Communications

President's Perspective – Greetings from your friends at the Kansas Hospital Association!

Turn up your volume, and enjoy our ecard with the warmest of wishes for a joyous holiday season.

Complimentary Health Care Preceptor Academies Available in 2026

Participants will gain strategies related to preceptor roles, assessment, communication, feedback, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, legal considerations and burnout prevention. All sessions, both in-person and virtual, cover the same core material.

Save the Date – Critical Issues Summit for Hospital Boards 2026

The Critical Issues Summit, hosted by KHA, brings together hospital leadership and trustees from across the state and promotes the importance of good governance practices. It provides top-notch speakers, educational sessions and discussions on critical topics facing hospitals.

KHA HIDI Advantage Optics Update

This week, Advantage Optics, the online reporting tool accessed from the HIDI Advantage User Portal, where your KHA hospital-level data resides, was updated with the October 2025 data and now contains October 2020 – October 2025 inpatient, outpatient and emergency department discharges.

New Medicare Advantage Complaint Process

CMS released a new online form on www.cms.gov for providers needing to report a complaint about a Medicare Advantage Plan. The online form will capture basic information about the complainant, beneficiary, and Medicare Advantage plan.

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program AU/AR Reporting Deadlines

The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network reminds hospitals participating in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for the year 2025 of two upcoming deadlines for Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance reporting requirements.

HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Funding Opportunities

HRSA anticipates posting two opioid-related funding opportunities in February:
1. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Planning, estimated posting date Feb. 2; and
2. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Impact, estimated posting date on Feb. 23.

MAHA ELEVATE Funding Opportunity Anticipated Early 2026

CMS intends to announce a funding opportunity in early 2026 to support the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

Trump Administration Signs Executive Order Reclassifying Marijuana. but It Remains Illegal

While the Trump Administration signed an executive order last week reclassifying marijuana from a schedule I controlled substance (C-I) to a Schedule III controlled substance (C-III), the order does not legalize marijuana under federal law.

CDC Adopts Individual-Based Decision-Making for Hepatitis B Immunization for Infants, AAP and AAFP Continue to Recommend Universal Birth Dose

On Dec. 16, the CDC announced it had adopted individual-based decision-making for hepatitis B immunization allowing parents to decide whether to give the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus.

AHA Submits Letter to the U.S. Department of Education about Professional Degrees

AHA has urged the U.S. Department of Education to adopt a broad definition of "professional degree programs" as it implements the One Big Beautiful Bill Act student loan provisions effective July 1, 2026.

CEO Staffing Changes

KHA would like to inform our members of the latest member hospital administrator changes since our last hospital list in November.

Health Observances and Recognition Days for January

Supporting KHA's vision, "Optimal Health for Kansans and Kansas Hospitals," KHA is sharing SHSMD's Health Observance Calendar as a tool for planning your health events, internal and external communications and social media campaigns.

Current Report Will Not Be Published Next Week

Unless special circumstances occur, Current Report will not be published next week. The next issue will be published on Jan. 9, 2026. The Kansas Hospital Association wishes you a safe holiday season and a happy New Year.

Federal and National News

CMS Releases Transparency in Coverage Proposed Rule, CMS Innovation Center Announces Medicare Part A, Part B Drug Models and Before You Go.