Loan Repayment Opportunity for ClinicNET Safety Net Clinics - applications due Jan. 31!

The application cycle for the Kaiser Permanente Education Loan Repayment for Safety Net Clinical Support Staff program is open January 1-January 31, 2016.

PLEASE SHARE THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH ALL CLINICAL SUPPORT STAFF! Forward email or print flyer and make it available to staff.

The Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) was funded by the Kaiser Permanente Community Health Fund to administer a loan repayment program for clinical support staff working at ClinicNET Safety Net Clinics, Community Health Centers (CHCs), and Rural Health Clinics in Colorado.  Loan repayment will help ease the burden of prior educational debt for clinical support staff in exchange for a one year service commitment to the safety net clinic.  The Kaiser Permanente Educational Loan Repayment for Safety Net Clinical Support Staff program will help modernize and expand the safety net workforce by supporting recruitment and retention of high performing clinical support staff committed to serving in underserved areas. Clinical support staff may include professions such as dental assistant, dental hygienist, expanded duties dental assistant, lab technician, licensed practical nurse, medical assistant, nursing aide, pharmacy technician, phlebotomist, registered nurse, ultrasound technician, and x-ray technician.

For questions, please contact Margaret Davidson at 303-867-9514 or at MDavidson@cchn.org or contact Angela Rose at 303-867-9511 or at Angela@cchn.org.

Behavioral Health & Wellness Program 2016 Build a Clinic Program: Request for Applications

“The Behavioral Health & Wellness Program and its partners, the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and ECHO Colorado, are pleased to release this Request for Applications to join the 2016 Build a Clinic Learning Community. For inclusion consideration, complete online application by February 18th.

The Build a Clinic program is a comprehensive curriculum designed to provide primary care practices with all the skills and knowledge they need to evaluate and redesign current workflows to incorporate or augment tobacco cessation services and supports. During the six month program, participating practices will enjoy exclusive access to six live, collaborative learning sessions with nationally recognized subject matter experts in the areas of tobacco cessation and workflow redesign and three personalized one-on-one technical assistance sessions.” [Source: Behavioral Health & Wellness Program]

Commonwealth Fund's State Scorecard, CO ranked 8th

The 2015 edition of the Commonwealth Fund’s Scorecard on State Health System Performance measures changes in performance during 2013 and 2014 to assess the effects of the ACA’s 2014 health insurance expansions, as well as early effects of health care delivery and payment reforms like accountable care organizations and financial incentives to reduce hospital readmissions. The effects of the ACA are not yet fully reflected in the 2015 Scorecard results. It may take many years to see the resulting changes. Colorado ranked 8th overall. Click here to check out Colorado’s state profile. [Source: Commonwealth Fund]

Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II Update

“The Department is currently reviewing the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Phase II procurement timeline. It is the Department's priority to look at the timeline and revise it, if needed. We have been aware that our original proposed timeline was aggressive given the need for robust stakeholder feedback and discussions with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We have received significant feedback from our partners and want to ensure our steps forward reflect the needs of the Department, our members, the physical and behavioral health provider community, county and community partners and other stakeholders. While evaluating the Phase II procurement timeline, we are also:

• Identifying dependencies,
• Consulting with CMS on the appropriate authority and waivers required to implement the program
• Consulting with the behavioral health community on how best to collaborate,
• Continuing to strengthen our primary care provider engagement, and
• Working with national policy experts

The Department is committed to having a fair, open and transparent process that complies with state procurement rules. When considering organizational requirements and guidelines for submitting proposals for the new Regional Accountable Entities, the Department needs to take into consideration:

• Potential levels of risks associated with different types of organization types (i.e. national organizations, community organizations), and
• Key program principles such as a regional design with some local controls and community approach. [Source: HCPF]

SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Trainings

“The following dates and locations have been finalized for the SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) FY15-16 schedule. These trainings are FREE and open to anyone wanting to learn about primary substance abuse prevention. This is a 3 day in person training from 9am to 5pm with online coursework to be completed prior to the 3 day training. Registration and additional information will be sent out as we get closer to the Denver, Gunnison, and Boulder training. Click here for more information.

• February 9-11, 2016 - Durango
• April 26-28, 2016 - Denver
• May 10-12, 2016 - Gunnison
• June 14-16, 2016 – Boulder” [Source: COPrevent]

CMS Coding and Clinical Documentation Resources

“As with ICD-9, CMS offers ample resources to assist both coders and clinicians with coding and clinical documentation for ICD-10. Below are links to specific resources CHCs may find helpful.

• Official Government Coding Guidelines: Diagnosis Coding
• Official Government Coding Guidelines: Inpatient Procedure Coding
• Click here to access additional coding and clinical documentation resources.” [Source: CMS]

AHIMA’s Physician Coding Toolkit

“This provider practice coding toolkit was developed in response to the unique challenges a HIM professional faces daily in a provider practice clinic environment, specifically in coding. The toolkit provides multiple resources and tools including coding guidelines, EHR documentation enhancements, and provider coding workflows. Cost: $99.95. Click here to purchase.” [Source: AHIMA]