Register Today! CHCANYS' 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum – October 24-26, 2012 CHCANYS’ Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum is October 24-26, 2012 at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel and City Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Register today!Click here for the best hotel and conference rates. Experts Jacki Leifer, Senior Partner, Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP and Peter Epp, CPA, Managing Director, J.H. Cohn LLP will be among this year's presenters. The conference is geared to CEOs, CFOs CMOs, CIOs, CTOs, COOs, board members, Finance Directors and fiscal staff, Human Resource Directors and staff involved in recruitment and retention, clinicians of all disciplines, senior and middle managers, and all those interested in primary care.
News from Policy If you have questions about CHCANYS' policy and advocacy work, please contact Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
HRSA Awards Over $10.5 Million to New York State to Expand Community Health Centers CHCANYS is pleased to announce that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded grants totaling over $10.5 million to 20 community, migrant and/or homeless health center programs across New York State in order to establish new health service delivery points. A total of $128.6 million was awarded across the United States in the form of 219 awards. New York received the second largest number of awards in the country. Click here to read more.
Support Primary Care Investment in New York State’s MRT Waiver Thank you to all those who testified at the MRT Waiver public forums earlier this week and last week. Community health centers shared their recommendations for investing $10 billion of the $18.3 billion in federal savings expected as a result of the Medicaid Redesign Team's efforts back into the healthcare system. Click here to see talking points.
Our work is not yet done!We need to ensure that the New York State Department of Health continues to hear the critical message that sufficient investment in primary care is imperative to a more integrated and patient-centered system of care. If you were unable to testify last week it is not too late. Click here to send an e-mail to the New York State Department of Health expressing your support for community-based primary care. Also, visit www.nyprimarycare.org to read more about the State’s stakeholder engagement process for the MRT Waiver and find out what else you can do to support this important effort.
Dental Services to be Included in the Medicaid Managed Care Benefit Effective July 2, 2012 As noted in the April 2012 New York State Medicaid update, all Medicaid managed care plans will be required to cover dental services for their enrollees effective July 2, 2012. Currently, health plans have the option of covering dental services for their Medicaid enrollees. Health plans will still have the option of covering dental services for Family Health Plus beneficiaries.
Beginning July 2, 2012, all those already enrolled in a Medicaid managed care plan will have their dental services (other than orthodontics) provided through their plan. There is no longer an optional "carve out" of dental services for the plans. Individuals who are not enrolled in a plan will continue to receive dental services on a fee-for-service basis. Since Managed Care will soon be mandatory in almost every county in the State, both new enrollees and recertifying individuals will be all enrolled in a managed care plan. Dentists are encouraged to apply for participation in the networks of Medicaid managed care plans operating in their counties of practice. Orthodontics will also be included in Managed Care as of October 1, 2012.
Medicaid Managed Care enrollees who are currently authorized and receiving dental care on a fee-for-service basis and who fall under the interrupted treatment policy will continue to have those services covered by Medicaid fee-for-service. Please refer to the e-MedNY Dental Provider Manual and the June 2008 Medicaid Update article, "Policy on Interrupted Treatment for Dental Procedures," for more information; click here to view it.
Additionally, it is expected that the School-Based Health Center Dental Programs and Services certified through the NYS DOH Bureau of Dental Health will continue to be reimbursed under fee-for-service and billed through your current payment methodology.
National Health Center Week is Almost Here – Post Your Events Today! National Health Center Week 2012, scheduled for August 5 – 11, is only six weeks away!. Start planning your events now!
National Health Center Week is a prime opportunity to both celebrate our work and educate others about the vital role health centers play in creating and maintaining healthy communities. It is also an opportunity to engage policymakers and show them how your organization has positively impacted the patients it serves. Host a health fair, a clinic tour and/or a reception and invite your public officials and members of your community to participate! Please remember to let us know about any events you are planning via our online form so that we can include them in the list of statewide celebrations on the CHCANYS website.
Both NACHC and CHCANYS have set up online resource centers for National Health Center Week. You can access the NACHC resource center here and the CHCANYS resource center here.
CHCANYS staff look forward to supporting you with National Health Center Week and are available to assist you with ideas and technical support. Please contact Kate Graetzer at kgraetzer@chcanys.org or 518-434-0767 ext. 10 with any questions.
NACHC to Offer Two Exciting Voter Engagement Opportunities for New York Health Centers - Sign up Today! Marc Wetherhorn, National Advocacy Director at NACHC, will be facilitating two informative training sessions on voter engagement for New York-based health centers in the coming weeks. The first, hosted by Lutheran Family Health Centers, will be an in-person session geared towards health center staff located in New York City. The second will be an online webinar, easily accessible from anywhere in the state.
Are you interested in civic engagement, but unsure of how to integrate it into the work of your health center? Do you have questions about what kinds of activities your health center can engage in legally? Need to know where to get your voter registration applications? If so, these training sessions are for you! Each session will include ample time for Q&A as well.
NYC In-Person Voter Engagement Training Session Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Hosted by: Lutheran Family Health Centers To register: Please click here to register for this session.
Voter Engagement Webinar Date: Friday, July 13, 2012 Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. To register: Please click here to register online for this webinar.
News from Health Center Support If you have questions about CHCANYS' health center support, please contact Rebecca Gaige, rgaige@chcanys.org.
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to Offer “New CEO Institute” NACHC has announced the creation of the New CEO Institute, a training course designed for health center CEOs who are new to the position (on the job between 6 months and 2 years). This multi-component learning experience combines self-paced online modules, interactive webinars, facilitated conference calls, and a 2-day face-to-face workshop – all packaged and accessed through an online community portal. This six-month educational experience will equip new health center CEOs with the skills and resources they need to not only run a compliant health center, but to lead the way by operating a GREAT health center that meets the needs of the patients and the community it serves. The registration deadline is July 13. NACHC is offering two informational webinars about the program on June 19 and 27. For more information, click here to visit the New CEO Institute website. Limited need-based scholarships are available; for more information on these, please contact Tommy Royston at troyston@NACHC.COM
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and Feldesman Tucker to Offer “Health Center Partnerships with Community Providers” Webinar
Date: June 27, 2012 Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Cost: NACHC member rate: $99; Non-member rate: $149
This webinar will provide an overview of HRSA’s collaboration rules and policies and will explore “real life” permissible partnership models, highlighting relevant operational and compliance-related considerations and challenges. The webinar will feature Jacqueline Leifer, Esq. Senior Partner, and Carolyn Bill, Esq., experts from Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP. While this session is open to anyone, it has been designed for health center administration (CEOs, CFOs, CMOs) and other key staff. For more information and to register, click here.
Vaccine Preventable Diseases: Policy, Practice, Preparedness Conference July 23, 2012 The New York • New Jersey Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center is sponsoring the multi-site `Vaccine Preventable Diseases: Policy, Practice, Preparedness` conference on Monday, July 23, 2012. The focus of this year’s conference will be on maintaining routine vigilance and promoting vaccine coverage in communities. Speakers will provide information that will help to prevent widespread outbreaks that have been occurring in the US and worldwide due to vaccine exemptions and declining vaccination rates. This year, the recently adopted Public Health Preparedness Core Competencies and the 2011 Preparedness and Emergency Response Capabilities will be featured.
At the end of the conference, participants will be able to:
State the importance of global influenza policy/procedure/program to local practice;
Describe key components/criteria used in the ACIP deliberation process and decisions;
State key recommendations for TdaP and Zoster vaccines in adults;
Cite two examples of vector-borne diseases, their prevalence, impact on health, and vaccine issues; and
Describe the importance of flu immunization based on a vivid personal story.
The conference will be held at 2 locations in New York - the University at Albany School of Public Health in Rensselaer, NY and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NYC. The fee for this program is $40 and includes continental breakfast, lunch, program materials and CEUS. For more information, click here. To register, click here.
Sponsor/Exhibit & Associate Member Opportunities Available for CHCANYS' 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum CHCANYS' 2012 Conference will once again be held at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel & Saratoga Springs City Center on October 24-26, 2012. This conference provides an opportunity to learn and network with 400 health center participants and partners serving 1.4 million patients annually. There will be one large exhibit hall this year, where some meals/breaks are scheduled to take place. Vendors will receive complimentary registrations to participate in sessions based on their level of support. Don’t wait – spaces are limited! Sponsors/exhibitors who become Associate Members will receive a special designation and additional benefits. To learn more about sponsor/exhibit opportunities and the new Associate Membership discount for first-time members, click here.
Funding Opportunities
CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Offers Support for Programs to Increase Healthcare Access and Inclusion of Children With Disabilities The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust seeks to support programs and initiatives in the areas of access to healthcare and inclusion for children with disabilities and special healthcare needs.
Access to Health Care — The trust will support innovative approaches to expand access to healthcare for vulnerable populations, including support for mobile health innovations that enhance access to healthcare and bring healthcare to locations where people need it.
Children and Inclusion — The trust will support efforts to increase inclusive options for children with disabilities for physical activity, creativity, and play such as recreational programs, youth development programs, camps, and school-based programs, including support for physical accommodations and training of staff to allow more children with disabilities to actively participate in these programs; efforts to coordinate and improve healthcare services for children with disabilities and/or special healthcare needs, including providing a continuum of care between disciplines to provide a whole view of a child's needs (such as an occupational therapist and feeding specialist meeting with the child together) or technology needs; and efforts to increase access to and appropriate use of early intervention services for children of all abilities, including support to enhance training and education of pediatricians, parents, and others to improve services, referrals, and care.
One-year grants will range from $10,000 to $50,000. Visit the CVS Caremark Web site for complete program guidelines and to submit an online Letter of Inquiry.
Four Foundations Partner to Advance Interprofessional Health Education The Gordon and Betty Moore, Josiah Macy, Jr., Robert Wood Johnson, and John A. Hartford foundations have announced that they will support the creation of a new national Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice and together have committed a total of $8.6 million over five years to that end.
The commitment by these four foundations follows a recent announcement by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration that it intends to create an interprofessional education center. Once HRSA decides where the center will be housed and who will direct it, the four foundations will work with the center and its director to determine the best use of the grant money. The foundations also will help the center become the "go to" coordinating and connecting body for efforts to promote interprofessional education and collaborative practice; convene key education, health, and policy stakeholders; identify and disseminate best practices and lessons learned; and develop and evaluate interprofessional education programs.
Foundations, States Release Tool to Navigate Health Insurance Exchanges Over the past fourteen months, a bipartisan group of seventeen states, including New York, has been working with the White House to help build a foundation for the Affordable Care Act. On Friday, the group announced the release of Enroll UX2014, created to help consumers navigate the health insurance exchanges that each state is required to have in operation by 2014. Click here for more information about this project.
News from Clinical Quality Initiatives If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Clinical Quality Initiatives, please contact Kathy Alexis, kalexis@chcanys.org.
Upcoming Events
Invitation: HCV Stakeholders Meeting The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute will hold a meeting with HCV stakeholders from across the New York State to discuss the HCV Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT #5311) proposal, "Promote Hepatitis C Care and Treatment through Service Integration," developed by the MRT’s Health Disparities Workgroup. The purposes of this meeting are to provide background information, to obtain input, and to answer any questions related to the proposal. Click here for copies of the MRT proposal and the budget language.
The stakeholder meeting will take place on July 10, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the AIDS Institute NYC offices at 90 Church Street, 4th Floor in conference rooms A and B. For those unable to attend in person, conference call capabilities will also be available.
To register your intent to attend, contact Colleen Flanigan at caf03@health.state.ny.us by COB on June 26, 2012. Responses must include:
Attendee's Name:
Agency Name (if applicable):
Attendee's Email:
Participation Type: In person or conference call
Additional information on the MRT can be found on the NYSDOH web site by clicking here.
CHCANYS Diabetes Learning Series
Diabetes and the Eye On Thursday, June 14, 2012, Dr. Daniel Casper, Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons and Director of Ophthalmology at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center in New York City, provided a brief overview of diabetic retinal disease, including pathology, clinical findings, classification, current accepted treatments, and experimental/proposed therapies.
The NYS Diabetes Campaign The National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Bridges to Excellence (BTE) Diabetes Recognition Program (DRP) are voluntary programs for practices to receive recognition for delivering quality diabetes care. Recognized health centers enjoy benefits such as being acknowledged as leaders in the community of practice and leveraging NCQA DRP data abstraction efforts for incentives such as that received through the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition. CHCANYS staff is available until June 30th, 2012 to provide technical assistance to those submitting for these recognition programs and to explore opportunities to improve clinical care outcomes.
For more information regarding the Campaign and for tools and resources available, visit the Half the Care website.
To begin your application for Diabetes Recognition, contact Kathy Alexis at kalexis@chcanys.org.
NYPATH Presents Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Training NYPATH (New York Promoting and Advancing Teen Health), an exciting new initiative at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, has announced the availability of an introductory training entitled, “The Time is Now: Providing Adolescent Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.” The training is designed for medical providers throughout New York State who provide primary care services to adolescents. Funded by the New York State Department of Health, the training is free of charge and is appropriate for both large groups and smaller audiences – and NYPATH will travel to you!
Please click here for more information. If you are seeking additional information about NYPATH and/or are interested in arranging a training, contact Judy Lipshutz, Director, NYPATH via e-mail at jl545@mail.cumc.columbia.edu or by phone at 212-304-5237.
Reimbursement for Smoking Cessation: Every Smoker, Every Visit Most clinicians do not bill Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial carriers for the advice they offer to patients about quitting smoking. Click here for an explanation of physician reimbursement for smoking cessation interventions and tools to help optimize the use of physician and support staff time to deliver evidence- based smoking cessation interventions regardless of a patient’s readiness to quit.
NYC Health Department Surveying FQHCs to Learn about STD Diagnosis and Management The Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention and Control at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is surveying FQHCs to learn about policies and practices regarding diagnosis and management of STDs and other infectious diseases. Two online surveys are being administered via Survey Monkey, one at the organizational level and the other at the site level. All Medical Directors from FQHCs in NYC have been asked to participate in this important project.
Respondents will be compensated with a $75 (entity level) or $50 (site level) Barnes & Noble e-gift card, and will have an opportunity to request technical assistance or provider trainings from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The overall results, in aggregate only and without identifying information, will be provided to CHCANYS and respondents of the surveys. Please contact Sharon Abbott at sabbott@health.nyc.gov with any questions.
News from Workforce Development If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Workforce Development Program, please e-mail us at workforce@chcanys.org.
NHSC Scholar Conference Set for July Registration for the 2012 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholar Orientation and Placement Conference, to take place on July 19-21 in Grapevine, TX, closes Tuesday, June 26 and space is limited! During this placement cycle, scholars are expected to serve at NHSC-approved sites with a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score of 16 or higher. If you currently have, or anticipate having, a vacancy within the next 12-18 months and your health center has an eligible HPSA score, you are encouraged to register.
During the conference you can:
Meet and network with over 100 NHSC scholars ready to start their career in an underserved community;
Hear from NHSC senior leadership as they share new initiatives and request your feedback on recent changes in policies, procedures, and program enhancements;
Attend site-specific workshops Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first served basis. For more information, click here.
If your health center has a training or technical assistance program that you'd like to share with others around the state, or if you would like to subscribe others at your health center to Your CHCANYS, please email the pertinent information to Rebecca Gaige-Troxell at rgaige@chcanys.org. We welcome your feedback and comments.
