April 28, 2014
In This Week’s Issue
Announcements
Trainings & Webinars
Funding Opportunities
SBIRT
Ask CHCACT!
Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
Resources
This Week in Health Policy News
Events/Educational Opportunities
Announcements
FTCA Deeming Deadline Approaching. A new Program Assistance Letter (PAL) released by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), details the process by which Health Centers must submit Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) applications for 2015. You can access the PAL here. Deeming applications are due by Friday, May 23.
Recall: FreeStyle Blood Glucose Meters for Erroneously Low Blood Glucose Results. Abbott Diabetes Care is requesting that users of the FreeStyle and FreeStyle Flash Blood Glucose Meters discontinue use of these meters and call Abbott for a new unaffected meter. Click here to read more about this recall, including the notice from the USDA.
CMS Releases Physician Payment Data to General Public. For the first time ever, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has publicized Medicare Part B payments to providers in a publicly accessible database. Providers can access information about their own payments and should be prepared to answer questions from patients about the data.
Congress passed The Excellence in Mental Health Act on March 31, 2014. The new law establishes a two-year, eight state Medicaid demonstration project. Participating states will receive 90% FMAP for the range of health services, including primary care screening, mental health, substance use, and crisis services delivered by Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Click here to read more about the law from The National Council for Behavioral Health, including the new Demonstration Programs.
The New HRSA Policy Information Notice was announced recently. This PIN details Health Center Budgeting and and Accounting Requirements for non-grant funds. The entire notice is available here.
The 2014 National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program is now open. All applications must be completed by May 15, 2014. Click here for program details and application packets.
The 2014 NURSE Corps Scholarship Program application cycle is now open.All completed applications must be submitted by May 22, 2014 to be considered. Click here for all program details, including upcoming informational webinars.
The Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) announces the introduction of the Collaborative for Healthy Communities, a $130 million, three-year, national initiative that will provide a new source of capital for community health centers across the country from a diverse set of actors. Read more about the announcement here.
Enroll America announces open registration for its first-ever national conference, June 16-18 in Washington, DC. The conference, called State of Enrollment: Getting America Covered, brings together key health coverage leaders from around the country to debrief on the first open enrollment period and hear from experts on all aspects of outreach and enrollment in Medicaid and the new health insurance marketplaces. Registration and details are available at stateofenrollment.org.
Send us your success stories! How are the outreach and enrollment efforts going at your health center? How many people have you helped so far? We’d love to know. Please send your success stories to ask@chcact.org.
Tweet of the Week
Our @americorps members are at #CTMOM helping folks get free #dental care. And so is Lt Gov @NancyWymanCT! pic.twitter.com/TzfIWGYOwK
— CHCACT (@CTHealthCenters) April 25, 2014
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New on Get-Centered
VIDEO: Deb Polun and Nick Torres discuss the CHCACT display at the State Capitol
SBIRT in Your Corner
FQHCs are currently recruiting for three open Health Educator positions – check out the CHCACT Job Bank for listings.
And, learn more about CT SBIRT here!
This year’s CT Mission of Mercy was a huge success! Click here to visit the M.O.M. Facebook page for pictures and news.
Community Health Services Community HealthCorps members Kylie O’Donnell and Kim Tran at the 2014 CT Mission of Mercy with Lt Governor Nancy Wyman.
Community HealthCorps member Kim Tran distributing FQHC and SNAP information to patients at 2014 CT Mission of Mercy.
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Trainings & Webinars
ECRI Institute on behalf of HRSA is offering two opportunities to participate in its free live webinar, “Building and Maintaining an Effective Triage System.” Safely and effectively triaging patients is a critical patient safety process. Health centers and free clinics face significant risks if patient triage is not done in a consistent and effective manner. Triage must be performed by an appropriate person who can assess the patient, ask pertinent questions, and prioritize the needs of those seeking care. Understanding and regularly refining your organization’s triage process is essential.
Tuesday, May 13, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Wednesday, May 14, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
NACHC offers weekly webinars for newly funded grantees aimed at addressing frequent grantee questions and challenges. This week’s webinar, “Introduction to Health Center Risk Management” is May 1 at 2:00 PM. Click here for details.
COPE (Collaborative Opioid Prescribing Education) for REMS. Prescribing opioids safely ultimately depends on the trust between prescriber and patient. Training can enhance trust by improving communication and collaborative skills. COPE-REMS is an interactive, self-paced, online training developed at the University of Washington-Seattle. This no-cost, online CME course is aimed at opioid prescribing providers—including physicians, registered nurses, ARNPs, physician assistants, psychologists—and other care managers who are involved in treating patients with chronic pain. Click here for more information.
NACHC is offering a series of webinars for FQHC and PCA staff dedicated to Human Resources every Wednesday, May 7 through June 4, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. The first in the series is called “Addressing the Challenges in the Credentialing and Privileging Process.” Registration for each webinar is open through Monday each week. Click here for more information.
CT Community Care, Inc (CCCI) is offering trainings to become leaders of Live Well Workshops, which teach individuals chronic disease self-management skills. Health centers are great locations for Live Well group sessions! Trainings will occur June 4, 6 ,11 and 13 in Wethersfield, from 8:30-4:30 each day. Contact Deb Smith at CCCI to register: 860-314-2205.
The CT Department of Public Health announces Cardiovascular Disease Genomics: Getting to the heart of the matter, an important training opportunity related to heritability and heart disease – and important red flags that can identify risk yet are frequently overlooked. Please note that the American Heart Association has awarded credits for the symposium, making them available at no charge to attendees. The training is scheduled for May 1 from 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM at the Connecituct Hospital Association. More information can be found here.
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers announces a Pre-Community Health Institute Session called “Passing the Test – HRSA’s 19 Program Requirements” taking place on May 6, 2014 from 10 AM – 3 PM. Health Center CEOs, COOs, Board Chairs, and other key leadership staff at FQHCs and Look-Alikes are encouraged to attend. The cost is $100 for health centers outside of Massachusetts. Registration details are available at their website here.
The CT-RI Public Health Training Center announces the following webinars:
Updates on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines: Coverage, Impact and Future Directions. Thursday, May 8, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
CT Healthy Homes – From Carpets to Cosmetics: Chemical Risks in Consumer Products. Wednesday, May 14, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
The CT Department of Public Health announces Programa de Manejo Personal de la Diabetes, a program designed to help empower Spanish-speaking persons with diabetes to build self-confidence and to better manage their diabetes. Training dates are May 29-30 and June 5-6. More information and requirements can be found here.
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Funding Opportunities
REMINDER from HRSA: There are several critical actions you must take to ensure competitive Health Center Program applications can be submitted successfully. First, your organization must have an active SAM.gov registration at the time of application submission. Second, you must have an active AOR (Authorized Organization Representative) in Grants.gov that is approved to submit an application. As a matter of HHS grants policy, without a current SAM.gov registration and a registered AOR, your application will be rejected in grants.gov without further consideration.
Click here to view all of HRSA’s open funding opportunities.
The Aetna Foundation announces the opening of its 2014 Regional Grants Program – GoLocal: Cultivating Healthy Communities. This grant program will help to support initiatives that encourage healthy eating and active living, particularly within low-income, underserved and minority communities. Grants will be awarded for $25,000 and $50,000 over two cycles, April 10, 2014 – June 5, 2014 and June 16, 2014 – July 30, 2014. Visit the Aetna Foundation website for more information.
Ask CHCACT!
“Ask CHCACT,” a new advice column, will feature questions from health center staff, answered by your favorite CHCACT staff members! For the first several months, the column will focus exclusively on Outreach & Enrollment. Send your questions to ask@chcact.org! Ask CHCACT columns are also archived on the Outreach & Enrollment Resources section of the CHCACT web site. This site is now available to the public, with no log-in requirement!
Will Simmons answers this week’s question:
Will Simmons, Community HealthCorps Member, answers this week’s question.
Q: What happens if I miss my premium payment? Am I out of luck? What about special enrollment?
A: You aren’t out of luck! Your insurance company can’t cut you off right away, but how long you have to pay up depends on whether you’re getting tax credits to help pay your premium:
If you ARE receiving APTCs (tax credits/subsidies that reduce your premium) the ACA requires that your insurance company give you a 90 day grace period to settle your bill. During the first 30 days, the insurance company is required to still pay claims, and during the remaining 60 days they can “pend” claims (i.e. hold on to the payment until your bill is settled). You have until the end of the 90 days to settle all of your outstanding premium bill (but the sooner the better!). If you don’t pay your premium bill by the end of the 90 days, your insurance will be cut off and you will likely have to pay the bill for any services you received between days 31 and 90.
If you ARE NOT receiving APTCs, state law requires a 10 day grace period, but all companies offering plans on Access Health CT have agreed to a month-long grace period, during which they will pay claims. At the end of that one month grace period your insurance company can cancel your policy.
However, remember that, if you lose your coverage because you didn’t pay your premium, you will NOT get special enrollment. Even though you lost your coverage, losing it because you failed to pay your premium does not trigger special enrollment. Someone in this situation will likely not be able to enroll until next open enrollment, which starts November 15th for coverage starting Jan 1, 2015.
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Upcoming CHCACT Meetings
“Coffee and En-Rolls” – a bi-weekly meeting for Certified Application Counselors (CACs) and their supervisors, facilitated by CHCACT consultant Fran Freer and AmeriCorps member Will Simmons. Join us every other Thursday @ 9:00 am to share Best Practices and hear the latest news about Access Health CT and enrollment: 888-994-2509, participant passcode 519603#. (Please note new number). Upcoming dates: May 8 and May 22.
All CHCACT Staff can be reached by calling 860.667.7820.
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This Week in Health Policy News
Here is a sampling of health policy news from around the state in the past few weeks. If you see something in your local newspaper that you would like featured here in future weeks, please contact Deb Polun at dpolun@chcact.org.
Featured
4.26.14 Norwich Bulletin: Outlook – Demand for Mental Health Services on the Rise (feat. UCFS)
State Health News
4.28.14 The Day: Deadly Addiction – Doctors Say Heroin Treatment Available
4.25.14 CT Mirror: CT Mom Draws Hundreds for Free Dental Care
4.25.14 CT Mirror: How Different are For-Profit and Nonprofit Hospitals?
4.23.14 WNPR: Getting Medications Where They Need to Go in an Emergency
Health Reform News
4.28.14 Kaiser Health News: Oregon Raises White Flag Over its Health Exchange
National/Other Health News
4.27.14 NY Times: Health Law’s Pay Policy is Skewed, Panel Finds
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Resources
ECRI Institute announces new resources for Credentialing and Privileging Non-Physician Providers and Staff. Credentialing is not just for physicians and other clinical providers. HRSA Policy Information Notice (PIN) 2002-22 states that health centers must credential any individual who is required to be licensed, registered, or certified by the state, commonwealth, or territory in which the health center is located. This list includes, but is not limited to, licensed independent practitioners (LIPs) (e.g., physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives) as well as other licensed or certified personnel such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physician’s assistants, laboratory technicians, social workers, medical assistants, dental hygienists, and nutritionists. The list should include locum tenens and volunteers as well. Click here to read their Get Safe! announcement and access their checklists and other resources.
The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions Telebehavioral Health Training and Technical Assistance Series is designed to help safety net providers and rural health clinics understand and adopt telebehavioral health services. The implementation of telehealth services for mental health and substance abuse allows for increased access to these services, particularly in rural or underserved areas. The 6-session training will provide health centers with the tools/resources necessary to identify and implement a telebehavioral health program. Learn more here.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has launched a High Value Care Coordination Toolkit intended to improve communication about referrals between primary care and subspecialist providers. The toolkit includes a checklist of information that must be provided in a generic referral to a subspecialist, a checklist of information that must be provided in a subspecialist’s response to a referral request, model care coordination agreement templates between several providers and care settings, and an outline of recommendations to providers that can help them prepare patients for referral using a patient- and family-centered approach.
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! – HHS and the Administration for Children and Families has launched Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! to encourage healthy child development, universal development and behavioral screening for children, and support for the families and providers who care for them.
Scope of Project Webpage: HRSA has released a new “Scope of Project” Page on the BPHC website. This page provides a “one-stop-shop” for Health Center Program Scope of Project and Change-in-Scope policy, process, and resources. View the new Scope of Project webpage.
New Rural Mental Health and Substance Abuse Toolkit Launched. The Rural Assistance Center, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis launched this toolkit, designed to help rural communities and organizations develop and implement programs that meet the targeted mental health needs of communities based on proven approaches and strategies.
ECRI has developed Asthma Care for the Pediatric Patient. Asthma is a challenging, common, chronic childhood illness associated with significant school absenteeism, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions. Racial and ethnic disparities in both asthma management and outcomes put safety net populations at particular risk. This self-assessment checklist will help healthcare providers assess and develop a patient-focused asthma treatment plan.
ECRI Institute has archived recordings of many webinars and trainings including the Optimizing Healthcare Outcomes for the Pediatric Population webinar. Visit the website here to browse a list of the archive. A login is required to access the recordings. If you would like a login, email Clinical_RM_Program@ecri.org or call (610) 825-6000 ext. 5200.
Be Involved in Your HealthCare Brochure – The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released an easy-to-read brochure for patients to help them be prepared before, during, and after medical appointments.
Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. Report – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released Intimate Partner Violence in the United States – 2010, a report describing the prevalence and impact of intimate partner victimization (IPV) using data from the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. The report also includes opportunities for IPV prevention and ways to interrupt IPV patterns.
The HUSKY Eligibility Manual was updated in February! Visit the CT Voices website to download the updated manual. The newest edition of reviews:
Eligibility guidelines for HUSKY A, B, and D (coverage for children, youth, parents, pregnant women and low-income adults), including common points of confusion and potential barriers to enrollment. It does not address the HUSKY C program (coverage for the aged, blind and disabled).
Eligibility rules and tips for special populations, such as newborns, young adults, 19 and 20 year-olds, and immigrants.
The applications process and resources available for assistance.
How to renew HUSKY coverage each year.
HUSKY benefits and services.
The new state marketplace, Access Health CT, the main portal through which applications for HUSKY are processed.
Resources for Population Health Improvement Workshop Video –The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Population Health Improvement held a workshop as part of an effort to advance the integration of primary care and public health. The workshop focused on a wide range of resources to help with population-based interventions and improving population health. View the Population Health Improvement Workshop Video.
Core Competencies and Resources for the Integrated Workforce: New Core Competencies and Resources. The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) and the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce have released a new resource to help establish standards of excellence for team members working in integrated care settings. Use the nine competencies outlined in Core Competencies for Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care to shape workforce training, inform job descriptions, and recruit ideal candidates. Be sure to visit the workforce section of the CIHS website for up-to-date resources relevant to each competency and to all parts of the integrated care team.
For the past two months, the National Council for Behavioral Health has hosted a Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence crowdsourcing project on our Conference 365 blog. The concept paper, biweekly blog posts by Dale Jarvis, and your responses are literally shaping our definition of what behavioral health centers of the future look like.
Linking Costs to Outcomes. “Value”— defined as the best patient outcomes at the most affordable prices — is the buzzword in current health reform discussions. Use this Basic Cost and Caseload Calculator to reduce patient wait times, increase staff productivity, & improve quality of documentation.
The American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program is a FREE 7-week program designed to provide the support needed in comfortable, confidential group settings to help people quit smoking. The program will be offered in six locations throughout eastern CT this Spring. To learn more, click here or call Carolyn Wilson at (860) 448-4882, ext. 318.
On behalf of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), ECRI Institute is providing FREE Risk Management and Patient Safety Resources. Each edition includes hot topics from clinical risk management and healthcare news and is provided every other week at no cost to your health center. To learn more about your free risk management resources go to: https://www.ecri.org/Clinical_RM_Program.
Evidence-Based Practice Program and Effective Health Care Program Reports – The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released new reports that provide informative evidence-based practices and summarize the research findings on benefits and harms of different clinical treatment options. View more information on AHRQ reports.
Rural Care Coordination Toolkit – The Rural Assistance Center (RAC) and Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis launched a Rural Care Coordination Toolkit to help rural communities and organizations identify and implement a care coordination program. This toolkit contains resources to help communities develop programs that can improve quality and continuity of care, as well as patient outcomes, building on best practices of successful care coordination program models. The toolkit is available for free on the RAC website.
AmeriCorps has developed this infographic which shows all the great ways they impacted America’s health in one year.
Check out the FQHC Resources Library on the CHCACT web site here! It’s chock full of webinars and other informative resources and includes a message board to facilitate communication across centers. To gain access to the Resources section, contact Deb Polun, at dpolun@chcact.org.
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Events/Educational Opportunities
Click here to view our full events calendar. Click here for NACHC Seminars/Conferences/Webcasts.
Welcome to our new events calendar! The calendar is updated on a regular basis with upcoming events, webinars, educational opportunities, outreach activities and more. You can sort the calendar by category and subscribe to calendar updates by clicking here.
Comments About the Bulletin
For any questions or comments about This Week in CHCACTion, please contact Deb Polun.
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