MDNews - Greater Kansas

IN ITS FIRST 10 YE ARS, THE K ANSA S HE ALTHCARE COLL ABOR ATIVE žKHCŸ HA S HELPED PHYSICIANS AND HOSPITALS MAKE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THE E VER¡CHANGING HE ALTHCARE L ANDSCAPE. Many areas of health care have seen rapid, significant change, which continues at the pace of innovation and advancement. The Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) has noted several significant trends impacting health care today in Kansas. KHC Celebrates First Decade BY SARAH GOODING "COLLECTIVELY, WE'VE BEEN able to lead change in Kansas more eectively than we would have been able to on our own," says Executive Director Kendra Tinsley. "This is a unique partner- ship. KHC was founded a decade ago by the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) and the Kansas Medical Society (KMS) to work together across the state to facilitate the improvement of healthcare quality and patient safety." In 2008 healthcare reform was on the horizon at both the state and federal levels. KHC began gathering insight from leaders in quality improvement and patient safety, utilizing national organizations' existing experience and key reports from the Institute of Medicine. They then worked toward change through strong partnerships with physicians, hospital CEOs and those on the front lines of care. " We are extremely proud of our strong engagement over the years," Tinsley says, citing significant results in multiple statewide healthcare initiatives. "For example, 10 years ago, only 64 percent of Kansas hospital personnel were receiving influenza immunizations. As a result of KHC's educationa l campaigns, that number now is nearly 94 percent — protecting both patients and healthcare providers." Additionally, she says, "KHC worked with birthing hospitals across the state, providing education, technical assistance, resources and support, to quickly reduce early-elective births by more than 70 percent. Mothers and babies both fare better when birth occurs at 39-plus weeks." "The partnership between KHC, KHA and KMS is a testament to the success generated by identifying evidence-based practices and spreading the practices throughout the state," Tinsley says. As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shifts healthcare reimbursements toward quality, rather than fee- for-service, KHC is also helping equip physician practices with the skill sets needed to be successful in the new environment. "We are working at the heart of redesigning the healthcare landscape in Kansas," Tinsley says. "Sharing initiatives and best practices is our mission. The fundamental aspects of KHC's model are to harvest known healthcare successes throughout the state and nation and share those experiences. It's critical to share, learn and grow together." ■ Healthcare Trend Watching TECHNOLOGY Telehealth is rapidly transforming the healthcare landscape, expand- ing patient access to both routine and specialty care and improving outcomes and patient satisfac- tion. The field is also growing in popularity, with 78 percent of consumers expressing interest in receiving health care virtually, and 35 percent of employers offering telemedicine services on-site. That number is expected to surpass 47 percent in the com- ing year. FINANCE Health care is in the middle of a payment transi- tion from fee-for-service (or volume-based billing) to value-based care. Successful systems change requires the collaboration and coordina- tion of payers, providers, physicians, regulators and patient consumers. At present, hospitals and health systems must exist in both the fee-for- service and value-based worlds as they begin to determine how to make that transition in a way that lowers cost and improves patient care. At the same time, there are new episodic or bundled payment initiatives developing, which will require hospitals to take financial accountability for the quality and costs of an entire episode of care. PATIENT ENGAGEMENT Greater access to personal health records and online patient portals are credited with a rising number of patients indicating they have become more engaged with their health care during the past two years. This mirrors physician goals, with 71 per- cent of providers indicating patient engagement is a top priority in their organiza- tions, up from 60 percent in 2016. ■ M I L E S T O N E S ❰❰❰❰❰ 0 7 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 018 0 7

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