KHC Monthly Webinar: Lung Cancer Screening
November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and we have a special KHC webinar focused on Lung Cancer Screening (LCS). This is a critical topic as lung cancer kills more people than the next four types of cancer combined. While LCS with low-dose CT (LDCT) can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% or more, only a smallpercentage of patients at high-risk for this disease are being screened.
10-11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18
Register here
During the webinar you will hear from:
- Debra Dyer, MD, radiology chair at National Jewish Health and chair of the American College of Radiology’s Lung Cancer Screening 2.0 Initiative to improve the number of eligible patients benefiting from LCS.
- Neville Irani, MD, a radiologist and the director of quality and performance improvement in the department of radiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Drs. Dyer and Irani will present on:
- The evidence for LDCT and LCS;
- The latest U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines;
- The state of LCS in Kansas from the LCS Registry;
- Challenges of LCS in a rural setting; and
- Steps communities are taking in support of LCS.
There will be an opportunity for Q&A.
KHC virtual meetings provide an opportunity to learn with your peers, as well as stay in the know about resources and opportunities in quality and patient safety.
State issues summary on COVID-19 reporting requirements
KDHE this month said it had received much feedback about confusion over reporting requirements for COVID-19. Given that there are many mandatory requirements being placed on different kinds of health care facilities from many different sources, KDHE has issued guidance on what is required to be reported to KDHE. Also, the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline (877-427-7317) is operated 24/7 to answer questions.
Monoclonal Antibodies distribution in Kansas
This week, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational monoclonal antibody therapy bamlanivimab for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adult and pediatric patients. The authorization applies only to people newly infected with the virus, and the FDA said it should not be used in hospitalized patients. The maker of the treatment, Eli Lilly, said that it should be administered as soon as possible after a positive test, and within 10 days of developing symptoms. AmerisourceBergen will soon begin distribution on behalf of the federal government. More detail from the FDA here.
The federal Operation Warp Speed initiative had recently issued playbook for to support sites interested in administering the antibody treatment under EUA. The 20-page document is intended to help health care facilities plan for implementing the treatment in an outpatient setting.
KDHE expects allocation to the state to follow sometime soon. If your facility has the capability to administer IV infusion and is interested in the possibility of receiving allocations of this treatment (in a manner similar to remdesivir a few months back) please email Mike McNulty at KDHE:
State Local Partners COVID-19 Update
KDHE provides regular COVID-19 updates via Zoom for “State Local Partners,” that is, any health care-related professional who is interested. The latest update is available here.
KDHE post-overdose ED protocols survey
KDHE is assessing hospital staff perspectives regarding post-overdose policies and protocols in the emergency department (ED). The purpose of the survey is to inform strategic planning for overdose prevention and response initiatives and should take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Anyone on staff can take the survey and multiple surveys may be completed per facility. Click here to take the survey.
Awareness months for social promotion
There are several opportunities currently and coming up to help spread awareness of important issues in health care.
- 18-24 is U.S. Antibiotics Awareness Week, a CDC-led campaign that highlights the steps everyone can take to improve antibiotic prescribing and use. Resources from the CDC are available here. Kansas-specific resources from KHC and KDHE are available at www.UseAntibioticsWisely.org, including a social media tool kit and posters for your clinic or hospital in both English and Spanish.
- November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The American College of Radiology (Population Health Management Committee and Lung Cancer Screening 2.0 Subcommittee) has collaborated with the National Lung Cancer Roundtable on a new Bulletin podcast season that features Debra S. Dyer, MD, FACR, in conversation with key members of the Lung Cancer Screening team: the referring clinician, the pulmonologist, and the radiologist. Find the podcast here and share it via social media using the #LungCancer and #LCAM hashtags.
- The American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, and American Nurses Association have launched a “Wear A Mask” campaign, to disseminate resources on proper mask-wearing, best health care practices, and advice from health leaders to better equip individuals with knowledge to minimize spread of COVID-19.
- In collaboration with the American Medical Association and the Ad Council, the CDC launched an ongoing flu vaccine education campaign called “No One Has Time for Flu.” The campaign is aimed at increasing flu vaccination rates with emphasis on non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino groups, who are at higher risk of serious flu complications, but are less likely to be vaccinated. Follow and share the campaign’s posts at @NoTimeForFlu and use the hashtag #NoTimeForFlu in your own posts. Also find flu vaccination posts to share via the Kansas Immunization Coalition at @ImmKScoalition and via KHC at @KHCqi.