Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 26: Quality Presentation
Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Virtual
Oct. 26 2023, Lexington Kentucky, Harper Hall
Kentucky REC Quality Team Speakers: Jessica Elliott & Vance Drakeford
Balancing Cost & Quality: Strategies for Providing Safe and Efficient Care
Providing high quality care at low cost often seems impossible to achieve. However, research studies indicate that higher per beneficiary spending is NOT a predictor of improved long-term patient outcomes.
Through the Quality Payment Program, CMS has established Value in Healthcare as the sum of quality care and patient outcomes proportional to the total cost of care. Regardless of which track you elect to participate in as an eligible clinician or group in the Quality Payment Program, maximizing performance in the Quality and Cost Performance categories is vital for success.
Quality team lead Jessica Elliott, and colleague Vance Drakeford will explore the relationship between clinical quality performance and related cost measures. They will share how to navigate cost measure feedback from prior evaluation and apply QI principles to impact performance across categories.
Questions? Contact us at Kentucky REC or call us at 859-323-3090.
QPP Webinar Oct 13: Interpreting QPP Feedback Reports
CMS has released the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Score & Performance Feedback Reports for the 2022 Performance Year, along with the MIPS Payment Adjustments for Payment Year 2024. Understanding your feedback reports, and using them to identify areas of improvement is key to optimizing your performance in this program year to year.
Our Kentucky REC expert advisors will guide you through the Feedback Report and explain how you can use this information to help you finish 2023 successfully and strategize for a strong start in 2024!
We will discuss how to navigate your feedback reports, help you understand payment adjustments, and provide you with insights to aid in identifying your opportunities and strengths across the four performance categories. We’ll also share how you can leverage that information to help you plan for continued success with this program in the future.
QPP Year 7: Interpreting QPP Feedback Reports*
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023 @ 12PM ET
*This webinar is for Kentucky REC contracted QPP clients only. If you are interested in this topic and would like to learn more about becoming a client, please contact us at (859) 323-3090 or email us at KYRec@uky.edu. We aim to be your trusted healthcare advisor!
Kentucky REC Annual Conference Oct 26: Guest Speaker Michael Meit – Rural Resilience
Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Virtual
Oct. 26 2023, Lexington Kentucky, Harper Hall
Guest Speaker: MICHAEL MEIT 
Health Equity, Poverty, and Rural Resilience
Michael Meit, MA, MPH, Director, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, will describe health inequities, and share what is known about them, including how they vary by geographic region.
He will present measures of rural prosperity that can help us to understand factors of risk and resilience in our rural communities. Michael will highlight rural strengths and assets that can be leveraged to improve community health and well-being.
Questions? Contact us at Kentucky REC or call us at 859-323-3090.
PILL Podcast: Andrew Bledsoe – An Introduction to the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE)
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.
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If you need assistance with health information technology, contact the Kentucky REC at 859-323-3090 or by email.
Webinar Aug 15 – QPP NPRM 2024 Overview
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.
Register Today! Oct 26 – Kentucky REC Annual Conference
Lexington, Kentucky – Join Us in Person or Online
During our day together we’ll discuss quality initiatives, HIPAA, Social Drivers of Health, and more to ensure that clinicians, hospital and ambulatory administrators, and clinic staff are well prepared for the challenges of modern healthcare. Guest speakers will be joining us to present on relevant topics.
Keynote Speaker: Astronaut and UK College of Medicine Alum Story Musgrave!
About Story Musgrave
Attend the 2023 Annual Conference
About Story Musgrave
Attend the 2023 Annual Conference
Questions? Contact the Kentucky REC Annual Conference Team at Kentucky REC. 859-323-3090.
Annual Conference Oct 26 – Keynote Speaker Story Musgrave
Hybrid Event with Special Guest Speakers – In Person and Virtual
Oct. 26 2023, Lexington Kentucky, Harper Hall
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: STORY MUSGRAVE
We are pleased to host NASA Space Shuttle Astronaut, Surgeon, Artist, Educator, Walt Disney Consultant, and University of Kentucky Medical School Alum, Story Musgrave.
Story Musgrave is the only NASA astronaut to have flown on all five space shuttles, a feat he achieved over the course of his 30-year career at NASA, during which he completed six space shuttle flights in total, all the while working as a part-time trauma surgeon. Although best known for his career as an astronaut, Musgrave has worked in many different fields and has received six academic degrees. Throughout his time spent in the Marines, at NASA, and as a physician, scientist, and educator, he has always maintained a healthy appetite for knowledge, achievement, and service.
Story has been a leader much of his life. The lessons learned from Story’s leadership roles and unique experiences reflect expertise in a multitude of areas relevant to achievement in today’s dynamic business environment.
Questions? Contact us at Kentucky REC or call us at 859-323-3090.
Kentucky REC Participates in Healthy Kentucky Initiative – Behavioral Health
The American Hospital Association recently celebrated Community Health Improvement Week on June 12th-18th. This yearly event is a time to honor the people working in partnership to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Members of the Kentucky REC team are participating in the UK HealthCare Healthy Kentucky Behavioral Health Community of Practice, listed below as part of the Healthy Kentucky Initiative. We are proud of this important work in helping primary and specialty practices gain the tools and resources to address the behavioral health needs of their patients. You may access these resources here.
As one university, UK HealthCare is committed to advancing Kentucky by transforming the health and wellness of communities across the Commonwealth. UK HealthCare is working not only to provide access to care close to home but to address wellness and prevention outside our walls to help people in our communities live their healthiest lives. The Healthy Kentucky Initiative was created to support the 5th Objective of our strategic plan: Create a Healthier Kentucky. They work collaboratively across our health system, campus and community to advance wellness, health education and awareness focusing on those community members most at risk for poor health outcomes.
“Actively working to create a culture of health is fundamental to community health and wellness. The Healthy Kentucky Initiative has worked closely with the Behavioral Health Leadership team to provide accessible mental health resources. These efforts provide a clear reminder that mental health is health and is essential to community well-being.” said Dr. Seth Himelhoch, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry.
UK HealthCare is not alone in this vision. Recently, health systems nationwide have focused on expanding wellness and prevention efforts and improving health equity. The Healthy Kentucky Initiative team partners closely with Dr. Tukea Talbert, Chief Diversity Officer and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to promote health equity. Overwhelmingly, studies find that non-medical factors (social, behavioral & environmental determinants) play a significant role in overall health. UK HealthCare cares about the whole person and is working to help our friends and neighbors lead the best and healthiest life possible.
Community Health Improvement Programming – New Initiatives Include:
- Community Commitment microsite: Created to share the great work our health system is doing to create a healthier Kentucky
- Online Q.P.R (Question, Persuade, Refer) training: Free, self-paced online suicide prevention training
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: National and state marketing and messaging alignment
- Behavioral Health Community of Practice: A virtual collaborative focused on helping primary care providers address low acuity mental health concerns; maintain recordings and resources on both UK HealthCare and Kentucky REC websites; attendees were offered Mental Health First Aid training at no cost
- Youth Mental Health Modules: We are working to launch school-based and athletic modules focused on providing resources to teachers and administrators
- Be a Diabetes A.C.E. Day: A one-day “boot-camp” for diabetes lifestyle management
- The Lung Cancer Screening Collaborative Series: This webinar series focuses on the equitable implementation of lung cancer screening in our communities
- Walk with a Doc: A free walking series available to the community
- Cooking Videos: cooking videos focused on recipes for specific disease states
- Be Healthy Bash: A free community wellness fun day focused on increasing uptake of healthy behaviors
- Diabetes Cooking Classes: Cooking classes were offered free of charge to our patients with diabetes
“We’re leveraging the assets of this great university to help enhance our common goals. We can use those assets to really impact these very tough, challenging problems in a way that a lot of organizations can’t,” said Trudi Matthews, Senior Director of Quality and Value Strategy and Director of the Healthy Kentucky Initiative.
The Healthy Kentucky Initiative works together with campus and community partners to elevate and amplify the message of wellness and strategically implement new programs to address health for the community at large. Some of their partners include:
- UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
- Food as Health Alliance
- The Food Connection at the University of Kentucky
- UK Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion
- UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute
- UK HealthCare Community & Retail Pharmacy Services
- UK Integrative Medicine & Health
- UK Behavioral Health Leadership
- UK Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
- Kentucky Children’s Hospital
- UK Markey Cancer Center, QUILS (Quality Implementation Lung Cancer Screening) and KY Leads
- UK Human Resources
- UK College of Medicine
- UK Student Success
- Kentucky Regional Extension Center
- Lexington Farmers’ Market
- Bluegrass Lions Diabetes Project
- FoodChain
- The Nest
- The Fatherhood Initiative
Dr. Kristen Stakelin, Medical Director for the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center says, “I have had the Be Healthy Bash, the Be a Diabetes A.C.E. Day, and the cooking classes for diabetes on my wish list for several years – patient education is a passion of mine. There are often so many barriers that our patients face to receive the quality healthcare and education they need. However, we hadn’t been able to find the support to launch any of these community programs until we were able to partner with the Healthy Kentucky Initiative. All of a sudden, we had a team of people helping us work on making these events a reality. It was fantastic to see our network across UK Healthcare and the local community instantly broaden with the common goal of improving the health of people across the Commonwealth. I hope to continue partnering with the Healthy Kentucky Initiative in the future to improve the lives of those we serve. This has been a fantastic opportunity.”
Original article by Lori Maddux, Coordinator, Healthy Kentucky Iniative, published in UKNOW
Do you have questions on how to meet the needs of your patient population and improve the quality of healthcare? Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions. Our team of experts is here to help: 859-323-3090.
PILL Podcast: Diabetes Self-management Education and Support (DSMES)
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.
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If you need assistance with chronic disease quality improvement, contact the Kentucky REC at 859-323-3090 or by email.
PCMH Behavioral Health Distinction – Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance
Kentucky Mountain Health Alliance, Inc. (KMHA) was created in 2005 by a group of community healthcare and social service partners who shared a mission to create a healthcare safety net for the under-served or at risk for homelessness population. KMHA is proactive in their effort to protect the health of and deliver essential human services to the homeless or those at risk, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
KMHA has been operating the Perry County HCH Program since 2006. They have one permanent service delivery site, Little Flower Clinic, located at 279 East Main Street, Hazard, KY in the heart of Perry County, Kentucky. They also have one mobile medical clinic that travels to the far outreach places within Perry County, Kentucky. KMHA believes in the importance of a holistic approach to health (i.e. attending to the physical, spiritual, mental, cultural, emotional and social well-being) and their role in contributing to health outcomes for the homeless population. This includes the environmental determinants of health such as food, water, housing and unemployment, as well as the social drivers of health and well-being, or socioeconomic conditions (e.g., concentrated poverty and the stressful conditions that accompany it).
KMHA provides a full array of quality medical, behavioral, and oral health care, as well as chronic disease case management, transportation, outreach and an overall improved experience for patients and their families in ways that demonstrate our commitment to rural health care.
Little Flower Clinic has made Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition a high priority since 2015. And in 2023 Little Flower Clinic was recognized by NCQA with a distinction in Behavioral Health Integration.
When asked the question, “Why did Little Flower Clinic begin the journey of the Behavioral Health Distinction?”, Ellen Vance, CEO responded with one simple answer: “It knocks down barriers to behavioral health services and improves overall health”.
NCQA states: The Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration “helps practices provide comprehensive whole person care that acknowledges the behavioral health needs of the individual beyond the core requirements for NCQA PCMH Recognition.
With the help of Kentucky REC’s Vance Drakeford, a NCQA PCMH Certified Content Expert, Little Flower Clinic received the Distinction in Behavioral Health in 2023. Due to recent turnover, Ms. Vance was hesitant to add another recognition project to her new staff, so she contracted with the previous Quality Director, Vicky Hardin to take lead. The Kentucky REC was able to guide Vicky and her team through the process and maximize their efforts to achieve recognition.
We interviewed Vicky Hardin about Little Flower Clinic’s journey to Behavioral Health Recognition:
- Little Flower Clinic has been a recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home since 2015, so why was the journey to Behavioral Health distinction so important? “After analyzing UDS data over the course of several years, we identified that 25% of our patient population has a diagnosis of depression. Patients tend to seek help from their medical provider instead of being referred outside for behavioral services. It was really a no brainer to integrate a behavioral health care team within our primary care. Our patients who seek help with their behavioral health needs are now getting the whole-person care they deserve.
- What about the level of physician engagement? “We have wonderful providers who believe strongly in our mission to provide whole-person care. Our providers, whether it be medical, dental or behavioral health collaborate together to deliver the best quality of care.”
- How well did PCMH recognition prepare your practice for the Behavioral Health add-on? “Out of the 18 criteria related to behavioral health, 7 are included in the PCMH Recognition standards. For recognized practices, that means you are almost 50% complete. As we identified during PCMH transformation, we were already doing some of the work but weren’t documenting consistently. The same issue was identified for the remaining 11 criteria in the Behavioral Health Distinction. Also, the enrollment and submission process in QPASS for Behavioral Health Distinction are the same as PCMH recognition.”
- What are some processes implemented in the last year to receive BH distinction? “One of the major changes we implemented was CDS rules for our behavioral health providers. Our providers reviewed the different behavioral screenings and identified rules that would guide them in next steps of the treatment plan. Also, our policy changed in regards to medical patients who scored poorly on the PHQ-9. If patient scores poorly, our behavioral health team will examine the patient during the medical visit and provide recommendations to meet their current behavioral health needs.”
- How did the REC help? “Vance was instrumental in Little Flower receiving the Behavioral Health Distinction. His understanding of what NCQA is looking for and how he communicated to me is exactly what I needed to move forward. He was always available for any questions and shared appreciated feedback on documentation that I was using for submission. Also, he assisted with the enrollment and the submission process.”
Do you have questions about how to improve behavioral health services in your practice, or Patient-Centered Medical Home or Specialty Practice Recognition? Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions. Our team of experts is here to help: 859-323-3090.
