Connect for Health Colorado Updates

• “We have passed another milestone, now more than 146,000 covered lives have been signed up for coverage through Connect for Health Colorado. That means a lot of renewals are around the corner. If you are renewing or helping someone renew, you will find this infographic helpful in your planning.
• Good news from the state Division of Insurance (DOI) this week with the release of approved 2015 plans and premiums. The average rate for coverage offered through Connect for Health Colorado will remain stable, increasing only 0.58%. Read analysis from the DOI or the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.
• Our customers will have more plans to choose from for 2015 coverage. The DOI approved 176 plans to be sold through the individual Marketplace, up from 149 this year. There will be 120 plans in small group exchange, up from 90 this year.
• Some customers will want help choosing from all those options. Our network of trained and certified experts will offer free, in-person help to shoppers in every county in the state. Find them in your area.” [Source: Connect for Health Colorado]

PEAK Updates

“New Launch Date for PEAK Enhancements: Last month we announced there would be changes to PEAK on October 12. However, to successfully implement the enhancements, they have been rescheduled for November 9. With the updated implementation, the PEAK Enhancement Overview webinars have been rescheduled as follows: October 10 to November 7; October 13 to November 10. If you were registered for an October overview webinar, you are already registered for the rescheduled November webinar and do not need to register again.

PEAK Enhancement Training Sessions: The PEAK Outreach & Training team will be hosting two webinars and a series of training sessions across the state between October 17 and November 10. Click here for more information on the trainings, including dates and locations.

PEAK Support Calls: Support calls for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are scheduled to follow major PEAK updates to discuss system performance and known issues. If you are a CBMS user, please refer to the Web Portal for support call information.

• Post Build Follow-Up Call for CBOs: November 13th, Dial-in: 1-877-820-7831 | Passcode: 349141#
• PEAK Support Call: November 19th, 12-1pm, Dial-in: 1-712-432-0220 | Passcode: 5642211#” [Source: Colorado PEAK]

SIM Management Team Status Update

“In recognition of this busy season, the SIM Management Team has re-evaluated the focus of the November 20th gathering. The Health Transformation Summit will now be held in the spring of 2015. The full day meeting on November 20 will be a working meeting that focuses on further refining the workplans for the SIM workstreams. This meeting will be open to the public. More details to follow as they become available.

The leads for four of the SIM workstreams have been identified and will begin meeting in October:

• HIT, Data and Quality Measures - Lead: Kate Kiefert, State HIT Implementation Coordinator, Governor's Office and Co-Lead: Camille Harding, Quality and Health Improvement Unit Supervisor, Clinical Services Office, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
• Payers, Purchasers and Payment Reform - Lead: Patrick Gordon, Associate Vice President, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and Co-Lead: Judy Zerzan, Chief Medical Officer, Client and Clinical Care Office Director, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
• Service Delivery and Practice Transformation - Lead: Lisa Clements, Director, Office of Behavioral Health, Colorado Department of Human Services and Co-Leads: Zach Pierce, Human Services Policy Advisor, Office of Governor John Hickenlooper and Primary Care Physician, TBD.
• Consumers - Lead: Gretchen Hammer, Executive Director, Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved and Co-Lead: Katherine Blair, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Office of Governor John Hickenlooper.” [Source: Colorado SIM]

Employers play an important role in diabetes prevention

“Over 86 million US adults- more than 1 in 3 - have prediabetes. A person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Without lifestyle changes to improve their health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.

Employers play an important role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes by offering the Diabetes Prevention Program as a covered health benefit to their employees. To promote prediabetes awareness and help prevent type 2 diabetes, employers can:

• Encourage employees to call 1-800-DIABETES to find a Diabetes Prevention Program in their area
• Use pre-existing communication channels to educate employees about their risk for prediabetes and the Diabetes Prevention Program
• Negotiate with their health plan to include the Diabetes Prevention Program as a covered health benefit

For more information about adding the Diabetes Prevention Program as a covered health benefit, contact Becky DiOrio becky.diorio@state.co.us.” [Source: COPrevent]

Articles and Publications

All Health Care is Local: The Power of Community to Drive Improvement
September 2014 – The Commonwealth Fund

State of Working Colorado
September 2014 - Colorado Center on Law & Policy

For more Articles and Publications, visit the ClinicNET website.

HCPF Updates

“New Launch Date for Shared Application Process: In preparation for 2015 open enrollment, HCPF and Connect for Health Colorado will launch a joint application process to improve the consumer experience which relies on complex technology; joining IT systems that have functioned independently until now. These enhancements include:

• A single application to quickly learn if consumers qualify for Medicaid, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), or a federal tax credit and/or cost sharing reduction through Connect for Health Colorado.
• Applicants will receive joint letters from HCPF and Connect for Health Colorado explaining what health coverage program they qualify for.
• Aligning account sign-on functionality for Colorado.gov/PEAK and ConnectforHealthCO.com so consumers will only need one login.

Additionally, we are enhancing Colorado’s nationally recognized technology that allows for real-time eligibility determinations. Consumers may be able to find out immediately if they qualify for Medicaid or CHP+. To successfully implement these enhancements, HCPF and Connect for Health Colorado have set a revised go-live date for the shared application and eligibility system. The new launch date will be November 9. 

Training for County Eligibility Workers and Medical Assistance Sites: The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) will be delivering Open Enrollment, SES and Medicaid QA training to County Eligibility Workers and Medical Assistance (MA) Sites through Train-the-Trainer sessions and Regional trainings. In addition, an online training course will be available. Click here for additional information regarding the instructor led and online trainings as well as registration information.

Click here to view the latest issue of HCPF’s ACA Implementation News. [Source: HCPF]

MSEC Nonprofit Leadership Institute

“Mountain States Employers Council, The Daniels Fund, Boettcher Foundation, The Denver Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, and Rose Community Foundation have come together to continue the MSEC Nonprofit Leadership Institute. The Institute was developed to acknowledge an increasing necessity for nonprofit organizations to address and plan for the strategic direction of organizational leadership. A senior staff member that has demonstrated leadership skills that will benefit the organization long term is welcome to submit an application to attend the Nonprofit Leadership Institute.

Since $7,000 of the $8,800 tuition is being underwritten by the six partners, the cost to your organization is $1,800. The deadline to enroll in the Nonprofit Leadership Institute has been extended to October 10.

For additional information, or to apply to the program contact Evan Abbott (303.223.5339), Peggy Penberthy (303.223.5413), or Krista Rahe (303.223.5383). Click here for the information packet.” [Source: MSEC]