New Decisions Regarding AwDC

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has made some new decisions regarding the adults without dependent children expansion in response to extensive stakeholder feedback. Such changes include eligibility determinations and the date of implementation. Read the latest in full on the Connect to Coverage, Connect to Care blog.

In late January and early February, HCPF will be hosting 2-hour outreach meetings throughout the state to provide high-level information on the upcoming expansions to community-based organizations, external community partners, advocates, and those who would like to learn about the upcoming programs. Click here for more information and here to register.

HCPF is also hosting technical trainings for CBMS users who are trainers or subject matter experts for Adult Medicaid from their eligibility site. The trainings are being presented as a train-the-trainer module and are hands-on for participants with an established and active CBMS UPA user ID.

Walgreens Corporate Contribution Program

Walgreens provides grants to organizations that focus on access to health and wellness in their communities, pharmacy education programs and mentoring initiatives, civic and community outreach, and emergency and disaster relief. Health is the company's major area of focus, with priority given to programs that address the health needs of community residents. Online applications may be submitted throughout the year.

Colorado's 10 Winnable Battles

To keep pace with emerging public health challenges, to address the leading causes of death and disability, and to improve, protect and preserve our environment and natural resources, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment initiated an effort to achieve measurable impact quickly in a few areas.  Colorado's 10 Winnable Battles are public health and environmental priorities with large-scale impact on health and the environment, and with known, effective strategies to address them.

» Learn more about the 10 Winnables

Medicaid on the Move

The Department of Healthcare Policy & Financing is hosting meetings in your region to inform you about upcoming Medicaid programs that will be implemented in 2012.

Advanced registration is required at hcpftraining.gosignmeup.com.

Community Health Centers and State Health Policy: A Primer for Policymakers

A new version of the 2008 publication, Federal Community Health Centers and State Health Policy: A Primer for Policymakers, provides an overview of community health centers and other types of Federally Qualified Health Centers and is intended to assist state policymakers in developing successful strategies to integrate health centers into state delivery systems. Download the report now.

Friday, February 3 is Give Kids a Smile Day

On February 3, dentists across Colorado will give kids a smile by providing free dental care. Over 200 dentists across Colorado have registered for Give Kids a Smile Day to provide free dental attention to children who are without dental insurance and from low-income families. Treatment and education will be provided in private dental offices, dental clinics and schools across the state.

To qualify for a Give Kids a Smile Day appointment, the child/family must meet ALL 5 of the following criteria:

• The child needing an appointment must be 17 years old or younger.
• The family must be low-income and unable to afford dental care. 
• The child must be dentally uninsured (no dental insurance or CHP+ coverage). 
• The family must have transportation to get to the appointment. 
• The family must be able to show-up at the appointment on time.

For a list of available appointments across Colorado, please go to www.cdaonline.org/gkaspatient.

This Webpage will be updated frequently, so please check back regularly for updated information and new appointment listings. This page will also contain a printable version of all appointment listings for your convenience.

“Tips for Engaging Safety Net Patients Using Health IT” Webinar tomorrow!

Health Information Technology and Quality Webinar Friday January 20, 2011, 2pm EST

This webinar provides tips on how safety net providers and staff can use health information technology (IT) to increase patient engagement.  Health IT systems provide powerful tools that enable safety net providers to view a range of health information about their patients.  This includes generating graphs and charts through an electronic medical record or patient portal that displays critical information such as a patient’s weight, blood sugar levels, or other health factors over a period of time; as well as the ability to message with patients about their health needs. Safety net providers can use this resource for engaging patients in their healthcare environments and communicating to them how they can achieve better health outcomes. Webinar speakers will speak from the perspective of rural inpatient and health center primary care settings.  In addition, speakers will provide tips on how health literacy can foster better patient communication, the use of patient portals and kiosks as a tool for patient engagement, and how doctors can best work and engage with patients who now have access to their health information. Presenters include:

• Kevin Larsen, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Hennepin County Medical Center
• Deborah Stoud, RN, POC/EMR Clinical Support Specialist, Mayo Regional Hospital
• Staff from East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Questions for presenters are welcome ahead of the event and may be emailed to healthit@hrsa.gov.

To register:  http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=50899904

Email questions or comments to HRSA’s Health IT mailbox at: healthit@hrsa.gov

Previous HRSA Health and Quality Webinars are available at: http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit

Kaiser Permanente FREE Healthy Living Webinars

Webinars are free for members & non-members. Register for webinars at kpwebinar.org
All classes are listed are Mountain Time

Cholesterol: Taking Control

• February 21, 2012, Tuesday, 11 a.m.–Noon
• March 20, 2012, Tuesday, 11 a.m.–Noon
• April 17, 2012, Tuesday, 11 a.m.–Noon

Healing with Acupuncture

• April 5, 2012, Thursday, 6:30–7:30 p.m.

Preventing Diabetes and Heart Disease: Lifestyle approaches

• January 25, 2012, Wednesday, 4–5 p.m.
• February 22, 2012, Wed., 4–5 p.m.
• March 21, 2012, Wed., 4–5 p.m.
• April 25, 2012, Wed., 4–5 p.m.

Getting to the “Heart and Sole” of Health

• February 2, 2012, Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
• March 1, 2012, Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
• April 5, 2012, Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Sleep Secrets

• March 5, 2012, Monday, 6–7 p.m.
• April 5, 2012, Thurs., 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Training to Thrive: Getting Fit for the Race

• March 21, 2012, Wednesday, 6–7:30 p.m.

Break Free for Life: Quit Smoking or Chewing

• February 8, 2012 Wednesday, 6–7 p.m.
• March 13, 2012, Tuesday, 6-7 p.m.
• April 11, 2012, Wednesday, 6-7 p.m.

Freedom From Tobacco

• Session 2: Jan 16, 6:30pm-7:30pm; May 2, 6:30pm-7:30pm; Feb 22, 11:30am-12:30pm
• Session 3: Jan 23, 6:30pm-7:30pm; May 9, 6:30pm-7:30pm; Feb 29, 11:30am-12:30pm
• Session 4: Jan 30, 6:30pm-7:30pm; May 16, 6:30pm-7:30pm; Mar 7, 11:30am-12:30pm

Weight Loss, Weighing the Options

• February 14, 2012, Tues., 12–1 p.m.
• March 13, 2012, Tues., 12–1 p.m.
• April 10, 2012, Tues., 12–1 p.m.

Survey Finds One in Five Juggling Medical Bills

A recent survey from the Center for Studying Health System Change and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that one in five Americans reported trouble paying medical bills in 2010. The medical debt averaged around $6,500, and more than 17 percent of people with medical debt said it would take longer than five years to pay off. Click here to read more.

News from CORHIO

The CORHIO Connect newsletter features information on upcoming HIT events, the Health Information Exchange, and facilities that are leading the way in HIT expansion.

» January Newsletter

Essential Health Benefits Stakeholder Meeting - January 18

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a bulletin which outlines the proposed regulatory approach to establish the essential health benefits package (EHBP) which will be required for health benefit plans offered in the individual and small group markets. The purpose of the bulletin is to allow stakeholders to review and comment. Comments on the proposed process are due to HHS by January 31, 2012.

The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) and the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange (COHBE) have partnered to host a stakeholder meeting on January 18th to collect public comment.

This meeting is the first of many steps to address the development of an EHBP for Colorado, and it will not be the only opportunity for stakeholder input. This meeting will focus exclusively on the question of the process of creating a Colorado EHBP, and will not discuss the content of the EHBP, including individual benefits, benefit levels, and cost-sharing structures.

Individuals and organizations wishing to share input with the DOI and COHBE regarding the bulletin are encouraged to do so in writing any time before close of business on January 19, 2012. Stakeholder input may be sent to jo.donlin@dora.state.co.us. Please limit your input to questions related to developing Colorado's
EHBP and exclude considerations regarding EHBP content.

Meeting Logistics

• Date: January 18, 2012
• Time: 10:30am - 12:30pm MDT
• Location: COPIC, Mile High Room, 7351 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, 80230
• Call-In: 1-888-330-9939 PIN# 632148#

All updates and information will be posted at www.colorado.gov/healthreform, www.dora.state.co.us/insurance, and www.getcoveredco.org. The original bulletin may be found at http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/files/Files2/12162011/essential_health_benefits_bulletin.pdf.

HCPF's Budget proposal to Joint Budget Committee

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing presented its budget proposal for FY12-13 to the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) on January 4th . Click below for a slideshow with more information:

» Slideshow (PDF)

Webinar: PEAK Application Walk-through

Feeling uneasy about assisting a client with an application you've never seen before? Are you curious what the client sees when they complete an application? Join in this 1.5 hour session to walk through the PEAK screener and a portion of the application. These sessions will provide plenty of time to ask questions and discuss how best to utilize PEAK to assist clients.

Application Walk-throughs occur from 1:00 - 2:30PM on the second Monday of each month. Check on the PEAK Training Calendar for details on how to register for future webinars.

Open enrollment for child-only Colorado Health Insurance plans began Jan.1

Open enrollment for child-only Colorado health insurance plans began Jan. 1, 2011 and lasts until the end of the month. Get them insured, no matter what their preexisting condition.This is only one of two yearly opportunities. The open enrollment period from Jan. 1-31 will see most policy coverage begins March 1.

A child-only health policy means there is no adult on the individual policy. There can be many scenarios for this type of policy: the parents may be insured through an employer-sponsored plan which does not offer dependent coverage; or the family may not be able to afford coverage for all members, and is seeking coverage for the children only.

Children who lose coverage due to a qualifying event can obtain child-only coverage by applying within 30 days of the event. Qualifying events include birth, adoption, marriage, dissolution of marriage, loss of employer-sponsored coverage, loss of Medicaid or Children’s Basic Health Plan coverage, or entry of a court or administrative order mandating coverage. Outside of a qualifying event, a child-only policy can be applied for only during an open enrollment period.

Below is a list of companies that are participating in the program. By clicking on the company name you will be taken to their standard information entry form. Enter your individual information to find out more about each companies child-only plans.

Kaiser
Cigna
Humana
Rocky Mountain Health Plans
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
Golden Rule

Updates from HCPF

Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing's December At a Glance

CHCS Launches Affinity Group for U.S. Charity Care Programs

Following implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an estimated 20 million individuals will remain without health insurance, suggesting a continued need for charity care programs that offer low- or no-cost coverage to the uninsured. However, it is unclear who in 2014 will seek such coverage, what their health needs will be, or how they will utilize charitable health care services.

To remain viable, charity care programs must now consider how to adapt their business models and delivery systems to uncertain resources and demand for services following ACA implementation. With support from Kaiser Permanente through a charitable fund established at the East Bay Community Foundation, CHCS has launched an affinity group for 10 invited charity care programs to share best practices and consider potential roles in the state insurance exchanges and/or Medicaid.

For more information, click here.

Mental Health First Aid Course this month!

A 12 hour certification course to help communities better understand mental illness and respond to psychiatric emergencies.

Mondays: January 9, 16, 23, & 30
4:00pm-7:00pm
East Montclair Community Center, 6740 E. Colfax Ave., Denver 80220

Click here for more information and how to register.