MHA Today | November 22, 2024

Staff Contact: Daphney Partridge

Last week, more than 800 health care professionals and education partners gathered in Kansas City, Mo., for MHA’s 102nd Annual Convention. We hope those who attended this event, filled with insightful sessions, networking opportunities, and inspiring speakers and panelists, left with valuable insights they took back to their hospitals and health care systems.

While we, at MHA, thought the 2024 convention was an astounding success, don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what a few attendees said.

Remember, if you attended this year’s convention, you can access session recordings and handouts on the MHA Events app or Attendee Hub. Attendees also are invited to complete surveys to give feedback about this year’s event to help us plan for future conventions.

Speaking of which, mark your calendars for next year’s convention and beyond!

Save the Dates

• Nov. 5-7, 2025: St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, Mo.
• Nov. 4-6, 2026: Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, Kansas City, Mo.
• Nov. 3-5, 2027: St. Louis Union Station Hotel, St. Louis

Staff Contact: Karie Untiedt

As announced during MHA’s 102nd Convention last week, MHA collaborated with the National Association of Healthcare Quality to provide complimentary access to two distinct on-demand educational offerings related to quality and safety in health care.

• HQ Concepts: a one-hour, on-demand introductory course that teaches health care staff the basics of quality and safety; leadership and front-line staff are encouraged to participate.
• HQ Principles: a self-paced, online program providing the fundamentals of health care quality and safety to professionals responsible for quality programs; all Missouri hospital quality directors are encouraged to participate.

These offerings are supported by funds from the fiscal year 2021 Hospital Association COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Activities and CFDA 93.889, through a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

Sign up for these complimentary offerings.

Staff Contact: Karie Untiedt

Announced this week, NAHQ and TJC are collaborating together to focus on the development of the health care workforce. NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework, which is being endorsed by TJC, defines the full spectrum of work required for a high-functioning quality program.

Through this collaboration, NAHQ and TJC have shared goals to provide quality competencies to support improvement in patient outcomes, prepare and credential quality professionals, and provide the right training and education on today’s critical topics.

This alliance aims to achieve quality excellence, improve care and ensure patient safety. Together, NAHQ and TJC are joining forces to create a workforce that is aligned to the standard and ready to improve quality and safety, and reduce health care costs.

Staff Contact: Brett Moorehouse

APS will host an introductory webinar about Vigilor from TRIMEDX, a division of Indianapolis-based clinical asset management company TRIMEDX, which was recently selected as a cybersecurity vendor for APS members. The webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25.

Vigilor, which delivers clinical engineering services, clinical asset informatics, and medical device cybersecurity, offers a range of capabilities aimed at identifying and mitigating cybersecurity threats and patient safety risks tied to connected devices.

For questions or more information, contact Dennis George at (913) 327-8730.

Staff Contact: Brett Moorehouse

APS will host a webinar at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, about Class Action Capital’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers class action settlement. Registration is required.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Providers class action settlement resolves the allegations that BCBSA and Individual Blue Plans violated antitrust laws by illegally dividing the U.S. into “service areas” and agreeing not to compete with each other in those areas. The plaintiffs also claim that settling defendants fixed prices for services provided. The Court has not decided who is right or wrong; instead, plaintiffs and settling defendants agreed to a $2.8 billion settlement to avoid the risk and cost of further litigation.

For questions or more information, contact Dennis George at (913) 327-8730.