Your CHCANYS

CHCANYS Testifies at Joint Legislative Hearing on NYS 2015-16 Budget
CHCANYS Senior Policy Director Beverly Grossman testified at a joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Legislative Hearing on the health and Medicaid sections of the 2015-16 NYS Executive Budget on Monday, February 2. In her testimony, Ms. Grossman stressed the need for increased financial and capital investment in the community-based safety net providers whose work is integral to the current efforts to transform New York’s health care delivery system. read more >> 

Action Alert: Contact Your State Legislators ASAP!
We need you reach out to your state legislators immediately. Governor Cuomo released his FY 2015-16 executive budget on January 21, and budget negotiations are now in full swing.  Despite New York’s focus on community-based care as means to transform the healthcare delivery system, the proposed budget includes no new investment into community based safety net providers, including FQHCs. Meaningful, sustainable delivery system transformation will only be achieved if the State provides appropriate financial and capital investment directly to the FQHCs whose work is at the center of the re-imagined care delivery system.  Budget season moves quickly and we need you to contact your legislators now, while important decisions are being made that will affect your health center. read more >> 

Advocacy Day is Only 3 Weeks Away – Register Now!
Community Health Center Grassroots Advocacy Day 2015 is just 3 weeks away! Now is the time to finalize your plans to come to Albany on March 2 and to confirm your attendance by registering here.  

DSRIP Project Approval and Oversight Panel to Hear Public Comments / Review Application Scores
The DSRIP Project Approval and Oversight Panel (PAOP), charged with reviewing PPS Project Plan Application scores as presented by the Independent Assessor in accordance with the standard terms and conditions (STC) of the MRT Waiver, will hear public comments from 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17 in Meeting Rooms 2-4 of the Empire State Plaza in Albany. read more >>

Obama’s Budget Proposal Supports Current Health Center Operations But Does Not Fix Cliff
In his budget proposal released February 2, President Obama calls for an additional $2.7 billion a year for three years in mandatory funding for the Health Centers Program. This amount, combined with discretionary funding of $1.5 billion and reserve funding from the existing trust fund, would support continued health center operations and services at FY15 levels. The President’s proposal also calls for more than a doubling of field strength in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). While this proposed legislation clearly recognizes the need for a multi-year solution to the looming Primary Care Funding Cliff and is certainly a step in the right direction, it does not invest in health center expansion and continues to leave millions of Americans without access to the primary and preventive services they desperately need. read more >>

From Volume to Value
In a continued effort to shift our health care delivery system towards the implementation of a value-based reimbursement model, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that it will significantly raise the percentage of Medicare payments to providers who participate in alternative spending models that reward coordinated care. read more >>

NACHC Policy and Issues (P&I) Forum Hill Visits
It’s time to start planning for the NACHC P&I Forum. This year’s visits to the Hill will take place on Thursday, March 19. In order to streamline the scheduling process, CHCANYS will make all Congressional appointments unless you indicate otherwise. Each Congressional appointment will be open to all FQHCs attending from that district. Appointments with the offices of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand will be made by CHCANYS and will be open to all New York State FQHC attendees. Please contact Kate Graetzer to let us know whether you’ll be attending and with whom you would like to meet. read more >>   

CHCANYS Supports Delayed Implementation of Electronic Prescription Law
Under current law, all prescribing providers in New York must use electronic prescribing (“E-prescribing”) by March 27, 2015. Numerous providers, including FQHCs, will be unable to meet this deadline due to a delay at the federal level in certifying EHR vendors, and the NYS Senate and Assembly are currently considering legislation that would delay the implementation of the state’s electronic prescription law by one year. CHCANYS submitted a memo in support of this legislation on February 6; to access it, click here.

Webinar: Mental Health Care and Assessment of Transgender Adults
Date: Tuesday, February 17; Time: 2:00 p.m.; Sponsored by: The National LGBT Health Education Center. Research suggests that the number of transgender people seeking gender affirming surgical procedures is accelerating in the US with the lifting of insurance exclusions. Behavioral health providers are seeing more transgender patients seeking referrals to surgeons. Dr. Dan Karasic of the University of California San Francisco will describe the role of the behavioral health care provider in assessing and advising patients during transition and discuss how to apply WPATH Standards of Care in practice using case-based examples and anecdotes from his work at UCSF Alliance Health Project and the Transgender Life Care Program and Dimensions Clinic of Castro Mission Health Clinic in San Francisco. read more >>

BPHC Releases New Quality Improvement (QI) Resources
The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) has released a new Quality Improvement Assistance webpage in order to provide QI resources and information to health centers, including a recording of the technical assistance presentation for grantees receiving FY 2015 Quality Improvement Awards. read more >>

BD Helping Build Healthy Communities
BD Helping Build Healthy Communities is a multi-year initiative that expands access and improves care for underserved and vulnerable populations throughout the United States. Funded by BD and implemented together with Direct Relief and NACHC, the program provides awards to community health centers to support innovative approaches to the delivery of primary and preventive health care to underserved and vulnerable populations related to diabetes prevention, treatment, or related comorbidities. read more >>

Workshop: Opportunities for Behavioral Health Specialists in Community Health - Clinical Excellence and Sustainability
Date: April 19; Location: NATCON Conference, Behavioral Health Summit, Orlando, FL. Join two nationally known integration experts at this pre-conference university as they lay out the future for behavioral health specialists for a thought-provoking and hands-on program that addresses the models of integration, staffing ratios, billing and coding, scheduling and compliance. read more >>  

Integrated Care Models and Multidisciplinary Behavioral Health for Older Adults with HIV
Date: March 3; Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Location:  New York University Kimmel Center. Save the date for this one-day event, hosted by ACRIA, Registration is free, space is limited.  Click here to sign up.  

March of Dimes Awards Grant to Jericho Road Community Health Center’s Priscilla Project
March of Dimes has awarded a grant of $36,050 to Jericho Road Community Health Center (JRCHC) to support the Priscilla Project, a program that provides care and support to refugee women in Buffalo giving birth in the United States for the first time. This grant marks the first time that March of Dimes has awarded to JRCHC. read more >>

CHCANYS to Host Federal Tort Claims Act University in May 2015 
Date: May 14-15; Location: Double Tree by Hilton Tarrytown. FTCA U is an innovative new training organized by the FTCA Branch of HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care for FQHCs and potential FQHCs. It is a great opportunity for seasoned and new professionals to learn from experts, leaders, and government officials in the areas of FTCA and related subject matter. For details, click here. 

President’s FY16 Budget Proposal Includes $810 Million for NHSC
The FY 2016 budget proposal released by President Obama last week illustrates his continued strong support for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The proposal includes $810 million in funding for the program, comprised of $287.4 million in discretionary appropriations and $523 million in new mandatory funding. Additionally, the President has recommended a total of $2.1 billion for the NHSC through FY2020 to "place and maintain 15,000 health care providers in the areas of the Nation that need them most." read more >>

BPHC 2014 Workforce Recruitment Survey: Deadline Extended to February 20
As part of its commitment to support health centers in addressing the primary health care needs of the nation’s underserved and vulnerable populations, HRSA/BPHC has developed a survey to track workforce trends. The data collected will inform the training and TA programs developed to a help health centers recruit and retain both civilians and veterans. read more >> 

Medical Assistant Training Program to Launch on March 3
The New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH), in partnership with CHCANYS and the City University of New York (CUNY), have worked collaboratively to design a Medical Assistant training program that reflects the needs of healthcare employers, providing them with qualified staff to fill the growing need for Medical Assistants.  With support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the enhanced Medical Assistant training program will be launched on March 3, 2015 at Hostos Community College. read more >>

PCSC Funding for Non-Physician Clinicians: Deadline Extended to August 2, 2015
Applications for the Primary Care Service Corps, a state and federally funded program providing loan repayment to non-physician clinicians who commit to practicing in the state’s Health Professional Shortage Areas in return for 2 or 4-year service obligations, will be accepted on a rolling basis between January 31 and August 2, 2015. read more >>

UDS Report Deadline This Sunday, February 15
All grantees of BPHC-administered Section 330 primary care programs are required to submit a Uniform Data Systems (UDS) report to HRSA by February 15, 2015. Please note: An important update regarding the reporting of public housing residents and the trimester of entry for referred prenatal patients was circulated earlier this week and should be reviewed prior to the submission of your report. read more >> 

Discounted ICD-10 Training Package Now Available
On October 1, 2015, the ICD-9 code sets used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures will be replaced by ICD-10 code sets.  Preparing for the transition will be critical to the financial sustainability of health centers. CHCANYS has partnered with the Priority Management Group (PMG) to offer a discounted ICD-10 training package that includes on-demand and live web-based training sessions, live discussions, and online tools to support FQHCs through the transition, pre-, during, and post-implementation of ICD-10. read more >>  

Annual 340B Recertification Process Now Underway
The annual 340B recertification process began on January 28 and will continue through March 11, 2015. 340B covered entities must annually recertify their eligibility to remain in the program and continue purchasing covered outpatient drugs at discounted 340B prices. read more >> 

Capital Needs Assessment: Your Participation Requested
Capital Link is currently conducting an important national health center capital needs assessment, supported by HRSA. All health center Executive Directors / CEOs should have received a link to an online questionnaire via e-mail on January 15; it may also be accessed by clicking here. We strongly encourage you to respond, if you have not already done so. Your feedback will help document the tremendous need for capital to expand health center operations, as well as identify areas where technical assistance, training, or other resources would be helpful. read more >>

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Updated for 2015
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has posted updated Federal Poverty Guidelines, which are used to determine eligibility for many federal programs that have income-based requirements. To access them, click here.

New Fact Sheet Explains Veterans Access, Choice, Accountability Act
NACHC has released a new fact sheet explaining how the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act will change how veterans can access healthcare. read more >> 

National Health Care for the Homeless Council East Coast Regional Training
Date: March 26 – 27. Location: Oberia D. Dempsey Multi-Services Center, NYC; Sponsored by: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. This two-day training session will offer the latest in health care delivery and research necessary for providers caring for people experiencing homelessness, including interactive, hands-on sessions on quality improvement, cultural competency for LGBTQ youth, transgender health, collaboration and resources, self-care, and consumer skill building. A Policy Roundtable with state leaders will highlight the impact of New York’s Medicaid redesign on homeless care providers. Continuing education credit will be available. For more information, click here. 

PCEPN/DOHMH Offers On-Site Ebola Preparedness Technical Assistance 
The Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network (PCEPN) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) have partnered to provide Ebola preparedness site visits to ambulatory care centers in New York City. As we are in the midst of the flu season, and have received reports of recent infectious disease outbreaks, infectious disease preparedness remains a top priority for primary care centers. PCEPN / DOHMH site visits are an opportunity for your staff to: review the NYC-specific guidance for Ebola Preparedness in Ambulatory Care settings; identify specific infection control steps to support ongoing preparedness and protect staff/ patients; and ask questions and/or address concerns related to Ebola Preparedness and general preparedness for infectious diseases. PCEPN / DOHMH teams will meet with at least one clinical and one non-clinical staff member on-site. Visits will take approximately one hour. Please review the DOHMH Ambulatory Care Settings Ebola Preparedness Toolkit in preparation for the visit. To schedule your Ebola preparedness visit, please contact PCEPN at 914-22-PCEPN (914-227-2376) or via email at info@pcepn.org.