Comments on Proposed 340B “Mega Guidance” Due on October 27
HRSA, Office of Pharmacy Affairs issued proposed 340B Drug Pricing Program Omnibus Guidance for notice and comment on Friday, August 28, 2015 in the Federal Register. The proposed guidance addresses key policy issues including eligibility and registration of hospitals and outpatient facilities, individuals eligible to receive 340B drugs (patient definition), drugs eligible for purchase under the program, prohibition of duplicate discounts, and manufacturer compliance. The proposed guidance will be open for public comment through October 27, 2015. 

DSRIP Year 1 Timeline Updated
The DSRIP Year 1 Timeline has been revised to reflect recent changes to key DSRIP deliverables, including an extension to the PPS remediation period for Implementation Plans and PPS First Quarterly Reports to September 24, 2015. To view the updated Timeline, click here. Additionally, the NYS Dept. of Health DSRIP Team has developed a PPS Quarterly Reporting and Payment Schedule; click here to access it. If you have any questions related to these updates, please direct them to DSRIP@health.ny.gov.

CHCANYS 2015 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum: Register Before October 9 and Save!
The theme of this year’s conference, scheduled for 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, is the keynote speaker. Participate in thought-provoking policy, workforce, clinical/QI, and finance workshops, network with peers, and meet with vendors to learn how their products and services can fulfill your business needs. Please note that online registration closes October 9; onsite registration is $50 higher. To register and review lodging options, click here.

CHCANYS15 Sponsor and Exhibit Opportunities: Sign Up Before Sept. 25 to Guarantee Your Listing!
Join our growing list of vendors! CHCANYS15 is the venue to network with over 400 FQHC leaders and decision-makers serving over 1.7 million patients at over 600 delivery sites in New York State. This is a great opportunity to reach out the FQHC market and/or maintain existing relationships. New this year: vendors may view a listing of participating companies and select their own booths on a first come, first serve basis. Don’t wait; click here (sponsors) and here (exhibitors) to learn more about the benefits of showcasing your products and services at this event.

Webinar: Resources from the National Health Service Corps
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Hosted by: NACHC

This free webinar will highlight the recruitment and retention resources provided by the National Health Service Corps. At the end of the session, webinar participants will be able to: identify tools currently available from the NHSC to successfully recruit scholars and clinicians interested in repaying student loans; explain the process for determining eligibility for a NHSC Scholar placement and loan Repayment; and define Corps members' responsibilities and health centers' commitments when employing NHSC members.

CPCI to Provide All HIV-QUAL Reporting for 2015
We are very pleased to announce that all FQHCs participating in the CHCANYS-supported CPCI/Azara DRVS Reporting Platform will not be required to manually submit HIV-QUAL data this year! To read the announcement from the AIDS Institute, click here. CHCANYS, Azara and the AIDS Institute have worked closely to develop an extract that will automatically transfer data to the eHIVQUAL system for incorporation into the statewide data report. We anticipate that the CPCI will cover a large portion of HIV-QUAL reporting requirements in future years.

Meaningful Use Final Rule Moves to OMB for Review
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent the final proposed rules for Meaningful Use Stage 3 and Stage 2 modifications to the Office of Management and Budget for review on Sept 3. The proposed rules would streamline reporting requirements and shorten attestation for eligible professionals to a 90-day period in 2015. Once approved, a final rule is expected to be published in early fall. Contact agrandov@chcanys.org with questions.

New York Health Coverage Outreach and Enrollment Summits
This year’s regional O&E summits, to take place in various locations throughout New York State, will bring together Certified Application Counselors, Navigators, health advocacy groups, health plans, community groups, healthcare facilities, unions, small business representatives, and community leaders to develop coordinated plans for outreach and open enrollment in 2015. The meetings are an opportunity to share best practices, strategies, resources and partnerships with each other in order to maximize enrollment in NY State of Health, taking into account the introduction of the Essential Plan in 2016.

CHCANYS to Host Two-Day Outreach & Enrollment Health Insurance Literacy Training Session

Date: September 24-25, 2015
Location: Jacob K. Javits Federal Building

NYC CHCANYS is excited to host this two-day, in-person “train the trainer” session entitled, “I Finally Have Health Insurance, Now What?”: Teaching Consumers How to Use Their Health Insurance, with funding support from the Altman Foundation. Open to all experienced FQHC Outreach & Enrollment staff statewide, the training will provide tools and resources that Assistors can use to train their colleagues on how to educate consumers about complex health insurance terms, concepts and processes.

Risk Areas For the Supercircular: Are You in Compliance?
Date: September 30, 2015; Time: 2:00 p.m.

Federal grantees have numerous rules to follow when it comes to the strings that attach to their funding streams. Getting these wrong can have serious and costly consequences. Staying in compliance with all of the applicable rules and regulations, however, can be daunting, and the new Supercircular has only made the task even more difficult for federal grantees. This webinar, offered by Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP, will highlight risk areas for the Supercircular and advise participants on conducting self-audits to ensure that new requirements are implemented correctly. For more information and to register, click here.

New ICD-10 Coding Resources on eMedNY Website
With less than 30 days to go before ICD-10 compliance rules go into effect, the eMedNY website has been updated with a variety of new coding resources to assist providers in their transition, including links to CMS's complete list of 2016 ICD-10-CM valid codes and code titles; resources for unspecified codes and how they should be used; and ways to keep up to date with CMS's information on ICD-10 via the web, email and Twitter. For more information, click here. 

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

Need to Cut Costs? – CPG and CHCANYS Can Help!
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. To set up an appointment, contact rwynn@chcanys.org.

NNOHA Annual Conference
Date: November 15-18, 2015; Location: Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN. The theme of the 2015 NNOHA Conference, formerly known as the National Primary Oral Health Conference, is “Interprofessional Collaboration to Improve Oral Health Access and Outcomes.” The event will include four days of exciting speakers, hands-on sessions, social and networking opportunities, and an exhibit hall with valuable oral health vendors and partners.

September is National Preparedness Month
Disasters can strike at any moment and while we cannot control how, when, or where they occur, we can protect ourselves, our families, and our community by having proper plans in place before a disaster strikes. National Preparedness Month is a nationwide campaign to promote emergency preparedness and encourage volunteerism.

Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness Update
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used by healthcare workers during management of patients with confirmed Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) or Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) for EVD who are both clinically stable and unstable. For more information to share with your infection control staff, please click here.

Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers
The Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network (PCEPN) recently launched a new training course available on the New York State Department of Health Learning Management System entitled PCEPN EM-101: Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers. This 30-minute pre-recorded training session provides health center staff with an overview of the four phases of emergency management, the key elements of an emergency management program and plan, and the role of the primary care center in emergencies and disasters.

HC Standard Communication Platform
Have you logged on to HC Standard? The HC Standard Software Suite provides real-time situational awareness and has the ability to send and receive information during routine and emergency situations. Contact CHCANYS’ EM Team at EMteam@CHCANYS.org for more information!