We hope you find this an efficient, useful tool and we welcome your feedback and comments. --Elizabeth Swain, CEO
If your health center has a training or technical assistance that you'd like to share with others around the state, or would like to subscribe others at your health center to Your CHCANYS please email the pertinent information to Libby Post at lpost@commservices.net. Thank you.
CHCANYS UPDATES
Monday, February 1, 2010 is Community Advocacy Day at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Please click on the graphic above and register today! LESS THAN ONE MONTH LEFT TO REGISTER
NACHC Policy and Issues Forum The Policy and Issues Forum will take place from Tuesday, February 23 through Sunday, February 28.
Visits with Members of Congress Congressional visits for NYS P&I attendees with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand will be scheduled for Thursday, February 25. You will need to notify CHCANYS if you plan to attend these meetings.
The NYS Congressional Awards have not been decided yet. We will let you know as soon as possible.
NYS Delegation Meeting Every NYS health center that plans to do Hill visits is encouraged to attend the delegation meeting on Wednesday, February 24th, 6:15 pm - 7:15 pm, Marriott Wardman Park, Room Washington 6. CHCANYS staff will be available to brief you about the policy agenda and will distribute packets and awards for the visits.
Hotel Space This year's P&I will again be held at the Marriott Wardman Park. As in years past, the Omni Shoreham and Hilton Washington will serve as overflow hotels, please click here for the most up to date details. Contact the Wardman Park as soon as possible to make your accommodations.
It is NACHC's priority to make sure that everyone registered for the P&I will have appropriate accommodations. If you or any of your folks are facing challenges and need assistance, please contact Tricia at tfadness@nachc.com with the details of your problem and she will be happy to assist you. For questions, please contact Derek G. Nichols at dnichols@chcanys.org or 212.710.3803.
NYSHealth Launches Its 2010 Special Projects Fund Request for Proposals The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) announces the launch of its 2010 Special Projects Fund Request for Proposals (RFP) For details, click here. NYSHealth will accept and review applications on a rolling basis with two 2010 deadlines: January 28th and May 20th. To read frequently asked questions about these special projects fund grant initiative, please click here.
NYSHealth Special Projects Fund awards are one-time, non-renewable funding opportunities. Eligible projects will take place over a specified period of time to achieve quantifiable results.
Workforce Opportunity The SEARCH (Student/Resident Experiences and Rotations in Community Health) Program, coordinated by the New York State Area Health Education Center (AHEC) System, provides an opportunity for health centers to expose medical and other health profession students to the critical work of health centers. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Through SEARCH, centers will receive practice site support for each student placement during the four to six week rotation period. The program provides an opportunity for health centers to reach qualified students and to expose them to a career path of commitment to underserved populations. Through SEARCH, students may receive assistance with travel and housing reimbursement and centers receive guidance and resources through the professional AHEC network. For more information or an application, contact: Megan Vaughan, Project Manager NYS AHEC System at mv48@buffalo.edu, www.ahec.buffalo.edu 716-898-4699.
CHCANYS UDS Database Update In addition to filing your 2009 UDS report with the Bureau of Primary Health Care, please submit to CHCANYS. Please follow the instructions below to submit your report to us:
Open your center's EHB site page where you can print out your UDS report.
On that page, there is an option that allows you to download the submitted UDS data as an XML data file.
Choose this option and save the file locally on your computer. (Please use your UDS number and health center to name the file. For example, the file name for 2008 UDS data for a health center called "Community Development Health Center," with a UDS number 9121 would have a file name: H9121_Community Devel.xml).
If you have technical questions, feel free to contact John Blackman at CHCANYS at jblackman@chcanys.org or (212) 710-3813.
The following are some helpful answers to some questions raised during the UDS trainings hosted in New York State:
How can health centers maximize resources? One-third of health center patients have unknown income. Health centers should make every effort to document/collect income data and only include individuals on Table 4 line 5 - unknown income - if income data has not been collected within the past year. Centers can be losing resources if individuals have incomes below 200% FPL.
Where do we report information on Medicaid, SCHIP, etc? Health centers should note the following tables and lines for reporting:
Family Health Plus - Medicaid line 8a - Table 9D lines 1-3
Child Health Plus line 10b - Table 9D: lines 7, 8a and 8b
Valumed - line 10a - Table 9D: lines 7, 8a and 8b
Healthy NY line 10a - Table 9D: lines 7, 8a and 8b
NY Public Goods Pool - uninsured line 7 (report on Table 9E line 6a - though charges go on Table 9D line 13 column A)
PCAP = Medicaid
CHIP - other public line 10b - Table 9D: lines 7, 8a and 8b
How is homelessness defined for UDS reporting? Here are some examples as discussed during UDS training:
Example 1: Last visit March 2008 - homeless Got an apartment in January 2009 Next visit June 2009 - not considered homeless
Example 2: Last visit March 2008 - homeless Got an apartment in January 2009 Next visit February 2009 - still considered homeless as within 12 month window
Example 3: Someone walks in new and living in their apartment but 6 months ago they were homeless, they are not considered homeless.
Note: Take the first place they are housed when we first saw them in the reporting year.
How are FTES counted for ARRA vs. UDS reporting? FTEs being counted for ARRA vs. UDS - IDS activity that meets the UDS requirements should be included in the UDS report. If someone was hired July 1, 2009 and worked full time for the remainder of the year, then the health center should include this as .5 FTE on their 2009 UDS report. If that person left 12/31/09, then this person would not be included in the CY 2010 UDS report, but would still count on the ARRA quarterly report as ARRA is cumulative over the entire grant period (e.g., 2 years -- so, at the end of the 2 years, this individual would be .25 FTE (6 months worked/24 months of the grant).
Gender is one of the variables to be captured. How is gender determined for transgender/transsexual and those beginning and/or under going gender reassignment surgery? Gender identification is what is in the record at the end of the year. It is up to the health center to determine what variable they place there.
Does treatment adherence count as a visit? What about Directly Observed Therapy? Treatment adherence suggests that decisions (i.e., independent clinical judgment) are not being made so that it does not count as a visit. Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) for TB treatment patient visit - DOT is generally for TB but it could also be methadone. It is not a visit as it is a pharmacy event.
Important updates to the guidance on ARRA reporting. The ARRA 1512 and HCQR reports must be submitted by January 15, 2010. HRSA is revising its guidance on the HCQR to align with changes announced on December 18 from the Office of Management and Budget regarding data quality reviews, non-reporting recipients and reporting of job estimates. These updated technical assistance materials will be posted shortly.
ARRA funding is being monitored closely by the Federal Offices of Inspectors General and by the public-at-large. It is critical that we demonstrate to both that community health centers are a secure investment.
Alert to all ARRA Grantees As anticipated, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has begun to conduct recipient capacity audits of community health centers that received funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These audits are about systems and internal controls for administering federally funded projects; financial management reporting systems; and monitoring and evaluating systems for both financial and program performance activities.
NACHC recommends that community health centers that have received Recovery Act funds take immediate and appropriate steps to prepare for the OIG audits as described in the NACHC Alert found by clicking here.
New Additions to the CHCANYS Emergency Preparedness Program With the addition of EP Specialist Orlando Reboredo just before the holiday and now with the addition of Mary Lou Caprara as our Upstate EP Coordinator, CHCANYS' EP Program is growing quickly to serve the needs of New York Community Health Centers.
Orlando comes to us with experience working with Community Health Centers, as he was previously employed at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers where he was Administrative Assistant for their Physician Workforce Initiatives program. Orlando joins the Emergency Preparedness team as Program Specialist and will provide administrative and coordination support for our EP work. He will be the point person for our statewide communication and broadcast efforts with health centers and partners.
Mary Lou has been doing great work with CHCANYS in the Albany office and continues her relationship with CHCANYS by stepping in as the new EP Program Coordinator for upstate New York. She will be taking over our upstate EP work and acting as the emergency point of contact for the Albany office.
Important Board and Annual Meeting Information for January 31, 2010!* CHCANYS Board Meeting will take place January 31, 2010, 3:00 - 5:00 PM; Dinner will be served @ 5 PM with the Annual Membership Meeting and Elections to follow.
Click here to download Election Attendance Confirmation Form. Please complete the form and email response to dnichols@chcanys.org.
REMINDER: CHCANYS has contracted with the Hampton Inn & Suites for $99 per night (including a hot breakfast buffet in the lobby starting at 6 AM). Reduced rates are available through January 15th, 2010. Please make your reservations by calling 518-432-7000 and be sure to mention group code A13 or Community Health Care Association of NYS. Be sure that each individual has a copy of your center's tax-exempt form to present to the hotel. (CHCANYS has also secured reduced parking of $5.00 for guests.)
The official hotel check-in time is 4 pm; check-out 11 am. An earlier check-in or late check-out can be requested but may not be guaranteed. The group rate is not guaranteed after January 15th. If you need assistance or have additional questions, please Derek Nichols at dnichols@chcanys.org or 212.710.3803; or Raquel Herreros at rherreros@chcanys.org or 212-710-3808.
Advocacy Day begins the morning of February 1 @ 9:30 AM. Advocacy Day registration and details are available at www.chcanys.org.
H1N1 UPDATE Out of Network Reimbursement MOU In the fall of 2009, CHCANYS assembled an H1N1 Influenza Working Group comprised of representatives of New York Community Health Centers. One of the most pressing issues illuminated by this group was to address adequate reimbursement for health centers' influenza-like illness (ILI) visits. This need for reimbursement is especially problematic in cases where health centers do not have a contract with the patient's insurance plan. Please click here for a template Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). The MOU can be used as a starting place for your health center's negotiations with the representatives from the listed health plans.
Please click here for a list of participating plans' contact information and list of health care/insurance plans that have agreed to work with health centers for ILI reimbursement.
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND TRAININGS Webinar: Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Meaningful Use: Recognizing Health Center Opportunities, Needs and Challenges On Tuesday, January 26 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm or Thursday, Jan 28th from 11:00 am -12:30 pm, PCDC and CHCANYS are partnering to provide technical assistance to community health centers seeking NCQA PCMH Recognition. During these two webinars, we will introduce the project and discuss the financial incentives related to meaningful use and PCMH recognition, share PCDC's latest NCQA PCMH recognition tools and provide a forum to discuss health centers' current efforts, obstacles, and needs. Please Click here to register.
NACHC NEWS First Seminar of 2010 NACHC Training Season Announced The Essentials for Establishing a Health Center Finance Department Seminar takes place January 27-28 at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, 930 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017. The seminar offers comprehensive training on:
Operating a Community Health Center Finance Department
Health Center Scope of Service: 330 Grant, Medicare, Medicaid
Sustainability
Grants Management
ARRA Reporting
This two-day training is $300. To register, click here. To view more about this training, click here. Mail in reservation deadline: January 12, 2010 Online Registration deadline: January 20, 2010
A discounted room rate of $129 single/double occupancy at the Wilshire Grand Hotel is available until Tuesday, January 12 or until all the rooms in the block have been sold, whichever occurs first. To reserve yours, call 1-888-773-2888.
NACHC Training Cancellation Policy Cancellations received five days before the seminar date will be assessed a $75 processing fee. Cancellations received after the five day period are non-refundable and not transferable to other NACHC meetings. "No Shows" at the training are non-refundable and non-transferable.
2010 Maximizing Revenue and 3rd Party Reimbursement in Health Centers Maximizing Revenue and Reimbursement is offered by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to help educate key staff in the unique and complicated reimbursement systems available to FQHCs and health centers. This seminar provides tools and techniques that will support your efforts to ensure that billing and collections procedures result in acquiring all revenues due for services provided in your health centers. For more information, click here. To register for the New Orleans session, February 10th and 11th or the San Francisco session, May 5th and 6th, click here.
NYSDOH NEWS Changes in AHCF-1 Reporting Process All Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (D&TCs) have received a letter from the Department of Health regarding changes to the reporting process for the AHCF-1 annual cost report. Specifically, this letter notifies all providers that they are required to prepare and submit a cost report that is accurate, complete and independently audited for all cost report periods beginning with the 2009 reporting period and that beginning in 2010, there will be updates to the reports and accompanying instructions. You can view this letter by clicking here.
HRSA PINS AND PALS PIN 2009-06 HRSA announces revisions to the guidelines and application requirements for the FQHC Look-Alike Program. This PIN supersedes PIN 2003-21 dated August 26, 2003 and all corresponding amendments to PIN 2003-21, including PINs 2005-17, 2006-06 and 2009-04. PIN 2009-06 can be found by clicking here.
HRSA will conduct two national conference calls to review PIN 2009-06 and respond to your questions. Conference call #1 is open to the general public and conference call #2 is targeted to existing FQHC Look-Alikes.
Conference Call #1 Date: January 20, 2010 Time: 2:00 EST Dial in Number: 888-995-9574 Conference Leader: Twyla Adams Passcode: FQHC Look-Alike Replay of the call will be available until April 25, 2010. To access the replay, please call 800-337-6568 or 402-220-9660 and provide passcode 8720.
Conference Call #2 Date: January 27, 2010 Time: 2:00 EST Dial in Number: 888-995-9574 Conference Leader: Twyla Adams Passcode: FQHC Look-Alike Replay of the call will be available until May 16, 2010. To access the replay, please call 800-925-5456 or 203-369-3850 and provide passcode 8741.
In advance of the calls, organizations are encouraged to carefully review the PIN and submit any questions to the OPPD e-mail box so that they can be addressed during the conference call.
If you have questions in the interim, please contact Twyla Adams or Valerie Kolick at (301) 594-4300 or tadams@hrsa.gov and vkolick@hrsa.gov, respectively.
To access the updates from the 12/18/09 edition of Your CHCANYS or any other previous edition, click here.
