SERVING KENTUCKY MEDICAL NEWS AND SOUTHERN INDIANA The business of healthcare $2.50 October 2017 News in Brief page 2 | People in Brief page 4 | Event Calendar page 6 Corner Office LAWMAKERS Meet Daniel Fisher, partner and Health HEAR SOBERING Care Practice Chair with Bingham Greenebaum Doll in Louisville, Ky. who ACCOUNT OF joined the firm directly out of law school. OPIOID CRISIS Read more on page 5 Cabinet reaches agreement By Ben Keeton with Bluegrass.org to manage MEDICAID OVERSIGHT AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR REP. KIMBERLY MOSER, R-TAYLOR MILL Hazelwood ICF At one Kentucky hospital, people The Cabinet for Health and are bringing in heroin and shooting up chair Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, “People do get better,” Ingram said. Family Services (CHFS) has with patients. said of the topics on the agenda that “People do recover, although for those reached an agreement That’s one example of the “very included prevention, treatment and people on the front lines, it doesn’t seem with Bluegrass.org – a desperate situation” the opioid-abuse criminal justice issues. that way.” Kentucky-based, non-profit organization – to crisis has created, Kentucky Chamber of Co-chair Rep. Kimberly Poore In what he described as a “rare bright assume management of Hazelwood, a state-owned Commerce President Dave Adkisson said Moser, R-Taylor Mill, said the point of spot, there were 70 million fewer dos- Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) for individuals with while testifying before a panel of state combining the two committees’ meetings age units of opioids prescribed last year intellectual and developmental disabilities. legislators in the Capitol Annex. was to show the complexity of the opioid- in Kentucky than in 2011. (That figure Read more on page 8 abuse crisis and need for a coordinated, doesn’t include buprenorphine, a semi- long-term strategy to tackle it. synthetic opioid that is used to treat opi- From the Archives It cuts across all demographics. “We know that everything we have oid addiction.) There are still about 300 The future of the VA Medical Center It touches everyone. We know heard about the opioid use disorder million dosage units of opioids being pre- problem, heroin problem, is real to many scribed in Kentucky. in Louisville it doesn’t matter where you families and our communities,” she said, “This whole problem is the Over the past 24 years, live. Addiction doesn’t care “and it cuts across all demographics. It overexposure of opioids to our country Medical News has had how smart you are, where touches everyone. We know it doesn’t and state,” Ingram said. “We are reducing the privilege of telling matter where you live. Addiction doesn’t that overexposure.” thousands of stories of you went to school or how care how smart you are, where you went advocacy efforts, new developments or healthcare House Bill 333 Will Help much money you make.” to school or how much money you make.” providers making a difference in the community. Office of Drug Control Policy He said the passage of House Bill Going forward, we are going to occasionally revisit — Co-chair Rep. executive director Van Ingram testified 333 earlier this year would further drive some of these stories to see how they impact Kimberly Poore Moser, that 1,404 Kentuckians died of a drug down the number of opioids prescribed. healthcare today. This month, we look back to 2008 It prevents doctors from prescribing and the discussions surrounding the location of the R-Taylor Mill overdose last year. He said the introduction of the synthetic opiate fentanyl into the more than a three-day supply of opioid new VA Medical Center. heroin supply was largely driving the painkillers, with some exceptions allowed. Read more on page 12 He was among more than 25 people death rate. In addition, fentanyl has been It also increased penalties for trafficking from across the country who testified about present in 53 percent of the drug overdoses in opioids and authorized the state Office the best policies to attack the crisis at a recorded in Kentucky so far, this year. of the Inspector General to investigate IN THIS ISSUE rare six-hour meeting of both the Interim Ingram said the Kentucky General trends in drug usage and trafficking. Joint Committee on Health and Welfare Assembly passed many measures in the Department for Medicaid Services and Family Services, and the Medicaid last five or six years to address opioid Medical Director Dr. Gil Liu testified on AGING CARE Oversight and Advisory Committee. the impact of opioid abuse disorder on abuse, but it takes time for the full impact This month we take a closer look at the business “Today is a snapshot,” meeting co- of those laws to be seen. Kentucky’s Medicaid program. At the beginning of 2014 Kentucky of aging in Kentucky, with a diverse set of articles spent about $56 million in Medicaid money covering topics such as the increasing popularity on behavioral health and substance abuse of the Music & Memory program for people treatment, he said. By the end of 2016, with Alzheimer’s disease. We also explore how Kentucky was spending about $117 million telemedicine is helping docs reach seniors in in Medicaid money on those treatments. remote areas of the state who are unable to travel Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, asked for an in-person appointment. Think house calls Monroe, GA Monroe, what percent of people with substance are a thing of the past? Think again. Seniors are Permit #15 Permit abuse disorder have a behavioral health relying on in-home doctor visits more and more. PAID disorder, outside of the drug issue. This and more starting on page 13 US Postage US “Well over half of the people,” Liu said. PRSRT STD PRSRT Continued on page 9 PAGE 2 MEDICAL NEWS • OCTOBER 2017 NEWS IN BRIEF Highlands Health System UofL researcher receives NIH grant to merge with Appalachian to study periodontal disease Regional Healthcare Huizhi Wang, MD, PhD, of the Department of Oral Immunology and Appalachian Regional Infectious Diseases at UofL, earned the five-year grant for the study from the Healthcare (ARH) and National Institute of Dental and Cra- Highlands Health System niofacial Research, part of the National announced they have en- Institutes of Health. tered into a Letter of Intent Periodontal disease, a chronic in- to merge the Prestonsburg- flammatory disease that affects the gum based Highlands Regional tissue and bone supporting the teeth, can WANG Medical Center and other have serious consequences for those who Highlands Health facilities Periodontal disease is a common suffer from it. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss. and services into the multi- struggle for many Americans, affecting half of U.S. adults over 30. Now, a re- Research also has shown peri- hospital ARH system. odontal disease is associated with other ARH and Highlands searcher at the University of Louisville ARH system. All other Highlands out- School of Dentistry is embarking on a chronic inflammatory diseases, and may hope to finalize the transaction by early patient services and facilities in Floyd, promising study of a potential way to be linked to cardiovascular disease, dia- next year after the completion of the due betes, rheumatoid arthritis and stomach Johnson, Martin and Magoffin counties help combat the disease after earning a diligence process. and colon cancer. are also included in the merger. nearly $2 million grant. Under the agreement, the 192-bed ARH offers a wide-range of prima- Highlands Regional Medical Center ry and specialty care services through its will operate under the new name, High- network of health facilities and partner- Behavioral health leaders create lands ARH Regional Medical Center, ships with other health systems. and will become the 12th hospital in the initiative to tackle addiction crisis In response to Louisville’s ongoing der the overarching concerns of access addiction crisis, a new initiative has been to treatment, prevention initiatives and Lourdes palliative care chaplain created that brings together thought healthy recovery, the TAG team has leaders from providers all over Louisville self-selected into smaller action groups wins award to form to form the Treatment Advisory to focus on specific goals. Group (TAG). The group was convened For example, the TAG Advoca- HERO, the Health Enhancement life. With as- in January by the Office of Addiction cy team is looking at issues where the Research Organization, has named sistance from Services, part of the Louisville Metro treatment community’s collective voice is Brent Easton, a palliative care chaplain Lourdes and Public Health & Wellness. needed. The TAG Sober Housing Task for Lourdes and Mercy Health, the re- Mercy Health’s Leadership from Centerstone, The Force is working on proper credential- Brook Hospitals, Volunteers of Amer- ing for Metro-area recovery residences to cipient of the inaugural Alliant Healthy well-being pro- ica, Our Lady of Peace, Jeffersontown protect the interests of recovering people, HERO Award. gram, he ad- Police, Renew Recovery, Landmark Re- the neighborhoods where housing is lo- The Alliant Healthy HERO Award justed his habits covery, Center for Behavioral Health, cated and the owners/providers of legiti- recognizes an individual whose partici- and rethought Morton Center, Greater Louisville mate recovery homes. The Single Point pation in a company-sponsored well- his definition Counseling Center, Beacon House and of Access team is working with Metro being program has inspired significant, of success. Over many more have come together to focus United Way to evaluate the possibility sustained improvements in health and the past three on solutions build strong relationships of having the phone number 211 be a overall well-being.