Your CHCANYS

NYS Medicaid Director Says “FQHCs Need to Be Included and Engaged” in DSRIP
In a recent post on the MRT Innovation eXchange (MIX) online forum, NYS Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson notes that FQHCs are vital service providers that bring a lot to the table when it comes to achieving DSRIP goals and strongly recommends that PPS leads include them at the governance and project planning levels and in their capital applications. To access his comments, along with feedback and ideas submitted by other providers and stakeholders, sign up for a MIX account and log in. Your use of this idea bank as a means of both gathering inspiration and sharing ideas during this unprecedented time of health system transformation is encouraged!

CHCANYS Comments on Proposed Integrated Outpatient Services Rule
The Office of Mental Health (OMH) has filed with the Department of State a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to add a new Subpart 599-1 Integrated Outpatient Services, which will impact FQHCs with multiple licenses. Click here to view comments submitted to OMH on December 1 by CHCANYS.

Capital Restructuring Financing Program RFP Now Available Online
The State has released a request for applications (RFA) for the Capital Restructuring Financing Program (CRFP), a $1.2 billion initiative that supports capital projects designed to improve population health, deliver care in the most appropriate setting, and be consistent with the State’s mission to move from a fee-for-service environment. The deadline for final applications has been extended to February 20, 2015.  read more >>

DSRIP Behavioral Health Webinar Now Online
The webinar entitled “Behavioral Health in the DSRIP Equation and Designing an Integrated System of Care in Your Community,” presented in November by the National Council, has been posted to the NYS Department of Health’s website. This webinar includes an overview of the relationship between behavioral health, co-morbid physical health conditions, and hospitalizations, as well as deeper detail to help inform PPS project applications for Domain 3.a.i, Integration of Primary Care and Behavioral Health Services. Click here to access the recording and slides.

CHCANYS and AmeriCares Launch Tool to Help Improve Emergency Response
CHCANYS has partnered with AmeriCares to create a platform that rapidly collects information and situational awareness reports from community health centers throughout the state. The web-based platform, known as HC Standard, was recently put to the test with the snow storm in Buffalo, NY and is detailed in this month’s AmeriCares blog. If your health center is not connected as a user of HC Standard, please contact the CHCANYS EM Team at EMTeam@CHCANYS.org. 

Webinar: Collecting Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Electronic Health Record - Why and How
Date: December 15, 2014; Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. In this webinar, Dr. Harvey Makadon of the National LGBT Health Education Center will focus on the rationale for collecting SOGI data, including health care inequalities faced by LGBT people, as well as the practical steps to implementing data collection within the electronic health record (EHR). Chris Grasso, MPH, the Associate Director for Informatics & Data Services at Fenway Health will then describe ways to collect SOGI information and incorporate it into the EHR. read more >>

7th Philadelphia Prenatal Diagnosis Conference
Date: April 30  - May 2, 2015; Location: Philadelphia, PA; Hosted by: Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. For more information, please call (215) 627-2229 or e-mail prenataldiagnosis@gmail.com.

Are You Preparing a SAC Application?
CHCANYS has compiled data tools and resources to support FQHCs as they prepare their Service Area Competition (SAC) applications and can provide assistance with Form 4 (Community Characteristics) and Form 9 (Need for Assistance Worksheet).  Click here to submit a request for assistance.

OMIG Compliance Certification Webinar Now Available
New York State Medicaid providers are required to implement and maintain compliance programs as described in NYS Social Service Law. Providers must also certify in December of each year that their compliance programs meet statutory and regulatory requirements. In preparation for this year’s deadline of December 31, OMIG has posted OMIG’s Compliance Certification Process: December Annual and Enrolling Providers, a webinar which provides a high-level overview of the annual certification requirements and introduces the forms that providers must use to complete the process. To view it, click here.

Free 340B Toolkit from NACHC and HHHN/Pharmacy Services
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), in collaboration with Hudson Headwaters Health Network/Pharmacy Services, has developed a 340B Program Toolkit intended to provide training and technical assistance to health centers participating in or considering the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. To access it, click here. 

HRSA Releases PAL Clarifying Progressive Action Process for Look-Alikes
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) recently released Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2014-11 to clarify that the Progressive Action process and associated enforcement actions described in PAL 2014-08: Health Center Program Requirements Oversight (released June 11, 2014) will also apply to organizations designated by HRSA as Health Center Program Look-Alikes. The PAL is effective now; therefore, HRSA will apply new and existing Look-Alike conditions using the Progressive Action process, beginning with the 90-day condition phase. To view PAL 2014-11, click here. To view PAL 2014-08 regarding Health Center Program requirements, click here. 

November Medicaid Update Released
The Office of Health Insurance Programs of the New York State Department of Health has approved the release of the November 2014 Medicaid Update. To view it, click here.  

HRSA Updates Health Center Program Site Visit Guide
HRSA has posted a new version of the Health Center Program Site Visit Guide which includes a summary of updates and questions for assessing compliance with HRSA requirements. The new guide is effective beginning December 1, 2014. To view it; click here. 

Webinar Series: Supporting Patient Centered Medical Homes Through Data Feedback Reporting
Hosted by NACHC in collaboration with the Colorado Community Health Network, Oregon Primary Care Association, Maine Primary Care Association and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, this free webinar series focuses on health center organization efforts to plan, design and implement data feedback reports/ dashboards supportive of practice transformation in this current health care environment. Upcoming sessions, all of which will take place from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, include: Modeling the Way: Bridging Planning, Practice & Transformation (Date: Monday, Dec. 8; more info and registration here); Oregon’s Approach to Care Transformation and Data Utilization (Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9; more info and registration here); Steps of Transformation: Understanding Data and Quality (Date: Wednesday, Dec. 10; more info and registration here); Journey to Health Center Value: Innovative Perspectives on Measurement (Date: Thursday, Dec.11; more info and registration here).