Your CHCANYS

Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) Roundtable
Date: June 18, 2015; Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; Location: CMS Regional Office, 26 Federal Plaza on Broadway, NYC. This roundtable event, hosted by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the NYS Dept. of Health, is designed to facilitate collaboration between Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) plans and participating providers. The event will feature presentations from the Medical Directors of AlphaCare and Amerigroup, who will highlight their best practices and experiences, including the benefits to providers for participating in FIDA. read more >>

National Health Center Week is Right Around the Corner!
Each August, we recognize National Health Center Week in an effort to build support for community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers and to generate community pride. Health centers across the country open their doors to state and federal elected officials and the public in order to showcase the numerous services they provide... and to celebrate! While there are countless reasons to honor health centers, among the most important and unique is their 50-year track record of providing access to affordable, high quality, cost effective health care to medically vulnerable and underserved communities. We hope that you will consider hosting an event during National Health Center Week this summer and inviting your elected officials, business partners, patients, and community members to participate. To assist you in your planning, CHCANYS has developed a special National Health Center Week in NYS web page featuring an event posting form, a list of event ideas, flyers and social media tools, and much more! To access it, click here.

Important Change for Health Centers with a Budget Period Start Date of November 1
Starting in Fiscal Year 2016, to ensure that all health centers have sufficient opportunity to prepare and submit their Service Area Competition and Budget Period Progress Report applications, Health Center Program grants will no longer be assigned November 1 budget period start dates. To facilitate this transition, existing grants with a budget period end date of October 31, 2015 will receive a budget period extension for up to four months. Impacted award recipients will be notified of this shift through an EHB email message that will refer them to a Notice of Award  issued in May 2015.  The May 2015 Notice of Award that issues the balance of funds for Fiscal Year 2015 will reflect the new budget period end date (December 31, January 31, or February 29) and provide prorated funding for June 1, 2015 through the new budget period end date.  read more >>

Using Debt as a Tool for Growth - Working with CDFIs
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015; Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. This webinar will explore many of the debt tools available to health centers to fuel their growth, including standard bank loans, tax credits, and growth capital. The session will include participants from four different Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), who will describe how health centers can use their loan programs to achieve their growth goals. read more >> 

What’s New with the 340B Drug Discount Program?
Date: June 25, 2015; Time: 2:00  - 3:30 p.m. This presentation has been designed by NACHC to help ensure that health centers are up-to-date with the latest developments in 340B policy  and program/compliance requirements. The webinar is free to attend, but preregistration is required. Click here for more information and to sign up.

May 2015 Medicaid Update
The Office of Health Insurance Programs of the New York State Department of Health has approved the release of the May 2015 Medicaid Update.  To access it, click here. 

NACHC to Offer ICD-10 Webinar Series
NACHC is working with Coding & Compliance Initiatives, Inc. (CCI) to offer a three-part ICD-10 webinar series. The three "no-cost" webinars will be offered on the following dates at both 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST and 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST to accommodate different time zones: June 25, 2015 (Part 1); July 2, 2015 (Part 2); and July 16, 2015 (Part 3). For more information and to register, click here. First time registrants will be asked to create an account. For assistance, contact NACHC at (301) 347-0400.

Save on Medical Supplies and More with CPG
CHCANYS has partnered with the CommonWealth Purchasing Group (CPG), the leading group purchasing organization in the country specializing in the health industry, to promote its services to FQHCs in New York State.  CPG will review your existing orders and show you how to save even more. For additional information, click here.  

Navigating Language Access Requirements for Community Health Centers
Date: June 17, 2015; Time: 11:00 a.m. Community health centers are diverse linguistically and utilize several different methods and services to fulfill individual interpretation needs. Ensuring that state and federal rules and regulations surrounding this topic are followed can be difficult, but it is essential for health centers across the country to understand what is required of them in this important area.  This webinar, hosted by CommonWealth Purchasing Group (CPG), will cover a range of topics including: federal language access requirements, state regulatory snapshot, Medicaid reimbursement for interpreter services, improving patient experiences through language access, and interpreting modality options. read more >>

CHCANYS Submits Comments on CMS Proposed Rule for Meaningful Use Stage 3 (CMS 3310-P)
On March 20, 2015, CMS issued a proposed rule specifying the requirements for Meaningful Use Stage 3, which would be mandatory starting 2018 for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals in the EHR Incentive Programs. Click here for a summary; click here for the HHS press release. While there are some positive features in the proposed rule, CHCANYS has requested consideration of several modifications. To read the comments submitted by CHCANYS, please click here.  

CMS Issues Proposed Rule on Meaningful Use Stages 1 & 2 for 2015-2017
A second proposed rule on modifications to Meaningful Use Stages 1 & 2 for 2015 to 2017 was issued on April 15 (CMS 3311-P). The text of this rule may be accessed here. A summary is available here. One of the proposed changes of great interest is that a 90-day reporting period be allowed in 2015 to accommodate the implementation of the proposed changes in 2015. CHCANYS is currently preparing comments for submission by the June 15 deadline.  If you would like to submit comments to be included with the CHCANYS submission, please send them to Lisa Perry at lperry@chcanys.org. 

Practice Transformation Through Team-Based Care: Syracuse Registration Still Open
Date: June 22, 2015; Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Location: Doubletree Syracuse. Please note that registration for the NYC session on June 23 is now closed. Intended for those interested in integrating team-based care into their health center’s practices, this free training will cover best practices, workflows, and the different roles played by health center staff. Through interactive group exercises, attendees will practice working in care teams and participate in in-depth discussions around how roles change as practices transform. We will also discuss payment models for team-based care and evidence for integrating these models into real practice change. As this training will focus on the practice of team-based care, including hands-on group exercises, each participating health center must register at least three members of its care team - one provider (MD, PA, NP, etc), one RN-level staff member, and one MA/LPN-level staff member.  read more >>

Prescribing Tobacco Cessation Pharmacotherapy: Implementing Evidence-Based Practices
Date: June 30, 2015; Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.; Hosted by: The Center of Excellence for Health Systems Improvement (COE for HSI) for a Tobacco-Free New York. This webinar will explain best practices for prescribing covered tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy to patients, in terms of dosage, side effects, drug interactions, and billing. Continuing Education credits are available. For more information and to register, click here.  

Information for Action Report: Colorectal Cancer Screening
The NYS Department of Health recently released an Information for Action (IFA) report on colorectal cancer screening among NYS adults. Entitled “One out of four NYS adults aged 50-75 years have never received life-saving colorectal cancer screening tests,” the report summarizes data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). To read it, click here.

STD Clinical Update: Focus on Extragenital Testing and Treatment
Date: July 10, 2015; Time: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Alwyn Cohall, MD, Professor of Clinical Public Health and Pediatrics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center and Medical Director, NYC STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, will present this webinar, which will include STD clinical updates with specific focus on extragenital NAAT testing and treatment for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, as well as a brief review of Syphilis and coinfection.  To register, please click here. 

80% by 2018 Initiative
Increasing colorectal cancer screening among NYS adults aged 50 to 75 years is prioritized in both the NYS Prevention Agenda and the NYS Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan. The NYS Dept. of Health has also committed to the 80% by 2018 initiative, a nationwide movement in which dozens of organizations have committed to eliminating colorectal cancer as a major public health problem and are working toward the shared goal of reaching 80% screened for colorectal cancer by 2018.  read more >>

CHCANYS Statewide Conference: Abstract Proposals & Award Nominations Due June 15
This theme of this year’s conference, to take place on October 18-20, 2015 at The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, is From Vision to Value: The Health Center Movement at 50.  Policy expert Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs, will deliver the keynote address.  Abstract proposals are due on June 15. To review abstract guidelines and to make a submission for a workshop and/or poster presentation, click here.  Each year, CHCANYS honors and celebrates exemplary employees and supporters throughout New York State who are working to ensure access to high quality health care for all.  To make a nomination, click here by June 15. 

CHCANYS15 Sponsor and Exhibit Opportunities Now Available
CHCANYS15 is a great networking opportunity, typically attracting over 400 FQHC leaders and decision-makers serving 1.7 million patients at approximately 600 delivery sites throughout New York State. Click here and here to learn more about the benefits of showcasing your products and services at our annual conference. Don’t wait; vendor booths are available on a first come, first serve basis.  Pricing will increase August 1 - register today to receive last year’s rates! 

HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program Technical Assistance Conference Call
Date: June 17, 2015; Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. The Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides loan repayment to health professions educators from disadvantaged backgrounds while they serve as faculty members in accredited and eligible health professions schools. Applications are being accepted through June 25, 2015. Those interested in applying are encouraged to participate in this technical assistance call, to be hosted by HRSA. To connect, dial 1-800-779-8389 and enter Participant Passcode 8645774.

Call for Nominations for the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP)
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is requesting nominations to fill at least 16 vacancies on the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP).  NACNEP provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary and Congress in preparation of general regulations and concerning policy matters arising in the administration of Title VIII, including the range of issues relating to the nurse workforce, education, and practice improvement. Nominations are due on or before July 15, 2015. For more information, click here. 

Outreach and Enrollment Projects: Sharing Strategies and Outcomes
Date: June 29, 2015; Time: 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. The RCHN Community Health Foundation launched an outreach and enrollment initiative in 2013 to support community health centers and primary care associations in developing, implementing, and enhancing outreach and enrollment efforts through the use of technology, training, and/or development of best practices. This webinar will feature the Foundation’s six outreach and enrollment initiative grantees, who will provide updates on their projects. Speakers will address training strategies, staff development, technology, creation of outreach materials, relationship building with community organizations, and other methods to enhance health insurance enrollment and retention of coverage. read more >>