MACHC
Weekly E-Blast:  
Voicing the latest news on Communities in Need
In This Issue
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Have news to share with us? Want to be featured on our next E-Digest? Want to read about something in particular? Please email us at [email protected]

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June 28, 2013 
Community Health Center Spotlight

Dr. Donald R. Richter Appointed Medical Director of Walnut Street Family Practice 

   

Hagerstown, MD, June 28, 2013- Dr. Donald R. Richter has joined Walnut Street Community Health Center as Medical Director of the Center. He served most recently as Medical Director at Mountain Laurel Medical Center in Oakland (MD) for four years. His service at Mountain Laurel followed a career in private practice of more than 20 years.

 

"Dr. Richter has superb leadership skills and clinical expertise that will help us meet the challenges of a changing healthcare system," stated Kimberly Murdaugh, Executive Director of the Center. "He is well respected in Garrett County and extremely knowledgeable in the operation of federally qualified health centers and patient-centered medical homes."

 

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Richter earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, completing his residency in family practice at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore. He is Board certified in Family Practice and has a certificate of Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine.

 
You could be next! Please contact Aneeqa Chowdhury at [email protected] to be placed on the SPOTLIGHT!
MACHC Happenings
Has your Health Center signed up for your Access to Care Regional Forum?
Forum discusses your state's latest on Health Reform and the Marketplace.
 
Delaware:
Host Agency
Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center
1570 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE, 19901 
Contact: Robin Lawrence at 302-739-2730
Margaret O'Neill Bldg. 410 Federal St., Suite 7, Dover, DE 19901
 
Maryland: 
If you missed the MD Access to Care forums or would like a copy of the slides from the forum, please click here.

Health Care Price Transparency: Lessons from Three High Performing States

July 22, 2:30-4:00 PM (EDT)

Join this webinar to learn about price transparency in three high-performing states, barriers faced on the way to improved transparency, and lessons for states interested in pursuing this work. Moderators from Catalyst for Payment Reform and the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute will facilitate a conversation with leaders from Virginia, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

 

Building Capacity for Research and Quality Improvement Training
Save the Date for August 22, 2013

 This day-long training immediately before NACHC's Community Health Institute & Expo at the Hyatt Regency Chicago will help you build the skills and infrastructure necessary to collect and use data in Electronic Health Records to improve care, test interventions, and engage in research.  Registration link to come soon!

 

SAVE THE DATE: MACHC's 31st Annual Conference "Strategic Perspectives on Reform, Innovation and Accountability"  

When: September 19-20, 2013

Where: Turf Valley Conference Center in Ellicott City, MD

 

Join us at MACHC's Annual Conference where you will receive the latest information on all areas relevant to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

From CEO, CFO, COO, Site Administrator there will be something for everyone to learn!

Some of the session topics to be included:
  • Workforce development strategies to meet the challenges of the ACA 
  • Preparing your frontline staff for the new healthcare era
  • Patient Centered Medical Home Readiness
  • Getting to the ask: How to engage your board members with legislators and other important topics relevant to Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look-A-Likes. 

*Registration details to come in the coming weeks!*  

Policy, Advocacy and Legislation
National News
With weeks left to Open Enrollment, the Obama administration has put much attention launching the Marketplace tools and encouraged the public to view its newly revamped Health Insurance Marketplace education effort - a new, consumer-focused HealthCare.gov website. This website includes a 24/7 consumer call center to help consumers prepare for open enrollment as they consider private health insurance options in the Marketplace before the Marketplace officially opens for enrollments on October 1.
   For Spanish speaking consumers, CuidadoDeSalud.gov will also be updated to match HealthCare.gov's new consumer focus. To learn more about the Marketplace or to get your questions answered, please visit!

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides a premium tax credit to eligible Americans to help pay for the cost of health care coverage purchased on Health Insurance Marketplaces to help make coverage more affordable. The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released two notices which relate to minimum essential coverage last week: 

The first notice provides guidance on when, for purposes of the premium tax credit, an individual is treated as eligible for specific types of minimum essential coverage (and therefore is not eligible for a tax credit).  For example, the guidance provides that an individual subject to a waiting period before he can enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is not treated as eligible for CHIP and therefore may receive a premium tax credit during that waiting period. 

 The second notice provides transition relief for individuals offered employer-sponsored coverage that follows a non-calendar plan year.  Under this transition relief, employees and dependents eligible for such coverage are generally exempt from the individual shared responsibility provision until the new plan year begins in 2014. To access the notices and other IRS guidance on ACA provisions, visit the IRS ACA website by clicking on the title.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final regulation and fact sheet explaining the eligibility rules for receiving an exemption from the individual shared responsibility provision of the Health Insurance Marketplace, as well as two subcategories of exemption available through the tax filing process. 

 

Starting in 2014, the individual shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) calls for each individual to have health insurance coverage or minimum essential coverage to qualify for an exemption, or make a shared responsibility payment when filing a federal income tax return.  Individuals will not have to make a shared responsibility payment if coverage is unaffordable, if they spend less than three consecutive months without coverage, or if they qualify for an exemption based on hardship, religious beliefs, or certain other factors.  

According to the Congressional Budget Office, less than two percent of Americans are expected to owe a shared responsibility payment.

If the Obama Administration has any hope of successfully implementing all components of the Affordable Care Act by January 1, 2014, it will have to work diligently to promote insurance marketplace enrollment while at the same time setting realistic expectations for everyone involved.

The "safety net" hospitals and community clinics will try to fill in the considerable awareness gaps when low-income and uninsured patients come in, but how well they do will depend partly on what state they are in, and how much of a buy-in state governments give to Obamacare.   

When faced with overwhelming health care costs, some patients are turning to the internet for help by using Kickstarter to raise funds to supplement payments or even cover care costs.

 

So what is Kickstarter? Read more about it, click on the title.  


State News

Town hall meetings were scheduled in each of Delaware counties June 24-26 to solicit community input on a preliminary Delaware state plan for meeting the needs of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and supporting their families.

A task force co-chaired by the Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities and the Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter were seeking public input on Delaware's comprehensive state plan. The town hall meetings offered people in the early stage of Alzheimer's, caregivers, healthcare professionals and other community members the chance to learn more about Delaware's plan, as well as provide views, comments, perspectives and input on the plan.

A health watchdog group released a study that found high levels of a cancer-causing chemical in Pepsi drinks in 10 states, including Maryland. The Center for Environmental Health commissioned Eurofins Analytical laboratory in Louisiana to analyze Coke and Pepsi products that were purchased from 10 states.

The group said Coca-Cola and PepsiCo had pledged to change their products' caramel coloring as a result of a California law that requires labeling of products with cancer-causing ingredients. But CEH found that the Pepsi bought in Maryland and nine other states, not including California, still contains high levels of the chemical, 4-methylimidazole

 

  

Did you miss the following Webinars?

Enroll America hosted a webinar with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to take a deeper dive on five new enrollment strategies available to make enrollment easier for states. 
Check out this great webinar explaining these strategies by clicking on the title!
NHCW is just 65 days away - August 11-17! Click hereto access media templates in both English and Spanish. 
  
All health centers are encouraged to post Health Center Week celebration and event details on the website here - the password to post events is: healthy.  While NHCW 2013 is August 11-17, events occurring anytime during the entire month of August are welcome to be posted on the website.
 
 

Invite Your Legislators during NHCW!

NACHC strongly encourages Community Health Centers nationwide to celebrate National Health Center Week (NHCW) in August by holding events, inviting Members of Congress to visit health centers in the districts, and hosting events, such as health fairs, community celebrations, or media events to educate the public about the mission and value of health centers. The theme for this year's NHCW is: Celebrating America's Health Centers: Transforming Health Care in Our Local Communities. 
Visit the National Health Center Week website for information and resources. 
Has your FQHC joined the 
National Branding Campaign?

 

With more than 43 billion people  eligible to enroll in private insurance starting this October 1, FQHCs strive to create an identifiable unifying identity for themselves. This is where the National Branding Campaign for Our Health Centers comes into place. 

The campaign is a national branding effort to strengthen recognition of our Health Centers as a unified and nationwide network of quality community-based primary care providers.  Initially created at the state level by the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) and its membership, the National Association of Community Health Centers has expanded the campaign nationwide.

 

The FQHC Brand Components  

MACHC recently hosted a Branding Webinar for MD and DE Health Centers with CEO of PACHC, Cheri Reinhart and Event and Communications Coordinator, Kirsten Keyes, as guest speakers. If you missed the webinar and would like access, please click here.

Finance & Business
Have you made your comments on behalf of your FQHC on the PIN released by HRSA yet? The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) together with Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) are seeking comments on a portion of its recently released Policy Information Notice (PIN), PIN 2013-01, Health Center Budgeting and Accounting Requirements. The PIN outlines budgeting and accounting requirements for section 330 federal grant funds vs. non-grant funds. Section V.B., which addresses health center non-grant funds, is open for public comment until August 30, 2013. Please take the time to thoroughly review the PIN and its implications for your health center and provide comments on section V.B. to HRSA at [email protected]

Justice Department, 55 hospitals reach $34 million settlement over Medicare fraud claims

Fifty-five hospitals in 21 states have agreed to pay $34 million to the U.S. government to settle allegations that they used more expensive inpatient procedures rather than outpatient spinal surgeries to get bigger payments from Medicare.

The settlement involves kyphoplasty procedures used to treat spinal fractures usually caused by osteoporosis. It can be done as an outpatient procedure, but he Justice Department said the hospitals performed the surgeries as inpatient procedures to increase Medicare billings. 

The Latest News on ACA

What's the LATEST on the ACA this week?

A Key ACA Provision Has Been Delayed

Under the Affordable Care Act, businesses employing 50 or more full-time workers need to provide them with health insurance or will be penalized. This requirement which is a key provision contained in President Barack Obama's sweeping health care law - will be delayed by one year, the Treasury Department said Tuesday. 

The postponement came after business owners expressed concerns about the complexity of the law's reporting requirements, the agency said in its announcement. 


Have questions about the Affordable Care Act, insurance marketplaces and what it all means for you? NPR's Julie Rovner breaks down the facts to help clarify some key questions. Please click here to find frequently asked questions and/or email NPR at [email protected] to ask more!

Grants & Funding Opportunities

FY 2014 Service Area Competition (SAC) Technical Assistance

Service Area Competition - New, Competing Continuation, and Supplemental (HRSA-14-021, HRSA-14-022, HRSA14-023, HRSA-14-024, HRSA-14-025, HRSA-14-026, HRSA-14-027, HRSA-14-028)

Through the Service Area Competition (SAC), HRSA will award approximately $468 million in funding to an estimated 310 SAC applicants. A SAC application is a request for Federal financial assistance to support comprehensive primary health care services for a competitively announced underserved area or population. All available service areas (see below) are currently served by Health Center Program grantees whose project periods are ending in FY 2014.

Application Deadlines

Project Period Start DateHRSA Announcement NumberGrants.gov Deadline (11:59 PM ET)HRSA EHB Deadline (5:00 PM ET)
November 1, 2013HRSA-14-021July 24, 2013August 7, 2013
December 1, 2013HRSA-14-022July 31, 2013August 14, 2013
January 1, 2014HRSA-14-023August 14, 2013August 28, 2013
February 1, 2014HRSA-14-024September 11, 2013September 25, 2013
March 1, 2014HRSA-14-025October 9, 2013October 23, 2013
April 1, 2014HRSA-14-026October 30, 2013November 13, 2013
May 1, 2014HRSA-14-027December 4, 2013December 18, 2013
June 1, 2014HRSA-14-028January 8, 2014January 22, 2014

*Please click on the title for more information regarding the various grants. 

 

CMS Round 2 Innovation Awards

Application Deadline:  Letter of Intent by June 28, 2013 at 3:00 pm EDT; applications by August 15, 2013 3:00 pm EDT 

CMS will spend up to $1 billion for awards and evaluation of projects from across the country that test new payment and service delivery models that will deliver better care and lower costs for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. The second round of the Health Care Innovation Awards will support public and private organizations in four defined areas that have a high likelihood of driving health care system transformation and delivering better outcomes. Specifically, in this second round, CMS is seeking proposals in the following categories:

  • Models that are designed to rapidly reduce Medicare, Medicaid, and/or CHIP costs in outpatient and/or post-acute settings.
  • Models that improve care for populations with specialized needs.
  • Models that test approaches for specific types of providers to transform their financial and clinical models.
  • Models that improve the health of populations - defined geographically (health of a community), clinically (health of those with specific diseases), or by socioeconomic class - through activities focused on engaging beneficiaries, prevention (for example, a diabetes prevention program or a hypertension prevention program), wellness, and comprehensive care that extend beyond the clinical service delivery setting.

Bottom of Form

All applicants must submit, as part of their application, the design of a payment model that is consistent with the new service delivery model that they propose.

 

Smiles Across America Grant & Webinar  

Application Deadline: July 1, 2013 
A unique funding opportunity from Smiles Across America is designed to help support local, community based oral health preventive services programs in expanding their programmatic capacity and the number of children served. Grant award amounts for this grant cycle will range from $3,000 - $20,000. 

 

 

 Application Deadline: June 30, 2013  
The purpose of the 340B Peer-to-Peer Network is to connect 340B entities and stakeholders with high performing sites, called leading practice sites that have exemplary 340B pharmacy service offerings. These sites serve as guides to help covered entities strengthen their 340B programs from inventory management to quality care initiatives. Sites that receive the status of a 340B Peer-to-Peer recognized site will be asked to dedicate two members of their team to share their expertise and leading practices - for a limited amount of time per month - with other safety-net organizations to help these organizations achieve results and establish sound business practices. Selected entities will receive:
  • A participation plaque
  • Acknowledgement in publications
  • Membership in APhA for three leadership team members
  • Peer-to-Peer annual stipends of $10,000/year
  • Financial support for select conference attendance to represent 340B stakeholders

 

 Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Implementation Funds Program 

Application Deadline: July 31, 2013

Awards for $5,000 - $12,000 to support pediatricians in the initial and/or pilot stage of implementing community-based child health projects related to medical home access, health services to uninsured/underinsured, secondhand smoke exposure, immunization programs, and Native American child health.  
 
Application Deadline: July 31, 2013  
Planning grants for pediatricians to develop innovative, community-based initiatives that increase children's access to medical homes or to specific health services not otherwise available.

 

Scholarships
As part of our commitment to build a stronger, more empowered workforce, the National Council has partnered with USC to offer a $2,500 scholarship ($1,250 for advanced standing) for your employees when they enroll in the MSW@USC program in 2013.

Program Start Date                                                       Application Deadline
August 7, 2013                                                                June 25, 2013
September 3, 2013                                                         July 22, 2013
September 3, 2013 - Advanced Standing                    July 1, 2013

Your employees can request more information by clicking here. They should mention their National Council membership to admissions counselors to qualify for the scholarship. 

You can also sign up here to request a special onsite or virtual information session just for your staff.

 

Health Observances This Week
We have known for years that at birth this blood is tested to determine the health of the baby. However, more recently, research has discovered the umbilical cord blood to be an invaluable source of stem cells which are unique to the baby and may be used in a variety of medical treatments that can save lives. Saving this cord blood in a process known as "cord blood banking" has raised much attention. It is important that expectant parents understand the difference between cord blood testing and cord blood banking and what each means for their unborn child.
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