Measure Reduction an Integral Part of Quality Measurement
A common saying is that more information is better information, but that is not necessarily the case in healthcare quality measurement. Too many measures can create noise that hides what the key measures are telling us, measures that are “topped out” don’t provide meaningful information about variation between sources of care, and the cost in time and money for measures that aren’t very helpful are not worth that cost...MORE

Local Employers Discuss Impact of Depression on the Workplace 
Greater Louisville area employers gathered last Thursday, April 20, to discuss how to decrease stigma and increase help-seeking behaviors for employees with depression. Marcus Miles from Employers Health and Clare Miller from American Psychiatric Foundation’s Workplace Mental Health shared how depression manifests itself in the workplace and ways employers can address this growing issue...MORE

2017 County Health Ranking Now Available
Last week, Robert Wood Johnson’s 2017 County Health Rankings Report was released. The report, which provides data about population health at a county level, summarizes key national findings, as well as state and county trends. Users can explore the data using the interactive online tool or even download spreadsheets of data for their own use...MORE 

 IN THE NEWS

Here are some of the top news stories that the KHC has been following: 

•  Freedom Caucas backs revised Obamacare repeal bill in significant development
• How Medicaid Enrollees Fare Compared with Privately Insured and Uninsured Adults
• For truly affordable health care, we need to pay for outcomes not services.
• CO APCD Data on NBC Nightly News on Freestanding Emergency Rooms
• CMS releases new MACRA resources for clinicians
• A Deep Dive into the MIPS Quality Category
• Passport Health's move to West End draws cheers

 IN THE COMMUNITY                      

• Louisville neighborhood Smoketown, the oldest African-American neighborhood in the city and directly adjacent to the highest concentration of health, hospital and physician services in the state of Kentucky has been chosen as a pilot site for Project HEAL. Project HEAL (Health Equity Art Learning) is a transdisciplinary approach to the commitment of health in the community, activating voices to create, support and sustain health in all community development policies is a primary goal of Project HEAL. Project HEAL uses arts and culture as a form of discovery and language - creating a feedback loop between policy makers and those most impacted by policy decisions. For updates and more information, click HERE.
• Louisville Metro Council is currently seeking to revise the language of the 2008 Smoke-Free ordinance to include hookahs and e-cigarettes. Expanding the Smoke-Free Ordinance to include electronic cigarettes and hookah will align with the Healthy Louisville 2020 goals of reducing and eliminating exposure to smoking related health hazards and reducing exposure to environmental health hazards. The revised Smoke-Free Ordinance, without any exemptions, would promote clean and smoke-free environments in all public indoor settings and protect Louisville Metro’s clean air standards, reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants, protect non-users and employees against exposure to harmful chemicals, and assist with enforcement of the Smoke-Free Ordinance. To learn more information, click HERE.
• Call to Action:  Implement an Antibiotic Stewardship Program in Your Organization.

Qsource, an atom Alliance partner, is working under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as the Quality Improvement Network (QIN) to assist Kentucky outpatient providers in developing antibiotic stewardship programs and improving patient outcomes. They are currently accepting partnerships to receive: expert advice, useful education, and high quality resources on this issue.Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs and save millions of lives each year. However, widespread, long-term use has led to an alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that, in the U.S. alone, cause 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization have declared antibiotic resistance to be one of the  most serious national and global health problems (PAC). For more information on partnering with Qsource click HERE.

How can the KHC best coordinate and align action to change health and the healthcare system?

"Healthcare is the same as any industry sector, we respond to what the market asks of us. Ambulatory centers, extended hours, accountable care organizations are in place today because our clients demanded it. KHC members represent government agencies and regional businesses who provide or manage the healthcare insurance for thousands of individuals. KHC has the unique ability to educate its members and shape health plan contracts to encourage their ‘covered lives’, the physicians and the hospitals to change behavior.

Our state faces significant health challenges, and no one will succeed if we attempt to “boil the ocean.” As KHC remains keenly focused on the critical few metrics that will drive the largest improvements, they can educate KHC member organizations on how to contract incentives and penalties. As before, the physicians and hospitals will respond once consumers clearly indicate the outcomes they need."