News from Policy If you have questions about CHCANYS policy and advocacy work, please contact Beverly Grossman, bgrossman@chcanys.org.
CHCANYS Analysis of New York State Budget Results On January 17th, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled his 2012-13 Executive Budget. The Legislature has begun budget hearings that will produce Assembly and Senate responses to the Governor’s budget and lead to negotiations between all parties on a final budget. Unless the Governor agrees to resubmit a budget bill, the Legislature can only either approve or not pass items in the proposed budget. For a list of 2012-2013 Executive Budget health-related highlights, please click here. We expect that New York will have an on-time budget, passed by April 1, 2012. We will continue to keep you informed as we move through the budget process. If you have any questions, or would like further details\about the proposed budget, contact Beverly Grossman at bgrossman@chcanys.org.
Deadline for 2010 AHCF Cost Reports Extended The NYSDOH Bureau of Primary and Acute Care Reimbursement has extended the filing deadline for the 2010 Form AHCF Medicaid cost report to February 13, 2012. Please note: in order to mitigate the effect on the completion of Indigent Care calculations and to meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) reporting requirements for New York State, this will be the final extention granted. Failure to meet the February 13, 2012 deadline will subject your facility to the 2% rate penalty that can be imposed based on regulations.
Advocacy Day is Just Around the Corner – Register Now! With just over a month left until Community Health Center Grassroots Advocacy Day, we hope you are finalizing your plans to come to Albany on March 5th. This is our opportunity to ensure that policymakers and their staff are familiar with community, homeless and migrant health centers and understand the high quality and cost-effective primary health care services we provide to New Yorkers. If you have not yet registered, please do so today by clicking here.
And don't forget CHCANYS’ Grassroots Action Networkenrollment contest! The organization that signs up the largest number of new Health Center Advocates by February 20, 2012 will win one free registration to CHCANYS' Annual Conference and Clinical Forum, to be held in Saratoga Springs in October 2012. The winner will be announced during the Advocacy Day Welcome Program on March 5th. It takes just two minutes to enroll – visit www.chcanys.org and click on the Grassroots Action Network ad to get started.
Save the Date: NACHC Policy and Issues Forum Please save the date for the National Association of Community Health Centers' (NACHC) Policy & Issues Forum, which is scheduled for March 21-25 in Washington, DC. Hill visits will take place on Thursday, March 22. CHCANYS will be distributing more information about this important event soon via e-mail.
News from Health Center Support If you have questions about CHCANYS' health center support, please contact Rebecca Gaige, rgaige@chcanys.org
Important HRSA Reminders
UDS Submission Deadline – February 15, 2012 Health Center Uniform Data System (UDS) reports are due by February 15, 2012. Upon successful submission, you will have an opportunity to work with a UDS reviewer to finalize and submit your final report by March 31, 2012, after which time no changes will be permitted. CHCANYS has posted additional materials to assist FQHCs and FQHC Look-Alikes in the preparation of the UDS report. To access them. please click here. You may request technical assistance from a UDS Reviewer by contacting the UDS Support Center at 866-837-4357 or udshealp330@bphcdata.net.
Medicare Certification HRSA has indicated that many health centers still do not have a separate Medicare number for each seasonal and permanent site. CMS counts every seasonal and permanent site of an FQHC as a separate organization and therefore requires each site to have a separate Medicare number. Failure to certify each site may result in the retroactive denial of Medicare payments. For detailed information on how to submit for certification, click here to view PAL 2011-04.
Federal Close Out Reports HRSA has asked CHCANYS to remind health centers to close out any federal grant project that is complete and to submit final reports so that they are no longer subject to federal quarterly grant reporting.
NACHC Training NACHC is hosting a three-day training event called "Developing Effective Federally Qualified Health Centers" on March 24–26, 2012 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.
This training is designed for:
organizations and communities considering starting an FQHC
an orientation for those new to the Health Center Program
PMG Winter 2012 WebEx Training Series Priority Management Group (PMG) is offering a comprehensive list of WebEx presentations for Winter 2012. Each session login is $119. Attendees who register for four or more sessions will receive a 15% discount. All sessions begin at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and run for 90 minutes.
Dental Coding - February 7
Benchmarking-KPI - February 14
Credentialing - February 21
ICD 10 - February 28
CHC Coding, Part 1 - March 13
CHC Coding, Part 2 - March 15
CHC Coding, Part 3 - March 20
Intermediate Coding - March 27
For more information on these webinars and to register, click here.
CHCANYS 2012 Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum - Hold the Dates! CHCANYS' Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum will be held at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel & Saratoga Springs City Center on October 24-26, 2012. Please hold the dates! More information to follow.
Funding Opportunities HRSA-12-049/State Implementation Grants for Systems of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Deadline: March 1, 2012 This grant program improves access to quality, comprehensive, coordinated community-based systems of services for CYSHCN and their families that are family-centered and culturally competent. To be eligible, applicants must be or work directly with a State Title V Program for Children with Special Health Care Needs. For more information, including additional eligibility requirements, click here.
AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation/Connections for Cardiovascular Health Deadline: March 15, 2012 To qualify for a Foundation grant, nonprofit organizations based in the United States must be engaged in work that addresses the Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health mission of improving cardiovascular health within the United States and its territories and that meets key criteria, such as: recognizing and working to address an unmet need related to cardiovascular health in the community; responding to the urgency around addressing cardiovascular health issues including cardiovascular disease or conditions contributing to cardiovascular disease; and improving patients’ lives in connection with the services provided. For more information, go to http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/foundation/
News from Clinical Quality Improvement If you have questions about CHCANYS’ Clinical Quality Improvement initiatives, please contact Kathy Alexis, kalexis@chcanys.org.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare Accepts CHCANYS’ proposal on Behavioral Health The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare has accepted CHCANYS’ proposal to present a poster at the National Council’s Mental Health and Addictions 42nd Annual Conference, scheduled to take place in Chicago on April 15-17, 2012. The abstract, entitled “Best practices and lessons learned in using evidence based collaborative models to treat depression in patients over 60,” focuses on lessons learned along with processes and tools used to implement IMPACT (Improving Mood Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment). The intent is to highlight the pros and cons of using a Learning Collaborative model to implement an evidence-based model of care in four different community based settings.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is the unifying voice of America’s behavioral health organization. It advocates for public policies in mental and behavioral health and provides state-of-the-science education and practice improvement resources.
The NYS Diabetes Campaign The National Committee for Quality Assurance and Bridges to ExcellenceDiabetes Recognition Programs (DRP) are voluntary programs that enable practices to receive recognition for delivering quality diabetes care. Recognized health centers enjoy the benefit of being distinguished leaders in the community of practice and are able to leverage NCQA DRP data abstraction efforts for incentives, such as those received through the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition program. CHCANYS staff is available to provide technical assistance to those wishing to apply for these recognition programs and to explore opportunities to improve clinical care outcomes.
For more information regarding the Campaign and for tools and resources available, visit the Half the Care website. To begin your application for Diabetes Recognition, contact Kathy Alexis at kalexis@chcanys.org.
Proposed Demonstration Project – Improving Chlamydia Screening in NYC CHCs Chlamydia (Ct) is one of the most frequently occurring sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, resulting in over 2.8 million new cases each year. In 2010, there were over 63,000 new cases of chlamydia reported in NYC, with young women under 25 years of age comprising about 70% of all cases. Untreated Ct is an important cause of infertility. Because Ct is often asymptomatic, screening is critical to infertility prevention. Ct infection also facilitates the transmission and aquisition of HIV. For CHCs participating in the CMS Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, Chlamydia screening for women is one of the optional clinical quality measures for payment year 2012.
The Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Disease Control (BSTDC) in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene proposes to work on a demonstration project with up to 5 community health centers that are members of CHCANYS and are located in high Chlamydia morbidity zip codes to maximize chlamydia screening among sexually active women aged 15-24. BSTDC will work together with the selected community health centers to demonstrate best practices related to sexual history taking, screening young women for Ct, providing appropriate treatment and rescreening three months after treatment.
Based on 2009 and 2010 surveillance data, the following neighborhoods have the highest rates of Ct in New York City. BSTDC would prefer to work with community health centers/FQHCs that are located within or serve populations predominantly from these neighborhoods for the purposes of this demonstration project.
Brooklyn
East New York (11207)
BedStuy-Crown Heights (11216)
Bronx
Crotona-Tremont (10453)
Highbridge-Morrisania (10456, 10457)
Manhattan
Central Harlem (10039, 10026)
East Harlem (10035, 10029)
There is the possibility of a small monetary incentive for participating sites. For more information, contact Kate Washburn, MPH at (347) 396-7297 or kwashbur@health.nyc.gov.
FQHCs & Look-Alikes: Learn How to Treat HIV Patients PCDC is partnering with HealthHIV, the AIDS Education and Training Center's (AETC) National Center for HIV Care in Minority Communities (NCHCMC) located in Washington, D.C., to provide technical assistance, training and support related to providing clinical services for patients diagnosed with HIV. Click here for more information.
CME Credits Now Available from CHCANYS October Conference This Live Activity, CHCANYS' Statewide Conference & Clinical Forum 2011, with a beginning date of 10/16/2011 – 10/18/2011, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 13.50 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1. AAFP members may report credits online at the AAFP website. Non-members of AAFP may contact rwynn@chcanys.org to receive a certificate of participation. However, clinicians are responsible for filing with their respective organizations to receive credits.
CMEs on Practice Registries Available for Health Care Professionals The Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the New York Diabetes Coalition (NYDC) are pleased to announce the launch of a free continuing medical education (CME) activity for health care professionals entitled, “Bringing Guidelines to Life Using a Diabetes Registry,” available on the NYDC website. The program employs video simulations by expert faculty to focus on the use and value of patient registries in optimizing care for patients with diabetes. It will be offered for one year.
This CME activity was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from the New York State Department of Health, and was planned and produced in accordance with the essential areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through joint sponsorship by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the NYDC. Click here to see the press release announcing the launch of the CME activity. Additional information is available on the New York Diabetes Coalition's website.
2012 Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award: Deadline March 30, 2012 The 2012 Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award provides funding for research related to eye health and safety. Applications will be accepted in the following priority areas in adult vision, children’s vision, or eye injury:
burden/economic aspects of eye disease/vision loss on society;
best practices to integrate vision screening/follow up care to system care access; and
vision program effectiveness/evaluation.
All research grants need to promote the core mission of Prevent Blindness America – preventing blindness and preserving sight. Basic laboratory science research will not be supported under this program. The deadline for the ninth annual Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award is March 30, 2012. One-year grants of up to $30,000 are reviewed by ARVO and will commence on July 1, 2012.
For more information click here. Contact Nita Patel, PBA Director of Public Health at 312-363-6019 or npatel@preventblindness.org with any questions.
National Stalking Awareness Month In recognition of National Stalking Awareness Month, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) is calling attention to the intersections between stalking and intimate partner violence, highlighting newly released NISVS data in our Technical Assistance Question of the Month.
What is the connection between domestic violence and stalking?
Click here to read the TA Question and share your ideas for community events or activities.
Click here to see the Presidential Proclamation from The White House. Physical Activity and Sport for People with Disabilities Symposium Proceedings In June, the Inclusive Fitness Coalition and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Georgetown University hosted the Physical Activity and Sport for People with Disabilities Symposium and Strategic Planning Meeting. The proceedings from the meeting have recently been published and contain targeted ideas on promoting awareness of the importance of this issue, advocating for physical activity across the spectrum of disabilities, developing policies that are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities, and creating resources that are helpful for program development. The proceedings can be found on the Inclusive Fitness Coalition website.
Conferences and Training: There are currently ten unique opportunities for training and professional development.
2nd World Conference of Women's Shelters Date and Location: February 27- March 1, 2012 in Washington, D.C. For more information, call (202) 543-5566 or visit the website.
ATS 2012 International Conference Dates & Location: May 18-23, 2012 in San Francisco, CA. For more information, contact ATS by e-mail at conference@thoracic.org or phone at (212) 315-8652, or visit the website.
SYNChronicity: Connecting to Change: HealthHIV's Annual National Meeting Dates & Location: April 20-21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. For more information, e-mail synchronicity@healthhiv.org, call (202) 232-6749, or visit the website.
24th Annual National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS Dates & Location: May 24-27, 2012 in Miami, FL. For more information, contact Dr. Vincent Lynch, Conference Chair by e-mail at vincent.lynch.1@bc.edu or phone at (617) 552-4038, or visit the website.
HIV Management 2012: The New York Course Dates & Location: May 10-11, 2012 in Manhattan, NY. For more information, e-mail info@newyorkcourse.com, call(888) 391-3996, or visit the website.
Project ECHO (Extending Community Health Outcomes) Dates & Location: a videoconference available nationwide on March 27, 2012. For more information, call (866) 352-2382 or visit the website.
HIV and The Aging Population Dates & Location: webcast nationwide on April 4, 2012. For more information, instructions, and guidelines, contact Jim Ybarra by e-mail at ybarraj@mail.amc.edu or phone at (518) 262-4674, or visit the website. TB Intensive Workshop Dates & Location: May 1-4, 2012 in Newark, NJ. For more information, contact Anita Khilall by e-mail at khilalan@umdnj.edu, or visit the website.
FREE Webinar on Diabetes and Visual Impairment
The Carroll Center for the Blind has announced a third course in their series of online courses for patients, families and professionals. The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) approves 30.50 contact hours for this self-study. With the support of Diabetes Educators Educating Massachusetts (DEEM), the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s COA and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education, this course provides 23.5 contact hours of continuing education credit. Many other health professions accept the Carroll’s Center’s certificate for continuing education credit.
For more information, please click here to read the FAQ.
To register for the webinar, follow the appropriate link below:
Medicaid Family Planning Benefit Program Planned Parenthood of New York City, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), is once again offering free training workshops and technical assistance on the Medicaid Family Planning Benefit Programand other public health insurance programs that cover reproductive health care and family planning services.
These trainings can cover eligibility, enrollment, and benefits and also address related issues like confidentiality, access by minors and immigrants to public health insurance, and managed care. Through these efforts, we hope to increase access to family planning and reproductive health care and improve the health outcomes for women, men and adolescents.
Please call or e-mail Carmina Bernardo, MPH at (212) 274-7277 or carmina.bernardo@ppnyc.org to arrange a training workshop for you and your colleagues.
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.
