The PILL Podcast

Join us for an enlightening discussion with Brooke Perkins, Director for Community Health Worker programs at Lewis County Primary Care Center, Inc, also known as Primary Plus. Brooke provides an in-depth exploration of their innovative Community Health Worker (CHW) program, tracing its mission, evolution, and remarkable impact. Discover how they've navigated challenges, gained healthcare prov...

We're honored to welcome Dr. Christine Cosby-Gaither, an educator, entrepreneur, and founder of A Stroke of Grace. Dr. Cosby-Gaither's journey is one of resilience, from her career in academia to her inspiring recovery from a life-changing stroke in 2019.  Through her nonprofit organization, A Stroke of Grace, she is dedicated to supporting Black stroke survivors and their families, offe...

Introducing our latest podcast episode featuring Danny Cornett, DrPH, from New Vista! In this insightful conversation, we delve into the critical topic of mental health awareness and the resources available in Kentucky. Dr. Cornett, the Corporate Director of Quality and Compliance at New Vista, shares valuable insights into the organization's comprehensive mental health services, including su...

Join us for a compelling exploration into community health strategies with Dr. Rachel Hogg-Graham, Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. In this helpful podcast, Dr. Hogg-Graham delves into the integration of health and social services, highlighting the pivotal role of community partnerships in addressing unmet social needs and improving population health outc...

Kentucky REC advisor Lacy Shumway provides a comprehensive overview of the 3-year Coverdell Grant, focusing on its mission to enhance stroke care in collaboration with the CDC. She shares details behind the numbers in Kentucky's application for the grant: addressing high stroke mortality rates and risk factors.  Explore the seven strategies implemented by the Coverdell Grant, formally known a...

Andrew Bledsoe is back with another exciting episode! Join Brent McKune as he sits down with the Kentucky State HIT Director and KHIE Deputy Executive Director again. Gain a comprehensive overview of KHIE's role in facilitating health data exchange, with a special focus on the Image Exchange component. If you're a healthcare organization looking to connect, find out how KHIE can assist y...

Cohosts Brent McKune and Stephen Williams of the Kentucky REC proudly introduce Episode 11 of Kentucky REC's PILL Podcast. In this episode, they sit down with KY State HIT Director and KHIE Deputy Executive Director, Andrew Bledsoe, to delve into the significance of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) in healthcare and the state of Kentucky's efforts to address them. Learn more about KH...

Learn how the Kentucky Health Information Exchange is leading the HIE marketplace with innovative services and advancing interoperability in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Learn more about KHIE at their website, KHIE.ky.gov 

This episode of the PILL Podcast examines the succes of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES). DSMES can help you learn to manage your diabetes as part of your daily life. DSME is proven to: Improve blood sugar control leading to decreased risk for diabetes complications Increase self-confidence about taking care of your diabetes Increase healthy eating and physical activity Impro...

In the return of the PILL Podcast, Brent McKune, the new Managing Director of the Kentucky REC and PILL Podcast co-host, talks to Cassy Hobbs and Kristin Munro-Leighton about Team-Based Care in regards to the management of blood pressure and reducing hypertension.  Cassy Hobbs is an Associate Professor at the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  She has been with Sullivan...

In our second episode of the PILL podcast focused on diabetes prevention and treatment, Trudi speaks with Dr. Tamea Evans, a 2003 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Dr Evans is an Internal Medicine physician and diabetologist who is passionate about helping patients with long term illness get the tools and knowledge they need in order to get and stay well. Listen as she sh...

In our new episode of the PILL podcast, Trudi speaks with Dr. James Keck, a Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine board certified physician who cares for patients in the University of Kentucky Family Medicine Clinic. He supervises, trains, and educates medical students and Family and Preventive Medicine Residents at the UK clinic and UK hospital. Recently, Dr. Keck and colleagues implemented sev...

In this episode of the PILL podcast, Trudi interviews Hank Kerschen, a healthcare executive experienced in multi-specialty group practices and integrated delivery systems. He excels in group development, strategic planning, relationship management, and project management. He discusses the process and benefits of joining an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), and the journey of St. Elizabeth to pa...

In this special bonus episode of The PILL Podcast, Trudi Matthews interviews two of Kentucky Regional Extension Center’s subject matter experts, Robin Huffman and Kelly Fountain. These two quality experts break down the major changes to Year 3 in the Quality Payment Program. This overview will help our listeners understand the challenges they face under MACRA in 2019.

Dr. Roberto Cardarelli, Chief of the Division of Population Medicine and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UK HealthCare is a Quality Improvement Guru. He is an expert in Population Health, which Wikipedia defines as: "the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group. It is an approach to health that aims to...

In this episode of the PILL podcast, we interview Dr. Ken Wilson, an Executive Consultant for Norton Healthcare in Louisville, KY.  Dr. Wilson has years of experience leading complex implementation efforts. He provides unique insight from a strategic perspective of change in a large health system within a competitive marketplace. He is also a leader in the enterprise-wide adoption of the Patient-C...

In this episode of the PILL podcast, we interview Dr. Chris Yost, Medical Director for Ambulatory Quality at UK HealthCare, Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, and Co-Chair of the UK HealthCare MACRA steering committee. Dr. Yost brings a unique perspective as he leads the initiatives to improve quality and value in a large academic medical center. He not only plays a key ro...

In the first full-length episode of The PILL Podcast, Karen Ditsch, CEO of Juniper Health in Eastern Kentucky, tells you about her own journey in becoming a quality improvement star. Karen talks about how she started with quality improvement and how it ultimately led to better patient care. She discusses the importance of data-driven decision making and how she used her Electronic Health Record to...

Presented by UK Healthcare, an introduction to the Kentucky Regional Extension Center's discussion of Quality Improvement