Summit on Quality 2021 — Registration now open
In a year that has been anything but familiar, KHC’s Summit on Quality is changing, too. We recognize that everyone in the health care system has been deeply impacted by COVID-19. KHC is embracing that reality and this year’s fully online Summit is designed to equip Kansas’s health care professionals to thrive in our “new normal.”

As with previous Summit events, the programming will be tailored to physicians, hospital leaders, quality improvement professionals, clinic managers, risk managers, infection preventionists, long-term care providers, and other interested health care professionals—practicing in both urban and rural settings throughout our state.

Registered participants will receive access to a series of three one-hour videos that that may be viewed as you and your team members’ schedule allows. One video from the series will be released each day on May 19, 20, and 21—registered participants will receive the links via email. We will also provide you with a tool kit that you may use after viewing each video to facilitate a discussion with your team about applying lessons learned to work at your own organization. The series will include presentations by national experts in leading change and attending to team wellness, as well as a panel discussion by Kansas quality improvement leaders on how they are approaching post-pandemic health care.

Register at no cost today: www.khconline.org/summit.


KUMC Webinar: Medication Assisted Treatment waiver eligibility training (CME, CE available)
This free online session from noon to 5 p.m. on April 30 will focus on buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder in an office-based setting. The standard Provider Clinical Support System will be presented and will qualify for the first half of training to receive the DATA 2000 buprenorphine waiver. 4 CME for physicians, as well as CE for nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, and interprofessional credits are available at no cost.

Presenter Dr. Daniel Warren is the Medical Director at Wichita Treatment Center and also prescribes buprenorphine for opioid use disorder at HealthCore Clinic in Wichita. He is currently working at University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita to develop a community response to substance use, primarily by developing skills and training in the primary care workforce. Register here.


HQIN webinar: A Focus on Opioids
The Health Quality Innovation Network will host a webinar on opioids on April 22 from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The webinar will feature the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program at HOPEHealth, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Florence, South Carolina. This short, conversation-style session is aimed at helping other HQIN members learn how the program works and identify tips for success. Register here.


KAMMCO webinar: Bias in Clinical Practice and Its Effect on Health Outcomes
The presence of bias among health care professionals and the effect on quality of care is a highly documented cause for concern. The more clinicians know about bias, the better equipped they are to combat its ill-effects in health care. This webinar will provide an in-depth understanding of how bias can affect patient care and contribute to health disparities. It will identify common biases that influence decision-making and offer practical strategies clinicians can implement to improve patient care and mitigate harm in their own environment. The webinar is scheduled for April 27 from noon to 1:00 p.m. Register here.


KAMMCO webinar: Advanced Directives—What Are They and How Do They Impact the Constellation of Patient Care
Advanced directives allow patients to “speak” when incapacity renders them unable to speak for themselves. This session will explore the different categories of advance directives and provide insight on how they work together to inform the health care team of patients’ wishes. It will present scenarios for how advanced directives direct who can and cannot play a role in a patient’s health care experience and the consequent impact on well-meaning family and friends. The webinar is scheduled for May 5 from noon to 1:00 p.m. Register here.


USDA seeks applications for Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is accepting applications for Distance Learning and Telemedicine program grants to help provide educational and medical services in rural areas. Read the full stakeholder announcement here.


KDHE/KDADS webinar: Federal funding available to support telehealth care
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Recovery Office recently hosted a webinar on two federal programs that provide funding to support system resiliency including increasing telehealth capabilities. The recording and more information are available here:  https://covid.ks.gov/provider-webinar.


KDHE vaccine manual update
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) this week updated its Vaccine Distribution Provider Manual, which includes information regarding dose allocation and delivery, administration protocols, reporting, managing patient reminders, and documentation requirements. Notably from the document: “Providers are responsible for individual patient reminders (to schedule second doses of the vaccine). The state will work towards ensuring public-facing communications include patient education about the need for boost doses.”


No-cost HPV and Flu vaccine training available for CME and CNE
The Immunize Kansas Coalition is offering no-cost training to help improve vaccination among young people: one module for HPV vaccination (approx. 30 min.) and one module for influenza vaccination (approx. 15 min.). The training modules are intended for medical and nursing staff members and teams addressing vaccine hesitancy and providing a strong recommendation for vaccination. There is no cost, and CME and CNE are available.


KHC Advance Care Planning series concludes, videos available
Our webinar series on Advance Care Planning–brought to you in partnership with the Center for Practical Bioethics, KFMC Health Improvement Partners, and Health Quality Innovators–has concluded and is now fully available in KHC’s education archive: www.khconline.org/archive

These no-cost sessions are intended for physicians, mid-level practitioners, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals.