Congratulations to Community Health Services & Adams County School District 14!

Click here to read a recent Denver Post article about Adams County school-based health clinics and the 2011 Magna Award.

HCPF Updates

Click here to view  the May At a Glance This publication provides updates from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Includes information on:

• Colorado Peak
• Provider Payment Delay update
• CO-CHAMP Funding

CLINICA COLORADO opens in Westminster

Clinica Colorado opened its doors on June 1, 2011 offering low cost health care for those without health care insurance.  Services include preventive health care, well-child care, well-woman exams, and mammograms.  Screening services will be available for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Minor procedures and casting will be available as well.

Clinica Colorado will provide an accessible community clinic with low cost resources to serve the population most affected by the high cost of health care and the shortage of existing safety-net clinics. There will be a $20 fee for office visits, testing will be discounted, and vaccinations will be free.

Clinica Colorado employs one physician at this time, and will rely on a volunteer network of skilled physicians, nurse practitioners and physician's assistants.    As growth permits, Clinica Colorado will expand.  According to Dr. Jim Williams, the clinic's founder, "There are 1.2 million people in Colorado without adequate health insurance. Clinica Colorado will help address this problem."

Clinica Colorado is located near St. Anthony's Hospital North at 8406 Clay Street, Westminster, Colo. The clinic is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling 720-443-8461. For more information see www.clinicacolorado.org

The MORE Grant Program Round 3 Application Materials Posted

The MORE (Maximizing Outreach, Retention, and Enrollment) Grant funds community organizations who wish to maximize their outreach, retention, and enrollment activities for Medicaid populations. The current round of the grant, Round 3, will fund activities from September 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, includes a focus on working on the adults without dependent children expansion as well as the Medicaid buy-in programs.

“Congregations, Health Care and the Common Good” seminar in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

A week-long program July 18-24 on how faith community leaders can become champions for effective health care and healthy living in their communities. It will be taught by Chris Adams and Dr. Mark Earnest, with guest faculty Gary Gunderson, whose work was recently cited in this White House blog. Full scholarships are available - click here for more information.

ClinicNET thanks Tony Prado-Gutierrez!

ClinicNET recognizes Tony Prado-Gutierrez, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Family Medicine Residencies for his years of service on the Board of Directors.

More than 150,000 New Adults to Qualify for Medicaid in 2012 - Are You Prepared?

In 2012, Colorado will be offering Medicaid for adults without dependent children, who have been categorically ineligible for the program in the past. According to the Colorado Health Institute, 157,805 Colorado adults without dependent children with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level are currently uninsured and are likely to be eligible for this program.

Thanks to great foresight on the part of our legislature, an historic expansion will occur in the state’s Medicaid program to provide coverage for this population with funding from a hospital provider fee and federal matching dollars. When it is fully implemented, it will cover uninsured adults without dependents between 19 and 65 years of age with incomes of up to $900 a month (for a single adult).

In the interest of ensuring this expansion’s success, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved has established the Connect to Coverage, Connect to Care Campaign. The Connect Campaign is a group of stakeholder organizations working together to support the expansion as the state works to develop and implement it, and ClinicNET has been playing an active role in this group. The Connect Campaign is following the state’s progress to ensure effective decision-making. When the program goes live, we know we are successful when we see fully functioning systems, effective community outreach efforts, and ready and accepting care providers.

Safety net providers have been a great source of care for this population already, and will likely continue to be, albeit with a different payer source. There may also be some new patients who have never had a continuous source of care before, and may identify a local safety net clinic as such once they gain coverage.

Since we know that this expansion will be happening at some point in the next year, clinics should begin preparations for enrolling current patients who will become newly eligible for Medicaid as well as prepare for the possible influx of new patients. The latter could range from planning to hire new staff or collaborating with other resources in the region to distribute the burden.

By contributing our resources and knowledge ahead of the expansion implementation, we can ensure the successful connection to coverage and care for a good portion of Colorado’s uninsured population.

If you would like to follow the Connect Campaign more closely, you can check out its website, or get on the e-mail distribution list by e-mailing Aubrey Hill. You can also contact her if you have any other questions about the Connect Campaign.