KHC Convenes – featuring Dr. Tom Evans of IHC
Since its inception, KHC has hosted education opportunities for partners as part of its core mission. Many of these education opportunities have been guided and funded by long-term initiatives—such as the HIIN or the PTN. Some of these education opportunities have ended along with their associated initiatives, while others continue.

KHC seeks to continue offering longer-term, ongoing education for all partners spanning various initiatives. To that end, we are pleased to announce a new education series called “KHC Convenes.” These short sessions will feature presentations and discussions by our many partners in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety efforts in Kansas. KHC Convenes aims to educate and connect otherwise distant and disparate health care providers around subject matter implicating the variety of work you do in partnership with KHC.

Our first KHC Convenes session will premiere next week on June 30, featuring Tom Evans, MD, President and CEO of the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC). KHC has partnered with IHC for more than 10 years, first on the Practice Transformation Network and currently on the Compass HQIC initiative, serving as the largest hospital quality and patient safety network in Kansas. In this session, “Innovation Out of Disruption,” Dr. Evans discusses how the pandemic has presented providers with a rare opportunity to accelerate change. He offers a three-legged stool approach for mindfully approaching change that will be sustainable over time.

Register here to receive access to the session when it premieres on June 30.


Learn how to deploy eCR to reduce reporting burden on health care staff
Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) helps providers fulfill their disease and case reporting requirements and has many benefits to providers, including:

  • Eliminates the need for manual data entry, faxing, or responding to calls from public health agencies.
  • Transfers critical clinical information from providers to public health agencies for disease tracking, case management, and contact tracing.
  • Provides more timely and complete data than manual case reporting.
  • Reduces burden on physicians and staff.
  • Automates case reporting by using data in your electronic health record.
  • The bidirectional exchange of information from public health to providers is much faster and more comprehensive.
  • Supports public health emergency responses.
  • Meets Promoting Interoperability requirements.

KHC and KDHE are teaming up to help providers learn more about eCR, learn how to easily implement it, and ultimately to help make Kansas a leader in electronic case reporting.

Watch for details on an upcoming webinar regarding eCR being planned in collaboration with CDC, KDHE, and KHC. More information here.

Registration open: Physician Leaders Forum
The Physician Leaders Forum—cosponsored by the Kansas Medical Society (KMS) and the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA)—is a no-cost virtual event to bring together Kansas physician leaders and foster discussion regarding critical issues impacting health and health care in Kansas. The focus of this virtual event will be physician resilience and wellbeing in a post-COVID environment. The forum will be on June 29 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Register here.


New buprenorphine practice guidelines
In April, there were changes to the waiver requirements for Buprenorphine prescribing for treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. The federal government issued Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder. An eligible provider can prescribe Buprenorphine for up to 30 patients without completing the 8-hour training to obtain the waiver. The training and waiver are still needed if the provider will be prescribing Buprenorphine to more than 30 patients. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently issued a FAQ regarding this exemption as well as related resources. Online training and additional resources are available here on the KTRACS website.

KSBHA updates telemedicine policy
Kansas State Board of Healing Arts (KSBHA) has finalized a revised version of its telemedicine policy, KSBHA Board Policy #21-02 Telemedicine, which provides guidance to KSBHA licensees in performing health care services via telemedicine. KSBHA intends to revisit the policy as needed to reflect changes emerging both in clinical practice and law.


Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and other resources
Do you know someone who is vaccine-hesitant? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has developed a guide for talking to family and friends about getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Access the guide here.

Here are additional vaccine resources:

 

HHS issues new guidance for Provider Relief Funds
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new guidance regarding Provider Relief Funds distributed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other changes, HHS clarified the availability of funds is based on the date of receipt, extended the deadline for reporting, and revised the threshold for required reporting.


J & J COVID-19 vaccine expiration extension
The FDA has authorized an extension of the shelf-life for the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from 3 months to 4.5 months. The decision is based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies, which have demonstrated that the vaccine is stable at 4.5 months when refrigerated at temperatures of 36 – 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 – 8 degrees Celsius). Vaccine providers should visit www.vaxcheck.jnj to confirm the latest expiration dates of the vaccine. The FDA advises providers to review inventory of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and adjust the expiration date accordingly.

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.


Limited time remaining: Summit on Quality 2021

If you haven’t yet participated in KHC’s Summit on Quality, you may still do so. All three one-hour sessions premiered in May, but access to the sessions will remain available for several weeks. This year's summit is designed to equip Kansas’ health care professionals to thrive in our "new normal." The programming is 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 the state. Register for access to the videos at no cost at: www.khconline.org/summit

If you have watched all or part of the Summit, please send us your feedback! www.khconline.org/summit-feedback