Your CHCANYS

Grassroots Call to Action: Contact Your Member of Congress Today!
A “Dear Colleague” letter in support of a bipartisan solution to the primary care funding cliff  is currently circulating in the House, and your help is needed to ensure that all members of the NYS Congressional Delegation sign on to it. Please contact your Member of Congress today and ask for his or her signature. The Health Centers Fund, which comprises more than half of all funding for the Health Centers program, will end in October 2015 unless it is reauthorized. If the President and Congress allow our program to “go over the cliff,” health centers could see reductions in grant funding of up to 70 percent, forcing reduction or elimination of health care access in some of the nation's most vulnerable communities. Getting our Members of Congress to add their names to this letter is an important step in the ongoing campaign to fix the cliff and enable health centers to continue to meet the growing demand for primary care across NY State and nationwide, which far surpasses the available primary care capacity. read more >>

National Health Center Week 2014 a Great Success!
We want to thank you for yet another successful National Health Center Week! CHCANYS staff was honored to participate in a number of the celebrations that took place across the state, as health centers demonstrated the different ways in which they unite and affect positive change within the communities they serve. Please remember to share your event photos and media clippings with us! We will post them to the CHCANYS website for all to enjoy. To view the photos and clippings collected thus far, click here. 

New York’s Elected Officials Celebrate National Health Center Week
A number of New York’s elected officials participated in National Health Center Week this year, helping to shine the spotlight on FQHCs and all that they do to provide accessible, cost-effective primary and preventive health care services to communities in need across the state. Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio each issued formal proclamations to help raise public awareness of health centers and their programs. CHCANYS and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer co-hosted a National Health Center Week breakfast on Thursday, August 14 to give FQHCs an opportunity to meet face-to-face with NYC Borough Presidents and their staff and discuss opportunities, challenges and ideas for future collaboration. Additionally, eleven members of the NYS Congressional Delegation visited health centers during the past week, several of whom were presented with awards from NACHC in recognition of the support they have shown for the Health Centers Program this year. read more >>  

DSRIP Design Grant Awards Announced
On August 6, 2014, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) announced over $21.5 million in DSRIP Design Grant awards to emerging Performing Provider Systems (PPS). The funds are intended to assist with the development of comprehensive DSRIP project plans. read more >> 

Vote Now for 7^th Inning Stretch Award Winners
In-person assistors are the face of NY State of Health in communities across the state. Thanks in large part to their work, nearly one million New Yorkers gained coverage through the Marketplace during the first open enrollment period. The best way to learn about innovative and new ideas is to share them with each other. With the help of the New York State Health Foundation, NYSOH created the “7th Inning Stretch Awards,” an opportunity for Navigators and Certified Application Counselors (CACs) to share best practices and be officially recognized for their achievements. Nearly 40 organizations submitted applications for these awards, and now it is time for YOU to vote for the winners! read more >>

Register Today: New York Health Coverage Outreach and Enrollment Summits
Registration is now open for an exciting new series of  regional Health Coverage Enrollment Summits, scheduled to take place various locations throughout the state beginning in early September. Co-sponsored by Citizen Action of New York, Community Health Care Association of New York State (CHCANYS), Community Service Society of New York, Healthcare Education Project (1199SEIU/GNYHA), Health Care For All New York, and Raising Women’s Voices-NY these meetings will provide health advocacy groups, assistors, health plans, unions and other stakeholders with the opportunity to network, examine best practices, and develop coordinated plans in preparation for the second year of open enrollment. Click here for a full listing of summit dates, locations, and registration instructions. We look forward to seeing you there! 

CHCANYS Hires New EM Program Manager
CHCANYS is excited to announce the addition of Gianna Van Winkle, MBA to the Emergency Management Team. Gianna comes to us from the Miami Beach Community Health Center in Miami Beach, Florida, where she focused on compliance and emergency management. Welcome, Gianna!

Biosurveillance Update
Click here for a detailed update on Ebola and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

PCEPN and CHCANYS Emergency Management Work for 2014-2015
PCEPN is currently negotiating a new contract with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for its ongoing emergency management work.  In the upcoming year, PCEPN will focus on helping health centers to integrate with their local geographic coalitions, as well as develop a strategic plan to better engage health centers. read more >> 

CHCANYS Emergency Management Program at CHI
CHCANYS’ Emergency Management Team will participate in the Emergency Management Advisory Council Meeting being held during NACHC’s upcoming CHI conference in San Diego, CA.  This annual meeting convenes emergency managers from PCAs across the country in order to discuss the latest storms and disasters, best practices, and other issues related to primary care emergency management. read more >>

CHCANYS Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum 2014: Register Online Today and Save! 
Transformation Through Innovation & Collaboration is the theme for this year’s Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum, scheduled for October 19-21 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains. This event offers topics of interest to all, including senior staff, medical directors, board members, and clinicians of all disciplines. The General Sessions will touch upon critical federal and state issues, including DSRIP.  Workshops will focus on finance and policy/regulatory issues, innovative clinical and quality improvement practices and approaches, operations and governance solutions, health information technology, primary care workforce development, and more. The conference will also offer a number of opportunities to network with colleagues statewide, as well as Sponsor/Vendor receptions and events to help you find products and solutions to meet your needs. Onsite fees are higher – register online today and save! 

Vendors Gain Visibility: It’s Not Too Late to Be a CHCANYS Conference Sponsor!
Whether you have existing clients or are new to the FQHC market, CHCANYS’ Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum is the venue for networking with health center decision-makers and learning about their current product and service needs. Take advantage of this one-stop opportunity to talk with over 400 CEOs, CFOs, medical directors, and other health care leaders from across New York State. read more >> 

HHS Establishes October 1, 2015 ICD10 Launch Date
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has announced that October 1, 2015 is the official compliance date for conversion to ICD-10 diagnostic and procedure codes.  Click here to access the final rule. 

NACHC Schedules National Training Sessions on FQHC Medicare PPS
The new Medicare PPS rule goes into effect on October 1st. To ensure you're ready, NACHC has scheduled a series of one-day Medicare PPS training sessions, to be led by NACHC staff along with experts from BKD and Feldesman, Tucker, Leifer, Fidell.  Early bird registration will be $250 per person and regular registration will be $300 per person for each of the sessions, regardless of location. Please note: this training curriculum is focused on implementing the new Medicare PPS rule and not on Medicare basics. read more >>

Webinar: Developing a Competitive NAP Application - Budgeting, Support Requested and Sustainability
Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2014; Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Leo Fishel, President of Healthcare Consulting, Inc., will review key finance and budget aspects of the NAP application, including key forms and the support requested section, and answer participant questions. read more >>

Webinar: Developing a Competitive NAP Application - Forms and Attachments 
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2014; Time: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Alec McKinney, Ann Loeffler, and Alexia Eslan of John Snow, Inc. will review all the required forms and attachments included in your NAP application and where they fit into the grant development process; available tools and resources; and challenges, pitfalls, and shortcuts for the main forms and attachments, such as Form 9 (NFA Worksheet). read more >>

New Funding Available to Support Medicaid Providers with Health Information Exchange Adoption
The NYS Department of Health, with support from CMS, has established the Data Exchange Incentive Program to increase participation of Medicaid providers in the contribution of clinical data to the Statewide Health Information Network of NY (SHIN-NY). The program is designed to help defray the cost to provider organizations of connecting to the SHIN-NY via a RHIO (now known as a Qualified Entity, or QE). FQHCs and FQHC Look-Alikes have exclusive first rights to participate until September 30, 2014. read more >>

AHRQ Releases New Quality Improvement Fact Sheet
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released Quality Improvement in Primary Care: External Supports for Practices, a fact sheet developed by Mathematica Policy Research that describes the importance of quality improvement (QI) in primary care and the supports available to help primary care practices engage in ongoing and productive QI efforts. read more >> 

The CDC Launches “Tips from Former Smokers” Campaign
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an anti-smoking campaign featuring stories from former smokers living with smoking-related diseases and disabilities that describe the toll that these illnesses have taken on them.  Click here for more information on the “Tips from Former Smokers” campaign and other resources designed to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking.  

July 2014 Medicaid Update
The Office of Health Insurance Programs of the New York State Department of Health has approved the release of the July 2014 Medicaid Update.  Click here to read it.  

Webcast: Healthier Pregnancy -  Tools and Techniques to Best Provide ACA-Covered Preventive Services
Date: September 23, 2014; Time: 9:00 -10:30 a.m. Learn how to implement the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations from practitioners in the fields of tobacco, alcohol, depression, intimate partner violence, obesity, and breastfeeding. Also learn more about trauma and trauma–informed care delivery in the context of these recommended screenings and services. read more >>