New HRSA Health Center Controlled Network Competition Offers Great Opportunity for New York State HRSA has announced a new funding opportunity for health center controlled networks nationwide. Funding is limited – up to 30 networks will be funded at a maximum of $1 million per year for 3 years. Applications are due on September 10, 2012.
CHCANYS is pleased to announce its plan to apply for the new round of HRSA funding to create a new statewide health center controlled network. The new network will include at least 25-30 health centers implementing or using any certified EHR. CHCANYS has operated a network – the Health Center Network of New York – with HRSA funding since 2007. In this 2012 competition, all of the state’s FQHCs will be invited to participate. We believe we can develop an extremely competitive application by combining CHCANYS’ highly-respected statewide technology program, our Center for Primary Care Informatics (CPCI), and the well respected resources of the Health Center Network of New York (HCNNY).
Network technical assistance services funded by the grant will include EHR implementation, optimization, meeting meaningful use, quality improvement and participation in the statewide data warehouse program, CHCANYS’ CPCI.
If you have questions or would like to express your interest in participating, please email Lisa Perry at lperry@chcanys.org or Sandy Cafarchio at scafarchio@chcanys.org.
CHCANYS to Partner with State Health Department and Island Peer Review Organization on Cancer Prevention Registry for Federally Qualified Health Centers CHCANYS is partnering with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Island Peer Review Organization (IPRO), New York’s Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), to establish a cancer registry for FQHCs to promote cancer screening among its adult patients and ensure appropriate follow-up care.
NYSDOH was awarded $1.7 million in year one of a five-year grant for this innovative demonstration project designed to advance evidence-based practices in cancer prevention within primary care facilities that serve populations with the lowest screening rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. NYSDOH was one of only two health departments nationally to receive an award. The grant comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations and began on June 30, 2012.
The cancer prevention registry will be housed within the CHCANYS Center for Primary Care Informatics and will thus be known as the “NYS Cancer Prevention Registry of the CHCANYS Center for Primary Care Informatics.” To read the entire press release, click here.
News from Policy If you have questions about CHCANYS' policy and advocacy work, please contact Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
MRT Waiver Amendment Survey – Your Response Needed Now! The Department of Health has developed an MRT Waiver Amendment survey tool to capture feedback from the public on its waiver design and various reinvestment proposals. We need as many people as possible to complete this survey in order to demonstrate strong support for primary care. It should be noted that although the survey will remain open, the current solicitation for public commentscloses this Friday, July 20.
The survey includes quite a few questions related to primary care, health homes, new care models, health care workforce, and regional health planning. We strongly advise highly ranking the issues that are most important to advancing high quality, community-based primary care in underserved communities.
National Health Center Week is Less Than 3 Weeks Away! National Health Center Week, scheduled for August 5-11, is now less than three weeks away! This week-long celebration is a prime opportunity to educate others about the vital role health centers play in creating and maintaining healthy communities. This year, three days have been set aside to highlight special populations served by health centers: Public Housing Health Center Day on Tuesday, August 7th, Health Care for the Homeless Day on Wednesday, August 8th, and Farmworker Health Day on Thursday, August 9th.
If you have not yet informed us about the events you are planning, now is the time! Please submit your event information via our online form today so we can add it to the comprehensive list 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.
National Health Center Week is particularly important this year given our active promotion of primary care in New York State via the MRT Waiver stakeholder engagement process. The MRT Waiver offers an historic opportunity to build and sustain a robust, patient-centered primary care system for New York. By hosting an event during National Health Center Week, your organization can help to ensure the continued visibility of community health centers at a time when it’s critical that they remain up front and center.
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. 15 with any questions.
News from Health Center Support If you have questions about CHCANYS' health center support, please contact Rebecca Gaige, rgaige@chcanys.org.
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. A highlight of this year’s conference is a general session speech by Daniel R. Hawkins, Jr., Senior Vice-President for Public Policy & Research at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
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.
Register today! Click here for the best hotel and conference rates. The conference will kick-off with a networking lunch followed by afternoon workshops on October 24th. Don’t wait to reserve your hotel rooms for October 24th and 25th; group rates extend to the weekend on a limited basis. Use code AHFW for the discounted hotel rate through September 14th. 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, partners and all those interested in national and state health care issues as well as best practices in primary care.
Are You Coding Properly? As an important reminder, all FQHCs need to report Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes when billing for Medicare patients. The Affordable Care Act includes a provision to create a new Medicare reimbursement structure which will be based on the data Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) receives from these codes. Although the new reimbursement structure won’t take effect until 2014, it is critically important to get this process right today in order to ensure a fair and accurate Medicare payment in the future. For more detail, please click here to read CMS transmittal 2034 and here for a blog post by NACHC.
HRSA Releases Draft Sliding Fee Scale PIN for Comment The Health Resources & Services & Administration (HRSA) has released a draft Policy Information Notice (PIN) entitled “Clarification of Sliding Fee Discount Program Requirements.” All community health centers must utilize a sliding fee schedule that provides discounts to eligible patients. The draft HRSA PIN provides clarification on the sliding fee discount program and related requirements. HRSA is seeking comments on the draft PIN through September 28, 2012. To access the draft sliding fee scale PIN, click here.
Sponsor/Exhibit & Associate Member Opportunities Available for CHCANYS' 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum CHCANYS' 2012 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.
Learn about Benefits Available to Veterans The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is sponsoring a webinar in July and September that will target professionals who treat, serve, or otherwise interact with veterans. This webinar will provide a basic overview of VA benefits as well as resources that can be used to refer veterans to VA. To register for either the July 23rd or September 11th session, please click here.
New York City Offers Free Summer Meals Program for Children Aged 18 or Younger The NYC Summer Meals Program, a completely free program run at over 1,000 sites in all five boroughs, operates every weekday from June 28 through August 31. The program provides a nutritious breakfast and lunch to every child without any paperwork requirements – kids aged 18 years or younger simply show up to receive a healthy meal. Unfortunately, far too many families do not know about this great opportunity. Please help spread the word! For more information, click here.
News from Clinical Quality Initiatives If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Clinical Quality Initiatives, please contact Kathy Alexis, kalexis@chcanys.org.
Funding Opportunity Focused on Smoking Cessation Announced The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has announced a new medical education initiative in partnership with Pfizer. Pfizer’s Medical Education Group (MEG) and the SCLC will collaborate on a professional education grants program which will award organizations working to improve the competence and performance of healthcare providers in helping patients to stop smoking. The purpose of the grant funding will be to increase the number of patients who stop smoking by improving the frequency and effectiveness of smoking cessation intervention by healthcare providers, including treatment, counseling and support. A joint Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued to hospitals, healthcare systems, medical societies and associations, who will be able to apply for grant support for their programs. All applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by 5pm PST/8pm EST on August 1st, 2012. The SCLC will oversee the grant review and decision-making process, ultimately deciding which grant applications will receive funding, while Pfizer will provide grant funds to the successful applicants. Click here for the press release. Click here for the RFP.
New Report on Oral Health in New York City Released The NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene recently released a NYC Vital Signs report entitled “Oral Health in New York City” which shows that while many New Yorkers are at increased risk for oral health problems, one in three adults and one in four children did not have a preventive dental visit in the past year. Additionally, preschool aged children are less likely than older children to have had a preventive dental care visit in the past year. The report includes recommendations on how to reduce risk for oral health problems and improve oral health care access through a range of actions by individuals, parents, health care providers and insurance providers. Click here to read more.
Connect® Workshop CancerCare’s free Connect® Workshop provides information on cancer-related issues for people living with cancer, their families, friends and health care professionals. The workshops are led by experts in oncology and can be accessed via the telephone or online webcast. Professional continuing education credits are available for social workers and dietitians. Upcoming workshop topics include:
Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects Wednesday, July 25, 2012 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
Advances in Treating Chemotherapy-Related Nausea and Vomiting Tuesday, September 11, 2012 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
What's New in the Management of Blood Clots for Cancer Patients Friday, October 19, 2012 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
Update on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Tuesday, October 23, 2012 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
To register for the workshops, click here or call 1-800-813-4673. After you have registered, you will receive additional information. To listen to previous workshops on the CancerCare web site, 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.
