MACHC
Weekly E-Blast:  
Voicing the latest news on Communities in Need
In This Issue

Enrollment until March 31, 2014
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
    
November 1, 2013 
Community Health Center Spotlight
Congratulations  
Walnut Street Community Health Center on receiving a Level 2 PCMH Designation by National Committee of Quality Assurance

The patient-centered medical home-one of modern health care's most important innovations-is a model of care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into "what patients want it to be." NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition is the most widely-adopted model for transforming primary care practices into medical homes.

Clinicians, insurers, purchasers, consumer groups and others know the patient-centered medical home is a proven alternative to the nation's costly, fragmented delivery system. Research confirms that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider experiences of care.

Congratulations again Walnut Street, you make us proud!


Your Health Center Needs YOU to TAKE ACTION NOW!

In a matter of months the Health Centers Program will be facing a potential 70% reduction in funding. We are calling this the "Health Centers Funding Cliff". A funding cut this size would almost certainly force many Health Centers to close sites, lay off staff, and reduce the services they provide, leaving millions of current health center patients and communities without access to health care services they need. The only way to stop this cut from happening is for President Obama and the Congress to take action to 'fix the cliff'.

Given the intense pressure to reduce federal spending, neither the President nor Congress will act to fix the cliff unless tens of thousands of people - staff, board, patients and community allies - who care about health centers weigh in. That means we need YOU to step up and help 'fix the cliff' starting right NOW. The first thing you need to do is sign the Health Center Funding Cliff petition. The petition asks President Obama to act immediately to stop Health Center funding cuts to ensure that Health Centers can continue to meet the healthcare needs of millions of Americans. Signing the petition is an easy and important FIRST STEP to making sure we 'fix the Health Center funding cliff'.

Take Action Now:


1)    Sign the Health Center Funding Cliff Petition at the NACHC Grassroots Action Center. Our short term goal is to collecting 25,000 signatures in the month of October. You can help us do that. If we can reach this goal we hope to earn a direct response from the White House to our concerns. You can also download a hard copy template of the petition from the Campaign for America's Health Centers website.This will to allow you to ask anyone at your health center or organization to sign the petition.
2)    Forward this alert and/or the link to the petition and personally ask your friends, family and colleagues to sign it to support your Health Center and the patients it serves.

You and every Health Center Advocate should be prepared for many calls to action in the months ahead. Once we gain the support and commitment of President Obama to 'fix the cliff', THEN we will have to turn our attention to the Congress and ask Senators and Representatives to provide not only the funding to preserve ongoing Health Center services, but also to expand access to Health Centers' cost effective model of care to every community, especially those that currently lack basic primary care services.

We will need advocates like you and thousands more to take action each time you receive an alert asking for your help to 'fix the cliff'. The future of the Health Centers Program will depend on advocates like you making a commitment to Health Center advocacy and taking action when it matters the most.

If you have any questions or suggestions about how we can continue to build our advocacy network, email at [email protected]

 

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
(1) Reaching Out to Consumers by Hosting Events 
When:
Friday, November 1, 2013 from 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. ET
Who should attend:
Navigators, enrollment assistance personnel, and any individual who has been certified as a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) by his or her CAC Designated Organization 
Conference Call Info:
Participant Dial-In: (866) 501-5502
Conference ID: 94504748

(2) Outreach Team Call
Tuesday, November 5th, at 11 am or at 1 pm

(3) Addressing the Mess: A Delaware Hoarding Symposium
November 4, 2013, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
John H. Ammon Medical Education Center at Christiana Hospital. 
$20.00 registration fee includes lunch. 
Call 800-223-9074 or 302-255-9390 for a registration form or to be a vendor at this event OR visit the following website:
 
(4) Transformational Leadership Call
November 5th, 10 am - 11 am
To get on the list, please email [email protected]
  
(5) SAVE THE DATE: Employee Retention Webinar

Date and Time: Wednesday November, 6, 2013 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. 

The Health Systems and Infrastructure Administration (HSIA) and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers (MACHC) are hosting an Executive Employee Retention Webinar. The webinar is being provided for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Hospitals, Local Health Departments and Health Clinics to learn strategies to retain health providers. 

Richard Finnegan an employee Retention Consultant from The Retention Institute will be facilitating the webinar. 

The Seminar will cover the following topics/activities:

  • Group discussion regarding which of the principles and strategies are most driven by human resources
  • Prioritizing exercise regarding which strategies are most important
  • Identification of tactics to achieve strategies
  • Determination of schedules, sequences, and responsibilities
  • Identification of the cost of turnover
  • Outcomes will include a shift in thinking from programs to processes and if necessary from HR being solely accountable for engagement and retention to a specific model of share accountability
  • Brief overview of the value of cultural competency training 

Registration information TBA on the next E-Blast or check MACHC website.

An Open House Celebration for Chase Brexton Health Center

 

(6) Chase Brexton Open House  
November 7, 2013 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Stop by, take a journey through this monumental building, and discover what our new space is all about. Enjoy a harvest of treats, live music, education, and more.

Register here.

 

(7) MACHC Emergency Preparedness Call

When: Tuesday, November 19th from 12 pm - 1pm

(Third Tuesday every month)

Call in- 1-866-740-1260  Access code: 4319483

 

(8) DHMH Emergency Preparedness Phone Call

When: Third Thursday every Month (Next: Thursday, November 21st) from 10 am- 11am

Dial in from your phone:

Meeting ID: 6455

Dial in Number: 410-225-5300

 

(9) Uniform Data System (UDS) Training 2013

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.
Click here to register.
Policy, Advocacy and Legislation
National News
The Democratic And Republican leaders of two key congressional committees have agreed on a framework to scrap the problematic Medicare payment formula for physicians and replace it with one that would link physician reimbursement to the quality of care provided, a step that could put an end to the annual 'doc fix' debate.

 Why Insurers Cancel Policies, And What You Can Do When It Happens

News that health insurers are ending the policies of what could be millions of Americans has rattled consumers and added to the debate over the health care law.  If you or a family member has been notified that your individual policy is being cancelled at year's end, you may be stunned and upset. Here is a guide to help you understand the bigger picture, including why your premiums and benefits are likely to change next year and what you should consider as you shop for a new policy. 
 
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey and CQ Roll Call's Emily Ethridge discuss the days events on Capitol Hill, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' testimony in which she said she couldn't give firm numbers on how many people have enrolled for health insurance using the website because the data are not yet trustworthy. Click here to read the transcript or listen to the audio.

 In a contentious House Ways and Means Committee hearing Tuesday about the problem-plagued launch of the federal health insurance exchange, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Marilyn Tavenner, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, managed to agree about one thing: Young adults who have access to their parents' health insurance can't get subsidies if they choose instead to buy a plan on a health insurance exchange. Unfortunately, they're both wrong, say health policy experts  

The White House on Wednesday blended expressions of contrition for the troubled rollout of its health care law with an aggressive rejection of Republican criticism of it, as the administration sought a political strategy to blunt the fallout from weeks of technical failures and negative coverage. While Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, apologized profusely during a politically charged hearing on Capitol Hill, President Obama traveled to Massachusetts to argue forcefully that the Affordable Care Act will eventually be just as successful as the similar plan pioneered by Mitt Romney, his onetime rival and a former governor of the state 

 

 

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced a total of $3.7 million in grant awards to help states expand their oral health workforce or to help increase statewide access to oral health care for pregnant women and infants.
A majority of the funds, $3.1 million, will assist states in developing and implementing innovative programs to address dental workforce needs in dental health professional shortage areas. The seven awards are funded under the Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities program administered by HRSA's Bureau of Health Professions.
State News
DELAWARE

Delaware and Comparing Plans

The new tool on www.ChooseHealthDE.com allows you to know what's covered in each individual plan and to compare those plans before you shop on healthcare.gov. 

 

 

MARYLAND
Maryland's Progress So far
The following information covers from October 1 through midnight the evening of October 23.
* Unique website visitors, 10/1-10/23: 308,475.
* Calls to call center, 10/1-10/23: 33,380.
* Accounts created with verified identity, 10/1-10/23: 40,198.
* Percentage of account holders who are female: 53%.
* Account-holders who have received eligibility determination for their household, 10/1-10/23: 27,204. * Enrollment, 10/1-10/23: 3,186.
* Marylanders to be Automatically Enrolled in Medicaid Expansion, as of September 2013: 82,473.
* Sum of New and Automatic Enrollment, above: 85,659.

Maryland has resolved many of the problems with its new health insurance exchange and more people are signing up, officials said Tuesday, though they acknowledged that a number of glitches remain. On the same day that a top Obama administration official apologized for the troubled federal health care website, the head of Maryland's system said some state residents are still unable to complete their enrollments online.  

 

 

  

Finance & Business

eHealth Inc., the nation's largest online seller of health insurance, is offering to run Obamacare enrollment for the federal government while the balky healthcare.gov website is being fixed. Gary Lauer, chief executive of eHealth, said in a letter this week to President Obama that his Mountain View, Calif., company was willing to operate the federal exchange through its website as a temporary stopgap to give officials more time to repair the troubled online marketplace.  

  

  

Citing a new Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report during an interview on Monday, President Obama reported that the majority of young adults will be able to purchase insurance for less than the cost of their monthly cell phone or cable bills.    

The Latest News on ACA
What's the LATEST 
on the ACA this week?
  • HHS Offers New Tools and Information for Enrollment Assisters 
    The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) offers the following tools and information for use when working with consumers:
    • Marketplace.cms.gov is a one-stop shop for assisters looking for more information about applying and enrolling in the marketplace. Here, you can find great resources like background research on effective ways to reach target populations,  publications and articles, and even tools like widgets & badges or logos and infographics.
    • Toolkit to use as you help consumers prepare and complete a paper application for health coverage. This new toolkit features links to a fact sheet on the value of health insurance, a one-page guide to "Get Covered," an infographic that provides an overview of the paper application process, and other resources.
    •  Videos of application and enrollment processes, for those wanting to understand the Marketplace from "soup to nuts."
      
  • How is My Health Center Doing? 
    The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has posted individual health center profiles to its website. To access your health center's individual HRSA profile, click on your health center's name on the list of Maryland health centers . When you get to your health center's page, three-year trend data is available by clicking on the categories at the bottom of the page: patient characteristics, services, clinical data, cost data, etc.
      
  • New Report Assesses Potential Impact of ACA on Uninsured Community Health Center Patients
    A new report by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) examines the impact of health reform on community health centers (CHCs) and their patients. "Assessing the Potential Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Uninsured Community Health Center Patients: A Nationwide and State-by-State Analysis," estimates that more than five million health center patients would have gained coverage had all states participated in a sweeping Medicaid expansion. However, nearly half of all FQHCs are located in states that have opted out of the expansion. As a result, more than a million uninsured health center patients who would have been covered under a nationwide Medicaid expansion will be left without the protection of health insurance, according to the report.
      

  

----------------------

 For helpful outreach and enrollment resources, please click here.

 

Grants & Funding Opportunities

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces new funding opportunities to support the primary care workforce

To help expand and support the nation's supply of primary care practitioners, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of funds for two programs that receive funding under the Affordable Care Act. 

 

RCHN Community Health Foundation Announces O&E Grant Opportunity

Application Deadline: November 4, 2013
The foundation plans to award up to five health centers, look-alikes, or primary care associations with approximately $200,000 to be dedicated to outreach and enrollment initiatives. 
Application Deadline: December 1, 2013 (subject to change)
On behalf of Pittsburgh area funders, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation has announced a unique funding opportunity for nonprofit organizations and community-based groups for outreach, recruitment and training that targets the enrollment of uninsured Pennsylvanians in qualified health insurance plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Mini grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 will be made available to organizations willing to undertake these efforts.
 
Application Deadline: Extended to December 6, 2013
Grants to support rural integrated health care networks working to
strengthen the rural health care system. The maximum grant award is $300,000 a year for up to three years.
 
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship
Application Deadline: January 14, 2014 (3:00 pm ET)  
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program is a three-year advanced leadership program for nurses who aspire to lead and shape health care locally and nationally. Fellows strengthen and improve their leadership abilities related to improving health and health care. Interested health center nurses should feel free to contact Cheri Rinehart, PACHC President & CEO and a graduate of the program, for more information, including other PA health center alumni of the program.

 

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.
Health Observances This Week
 
 November is American Diabetes Month 
A time to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and he importance of diabetes prevention and control. For years, the American Diabetes Association has used this month as an opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and its serious complications. For more information, contact: American Diabetes Association | 800.342.2383 | www.stopdiabetes.com
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.

Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers | | [email protected] |
4319 Forbes Blvd. Lanham, MD 20706    |    www.machc.com    |    301.577.0097
 

Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.