Medical Home Workshop

Enroll in CAFP's PCMH Workshop Thursday, April 19th from 8:00 - 5:00 at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. This workshop is approved for 8 CME.

AwDC Eligibility Expansion Starts April 1

Here are 5 AwDC tips to prepare you for next week's AwDC expansion:

1. Missed the Connect Campaign webinar? Never fear! Powerpoint can be found here, and frequently asked questions can be found on the blog here.
2. Stay educated! The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) has helpful FAQs here (including some new ones about the Accountable Care Collaborative). 
3. Hot off the presses! Make sure you are on the HCPF distribution list so you can get the latest AwDC-related news. Email Susan Mathieu to be added to the listserv. 
4. Share, share, share--Forwarding these emails or chatting with your colleagues and networks about this information is so important to a successful expansion. 
5. Stay in touch! Let the Connect Campaign know how everything goes in the next couple of months and how they can be helpful to you. They are collecting lessons learned for when Colorado goes to a full expansion in 2014.

2011 Colorado Health Report Card

The Colorado Health Report Card is in its sixth year of reporting on the health status of Coloradans. Sadly, our overall health grades have not improved since the Colorado Health Foundation issued its first Report Card in 2006. Most troubling is the overall grade for Healthy Children, an unacceptably low grade of C-. The fact that Colorado continues to be average or below average on important health indicators for pregnant women, infants and children is a call for collective action among health care, business, policy and community leaders, as well as health advocacy and funding organizations.

To find out more about the report card and see all of the grades, click here.

New Report: Quality Incentives for FQHCs, RHCs, and Free Clinics

This report to Congress examines methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality in federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and free clinics. The report discusses current initiatives and incentives that apply to these categories of primary care clinics and the current knowledge regarding quality of care and the use of health information technology in this sector. It particularly addresses issues related to the use of health information technology by these clinics.

» Download the Report

Colorado HealthStory Park Hill Forum

Join ClinicNET and Colorado HealthStory at a community forum to hear the health stories of Park Hill residents and join the conversation about health in the community! The forum will be held at the Hope Community Center at 3475 Holly Street in Denver, CO 80207 on Tuesday, April 3 from 5:30-7:30pm.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please contact Denali.Johnson@ccmu.org or 720-987-9570 for more details.

Webinar: Meaningful Use Satge II for Safety Net Providers

Overview of Meaningful Use Stage 2 NPRM for Safety Net Providers
Friday March 30, 2012, 2:00 pm (ET)

This webinar will feature lead staff from CMS who will provide an overview of the Meaningful Use Stage II Proposed Rule, released in February with comments due in April. Staff will also be available to address specific questions from safety net providers. HRSA encourages all safety net providers to participate in this call to learn more about this proposed rule.

To register:
http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=71352785

The webinars are sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Health Information Technology and Quality. Questions can be emailed to healthit@hrsa.gov.

Don't forget to register for The Forum 2012!

Our annual event is just around the corner! Join us April 11-13 at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. For more information including a draft agenda please visit the website. ClinicNET affiliate clinics in need of partial scholarships or shared registrations contact Brooke Powers, Program Manager at brooke.powers@clinicnet.org

The dental health crisis

Millions of Americans can't get the dental care they need, according to a recent report. The report shows that more than 47 million people live in places where it is difficult to access dental care; 17 million low-income children received no dental care; and lower-income adults in the United States are almost twice as likely to go without a dental checkup than those in higher income brackets.

The nation's oral health challenges received prominent attention in The New York Times. Last month, The Denver Post's Michael Booth looked at the implications of Colorado's dental health issues.

Though the results of the 2012 Colorado Health Report Card show the state is still lagging far behind other states in dental health care for children, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment identified oral health as one of the state's 10 "Winnable Battles." Also, in the Colorado Legislature, Sen. Jeanne Nicholson, D-Georgetown, is sponsoring  a bill that would add dental services for pregnant women to the state's Medicaid program.

Change of Date: The Colorado Medical Assistance Programs Quarterly Meeting

The Colorado Medical Assistance Programs will move their Quarterly Meeting from March 22 to April 26, at 10:30am-12:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, 225 East 16th Avenue, Denver CO, 80203, in the First Floor Conference Room.

If you would like to join the new mailing list for the Colorado Medical Assistance Medical Programs, please notify Jeff Gaskill at jeffreyrgaskill@maximus.com.

New Report: Building a Consumer-Oriented Health Insurance Exchange

As states develop insurance exchanges, their decisions have profound implications for consumers. This new report covers three main areas where consumers intersect with the exchange:

1. Consumer participation in exchange governance, such as directly serving on governing boards;
2. Consumer input into policy and implementation decisions, and the various avenues states are using to gather this input, such as workgroups and town hall meeting participation; and
3. Early planning for the consumer-serving functions of the exchange, such as navigator programs and the web portal.

Download the report and other additional NASHP publications about Health Insurance Exchanges.

Webinar: Resources for Low-Income Adults

The application period opens for low-income adults without dependent children on April 1. HCPF has set up regional meetings and webinars to inform people about the expansions and PEAK. If you've missed them, you can find all materials here.

To provide additional information on available resources that are outside the AwDC Medicaid program, the Connect Campaign is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, March 20th from 2:00-3:00pm.

This webinar is for those who will be interacting with people interested in applying for AwDC Medicaid, regardless of their eligibility. They will discuss resources outside the AwDC Medicaid expansion, including the health care safety net, the state's discount-care program (CICP), and other non-medical resources.

This information will help you assist your clients in taking advantage of the programs outside AwDC Medicaid. Click here to register.

Nominate Yourself to Participate in TBD Colorado

TBD Colorado is a nonpartisan, collaborative effort designed to generate informed and constructive conversations among Coloradans about some of the biggest issues facing the state. Regional meetings will be held around the state beginning in April and will cover education, transportation, healthcare, state budget, state workforce/talent, higher education and P12 education. In order to participate in these meetings, you need to have someone nominate you or nominate yourself. Visit the website to learn more and to find the nomination form.

FREE 1 Hour ICD 10 Training Webinar

ICD-10: Analyze its impact on your practice"
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m Cost: Free
The Colorado ICD-10 Training Coalition invites you to attend a free 1-hour ICD-10 Training webinar. In this webinar, they will discuss how you can begin the process of determining what people, systems and processes will be impacted by ICD-10 and how to conduct project mapping and workflow analysis. Worksheets will be posted on the facebook page and at cms.org for you to print out before the webinar.

Topic:
A large part of managing any change is understanding what the impact, in terms of time, people and dollars, will have on your practice. The ICD-10 transition is no different.
In this third webinar in our ICD-10 training series, we will discuss:
How you may be surprised by the many different areas and tasks that are impacted by diagnosis coding - and to what degree.
How an analysis will allow you to better plan and build a more realistic budget.
How understanding your workflow is key.

Who Should Attend?
Practice Managers, Physicians, Coding Specialists, IT Managers, Nurses, Office Staff

Click here to register

CIVHC Connect: All Stakeholder Meetings

CIVHC is hosting two upcoming stakeholder convenings. PLEASE NOTE:  The same information will be covered at both meetings.

These meetings are designed for anyone interested in learning more about CIVHC’s path towards achieving the Triple Aim of high quality health care, cost containment and improved health across Colorado. By participating, you will:

• Get the latest information about our payment reform work and have the opportunity to provide input on our approach to implementing bundled payment and other payment reforms.
• Learn about the progress toward implementing the All Payer Claims Database (APCD) and be able to offer recommendations for the first tier of APCD reports.
• Hear an overview of our metrics and dashboards for measuring Colorado's progress toward Triple Aim goals.

MEETING #1
March 19, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
COPIC – Founders Room, 7351 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230
Webinar Registration: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/up35bgzgxpri

MEETING #2
March 23, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
COPIC – Founders Room, 7351 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230
Webinar Registration:  https://cc.readytalk.com/r/d7ngf4g90bos

In-person meeting space is limited, so please RSVP to Ashley Turner by Thursday, March 15th, aturner@civhc.org. Please register for the Webinar portion using the links above.

Kaiser Permanente Funding Opportunity

Kaiser Permanente Colorado has issued a Request for Letters of Intent to participate in Project A-L-L.

Project A-L-L is based on a medication regimen that has been implemented with Kaiser Permanente diabetes patients, and has been shown to significantly reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.  A-L-L stands for Aspirin, Lisinopril, and Lipid-Lowering Medication.  Kaiser Permanente Colorado has partnered with 3 safety nets thus far to implement this quality improvement initiative.  Kaiser Permanente recognizes that safety net clinics are essential community partners in our shared goals of improving the health of individuals and communities through population-based health care.  Kaiser Permanente Colorado has committed $500,000 in 2012-2013 to continue and expand Project A-L-L, and fund up to 3 new safety net partners.
  
One question and answer webinar/conference call for potential applicants will take place on Thursday, March 22 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m (MST). This webinar/call is optional.  To ensure equitable and consistent communication to all applicants, no other questions about the request for LOI will be answered beyond this webinar/call.  Please see the Request for Letter of Intent for the link to the webinar and conference call information.

Updates from HCPF

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

Register now for the The Forum 2012: Essential Perspectives for Safety Net Providers

Our annual event brought to you by the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET is just around the corner!  Join us April 11th - 13th at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. For more information on this event or to register please visit the website. See you there!

AmeriCares U.S. Medical Assistance Program provides safety-net health clinics with donated medicine and medical supplies.

AmeriCares is a Connecticut-based humanitarian aid organization that delivers medicine and medical supplies to clinics and hospitals around the world in the United States. AmeriCares U.S. Medical Assistance Program provides safety-net health clinics with donated medicine and medical supplies. In the United States they distribute products to over 400 clinics, the majority of which are free and charitable clinics. Throughout the years they have cultivated relationships with over 200 pharmaceutical companies that donate medicines to AmeriCares on an ad hoc basis throughout the year. Their program is a good supplement to PAPs and samples. Through their online ordering tool, US Access, you have 24/7 access to their inventory, which is updated in real time. There are no fees to sign up and they cover the cost of shipping. Here is a link to sign-up with their donations program: http://usaccess.americares.org/clinics/

In addition to their donations program, this year they developed a website specifically geared toward free clinics with some applicability to charitable clinics. Because there are limited resources available to free and charitable clinics, their website hosts a number of guides and tools. Here is a link to that site: http://freeclinicstoday.org/. They will be updating the website with new topics over the next year.

For more information contact:
Stephanie Drozer, U.S. Medical Assistance
203.658.9504
sdrozer@americares.org

CCHN Ventures Launches Low-Interest Loan Program!

FINANCING THE GROWTH AND STRENGTH OF COLORADO’S
ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY PROVIDERS
CCHN Ventures is a new non-profit loan fund whose mission is to increase access to flexible, attractive and predictable capital financing to Colorado’s nonprofit, primary healthcare service providers. 

Click here for a fact sheet. Click here for the application.

CCHN Ventures will be holding an information session on Thursday March 15 from 11am-noon. The conference call will consist of a brief overview of the program and a chance for participants to ask any questions regarding the loan fund and application process.  

Call-in Information:
Ph. #: (866) 453-5550
Pin #: 5489071

Publications: Safety Net Medical Home Initiative

The Safety Net Medical Home Initiative announced three new supplements to the SNMHI implementation guides:

• Care Coordination: Strategies to Reduce Avoidable Emergency Department Use (February 2012)
  Provides strategies and interventions practices can use to reduce avoidable ED visits, including educating patients on appropriate use, enhancing access to the primary care practice, and improving care coordination and care transitions.

• Continuous and Team-Based Healing Relationships: Redefining Staff Roles: Where to Start (February 2012)
  Intended to be used by line, site, and organization-level leadership interested in redesigning staff roles for PCMH transformation. It includes recommendations on how to begin the process of redesigning roles and how to avoid pitfalls.

• Organized, Evidence-Based Care: Improving Care for Complex Patients: The Role of the RN Care Manager (January 2012)
  Defines care management and provides practical recommendations about how to provide care management services to high-risk patients. It encompasses both efforts to coordinate care and to deliver clinical services such as monitoring, self-management support and medication review and adjustment.

HHS Announces Intent to Delay ICD-10 Compliance Date

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that HHS will initiate a process to postpone the compliance date for ICD-10.

The final rule adopting ICD-10 as a standard was published in January 2009 and set a compliance date of October 1, 2013 – a delay of two years from the compliance date initially specified in the 2008 proposed rule. HHS will announce a new compliance date moving forward. Entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) will be required to use the ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure codes.

Please visit the ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare.