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

Next Enrollment Period starts
 November 15, 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
    
May 12, 2014 
Reminder: Calendar Year (CY) 2015 Requirements for Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Medical Malpractice Coverage for Health Centers Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2014-03 - HRSA has issued PAL 2014-03 to describe the process for Health Center Program grantees to submit FTCA deeming applications for CY 2015.
Applications are due by Friday, May 23, 2014, 11:59 pm, ET.
MACHC SPOTLIGHT
MACHC Website Under Construction..... 

New Updates coming this SUMMER 

Technical Assistance Request Form 
---to be submitted prior to receiving any TA from MACHC---
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As health care reform changes the way people access health care, community health centers will continue to play a key role in ensuring millions of Americans receive the care they need.  According to the National Association of Community Health Centers report, Access is the Answer: Community Health Centers, Primary Care & the Future of American Health Care,"Clearly, Access is the Answer to what plagues the American health care system.   Expanding access to primary and preventive care improves health and lowers costs, and is the foundation for driving higher quality care.
 

Continue Collecting Access is the Answer Support Letters at Your Health Center

As Health Center Advocates will recall, we have set a goal for every Health Center to collect 5 letters of support from local elected officials and 10 letters of support from community partners by the end of May. Start collecting local support letters today to demonstrate an outpouring of support from back home and make the case for Health Centers. You can learn more about the Access is the Answer campaign by visiting the Campaign for America's Health Centers website and by checking out this blog post featuring some of the shining stars of the Access is the Answer campaign! Don't forget to let us know when you collect support letters - use the report form on the campaign website OR email us directly at [email protected].

Join the Access is the Answer Campaign and advocate for CHC Funding!

Health Centers are facing an unprecedented threat and a unique opportunity in 2014. Like every year, Health Centers will have to fight to secure annual funding from Washington. But unlike any year in Health Center history, this year we face a looming Health Center funding cliff - a potential 70% reduction in Health Center program funding scheduled to take effect in 2016. As Health Center Advocates we will also have to make sure that programs, like Medicaid, that are essential to our survival remain intact and strong in the face of efforts to save money.

These are threats to Health Centers AND to the more than 22 million patients Health Centers currently serve and the millions more that Health Centers will need to grow to serve in our communities. Your advocacy through the Access is the Answer campaign is essential if we are to ensure that Health Centers will be there for everyone who needs access to health care.

What can YOU do?

To make the Access is the Answer campaign a success, commit to taking 3 easy action steps:

Number 1: Sign the Access is the Answer petition. 

Number 2: Work with your Health Center leadership to collect Access is the Answer support letters from local elected officials

Number 3:  Work with your Health Center leadership to collect community support letters. 

The value of advocacy:

All politics is local. Congress and the President do really pay attention to the voices of those back home in the community. That means the most effective advocacy has to come from YOU back home.

The Access is the Answer Campaign will be asking Advocates to weigh in on many issues as the campaign goes forward, but if YOU and tens of thousands of Advocates take the 3 steps, we will be laying the foundation for success in a fight neither Health Centers nor our patients can afford to lose. Thanks for joining the Access is the Answer campaign and building the power of Health Center Advocacy.  

MACHC Happenings
MACHC EVENTS & WEBINARS
OTHER EVENTS & WEBINARS
 (1) Family Health centers of Baltimore
Please join Family Health Centers of Baltimore for their 
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
10:30 a.m.
3540 South Hanover Street
Baltimore, Maryland  21225
410-354-2000, ext. 11264 or
[email protected]
 
(2) MACHC Board Meeting
When Friday, May 16, 2014
10: 30 am - 1:30 pm at West Cecil Health Center, MD
For more information, please contact Deitra Bell [email protected] 
 
(3) 

Outreach Team Conference Call

When: Monday, May 19, 2014

2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

1-866-740-1260 Access Code: 4319483

Target Audience: Outreach staff members

Discuss latest Outreach and Enrollment resources, best practices, trends and issues. These issues are presented on HRSA reports and other platforms to find resolutions.
 

 

(4) Transformational Team Conference Call

When: Tuesday, May 20, 2014

10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

1-866-740-1260 Access Code: 4319483

Target Audience: FQHC Leadership

Discuss and address latest State trends, news, issues and barriers. These issues are presented on HRSA reports and other platforms to find resolution.

(5) Emergency Preparedness Table Top Event
When: June 12, 2014, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Maritime Conference Center, MD692 Maritime BoulevardLinthicum HeightsMD 21090 
Who should attend:
FQHC Emergency Preparedness Representatives are required to attend. In addition, all DHMH Regional Coordinators are also expected to attend.
Facilitated by PCDC and MACHC. The table-top exercise is a focused practice activity that places the participants in a simulated situation requiring them to function in the capacity that would be expected of them in a real event. Its purpose is to promote preparedness by testing policies and plans and by training personnel. Many successful responses to emergencies over the years have demonstrated that exercising pays huge dividends when an emergency occurs. 
 
(5) SAVE THE DATE
MACHC's Annual Conference
When: Thursday, September 18th - Friday, September 19th, 2014 
Where: Dover Downs Conference Center, Dover, DE
DELRAY BEACH MARRIOTT, DELRAY BEACH FL
MAY 14 - 16, 2014

Migrant Health Centers are the early pioneers of the Health Center Movement. The Migrant Health Program that was written into the Public Health Service Act of 1962 set forth new thinking in this country that health care is a basic human right. It was the precursor of major social change in a decade of the 60's when the nation awakened to the poverty and hardship of a population for outside the mainstream. Migrant Health Centers became the model for community health centers nationwide with their core components of outreach, patient education, bilingual services, culturally-sensitive care, and community action and empowerment.

To register, click here.

  

(3) National Conference on Tobacco and Behavior Health

When: May 19 - 20th 

Location: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, MD 20852

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Individuals with a behavioral health condition are nicotine dependent at a rate of 2 to 3 times higher than the general population and consume more than 34% of all cigarettes smoked in the United States.

The goal of this conference is to provide a platform for attendees to share their perspectives on how the health system working collaboratively can decrease these statistics. Focusing on integration, interventions, and the impact of the ACA (insurance), participants will have the opportunity to hear from and exchange ideas with national leaders, public health cessation experts, policy makers, researchers, and behavioral health prevention and treatment experts on current cessation activities.

Click HERE to register. 

  

  

(4) May 20, 2014 1:00-2:00 pm

Maryland Million Hearts

Please join the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) for a webinar on diabetes, distress, and depression where Dr. Fisher will explore the construct of emotional distress, and suggest strategies for integrating the emotional side of diabetes into regular diabetes care. This approach can reduce confusion between depression and distress so that appropriate and targeted patient-centered interventions can occur. 

 Diabetes, Distress, and Depression: Incorporating the Emotional Side of Diabetes Into Clinical Care 

  

  

(5) Stage 2 Meaningful Use Requirements Focus of May 29 Call

One of the upcoming MLN Connects™ National Provider Calls will cover Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements, reporting options, and the data submission processes for Eligible Professionals (EPs).  Register online for this Thursday, May 29, 1:30 pm - 3 pm, ET call that will cover:

  

  • the differences between Stage 1 and Stage 2 criteria
  • reporting quality measures once to meet multiple reporting requirements
  • the processes for submitting data

EPs who have completed at least two program years under Stage 1 of Meaningful Use in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs are required to meet Stage 2 criteria starting in 2014, the first year of Stage 2 implementation. You can email questions in advance to [email protected]  no later than May 21 to be considered for inclusion in the presentation. 

  


(6) Maryland Rural Health Association

Call for Proposals The Call for Proposals is now open. The conference will gather rural health leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to discuss the major issues facing rural Maryland. Past conference attendees have pointed toward the value of illustrating best public health and community level practices as most useful to participants. Additionally, the conference planning committee is hoping to illustrate how recent statewide programs and policies have been implemented or are impacting rural Maryland both in terms of health and the economy. Examples include, but are not limited to the following: behavioral health, CMS Waiver implementation, Community Transformation Grant, the Affordable Care Act, oral health. Every proposal will be given consideration by the Rural Health Conference Planning Committee and presenters will be notified by June 13, 2014. 

Please submit proposals online at Call For Proposals Due Date May 23, 2014.

Outline of Information Asked on Online Submittal: Link

 

(7) Office of Women's Health Quick Health Data Online

The Office of Women's Health has announced the availability of telephone trainings on their new online information system - Quick Health Data Online.  The system contains data on demographics, mortality, reproductive and maternal health, disease incidence, and access to care at the county level for all states and territories.  It also includes data on prevention, violence, and mental health at the state level.  Where possible the data provided includes race, ethnicity and gender and, if able, age.  It incorporates graphing and mapping features so that the data of interest can be used directly as tables, graphs/chart and maps.  There will be two one-hour trainings per month: a basic training of an overview of the system and mapping and a second training that will provide emphasis on mapping techniques.  To access the calls, use the toll-free number:  1-877-925-6129; passcode, 410171 and go to the Quick Health Data Online website.  

Quick Health Data Online 101 Trainings:

  • Monday, May 19, 2-3 pm, ET (Basic)
  • Wednesday, May 21, 11-12 pm, ET (Focus on Mapping)
  • Tuesday, June 17, 3-4 pm, ET (Basic)
  • Thursday, June 19, 1-2 pm, ET (Focus on Mapping)

(8) Community Guide for Community Health Centers Webinar

The Public Health Foundation, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) are offering a webinar on May 12 at 1:00 pm highlighting The Guide to Community Preventive Services, or "The Community Guide."  Hear from a health center that used the Community Guide to improve their patient's cancer screening rates.  The web-based resource was developed to complement evidence-based recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force.  It can be used by health centers to develop evidence-based systems of population management, support care planning and coordination, and build partnerships with public health agencies and community resources.  Registration is required.

 

(9) Save The Date: National Health Center Week 2014 Webinar Scheduled for Thursday, May 22nd at 2PM ET

National Health Center Week will be observed August 10th-16th this year and is themed: Celebrating America's Health Centers: Local Engines for Healthier Communities. To kick off National Health Center Week planning efforts NACHC will host its annual NHCW webinar May 22nd at 2PM ET. The webinar is open to all and will discuss the nuts and bolts of how to plan and host successful events, recruit local sponsors, and invite federal, state, and local officials to join the celebration at your health center. Without a doubt one of the best ways to ensure a successful NHCW event is to start your planning EARLY and allow plenty of time to prepare. Save the date and plan to join us for the NHCW Kick Off Planning webinar, Thursday, May 22nd at 2PM ET. Look for more information on how to register and join the webinar in next week's Washington Update! And, be sure to visit the National Health Center Week website to get event ideas and access resources to support your event planning.

 

 

(10) Maryland Healthy Heart Webinar

May 22, 2014 12:00-1:00 pm

 

Through three presentations focusing on data, communication efforts, and effective implementation strategies, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion will explore the importance of immunizations and the progress we are making to address this issue

 

 

 

(11) June 6, 2014, BWI Marriott, Linthicum, MD
Don't miss the 5th Annual Maryland Workplace Health & Wellness Symposium.

Keynote Speaker: Jason E. Lang, M.P.H., M.S. Leader, Workplace Health Initiatives National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, Centers for Disease Control.  
Come hear dynamic speakers and a panel of regional business leaders- Under Armour, McCormick, and Audacious Inquiry- share key strategies for running a successful employee wellness program

 

 

(12) Enroll America's State of Enrollment Conference

When: June 16th-18th

Enroll America will be convening their first national conference in Washington DC . This conference will offer trainings, workshops, keynotes, and events to learn and exchange best practices and prepare for the next open enrollment period. Early-bird registration rates expire on Friday, April 11th. Click here for more information.

  

(13) SAVE - THE - DATE 

2014 COMMUNITY HEALTH INSTITUTE (CHI) & EXPO at MANCHESTER GRAND HYATT

AUGUST 23-27, 2014

REGISTRATION IS NOT YET OPEN!

Community Health Institute (CHI) & EXPO is THE largest and most important annual gathering of 2000 community health center  managers, clinicians, employees, board members and leaders. Every aspect of the community health center movement is represented and  fully-vested at CHI, making it an excellent networking opportunity. CHI provides essential up-to-date information, training and technical  assistance on the latest community health center challenges, providing professionals in the industry with cutting-edge strategies for community health center success                                       

Policy, Advocacy and Legislation
National News

Confirmation Process Underway for HHS Secretary Nominee; Hearing on May 8th

The confirmation process for President Obama's choice for the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) began last week. President Obama nominated Sylvia Mathews Burwell to succeed outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who announced her departure in April. Burwell, the current Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Thursday, May 8th at 10AM for the first of two Senate confirmation hearings. She will also face a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, which has yet to be scheduled. Thursday's hearing can be viewed live on the HELP Committee's website or via the C-SPAN website.

Register Now for a Review of the New Medicare PPS for Federally Qualified Health Centers

An MLN Connect National Provider Call will take place on Wednesday, May 21st from 12:30-2:00 PM ET. The call will describe the final policies for the new Medicare PPS for FQHCs, including the encounter-based per diem payment rate, adjustments, coinsurance, and the transition to the new payment system. Attendees will also have a chance to ask questions. Click here for more information and to register for the call.
Recent studies show that Latinos are least likely to seek out regular health care services and were the most resistant to signing up for health insurance during the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act, leaving health care providers, policy makers and advocates wondering why.  A key barrier, according to Healthyhispanicliving.com co-founder Marisa Salcines, is that trusted family remedies are often favored, "so then, when Latinos have a health concern, many may think 'Oh well, my Tia told me about this tea you can drink ... ' and that replaces Western medical advice."

Study Shows that Health Centers Deliver Equal or Better Quality of Care

A recent study published in the Journal of Health Services Research found that patients, especially those without health insurance, who receive care at federally funded Health Centers have fewer office visits and hospitalizations and receive equal or a better quality of preventive care when compared to similar patients of non-Health Center primary care providers.  These findings suggest that Health Centers could offer a more efficient system of primary care for the uninsured that results in lower utilization and maintained or improved preventive care.
According to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being index, the uninsured rate among African Americans has declined more than any other ethnic and racial group since the launch of health insurance exchanges last fall, dropping 3.3 percentage points.  
Following the close of the first open enrollment period under the health care law, the uninsured rate has fallen to 13.4%, the lowest it's been in six years. 

The states with the worst healthcare systems

According to a new Commonwealth Fund report ranking the nation's health care systems by state, the District falls into the second quartile for overall performance.  The ranking, based on 42 different variables, provides a snapshot of what health care looks like across the country and provides valuable insight into the racial disparities still plaguing the U.S. health care system.
Between 2000 and 2009, instances of diabetes among U.S. children increased at alarming rates across the country, with cases of type 1 diabetes increasing by 21% and cases of type 2 diabetes increasing by more than 30%.  What's worse, according to David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, is that while data for the past five years is not yet available, "most likely, things have gotten worse."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease, cancer, lung disease, stroke and unintentional injuries account for nearly 900,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.   Hoping to curb the rates of potentially preventable deaths, the CDC has launched the Million Hearts Initiative, as well as others, to change health behaviors and improve health outcomes.  

Telemedicine Policy Draws Opposition From Patient Advocates, Health Care Providers  New guidelines issued by the Federation of State Medical Boards could have a chilling effect on the growth of telemedicine - especially in rural areas and among low-income patients, say some patient advocates, health care providers and health care companies. But the federation says the updated guidance will safeguard patients' privacy and ensure high-quality care in the current fast-changing health care delivery environment
State News
DELAWARE

A Success Story Told

Covered in Delaware: A 26-year-old man decided to enroll on the marketplace because his job doesn't health insurance. After applying a tax credit of $88 a month, he will pay $53 a month in premiums. He was satisfied with the costs of his new plan and happy to have health insurance through Delaware's marketplace. 

MARYLAND

On April 28th, at 2600 St Paul Street in Baltimore, three Marylanders who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act's health care expansion, announced that they are telling their stories through a new radio ad and a YouTube video.

The Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative is buying radio time and publicizing a YouTube video to let Marylanders know about the success of the Affordable Care Act in expanding health care coverage to over 330,000 previously uninsured or underinsured people.  Nancy Hughes, Thomas Friedel, and Grace Miller will talk about how they and their families have benefited from the Affordable Care Act and will explain why they want to make sure Marylanders know their story.

We all acknowledge that the health exchange website has had problems, and we are glad that those problems are being resolved prior to the next open enrollment period in November.  But, it is critical that the people of Maryland know that the Affordable Care Act has been a tremendous public health success for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders

"Nancy, Tom and Grace represent the over 330,000 Marylanders who have benefited greatly from the success of the Affordable Care Act health care expansion in Maryland," said Vincent DeMarco, President of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative.  "They are telling their stories through radio and YouTube so that Marylanders know that the Affordable Care Act has been a tremendous public health success in our state."

Finance & Business

 Hospitals Purchase Of Doctors Leads To Higher Prices, Spending, Study Finds

A new study gives ammunition to what health economists and health insurers have argued for years: When hospitals buy physician practices, the result is usually higher hospital prices and increased spending by privately insured patients.

The study, published Monday in the journal Health Affairs, was based on an analysis of 2.1 million hospital claims from workers of self-insured employers between 2001 and 2007.  The analysis by Stanford University researchers found prices were most likely to increase when hospitals bought physician practices, as opposed to hospitals forming looser contractual relationships with physicians.

Even though millions of Americans have obtained health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many will still struggle to pay medical bills and co-pays and so health care providers should take care to discuss cost with patients before writing prescriptions and creating care plans. 
 
According to a new survey by Towers Watson, 62% of workers are willing to pay more into retirement accounts, while only 34% would consider investing more into their health care coverage.
 

 Looking to reduce costs, employers across the country are looking to shift health care expenses to employees, by pushing those with greater needs to purchase plans through insurance exchanges.  "It's all over the marketplace," said Todd Yates, a managing partner at Hill, Chesson & Woody, a North Carolina benefits consulting firm. "Employers are inquiring about it and brokers and consultants are advocating for it."

 
Webinar Series: 2014 Law Governing the Financial and Administrative

Is your organization prepared to comply with all of the new legal and financial requirements for health centers?

Do you understand all of the implications for PIN 2013-01 and the new Supercircular?

Do you want the federal government to have an interest in your building?

NACHC presents this new webinar series on health center financial and legal issues to help address the following health center finance and legal topics.  This is a MUST attend for all health centers!

  

HRSA PIN 2013-01: It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Final!   
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 
Registration cutoff: May 11 

Click here for more information and to register.

  

It's Neither "Super" Nor a "Circular" so Why is Everyone Calling it the Supercircular (or maybe the "Omnicircular")?   
Thursday, May 22, 2014 
Registration cutoff: May 19 

Click here for more information and to register.

  

Going for the Gold?  New Funds for Expansion - Procurement, Property and Federal Interest - What you need to know to compete for new funding and not end up with a headache! 
Tuesday, May 27, 2014 
Registration cutoff May 25 

Click here for more information and to register.

  

Time and Effort Reporting: Burdens and Risks for Health Centers 
Tuesday, June 3, 2014 
Registration cutoff June 1 

Click here for more information and to register.

  

Interested in registering for the entire series?  Click here to register for the all 4 webinars at a discounted price!

The
Latest News on ACA

OUR WORK IS NOT OVER

 

 

 

ATTENTION DELAWARE: FOR FFM States

HHS announced a new special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals who are currently receiving COBRA coverage. Until July 1, these consumers can terminate COBRA and receive an SEP to enroll in FFM coverage.                               
So what's new with this guidance? Normally, a consumer has three options regarding COBRA coverage:

  • decline an initial offer of COBRA coverage, get an SEP, and enroll in marketplace coverage;
  • switch from COBRA coverage to marketplace coverage during open enrollment; or
  • wait until the exhaustion of COBRA coverage to get an SEP.
So if an individual started receiving COBRA, dropping it prior to its expiration previously would not have been considered a loss of minimum essential coverage (MEC) and trigger an SEP.
Consumers should call the Call Center and inform representatives that they are calling about their COBRA benefits and the Marketplace
  
 
Enroll America Resources:

Shifting Gears: The Enrollment Landscape Post-March 31

Enroll America | April 23, 2014

The March 31 deadline has come and gone, but our work is far from done. Millions of consumers have coverage for the first time, and millions more could get covered in the coming months through Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and Special Enrollment Periods for marketplace coverage. Our webinar began the conversation about what we've learned during the first open enrollment period and what work lies ahead to help more Americans get - and keep - affordable coverage. http://www.enrollamerica.org/resources/webinars/shifting-gears-the-enrollment-landscape-post-march-31/

Publications

Enroll America's Grassroots Campaign and Early Lessons Learned, November 2013-February 2014, April 2014

This report describes the innovative campaign tactics Enroll America uses to connect consumers to the new health coverage options. It also shares some of the data collected between November 2013 and February 2014 on consumers' experiences enrolling in coverage. These data provide insight into who is attempting to enroll, who has enrolled, what kind of challenges consumers have encountered, and what methods of enrollment they prefer.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.enrollamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Grassroots-Campaign-and-Early-Lessons.pdf

In-Person Assistance Maximizes Enrollment Success, March 2014

Consumers now have the opportunity to learn about and enroll in affordable health coverage in a variety of ways, including through in-person enrollment assistance from a trained and certified person in their community. In-person assistance has played a crucial role in maximizing enrollment during this first open enrollment period.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.enrollamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/In-Person-Assistance-Success.pdf

In the fourteenth in the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' "Beyond the Basics" series of webinars titled "Beyond the Basics of Exemptions, Penalties and Special Enrollment Periods," we focus on triggers and timing for special enrollment periods, how people can qualify for exemptions from the individual responsibility requirement, and how the penalties for not having coverage are calculated.  We review information from past webinars as well as address new developments and updates.

 

 

For other helpful outreach and enrollment resources, please click here

For General FAQs on HRSA Health Center Outreach and Enrollment Assistance Supplemental Funding, click here

Transformational Team Talk & Outreach Upates

MACHC's ACA- Moving Forward Webinar

To access the webinar slides, click here 
For the webinar recording, please email Aneeqa Chowdhury at [email protected] 

 

 

The MHBE Call Center Hours of Operation & Holiday Closings for the period of May 1, 2014 through September 30, 2014 will be as follows:

 

Hours of Operation

Mon - Fri - 8am-6pm

Sat - 8am - 2pm

Sun - CLOSED

 

Holiday Closings

Memorial Day - May 26

Independence Day - July 4

Labor Day - September 1

 

Exchange Updates for ACSE (CACs):

For those application counselors that could not complete the previously scheduled Webinars, they will need to get in touch with mhc.trainingsupport@maryland.gov to un-enroll in order to be notified of future Webinar training.

 

Application Counselor Sponsoring Entity (ACSE) Phone Call Notes from Monday, April 28, 2014:

For webinar slides (which was later emailed by the Exchange), please CLICK HERE

For Maryland Health Benefit Exchange's, click on the image below.

 

Debbie Ruppert, Office of Eligibility Services, DHMH

+ Difficulty getting cases through MD Health Connection. Applications going through CARES. Meeting with CMS this week and talking about long term systems of use until Exchange moves towards the Connecticut system as the primary system. Going through system, business changes and design changes. 
+ PAC re-determinations will start in June.
When faxing in applications, be sure to utilize the following cover page.

 

Questions asked on Medicaid:

How is retro eligibility currently being processed?

+ If you have submitted the app through MHC, system cannot accomodate retro.

There has to be a clean up project for those who requested retro on system. File those with local health dept or social services henceforth, system no longer has those capabilities. Through CARE system. Use paper applications.

+ NO MCO, enrollment broker system still survives. Enrollment broker will follow-up with applicant to do an MCO enrollment at a later time.

+ Connecticut system regarding the retro enrollment. There will be some way to do this whether via online or paper application.

When submitting re-verification documents to the call center? How long before we anticipate before eligibility to be completed? If document submitted not acceptable, will call center notify enrollee or CAC?

+ Right now, turnaround time is 24 hours. However, the standard is no more than 3 business days. If document comes through and is not acceptable document, then consumer will receive phone call indicating this.

If the consumer points CAC as authorized person to receive information. Will the appointed receive this information?

Yes, appointed rep can be contacted via phone. However system is not receiving anything at this time so hard copy mailing may not go out.

+ There is a standard cover sheet being used where you check off what type of document it is for sending in verification form.

Grants & Funding Opportunities

HRSA:
Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health:Improving Maternal Health and Safety (HRSA-14-134)

Apply By: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 
HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau has released HRSA-14-134 to support a cooperative agreement with the goal of reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and their associated adverse pregnancy outcomes and to improve maternal health on the national level. 
 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program States/Territories Part B Supplemental Grant Program (HRSA-14-048)
Apply By: Wed, 28 May 2014 
 
Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Funding for hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, healthcare, and education to those who are underserved. Pennsylvania is one of the eligible states.
 
Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis
Provides seed funding to emerging nonprofits, or to new projects of established organizations in the areas of education; environment; health and human services; and hunger and nutrition. Pennsylvania is one of 13 eligible states.
 
Application Deadline:  Applications Accepted on an Ongoing Basis
The Community Response Fund supports organizations, activities, and events that address access to needed oral health care and community resources that improve oral health. Programs that address an immediate response to an urgent issue that impacts access to clinical care, provide short-term access to needed care for the underserved, or sustain organizations experiencing short-term challenges are the focus. A limited number of program concepts that provide longer term solutions or essential services for particularly underserved populations will also be considered. The program will also support Missions of Mercy clinics.
Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Corner 

Pike County Memorial Hospital was recently named one of the iVantage Healthstrong Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States.

 

PCMH scored in the top 100 of CAHs on the iVantage Hospital Strength Index, which is the industry's most comprehensive rating of U.S. acute care hospitals, and the only one to include the country's 1,300 CAHs. The results recognize that the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals provide a safety net to communities across rural America - measuring them across 66 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability, population risk and efficiency. 

Clinical Quality 
ECRI Offers Free Webinar on Effective Triage Systems
The ECRI Institute, on behalf of the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), will be presenting a free webinar, Building and Maintaining an Effective Triage System, on May 13 and again on May 14.  Safely and effectively triaging patients is a critical patient safety process, and health centers face significant risks if patient triage is not done in a consistent and effective manner.  The webinar will cover the basic principles of triage and address the following questions:
What are the credentials for a triage person?
Register for the webinar by clicking on the date and time below.
 
Get ready for FTCA Redeeming CY15: Greater Board Involvement, Increased Documentation
 The HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) began accepting FTCA redeeming applications for Calendar Year 2015 on April 16th. What's new this year?  The requirements under PAL 2014-03 include Board approval of more policies and procedures, a new emphasis on documentation and additional questions. The PAL made changes to the following application sections: review of risk management systems, quality improvement/ quality assurance plan, review of professional liability history and additional information. Health centers must submit their redeeming applications on or before May 23, 2014.
 
"Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations" from ECRI Institute PSO and the Healthcare Risk Control System.
 
Click on the links below or copy and paste the URL into your web browser to download each item:
For additional information about our patient safety, quality, and risk management resources, please visit www.ecri.org/pso, or contact us at [email protected] or +1 (610) 825-6000, ext 5558.
 
Registration is required, if you want to link to these resources, please use:


Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals (CCPOHP) -
 HHS has released the CCPOHP, a free e-learning program that offers information about cultural and linguistic competency for oral health professionals and the opportunity to gain up to six continuing education credits. Learn more about the CCPOHP.

Toolkit for Linkage to Obesity Resources in Your Community

The Agency for Health Research & Quality (AHRQ) has launched a new toolkit that was prepared by the State Networks of Colorado Ambulatory Practices and partners to help primary practices link to resources in their communities and improve the care of patients struggling with obesity.  The toolkit can help practices understand what resources are available and guide the establishment of productive partnership with community organizations.  It also provides guidance on improving patient flow, developing a bidirectional referral process, and increasing patient engagement.  

 

Health Observances This Week

Remember......

 

May 6-12 marked National Nurse Week!

 

 

It is only fitting that the theme for this year's National Nurses Week is "Nurses: Leading the Way." After all, nurses lead the way in showing an elderly patient how to manage his or her diabetes. They lead the way in making sure their patients - children and adults - get the vaccinations they need. They lead the way in helping our young moms learn how to care for their infants. And they lead the way in conducting research to promote high-quality life for those with chronic illnesses, and to help all of us stay healthy across the lifespan. 

And nurses, our trusted advisers on health issues, led the way in reaching out to their patients, neighbors, and families to make sure they enrolled in health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Nurses, who are on the frontlines of health care, know firsthand how important coverage can be to their patients: to their health, their peace of mind, and their financial security.

We're continuing to rely on nurses to help educate patients, some of whom had never had health insurance before, on how to use their newly acquired coverage to get the vital preventive and primary care they need. Nurses are also helping patients use new health information technology tools to manage their own care and ultimately improve their health.

That is why this Administration invests in workforce development, education, and training for nurses.

As a result of funding through the Affordable Care Act and other investments, the Administration has greatly expanded the National Health Service Corps and the NURSE Corps, two initiatives that provide educational loan repayment and scholarships in return for practice in the nation's medically underserved communities. More than 3,680 National Health Service Corps and NURSE Corps nurses - including 1,889 nurse practitioners and 1,475 registered nurses - are providing care across the country to those who need it most.

In addition, during the 2012-2013 academic year, the Administration funded the training of 10,600 nursing students through advanced nursing education initiatives. These are just a few of the initiatives that support the education and training of nurses.

National Nurses Week culminates on May 12, the anniversary of the birthday of perhaps the most famous nurse, Florence Nightingale, the original nurse leader.  Please join me this week and all the weeks that follow in recognizing nurses across the country for following in Florence's footsteps and thanking them for the critical work they do in bringing better care and better health to all Americans.

For more information on the Department's nursing loan repayments, scholarships, and research grants, and to take part in Nurses Week activities including the #IAMANURSE social media campaign, please visit hrsa.gov/nursesweek.  

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
 

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