ACA Implementation News and At A Glance – Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Check out the February 26th issue and March 5th issue of HCPF’s ACA Implementation News.

Click here to view the February edition of HCPF’s At A Glance Newsletter. [Source: HCPF]

ClinicNET Loan Repayment and Provider Recruitment webinar - REGISTER TODAY!

ClinicNET is hosting a free Loan Repayment and Provider Recruitment webinar, on March 3rd, noon-1pm. *Please note this is the rescheduled webinar from February 17th. We have guest presenters Sara Maki from the Primary Care Office at the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and Sara Leahy from the Colorado Rural Health Center. They will be talking about loan repayment programs such as the Colorado Health Service Corps and the National Health Service Corps, the Colorado Provider Recruitment Program, and answering questions regarding provider recruitment and retention. Click here to register.

Half-day ClincNET Affiliate Convening March 20th, register today!

Please join us for a half-day ClinicNET Affiliate Convening, March 20th from 10am-3pm! 

Presentation and discussion will include the State Innovation Model (SIM) and other practice transformation efforts, ECHO Colorado, specialty care e-consultations/referrals and much more. The convening will be held at COPIC | 7351 E. Lowry Blvd. | Denver, CO 80230. Lunch will be served and there will be plenty of time to network with your peers in the safety net. Click here to register today!

Check out what ClinicNET has been up to in the 2015 legislative session!

ClinicNET strives to advance health care access, health equity and innovative models of care delivery. We offer a centralized voice to advocate for legislation and policies that strengthen the health care safety net system. We also advocate for expanded access to and provision of high quality care for low income, newly insured, uninsured and underinsured Coloradans on behalf of Community Safety Net Clinics. The 2015 legislative session has been busy!

We’ve taken positions on the following bills as of February 13, 2015:

• HB15-1032: Licensed Mental Health Professionals Treat Minors - Support
• HB15-1039: Prescription Give-back for Institutions - Support
• HB15-1141: Hospital Provider Fee Patient Billing Statements - Oppose
• HB15-1163: Contingent Repeal Health Insurance Laws Aligning with ACA – Oppose
• HB15-1194: Authorize General Fund Dollars for LARC Services – Support
• SB15-053: Dispense Supply of Emergency Drugs for Overdose Victims - Support

Click here to view ClinicNET's 2015 Legislative and Policy Priorities. Click here to view ClinicNET’s Bill List for more information on bills we've taken a position on and are monitoring. If you have any questions or concerns please contact brooke.powers@clinicnet.org.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) webinar

“Please join the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for an upcoming webinar to learn about the results of the 2016-2020 Maternal and Child Health (MCH)  needs assessment process. Key findings and the new MCH priorities will be revealed!  We welcome families and youth along with our partners working in public health, education, human services, and philanthropy to participate.

As you may know, every five years Colorado's MCH Program is required to conduct a statewide needs assessment of the health and well-being of Colorado’s women, children, youth and their families. The purpose of the assessment is to identify seven to 10 specific priorities that public health can impact during the next five years. The selected priorities will drive state and local MCH work from 2016-2020.

Click here to RSVP for one of two dates: March 23, 1:30-3pm or April 2, 1:30-3pm.” [Source: COPrevent]

Connect for Health Colorado Updates

• “We wrapped up our second Open Enrollment period this week with about 140,000 covered lives in 2015 medical coverage, and 54% of them qualifying for financial assistance. In addition, we enrolled nearly 25,000 people in dental coverage (there is overlap, so don’t add the totals). We continue to work with customers who have not completed their enrollments. For more, including links to county totals, click here.
• How are we doing? We're doing well, according to the just released Gallup Healthways Well Being report. Coloradans score high on a holistic health index based on household surveys. The organization asks people about their physical wellbeing, financial wellbeing, sense of community and sense of purpose. Colorado ranks No. 6 overall. The report.
• We know there are a lot of questions new about income taxes and the Affordable Care Act. We hope you will find this guide useful in your conversations.” [Source: Connect for Health Colorado]

Update on Coding and Billing for Developmental and Behavioral Screening - CCHAP Clinical Newsletter

“Update on Coding and Billing for Developmental and Behavioral Screening: The good news (and this is a reminder) is that Colorado Medicaid reimburses medical homes for a number of developmental and behavioral health screenings. The new news is that they have recently changed the required coding methods in ways that help them, and you, keep track of positive and negative screens. The bad news is that many practices are not billing and coding according to the new requirements; or are doing the screenings but not bothering to bill them at all.  And as a result, some practices are not getting reimbursed appropriately for the screenings.

Colorado Medicaid often leads the way on screening and then later, the commercial plans follow suit. So, most commercial plans now also pay for these screenings. Each of these screening tests address something that is a health disparity for children on Medicaid: they have poorer outcomes, so they really need to be screened. But, it also addresses something that is very important for all children. Click here to see what Medicaid will reimburse you.

Click here to view the full Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Program’s Clinical Newsletter.” [Source: CCHAP]