(Dec. 8, 2023) – Nearly 25 years ago, when the Chiefs didn't make the playoffs every season, the Kansas Hospital Association saw an opportunity to enhance member value and collaborated with the Missouri Hospital Association in the Kansas City bi-state region by forming the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council.
KCMHC serves its member hospitals by:
- Acting as a convener and a resource for hospitals – an intermediary between our hospitals and community organizations, payers, government, business and the media.
- Finding common ground where the hospitals can collaborate.
- Building relationships with the community, and getting input from our community on how we can work better together.
- Providing continuing education and solutions on shared issues.
- Extending resources for collaborative purposes from KHA and MHA.
Examples of some past member benefit initiatives led by KCMHC include expanding educational capacity at area nursing schools, developing a health care scholarship program, conducting an annual employee turnover and compensation survey, establishing the Kansas City Assessment and Triage Center, leading area wage improvement initiatives and developing community plans for emergency transportation and disaster preparedness.
KCMHC's current areas of focus include:
- Workforce development
- Hiring event for graduating high school seniors
- Expanding internships in health care
- Hidden career in the health care externship for teachers
- Hidden career exploration event for middle school and high school students
- Clinical student onboarding enhancements for students and schools
- Talent pipeline building
- Supervisory and leadership skills training for new leaders and early careerists
- Financial stability
- Building relationships with payers; this year's focus has been Blue Cross of Kansas City and United Healthcare.
- Collaborating with members to ensure payer accountability and performance; an example this year was KCMHC members providing Blue Cross of Kansas City with feedback on a new 30-day readmission policy.
- Education and networking
- Hosting panel presentations on "Health Equity" and "The Future of Healthcare Financing," jointly held with the American College of Healthcare Executives chapters.
- Relationship building
- Developing stronger relationships with key area community leaders, such as the Mid-America Regional Council and the Greater Kansas City Regional Chamber.
Efforts in early stages of development include addressing workplace safety and hospital and community readiness for the 2026 World Cup. Activities in the bi-state are led by a steering committee. The current steering committee chair is Phil Buttell, CEO, of Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park.
Upcoming events:
- April 23, 2024: Cybersecurity workshop hosted by the American Hospital Association, Kansas Hospital Association and Missouri Hospital Association. The program will be from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the University of Kansas Health Medical Center, Kansas City.
- May 7-9, 2024: AHA's "Accelerating Health Equity Conference" will be at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center.
--Brett Moorehouse