Jul 26, 2023
Cohosts Brent McKune and Stephen Williams of Kentucky REC introduce Episode 10 of Kentucky REC’s PILL Podcast. This episode, with KY State HIT Director and KHIE Deputy Executive Director Andrew Bledsoe, explores how the Kentucky Health Information Exchange is leading the HIE marketplace with innovative services, as well as advancing interoperability in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Learn more about KHIE at their website, KHIE.ky.gov
Andrew Bledsoe is currently KY State HIT Director and KHIE Deputy Executive Director.
The intersection of health information technology with quality care delivery has provided Andrew with a unique perspective over his nearly 20 years 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 within the Kentucky 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.
Listen to our podcast on Buzzsprout, or Spotify and Apple Podcasts. All previous episodes are available.
If you need assistance with health information technology, contact the Kentucky REC at 859-323-3090 or by email.
Jul 19, 2023
CMS released the Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program CY 2024 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on July 13. This proposed rule will impact and shape the Quality Payment Program for calendar year 2024 and beyond. CMS is proposing changes related to both MIPS and APM Tracks of the program, including pertinent updates to performance thresholds and reporting periods. Our expert advisors will share a review of the major proposed updates and potential impacts to eligible clinicians and practices in program year 2024 and beyond.
QPP YEAR 7 WEBINAR: 2024 NPRM OVERVIEW
TUESDAY AUGUST 15th 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Submit any questions you have prior to the webinar, or feel free to contact us in advance HERE.
The CMS 2024 NPRM Proposed Rule, Rule Overview Fact Sheet, PFS fact sheet, and MSSP Fact Sheets are available through these links:
2024 Proposed Rule: Federal Register 2024 Proposed Rule
PFS Fact Sheet: Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule | CMS
QPP Fact Sheet: 2024 Quality Payment Program Proposed Rule Fact Sheet and Policy Comparison Table
MVP Fact Sheet: 2024 Proposed and Modified MVPs Guide
MSSP Fact Sheet: Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule — Medicare Shared Savings Program Proposals | CMS
Contact YOUR experts at Kentucky REC with all your QPP, MIPS/MVP Track, and APM Track questions. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.
Aug 24, 2022
Cohosts Brent McKune and Stephen Williams of Kentucky REC introduce Episode 9 of Kentucky REC’s PILL Podcast. This episode explores the success of Diabetes Self Management and Education Support, also known as DSMES. This episode includes an interview between registered dietician Lynnett Renner and patient Samuel Stidham. Dr. Kristen Stakelin of UK HealthCare shares insights on making DSMES a success with your patients.
Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) can help you learn to manage your diabetes as part of your daily life. DSMES is proven to:
• Improve blood sugar control leading to decreased risk for diabetes complications
• Increase self-confidence about taking care of your diabetes
• Increase healthy eating and physical activity
• Improve quality of life
Dr. Kristen Stakelin is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director at the University of Kentucky Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center.
She attended the University of Louisville, School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Kentucky. After residency she was in private practice with an Internal Medicine group in Georgetown, KY. There she also served as medical director of a diabetes education center. She returned to the University of Kentucky Internal Medicine Group in 2007, and then joined the division of Endocrinology in 2010. She completed the University of KY Healthcare Executive Leadership and Management Program in 2018. Dr. Stakelin is certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine, a longstanding member of the ADA, and is a Master’s Licensed Diabetes Educator and a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Her areas of interest include diabetes education, and diabetes technology as well as ambulatory operations and quality improvement.
Lynnett Renner is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Diabetes Educator with over 30 years of experience.
She works with the Laurel County Health Department to implement the Healthy Living With Diabetes Program (HLWD). HLWD is a nationally accredited program that is administered by the Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and is recognized by the American Diabetes Association and Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.
Samuel Stidham
Samuel was referred to HLWD by his primary care health provider from a Grace Health clinic located in Manchester, KY. Samuel was originally referred to the Kentucky River Health Department District HLWD Program. He was the connected to the Laurel County Health Department for HLWD that was offered by telehealth in the evening hours to better fit his schedule. Samuel shared that he had been struggling with his diabetes diagnosis for 10 years, and decided that he wanted to receive more diabetes education. His goal was to not only improve his health and feel better, but also to ensure that he could prevent complications often associated with diabetes.
Listen to our podcast on Buzzsprout, or Spotify and Apple Podcasts. All previous episodes are available.
If you need assistance with chronic disease quality improvement, contact the Kentucky REC at 859-323-3090 or by email.
May 24, 2023
On May 18th CMS announced that they will begin archiving historical webpages, resources, and reports on the QPP Website. This includes historic performance feedback reports and submission information for performance years 2017-2020. CMS is retiring these webpages, resources, webinars, and reports to be in alignment with best practices in information technology data storage and reduce security risks. The information being archived is no longer applicable as the payment year associated with the 2020 performance year ended on December 31st, 2022.
This will allow participants to more easily find current, applicable information within the QPP Site.
If you do not already have copies of your historical performance information saved in your records, be sure to sign in to the QPP website through June 14th, 2023 to download those reports. They are useful records for eligibility, programmatic participation, as well as record-keep for potential future audits.
Below are the following resources and reports that will be retired beginning June, 15th, 2023:
• Performance Year 2017-2020 QPP website pages, including the QPP Participation Status tool
• Performance Year 2017-2020 resources in the Resource Library
• Performance Year 2017-2020 webinars in the Webinar Library
• Detailed performance feedback and submission information for performance years 2017-2020 (currently accessible in the “Performance Feedback” tab when you sign in to the QPP website)
• Detailed eligibility information, including Alternative Payment Models (APM) Participant Lists for performance years 2017-2020 (currently accessible in the “Eligibility & Reporting” tab when you sign in to the QPP website)
Contact the expert advisors at Kentucky REC with all your questions related to documentation capture recommendations and any other questions you have related to the QPP. We’re here to help: 859-323-3090.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: STORY MUSGRAVE