MACHC
Weekly E-Blast:  
Voicing the latest news on Communities in Need
In This Issue
COUNTDOWN TO ENROLLMENT 
11 Days
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]

Let's Stay Connected
    
September 20, 2013 
Community Health Center Spotlight
La Red Health Center hosts a Sussex County Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act 

 

La Red Health Center hosted a Sussex County Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion conducted by the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services regarding the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Delaware

 

Delaware Department of Health & Social Services Secretary Landgraf kicked off the meeting, and then introduced Senator Carper who discussed the importance of the Affordable Care Act and the tremendous impact it will have in our community. 

 

Laura Howard, a consultant with PCG Health updated the group on the efforts completed to date,  and  showcased the Delaware Health Insurance Exchange at  http://www.choosehealthde.com/Health-Insurance after which a group discussion that included representatives from the following organizations took place.

 

Small Business Administration DE District Office

Catholic Charities

Westside Family Healthcare

Beebe Medical Center

Delaware 211

Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs

Delmarva Foundation

DHCC

First State Community Action Agency

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce

La Esperanza

La Red Health Center

Lewes Chamber of Commerce

Nanticoke Memorial Hospital

Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce

Seaford Chamber of Commerce

Small Business Administration DE District Office

Sussex County Habitat for Humanity

United Way of Delaware

 

We will continue to highlight and support all the wonderful achievements of Health Centers! 
 
You could be next! Please contact Aneeqa Chowdhury at [email protected] to be placed on the SPOTLIGHT!
MACHC Happenings
Thank you so much for attending MACHC's Annual Conference 2014. I hope you found the sessions helpful and informative.

 

(1) The National Walking Summit  

When: October 2-3, 2013 

Kaiser Permanente and other national partners are hosting a national Walking Summit in DC. The Summit is being designed and supported by dozens of partner organizations -- to advance the mission of Every Body Walk! to get Americans up and moving. By focusing on walking and walkability, we seek to get more people walking (behavior and culture change) and, to increase the supply of safe places to walk (environmental, practice and policy change.) The complementary benefits of more walking and more walkable places accrue to improved health status, reduced costs, workforce and school wellness, economic development and placemaking, the environment, equity/access, academic performance, safety and security, social connectivity, and more. Click here for more information and to register today!
 

(2) National Health Service Corp Webinar

 When: October 10, 2013, 10:00 am to 11:00 am

 
The National Health Service Corp (NHSC) is hosting  Corps Community Day on October 10th, 2013. This year's theme is "Access Today. Healthy Communities Tomorrow." To celebrate Corps Community Day, the Office of Primary Care Access is partnering with the Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers to provide an overview "Coffee talk" webinar about the National Health Service Corp. 

The webinar will include: 

- Overview and History of the National Health Service Corp

- Overview of NHSC Loan Repayment and Eligibility

- Overview of the NHSC Scholarship Program. 

Please register for this webinar to learn more about NHSC to help expand access in your community!!

http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/currentmembers/stayconnected/index.html

 

(3) 27th Annual AIDS Walk Washington  October 26, 2013  Freedom Plaza 

The 27th annual AIDS Walk Washington will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Freedom Plaza. Activities begin at 7:00 am. The 5K timed run begins at 9:15 am with the Walk stepping off at 9:20 am. Click here to register, donate or volunteer.
 

 

(4) Uniform Data System (UDS) Training 2013You are here

December 4th, 2013 8:00 AM - 
4:00 PM
Harbourtowne Golf Resort
9784 Martingham Circle
St. Michaels, MD 21663
Aimed at those who are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements. The Uniform Data System (UDS) in-person training is a full day program covering the preparation of the 2013 UDS Report.  The training addresses each of the tables, including a discussion of the changes that have been made and the definitions necessary to complete the reports. The UDS training is aimed at those who are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements included in the UDS report, as well as management and clinical staff who need to understand the definitions and concepts used.
Policy, Advocacy and Legislation
National News

Census: Number Of People Without Health Insurance Largely Unchanged In 2012

According to the Census Bureau, the percentage of people without health insurance coverage declined to 15.4 percent in 2012 ─ from 15.7 percent in 2011. However, the 48.0 million people without coverage in 2012 was not statistically significantly different from the 48.6 million in 2011. 

Insuring Your Health columnist Michelle Andrews helps you navigate the new insurance marketplaces that are scheduled to launch on Oct. 1. 

New online insurance marketplaces will also tell consumers if they are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging held a hearing last week entitled "Dental Crisis in America: The Need to Address Cost." The hearing, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was a follow-up to a hearing last year on the lack of dental care in the United States.

 

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced awards of nearly $67 million, including $19 million made available by the Affordable Care Act, to establish 32 new community health center service delivery sites. Congratulations to Primary Health Network as one of the awardees!  These new sites will increase access to preventive and primary health care to more than 130,000 additional people. Additionally, $48 million will be awarded to nearly 1,200 health centers across the nation to support ongoing operations and quality improvement activities. 

All applicants under the FY 2013 New Access Point (NAP) competition will receive notification within approximately one month of their application score and summary of the application's strengths and weaknesses as identified by an Objective Review Committee (ORC).  FY 2013 NAP applications that did not earn a score high enough for funding but were in the approvable range will be placed in an active status for up to one year.  Under the FY 2013 base adjustment formula, all section 330 grantees will receive the base amount of $22,750 with an additional $1.00 per health center patient as exhibited on their Calendar Year (CY) 2012 Uniform Data System (UDS) submission. 

 


Nurse practitioners say efforts to expand primary care to millions of Americans under the health law are hampered by insurance
industry practices that limit or exclude their participation. Despite 17 states and the District of Columbiaws allowing them to practice independently, nurses with advanced degrees say some insurers still don't accept them into their credentialed networks as primary care providers, while others restrict them mainly to rural area.

Feedback Requested on New Proposals for ACA Employer Mandate

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations to implement the information reporting requirements for insurers and certain employers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The health reform law requires businesses with 50 or more employees to offer full-time workers a minimum level of health insurance or be subjected to fines. However, the Obama administration pushed the mandate's effective date back until January 1, 2015.  Officials said more time was needed to work out information reporting requirements so they would not be too burdensome for businesses. The Treasury Department seeks comment through early November on options to reduce or streamline reporting by employers, insurers and health plan administrators, and will use the comments to develop final rules.  In some instances, the administration is proposing to eliminate duplicative reports and in other cases, it's asking for less detail. Specifically, the proposal would eliminate the need for employers to determine whether particular employees are full-time where adequate coverage is offered to all "potentially full-time employees." It would also have  employers report specific costs for health plans only if the cost is above a certain threshold dollar amount. Additionally, the proposed rules would allow, in some instances, the reporting of health care information on W-2 tax forms that employers issue to workers, rather than a separate statement.

 

State News
DELAWARE

 

MARYLAND
15 Days to Open Enrollment: Visit the Maryland Health Connection

Open enrollment for the new Health Insurance Marketplace begins on October 1, in just 11 days. Have you checked out the Maryland Health Connection lately?

Remember, since you live in Maryland, you'll use the Maryland Health Connection website, instead of HealthCare.gov, to apply for coverage, compare plans, and enroll starting October 1.

Coverage can start as soon as January 1, 2014.

Questions? Call 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.

 

  

Finance & Business
Employers are raising deductibles, giving workers health savings accounts that look like 401(k) plans, mimicking the health law's online insurance marketplaces and nudging patients to compare prices and shop around for treatments. Together the moves could eventually affect far more consumers than the law's Medicaid expansion or health exchanges aimed at the uninsured and scheduled to open Oct. 1. Here's a rundow

 The U. S. Department of Labor issued new rules Tuesday that mandate home health care agencies pay their workers the minimum wage and receive overtime pay starting in 2015. 'Almost 2 million home care workers are doing critical work, providing services to people with disabilities and senior citizens who want to live in community settings and age in place in their familiar surroundings,' said Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez.

 

The Latest News on ACA
What's the LATEST 
on the ACA this week?

 

MD Enrollment Question of the Day: Do I have to use Maryland Health Connection to get insurance in Maryland? 
The answer is no, but, we're the only place where you can access financial assistance to pay for your health coverage costs or apply for Medicaid. Check out the FAQ' s for more answers to the latest questions!

 

Enrollment Question of the Week

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was asked about the proper procedure when an enrollment assister (either certified application counselor or navigator) is helping an enrollee and only gets part-way through the application.  Specifically:

Q:  If an enrollment is incomplete, and the consumer has to obtain additional data or documents, does the navigator contact the consumer if they don't hear from them?

 A:  No, they shouldn't be retaining any consumer information, so in following that requirement, they won't have any information to use to contact the consumer. 

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List of Affordable Care Act-related Documents

As of 9/16/2013

 

Specific to HRSA Providers:

The HRSA ACA website - http://www.hrsa.gov/affordablecareact/.  Includes links to the webcasts on the role of HRSA providers in O&E, and the potential impacts of the ACA on safety net providers.

 

Provider Affordable Care Act (ACA) O&E Toolkit- HRSA recently launched the  Provider ACA toolkit, a clearinghouse of Marketplace resources for clinicians and site administrators. The site includes:

  • ACA Basics - State-specific information, Marketplace enrollment timeline, and Consumer assistance information.
  • Patient Handouts and Education - Information on eligibility and new coverage options as well as where to go to enroll.
  • Business Operations - Information about the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP); the health care law; and business operations.
  • Training and Education - Training for CME/CE credit, sample slides, webinars and other materials that can be shared with health professionals.

 

General information for providers

Marketplace.cms.gov Ten Things Providers Need to Know and 10 Things To Tell Your Patients - These documents from Marketplace.cms.gov give providers a quick rundown of the most important things to know and share with patients about the Affordable Care Act.

 

General Marketplace/ O&E Info from CMS

 

Information for Certified Application Counselor (CAC)  groups

 

Champions for Coverage

Grants & Funding Opportunities

Debunk the Myths: Grant Application Video Series

Federal grants can be excellent funding opportunities for your project, but not understanding the process can lead to a great deal of frustration. This video series will debunk common myths and assist you with your grant applications.
  

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. 

 

 

AHRQ Disseminating Patient Centered Outcomes Research to Improve Health Care Delivery

Application Deadline: September 27, 2013

Grants to leverage the capacities of existing broad-based networks of providers and other key stakeholders to disseminate and implement existing evidence for improving the quality of care delivery. Spread of evidence to support change in care delivery requires coordination, buy-in and active participation by diverse providers across multiple settings of care, collaboration with other key stakeholders (including payers and consumers) who are instrumental in shaping care delivery, and adaptation of interventions to local conditions. In recognition of these well-documented challenges and needs, this funding opportunity requires that applicants represent existing networks of providers and other stakeholders that have the knowledge, on-going relationships, expertise, infrastructures, past experience and understanding of local needs and constraints to maximize buy-in, collaboration, and appropriate adaptation to local conditions. 

  

Bureau of Primary Health Care Loan Guarantee Program

Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Loan program to Section 330 health centers to obtain a loan guarantee for the financing of a medical facility construction, renovation and modernization.
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.

 

*MACHC will bring back Cheri Reinhart, CEO of Pennsylvania PCA present and lead a workgroup during MACHC's Annual Conference on Thursday - September 19, 2013! 

Health Observances This Week

September is National Preparedness Month!

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed a handy Toolkit for 2013 National Preparedness Month. This online kit contains a variety of documents and resources that you may find useful in promoting preparedness among staff at your healthcare facilities. There are messaging tools and tips; social media and online resources; images, logos and presentation templates; and information to address certain populations, including seniors and those with access and functional needs.

 

To access the toolkit, visit FEMA's National Preparedness Community site: http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/readynpm/view?objectId=3200688

 

OP&R has a special webpage devoted to National Preparedness Month. Go to http://1.usa.gov/14vmoRIto check it out. We will also be posting useful preparedness tips on our Facebook page throughout the month of September - www.facebook.com/marylandopr
 
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