KHC webinar: Office Hours on Antimicrobial Stewardship
The next KHC Office Hours will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 24. Our featured topic is “Practical Antibiotic Stewardship Implementation and Solutions for Kansas Health Care Facilities.” A panel of antimicrobial stewardship leaders with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will be our guest presenters, including Kellie Wark, MD, MPH, assistant professor of infectious diseases at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This webinar series is open to all Kansas health care facilities. The sessions also allow Kansas hospitals to keep abreast of the Compass HQIC patient safety initiative, as well as other hospital quality improvement programs and resources. Register here.
Funding opportunity for Community Health Worker clinic teams
KHC, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is soliciting applications from clinics interested in embedding teams of Community Health Workers (CHWs) at clinics in Brown, Crawford, Johnson, Finney, Wyandotte, Sedgwick, Thomas, and Mitchell Counties. CHW teams will work to provide greater access to COVID-19 prevention and response while addressing chronic diseases and access to social determinants of health that exacerbate COVID-19. For more information, visit: www.khconline.org/CHW.
RFP: Kansas Overdose Data to Action Program
KHC—in partnership with Kansas Department of Health and Environment—is soliciting applications from hospitals and health systems interested in participating in a project to identify provider needs related to opioid use and pain management and in implementing evidence-based interventions, including opioid overdose protocols, policies, and procedures. The interventions will engage hospitals, health systems, and community partners to promote referrals to evidence-based treatment and community resources. This is the third year of this three-year project and applications from new partners are welcome. For more information, visit: www.khconline.org/OD2A.
CMS extends MIPS "Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances" policy
Given circumstances surrounding COVID-19, CMS is applying the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) automatic Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) policy to all individually MIPS-eligible clinicians for the 2021 performance year. The automatic EUC policy does not apply to groups, virtual groups, or Alternative Payment Model entities. More information on this policy is available here. More information about all MIPS exceptions is available on the CMS Quality Payment Program Exceptions Applications page.
Flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same visit
Patients can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same visit. Experience with other vaccines has shown that the way our bodies develop protection and possible side effects after getting vaccinated are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines. More information on the timing of vaccines is available from the CDC here. For Kansas-specific information on the 2021-2022 flu season, see the Immunize Kansas Coalition’s #KansasFightsFlu website.
Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Individuals may be reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine for many reasons. One way that clinics, hospitals, and health systems can increase vaccination rates is to focus on why people are hesitant. Understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy allows health care organizations to tailor their vaccine communication strategies to their specific communities. Following are resources for addressing vaccine hesitancy:
- Guide for talking to family and friends about getting vaccinated for COVID-19 (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
- Webinar on what drives vaccine attitudes (Kaiser Permanente)
- Increasing Access to Vaccination Opportunities: COVID-19 Vaccination upon Discharge from Hospitals, Emergency Departments, and Urgent Care Facilities (PDF)
- A Guide for Talking to Your Congregation: Supporting Empathetic Congregational Conversations on COVID-19 Vaccination
- CDC Vaccine Education
- CDC Vaccine Training Modules
New in the KHC Education Archive: Basic Infection Prevention Learning Series for the Ambulatory Care Setting
The statewide Learning Action Network (LAN) for the outpatient setting held earlier this year featured basic infection prevention training for frontline health care workers and office staff. This nine-part collaborative series was conducted by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in partnership with KHC. Each recorded session focused on building knowledge and confidence in improving infection prevention practices. Recordings of each session are available at: www.khconline.org/LAN. An informational flyer is available here.
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.
Webinar recording: Learn how to deploy eCR to reduce reporting burden on health care staff
KHC and KDHE—in collaboration with the CDC—have teamed up to help providers learn more about eCR, learn how to easily implement it, and ultimately improve public health reporting in our state. A webinar with CDC and KDHE officials was held recently, a recording of which can be accessed at no cost here. If you are interested in equipping your organization’s EHR with eCR capability, please let KHC know by emailing Treva Borcher at
KMS position opening: Clinical Case Manager
The Kansas Medical Society's Professionals’ Health Program (PHP) is hiring a full-time Clinical Case Manager. Under the direct supervision of the KMS PHP Program Director, this position provides appropriate activities/talks for intakes, intervention, support, treatment facility referral, monitoring of program participants with health-related issues such as substance use disorders, mental and emotional health issues, and other issues resulting in PHP involvement. Applicant will meet with participants for monitoring with appropriate interaction to meet criteria set forth in KSBHA Professional Development Plans and Consent Orders. More information, including how to apply, is available here.