News from Policy If you have questions about CHCANYS' policy and advocacy work, please contact Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, thus ensuring that as many as 1.2 million currently uninsured New Yorkers will have access to insurance coverage over the next few years and that consumers will have vital protections and benefits under the law. Click here to read more.
It’s Not Too Late to Submit Feedback on the MRT Waiver The Department of Health is still gathering public input on the MRT Waiver proposal. We need to ensure that the State continues to hear the critical message that sufficient investment in primary care is imperative to a more integrated and patient-centered system of care. Visit www.nyprimarycare.org for talking points and resources on the MRT Waiver and primary care designed to assist you in developing your message. E-mail your feedback by clicking here or here.
National Health Center Week is Less Than a Month Away! National Health Center Week, scheduled for August 5-11, is now less than one month 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. 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 forums.
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.
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.
Voter Engagement Webinar with Marc Wetherhorn of NACHC on July 13 We are excited to announce that Marc Wetherhorn, National Advocacy Director at NACHC will facilitate an informative voter engagement training session for New York-based health centers this Friday, July 13th from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. To register, please click here.
Do you have questions about what kinds of activities your health center can engage in legally? Seeking ideas for engaging patients and community members? Need to know where to get your voter registration applications and what the deadline is for returning them once complete? If so, this webinar is for you!
Participating in Community Health Vote at your health center is another important way in which you can help strengthen the health center program, both in New York State and nationally. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunities to learn from and have your questions answered by national and local advocacy experts as you work to build your own voter engagement programs. Register today!
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 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. Don’t wait to reserve your hotel room for October 24th & 25th; group rates extended to the weekend on a limited basis. 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.
June 2012 Edition of New York State Medicaid Update Now Available The New York State Department of Health has approved the release of the June 2012 Medicaid Update. Please click here to access it. If you do not already receive the New York State Medicaid Update, please contact Kelli Kudlack at medicaidupdate@health.state.ny.us.
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.
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.
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 a copy of the MRT proposal and here to view 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
How One Patient Portal is Used to Empower Patients to Be Active Participants in Their Healthcare On June 21, Cynthia Nassivera-Reynolds, VP of Medical Support at Hudson Headwaters Health Network (HHHN) in Queensbury, NY, provided an overview of how HHHN uses the patient portal in their Patient Centered Medical Home initiatives. Included in the presentation were discussions on access and availability, test and referral tracking, and care management.
NYPATH Click here for the June issue of the NYPATH newsletter.
News from Emergency Management If you have questions about CHCANYS' Emergency Management work, please contact Matthew Ziemer, mziemer@chcanys.org.
The Critical Asset Survey The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is requesting that all health centers update their information on the 2011-2012 Critical Asset Survey for Community Health Centers. Your Health Center’s HCS Director/Coordinator(s) need to either complete or update the survey annually. For those of you with multiple access points, a survey must be completed for each site. Although many of you completed this survey last year, the NYSDOH is asking that you again access the survey, verify the information that appears, and resubmit it so that the Health Commerce System is up to date with the latest information.
CHCANYS will provide outreach to assist the NYSDOH in tracking participation and the progress of the survey responses. The survey results will provide the NYSDOH with important information regarding your needs in the event of a catastrophic accident, disaster, or health emergency and will allow the NYSDOH to plan for the deployment of emergency supplies and medicine to your Center prior to or during an emergency.
To access the survey, please click here. Once logged in to the Health Commerce System, find the application Nursing Home Surveillance and Reporting System, select Community Health Center Critical Asset Survey 2012, and then locate the data entry menus.
For assistance with log in, requests for passwords or other technical issues, please contact the HCS IT Helpline CAMU at 1-866-529-1890. This unit will assist you with issues that you may have gaining access to the Health Commerce System.
Please report any problems you encouter to Mario Gonzalez, CHCANYS’ Emergency Management Program Manager, at 212-710-3810 or mgonzalez@chcanys.org so that they can be further addressed with the New York State’s HCS.
Emergency Management Online Training Is In Testing Stage The EM Team is excited to announce the release of its new online course, Community Health Center Emergency Management. This course will supplement the Emergency Preparedness Manual Template released last year, and it will facilitate the training of health center employees. Click here to access it.
News from HIT If you have questions about CHCANYS' HIT work, please contact Lisa Perry, lperry@chcanys.org.
Meaningful Use Updates
Year 1: Registration & Attestation April 29th was the deadline for completing provider registrations & attestations to receive payments for 2011 as Year 1 (Adopt, Implement, Upgrade year) of the NY State Medicaid Meaningful Use program. To be eligible for a Year 1 payment, a provider is required to have adopted, implemented or upgraded to a certified EHR. Meeting the objectives for Meaningful Use is not required in order to receive a Year 1 payment.
If you did not complete this process prior to April 29th for any of your eligible providers, registration is now open for payment for 2012 as Year 1. We recommend that you complete the registration & attestation process for these providers as soon as possible.
Year 2: Registration & Attestation Providers who were successfully registered and attested by April 29th will be eligible to receive payments for 2012 as Year 2. Attestation that the provider has met the Meaningful Use objectives for 90 consecutive days is required in order to receive a Year 2 payment. New York State’s registration & attestation system for Year 2 payments is not expected to open until the 4th quarter of calendar year 2012, but the 90-day period can be for any consecutive 90 days within 2012 during which the eligible provider has met all of the objectives and measures. Do not forget to complete the objectives that require a “yes” or “no” attestation only, such as the security risk assessment and clinical information exchange.
We hope that you have begun working with your providers on achieving the Meaningful Use objectives so that you will be ready when the system goes live. The Regional Extension Centers (RECs) were established to assist you in this process. CHCANYS is serving as a Regional Extension Center agent for 19 of our health centers outside New York City, and the NYC DOHMH Regional Extension Center (REACH) is available to centers located in the 5 boroughs. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
A series of webinars on the registration and attestation process for 2012 are currently posted. Click here to view the webinar schedule and to register.
Other Meaningful Use News
CHCANYS recently submitted comments on the CMS proposed rule for Stage 2 Meaningful Use, which goes into effect in 2014. Click here to view them.
An Overview of the Stage 2 Proposed Rule by CMS is posted on the CHCANYS website; click here to read it.
Along with our colleagues at the Health Center Network of NY and PCDC, CHCANYS has also created with a crosswalk of all quality measures in the current UDS, Meaningful Use, NY State Health Home and Diabetes Recognition programs. Click here for this crosswalk.
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.
