reports from their EHR technology to get the performance data they need for eCQMs and Promoting Interoperability measures. Some will need an alternative to reporting eCQMs from the EHR due to vendor issues including:
- Vendor having difficulty attaining 2015 certification or using de-certified EHR technology
- Unable to upgrade and implement 2015 technology in a timely manner due to vendor issues or delays
- Reporting/data issues (e.g. limited eCQM availability, invalid QRDA 3 reports, inability to produce group-level aggregated reports)
- Having to acquire and implement additional 3rd party technology to support your functional needs and reporting requirements
- Cost barriers (e.g. additional costs for eCQM report access, eCQM access bundled with costly data submission services)
- Difficult eCQM workflows, system configuration, and clinical documentation requirements leading to low performance results
Claims-based reporting for the Quality Performance Category is one alternative, but you have to submit Quality Data Codes (aka “G-codes”) on your Medicare claims throughout the 12-month performance period to get credit. Another alternative is to report through a QR such as MIPScast® , which provides the option to report MIPS CQMs (formerly referred to as “Registry measures”) which can only be collected and submitted by QRs and QCDRs.
Contact the experts at Kentucky REC for all your QPP, MIPS, and APM questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.
Oct 30, 2019
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected Altarum Institute and the Trustees of Indiana University as Prime awardees of the Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractor. The Kentucky Regional Extension Center, an outreach arm of UK HealthCare, is a sub-awardee for both of these Prime awardees.
This designation will allow NQIICs to bid on Task Orders over the next five years.
Under the new CMS Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract mechanism to support quality improvement efforts, each NQIIC may serve as:
• Quality Improvement Experts
• Facilitators/change agents for healthcare transformation by achieving bold aims at a high value
• Innovators of quality improvement
As a NQIIC awardee, UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Regional Extension Center has demonstrated healthcare quality improvement expertise.
Services supported by some of the NQIIC awardees may include:
• Provide direct technical assistance in specific areas of healthcare quality improvement (e.g., patient safety, opioid misuse, nursing home quality, etc.)
• Seek and gain commitments from patients, providers and stakeholders to achieve aims
• Use a Human Centered Design that involves teaming with patient and family members to improve healthcare processes and outcomes
• Focus on helping providers and healthcare organizations to achieve quantitative results for improved outcomes, lower costs, better care, less provider burden, greater transparency, and more
• Support a diverse array of organizations and populations, including: rural providers, vulnerable beneficiaries, clinical practices, hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis facilities, and more
• Support providers in efficient use of Health Information Technology and interoperability
• Serve as backbone organizations to form and engage Community Coalitions
• Convene and support Learning and Action Networks (LANs)
