The Commonwealth’s largest health system is the first of Kentucky Hospital Association’s members to participate in the statewide I-PASS ‘KHATCH’ Program

BOSTON, Mass. – December 19, 2023 – I-PASS, the gold standard for reducing preventable medical errors through improved clinical handoffs, today announced the Baptist Health system of hospitals as the first participants in the I-PASS Kentucky Hospital Association Transitions and Communication in Hospitals (KHATCH) Program. As the largest not-for-profit health system in Kentucky, Baptist Health’s eight hospitals in the Commonwealth and nearly 2,500 licensed beds will serve as the initial I-PASS demonstration for Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) members, which last month announced an industry-leading partnership with I-PASS to elevate care quality and establish a universal language for transitions across the Commonwealth.

The I-PASS KHATCH Program is an eight-year initiative enabling KHA’s member network to adopt the I-PASS bundle, methodology, and solutions without needing to individually pay out of their own pockets. Patient-facing caregivers and roles at Baptist Health’s hospitals in Kentucky will implement the complete I-PASS bundle of solutions, which includes coaching, consultation, and a collection of technological tools to increase the quality and reliability of verbal and written handoffs, as well as the I-PASS eVIEW, a digital written handoff tool that integrates with all major electronic health records (EHRs) and reduces workflow redundancies. The I-PASS KHATCH program seeks to improve patient handoffs and positively impact quality, safety, and workforce measures for KHA members and their patients. 

Hospitals and health systems in Kentucky are facing significant post-pandemic challenges, including workforce shortages, rising expenses, and supply disruptions, pressure points that can put patient safety at risk. In fact, major and minor patient safety events involving care transition communication are a concern for hospitals and health systems across the country. A Joint Commission study found that sentinel event rates nationwide increased 78% between 2020 and 2022, with communication breakdowns serving as the leading cause of these events. Additionally, data published in the Journal of Patient Safety showed that over a 10-year period, nearly half of all medical malpractice claims involved communication failures, 77% of which could be prevented with a proper handoff tool.

“Starting the I-PASS KHATCH Program at Baptist Health is the first of many milestones with the Kentucky Hospital Association and its members,” said Marshall Burkhart, I-PASS’s Vice President of Client Engagement. “We are united in our shared commitment to drive performance in safety, quality, patient experience, and reduce medical malpractice costs for the association’s members throughout the Commonwealth. Together, we’re building a playbook for hospital associations across the country to follow and invite them to join us in taking bold steps on the path to transform patient safety and elevate the national standard of care.”

“We’re proud that the Baptist Health hospitals are the first in the Commonwealth to embark on the I-PASS KHATCH Program,” said Trish Jordan, Baptist Health’s System Associate Vice President, Clinical Outcomes. “This important initiative will give our staff a tool they’ve been yearning for — one that augments the way they’re already coordinating patient care. By leveraging a shared mental model for clinical handoff communication, our care teams can maximize the impact that those efforts ultimately make on their patients. We’re excited to see the many ways this program, backed by the Kentucky Hospital Association and I-PASS’s evidence-based handoff methodology, will enable and empower our caregivers to provide the highest care quality and improve the health of the communities we serve.”

KHA is a recognized leader in care quality, working with hospitals, health care organizations, and integrated health care systems dedicated to sustaining and improving the health status of the citizens of Kentucky. The association’s member network is comprised of over 128 hospitals, plus clinics and health centers, representing all the acute care, rehabilitation, and behavioral health hospitals in Kentucky. KHA partnered with I-PASS to deliver providers across the state a shared mental model for streamlining handoff communication between clinicians, improving care quality, and reducing the risk and financial burden of malpractice

“The Kentucky Hospital Association is committed to nimbly adapting to evolving challenges and helping our members plan for the future. The I-PASS KHATCH Program puts these core values into practice,” said Deborah Campbell, Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Transformation at KHA. “Our members need modern solutions that can help mitigate the complex financial, operational, and workforce challenges they’re facing. KHA leadership knows that improved patient communication can have a positive downstream impact on provider workflow and teamwork while also reducing the financial burden of medical malpractice. We’re excited to fund this partnership and extend I-PASS’s clinically validated services to our members in the Commonwealth.”

For more information about working with I-PASS, please email info@ipassinstitute.com.

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About Baptist Health

Founded in 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky, Baptist Health is a full-spectrum health system dedicated to improving the health of the communities it serves. The Baptist Health family consists of nine hospitals, employed and independent physicians, and more than 450 points of care, including outpatient facilities, physician practices and services, urgent care clinics, outpatient diagnostic and surgery centers, home care, fitness centers, and occupational medicine and physical therapy clinics. Baptist Health is the first health system in the U.S. to have all of its hospitals recognized by the American Nursing Credentialing Center with either a Magnet® or Pathway to Excellence® designation for nursing excellence and employs more than 23,000 people in Kentucky and surrounding states. Learn more at https://www.baptisthealth.com/.

About Kentucky Hospital Association

The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA), established in 1929, represents hospitals, related health care organizations, and integrated health care systems dedicated to sustaining and improving the health status of the citizens of Kentucky. Learn more at www.kyha.com.

About I-PASS

The I-PASS Patient Safety Institute is a clinical leader in patient safety, enabling a standard of care for patient handoffs and closed-loop communication. Founded by clinicians in 2016, the I-PASS Institute leverages expert mentorship paired with technology and digital tools to scale the I-PASS methodology. The I-PASS Institute’s solution, the I-PASS Bundle, consists of three core technical components: I-PASS Training, I-PASS Assessment and Improvement, and I-PASS eVIEW. When institutions utilize these components in unison and with the guidance of an expert coach, they can reduce patient harm caused by miscommunication. I-PASS is currently implemented in more than 100 healthcare institutions across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.ipassinstitute.com