(Oct. 18, 2024) – The first two weeks of October are when the Kansas Hospital Association is on the road hosting our semi-annual district meetings. The gatherings allow hospital leaders to network with their peers and hear several pertinent issues facing Kansas hospitals. Beyond the timely and informative information shared, the most rewarding aspect is always the dialogue and feedback during the meeting. Thank you to all our members who attended.
We started the meetings by discussing hospitals' financial health. We shared data from our All Payers Scorecard and discussed some initial findings from a study we will release in December. We will soon send members information on a December webinar to discuss the study's findings on Kansas hospitals' financial challenges. Some concerns about the KanCare contracting process were expressed in our discussion. Hospitals experiencing issues are recommended to email the Medicaid director with their grievances.
We also walked through KHA public education campaigns and resources specific to Medicare Advantage, the 340B Program and a future campaign on hospitals' financial health. Members were encouraged to launch local campaigns to complement our statewide efforts. Campaign folders were set up through Box for KHA members. If you have any questions, please let us know.
A portion of the meeting also discussed statewide and local workforce initiatives. KHA highlighted several efforts, including the next Virtual Health Care Career Day on Jan. 30, 2025; the Happy in Health Care website and quiz; Kansas HOSA; the Kansas Health Care Preceptor Academy; and health care apprenticeships. KHA members also shared their best practices on recruitment and retention.
Members weighed in on the draft KHA 2025-2027 Strategic Plan. Gathering your input on the direction you want KHA to take for the next three years is always necessary. The feedback and results we collected will be shared with the KHA Board of Directors at its November board meeting for final approval of the KHA three-year strategic plan.
Another topic attendees had the opportunity to share and discuss was how KHA members use artificial intelligence. Several approaches are used, from clinical documentation to fine-tuning internal policies. We will pull together the takeaways from all six meetings and share them with our members as we build more resources in this area.
We discussed the latest state and federal advocacy initiatives for the remainder of the year and in preparation for the 2025 Kansas legislative session. The upcoming elections will dictate which health care policies will take priority at the federal and state levels.
Lastly, we drew attention to how members can engage with and impact the association's work through our KHA boards and committees. Our members' service on KHA committees is the association's essential work. Please fill out this online nomination form if you can serve on one of our 26 KHA policy groups (boards and committees).
If you missed these meetings, the slides can be found online. As always, thanks to our sponsors, the Kansas Health Service Corporation, APS, KAMMCO and Qualivis, for allowing another successful round of district meetings. And, most of all, thanks to those of you who attended our meetings and gave us such great feedback! Don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or need additional assistance!
--Chad Austin