Letter: Leadership change at KHC
Dear colleagues,
Ten years ago this month, I was interviewing for a role at a startup, provider-led organization focused on quality as envisioned by the Kansas Medical Society (KMS) and the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA). Health care was in the midst of significant change and at the heart of those discussions were important conversations around improving quality, safety, and value. KMS and KHA—two organizations committed to improving health care in Kansas—partnered to establish the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative. Today, that startup has grown into a nationally respected leader in quality improvement and patient safety.
Flu vaccine rate for Kansas hospital workers climbs, exceeds U.S. rate
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TOPEKA—For the tenth straight year, the percentage of Kansas hospital personnel vaccinated against influenza continued to rise, far exceeding the national average, according to a recent survey of health care professionals conducted by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC). The annual Health Care Personnel Influenza Immunization Survey conducted by KHC found that 93.9 percent of hospital personnel in Kansas received influenza vaccination for last year’s flu season.
That’s considerably better than the national average, which was 88.7 percent in 2017-18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which tracks rates nationally. Alaska had the lowest rate at 73.8 percent; Colorado had the highest rate at 97.6 percent. Only eight states and the District of Columbia had higher rates of flu vaccination among hospital personnel than Kansas.
Hospital leaders recognized for working to improve patient safety
Thirteen Kansas hospital leaders are being recognized for their completion of a national fellowship program aimed at improving patient safety.