Your CHCANYS

DSRIP Project Approval and Oversight Panel Receive Progress Reports from Upstate PPSs
The DSRIP Project Approval and Oversight Panel (PAOP) met on November 9-10 in Albany to hear from “upstate” Performing Provider Systems (PPS) about the successes and challenges they have encountered thus far as they transition into the DSRIP program.  Twelve PPSs -- including Refuah, the only FQHC-led PPS in the program -- gave brief presentations during the two-day meeting and answered questions posed by PAOP members.   

NACHC Spanish Grassroots Advocacy Network: Invite Your Friends!
Want to win a free registration to the National Farmworkers Health Conference in May? Click here to invite at least 10 people to join Sé un defensor, NACHC’s Spanish language advocacy listserv!. Once you do, you’ll be entered to win a free registration to the upcoming conference in Portland, OR. Email grassroots@nachc.org with any questions. 

New Compliance Elements Webinar Series from OMIG
New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) has posted on its website a new webinar series on New York’s mandatory compliance program obligation. All nine webinars in the series are now available. Each presentation is dedicated to one of the elements required of Medicaid providers’ mandatory compliance programs. To access the webinars and additional resources from OMIG, click here.

New ICD-10 Resources from CMS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a new Provider ICD-10 Resource Guide & Contact List to help providers find answers to ICD-10 questions. Click here to view it. This new resource guide includes Medicare Administrator Contractor (MAC) and Medicaid contact information organized by state. Those with commercial or private health plan claim questions are advised to contact the health plan directly. CMS has established an ICD-10 Ombudsman and ICD-10 Coordination Center to help track, triage, and resolve issues. The ombudsman may be reached at
 ICD10_Ombudsman@cms.hhs.gov.  

Supercircular, Sliding Fee Scale and Budget PINs: It Doesn’t Have to Be a Three-Ring Circus!
Note New Date: January 21-22, 2016; Location: Seattle, WA
Join Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell’s Ted Waters and Marcie Zakheim and CohnReznick's Gil Bernhard as they address the Supercircular, sliding fee scale, and budget PINs from both the legal and financial perspectives, including the steps your health center must take to remain in compliance and ensure that these policies are implemented correctly. For more information, click here. 

HC Standard Has Been Upgraded
When a disaster strikes, CHCANYS will utilize HC Standard, an integrated, interactive and responsive web-based application, to send notifications, collect information, and maintain situational awareness among health centers statewide. HC Standard was recently upgraded to include an enhanced, easy- to-use interface and is now compatible with tablets and all internet browsers. To access it, click here. To obtain a username, reset your password, and/or schedule a personalized, virtual demonstration, contact the CHCANYS EM Team at EMTeam@chcanys.org. 

Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers Online Course Now Available as In-Person Training
The Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network training course EM-101: Emergency Management for Primary Care Centers is now also available as a live training for your staff! Also accessible via the NYS Department of Health Learning Management System, the 30-minute course provides an overview of the four phases of emergency management, the key elements of an emergency management program and plan, and the role of the health center during emergencies and disasters. In the coming months, CHCANYS will be conducting targeted outreach to offer this training to health centers located in the Capital District, Long Island and the Hudson Valley. If interested in bringing this training to your health center, contact us at EMTeam@CHCANYS.org

Health Republic Consumers Must Enroll in New Plan by November 30
Coverage under all Health Republic plans will be terminated at the end of this month.  Affected consumers must choose a new plan by November 30 in order to ensure coverage for the month of December. Consumers may enroll online through November 15, but must call the hotline at 1-855-329-8899 to enroll from November 16-30. Those who do not proactively choose a new plan for the month of December by the November 30 deadline will be auto-enrolled by into a new plan.  Fidelis Care, Excellus and MVP have agreed to accept auto-enrollment of Health Republic consumers beginning in December and to credit any deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses paid in 2015.  

HRSA Awards Over $389,000 to Six NYC Health Centers to Ramp Up Insurance Outreach Efforts
On November 13, 2015, HRSA Acting Administrator Jim Macrae announced awards totaling over $389,000 to six New York City-based health centers to provide health insurance outreach and enrollment assistance. The awardees are: Apicha Community Health Center (New York) - $64,357; Callen-Lorde Community Health Center (New York) - $59,000; Community Health Initiatives, Inc. (Brooklyn) - $59,000; NYC Health & Hospitals (New York) - $59,000; Tremont Commonwealth Council Vip, Inc. (Bronx) - $59,000; and Union Community Health Center (Bronx) - $89,261. Since the launch of the NY State of Health marketplace in 2013, community health centers have played a critical role in educating consumers about the new health insurance options available to them and helping them to enroll in coverage. These funds will make it possible for recipient health centers to ramp up their efforts to reach community members who remain uninsured.  

White House Healthy Communities Challenge
The White House has launched a “Healthy Communities Challenge,” a competition challenging communities with high numbers of uninsured residents to enroll as many of them in coverage as possible before the current enrollment period ends. The victorious community will get “bragging rights,” a healthier community, and a visit from President Obama. To read more, click here.

Webinar: Pediatric Oral Health Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home
Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2015; Time: 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
CHCANYS’ Subcommittee on Oral Health is pleased to host Melinda B. Clark, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Albany Medical Center, who will speak on pediatric primary medical home delivery standards of care and Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) integration of an oral health primary prevention agenda. The learning objectives of this free webinar are to emphasize the impact of oral health on the overall well-being of children and review National Guidelines for oral health care, and discuss fluoride varnish risks/benefits and integration of oral health prevention into the medical home.   

State Funds Available to Provide Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
The New York State Dept. of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI) has announced the availability of state funds to provide access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in general and primary care settings for persons at high risk of contracting HIV. The intent of the Request for Applications (RFA) is to fund $3 million per year in community-driven solutions aimed to raise awareness of and reduce barriers to the access of PrEP as a critically important prevention tool for people faced with substantial risk of HIV infection.  Applications are due by December 23, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. EST. For more information, click here.   

Advancing Health Information Exchange for Advanced Practice Nurses
Date: December 9, 2015; Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.; Location: NYU Langone Medical Center
Advanced Practice Nurses are invited to this free event to learn how Clinical Event Notifications may improve patient care by providing real-time 24/7 alerts when patients go to the ER or are admitted to the hospital. For more information, click here. To register, click here.