Welcome to the June 15, 2009 issue of Your CHCANYS Email Update.
Twice each month, Your CHCANYS brings you quick summaries of items your health center needs to know about with links to additional information and resources. It includes timely updates about newly available resources, application deadlines for grants and upcoming trainings, as well as policy updates since our last contact with you. Look for these updates in the beginning and middle of each month.
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--NEW New York State Senate Coup!
On Monday, June 8, New York State Senate Republicans implemented a leadership coup that, according to subsequent reports, had been in the works for months. Since the November 2008 elections, Democrats have held a slim majority in the State Senate for the first time in decades. On June 8, two Democrats, Senator Pedro Espada and Senator Hiram Monserrate, publicly changed their allegiance and announced that they were joining a coalition composed of the Senate Republicans. It is an incredibly fluid situation and today there are reports that Monserrate will go back to voting with the Democrats.
The 2009 Legislative Session is scheduled to conclude one week from today, on Monday, June 22, 2009. And, while the State Fiscal Year 2009-10 Budget was enacted in April 2009, last week's activities has brought a halt to activity on the hundreds of bills that were expected to be voted upon before the end of session. This inactivity is of particular concern to New York City, which is seeking legislative passage of a bill that would grant the City of New York revenue raising authority as part of their effort to close a significant budget gap. The new Senate majority has said that it will call session this week. It is unclear at this point what will happen and when, with regard to legislation. Click here to read some of the original media coverage.
CHCs and Stimulus Funding Congratulations to all health centers that submitted their Capital Improvement Program (CIP) application on June 2nd. We are now eagerly awaiting the release of the next two Announcements from HRSA, the Facility Investment (FI) and Health Information Technology (HIT) Systems/Networks grants.
The report provides an overview for the CIP, HIT, and FI grants and states that the, "FI grants will fund major facility investments in health centers including construction, repair, renovation, and equipment purchase. FI grants will fund an estimated 100 significant facility projects."
Shortly after the June 2nd CIP application deadline CHCANYS sent a CIP Survey to health centers to collect project descriptions and to assess potential applicants for the FI grants. This information will be confidential and used by CHCANYS to help assess technical assistance needs. We hope you will complete this CIP Survey if you have not already.
CHCANYS is working hard to ensure that community health centers throughout New York State have all the information they need to leverage funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA provided an unprecedented $2 billion to be invested in Federally Qualified Health Centers receiving 330 grants. It has also opened opportunities in Primary Care Workforce and Health IT funding. This is an unparalleled opportunity for community health centers to receive funding.
For additional information on the ARRA and community health centers click here.
Update on CHCANYS' H1N1 Activities
On June 11, 2009 at 2 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, CHCANYS testified before the NYC City Council's Committees on Health, Governmental Operations and Public Safety in support of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's (DOHMH) work to include community health centers and primary care organizations in the City's response to H1N1, which has now been officially designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Click here to read the testimony.
Working with DOHMH, CHCANYS Emergency Preparedness Program has been conducting outreach to NYC health centers and primary care organizations to formally involve them in the City's Antiviral Allocation Plan.
CHCANYS' Emergency Preparedness Program has been working with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to include NYC community health centers in the City's Pandemic Influenza Antiviral Allocation Plan. Memoranda of understanding have been distributed and so far, over 20 sites have agreed to take part in the plan. The NYC Pandemic Influenza Antiviral Allocation Plan is an effort to preplan for a situation in which pandemic supplies and antivirals from the Strategic National Stockpile would be distributed to health care providers through the NYC DOHMH.
CHCANYS Emergency Preparedness Program would like to hear from upstate health centers about the impact that H1N1 has had on patient volume, supplies, and staffing concerns. Efforts are ongoing to arrange a statewide conference call to provide information about H1N1 and gather questions and concerns from NY community health centers. More information will be sent out on these efforts when it becomes available.
H1N1 (Swine) Flu Resources for CHC's (click on each of the items below to access)
Additional resources on H1N1 can be found by clicking here.
If you or anyone on your staff would like to sign up for CHCANYS' Emergency Preparedness Alerts, please drop Matt Ziemer, our Emergency Preparedness Program Coordinator a line at mziemer@chcanys.org.
Region II Conference - You May Still Register
The Region II Conference July 12-14 at the Hilton Rye Town in New York provides training and networking opportunities among primary care associations and health centers in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Attendees include medical and site directors, CEOs, COOs, health center board members, operational team members, senior and mid-level staff, as well as partners and those interested in primary health care including medical, public health and public policy students.
Details regarding hotel and transportation are available at www.chcanys.org. Click on the Region II Conference Registration icon. View the schedule by clicking here.
For questions, contact Roxanne Wynn-Trotman at mailto:rwynn@chcanys.org or 212-710-3806.
HRSA PINS, PALS AND OTHER INFORMATION-NEW ARRA Information: HRSA Updates-New PAL
BPHC Releases Requirement for CHC Quarterly Reporting of ARRA Funds
The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) is pleased to announce the release of Program Assistance Letter (PAL): 2009-08, "Health Center Quarterly Reporting (HCQR) for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" is available here.
In order to help grantees prepare and submit their first quarterly report, HRSA will hosted a technical assistance call, the Replay number: 800-695-0367 (toll free, one hour after call ends, until July 30, 2009). Replay pass code: 1212
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program ALERT Clinicians - employed and not employed - need to register and submit completed applications asap by clicking here. Applications will be funded on first-come first served basis for assignment to registered sites regardless of HPSA scores during first few funding cycles. Applications will be reviewed continuously every 6-8 weeks between June 2, 2009 - approximately September 30, 2010.
Sites need to have a current NHSC-approved Recruitment & Retention Assistance Application and vacancy list on file or submit R & R Application asap. Do not wait until March 26, 2010, deadline to submit new application. Site applications are good for three years. Sites wanting to provide additional information to be considered for inclusion in priority list of HPSAs (10+) and entities, must provide additional information by June 29, 2009.
HIPPAA Reminder
The HIPAA Privacy Rule creates national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information. Click here for more information.
NACHC UPDATES--NEW NACHC Releases 2008 HIT Survey Click here to download the final copy of the new NACHC report, A National Survey of Health Information Technology (HIT) Adoption in Federally Qualified Health Centers
NACHC/RSM Summer 2009 Webinar Schedule Complying with IDS Reporting Requirements: July 2, 2PM EST
Online registration cutoff date: June 27, 2009
Brief description of the training: Complying with IDS reporting Requirements Health centers received the new Increased Demand for Services (IDS) funding in order to be able to expand patients and services in these tough economic times. This timely session (shortly before the first IDS reporting due date on July 10) will cover the specific reporting requirements associated with the IDS. The session will also cover general strategies for properly completing the UDS and the FSR. Systems for collecting and reporting data will also be covered.
Speaker(s): Peter Epp; RSM McGladrey
Initial Medicaid PPS Rate Setting & Billing Medicare FQHC: July 23, 2PM EST
Online registration cutoff date: July 20, 2009
Newly funded community health centers have a lot of new requirements to meet. In addition new FQHCs and look-alikes need to adapt strategies to maximize reimbursement. This session will go through an assortment of issues that recently funded health centers need to review, including setting up charge schedules and sliding fee scales, setting up FQHC Medicare billing, properly completing the FSR, UDS, and PSC 272, and developing appropriate internal management reporting systems.
Speaker(s) : Curt Degenfelder; RSM McGladrey
The New Bureau Reporting Measures: July 30, 2PM EST
Online registration cutoff date: July 27, 2009
The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) has developed measures that are to be reported by all grantees in the Uniform Data System (UDS) for calendar year 2009 and they are also included in the Health Care and Business Plans for 2010 Service Area Competition (SAC) and Budget Period Renewal (BPR) grant opportunities. The alignment of the performance measures across grant performance reporting (UDS) and the grant application (SAC and BPR) provides grantees with the opportunity to establish quality and business performance goals for their organization and patient populations, and assess their progress toward these goals. Attend this webcast to learn about the reporting requirements on quality indicators as well as the business performance measures BPHC will be reviewing in 2010 and beyond.
Speaker(s): Mike Holton; RSM McGladrey
Developing Financial Recovery Plans: August 13, 2PM EST
Online registration cutoff date: August 10, 2009
Health centers in financial difficulty need a clear roadmap to solvency. This session will discuss the key elements of a good financial recovery plan, including service volume, revenue enhancements, and expense reduction. Modeling of the balance sheet and cash flow will be a major topic of discussion. Participants will be presented with several formats, including those that can be used for formal FRPs to HRSA.
Speaker(s): Curt Degenfelder; RSM McGladrey
Kennedy Health Reform Draft Made Public.
For the latest info on all health reform proposals, click here.
Two More Social Networking Webinars Coming Up!
The NACHC series of webinars on social networking continues. The first two events were extremely well attended and we're excited about the final two! Use these links to register and join us for Social Media 201: Tips on Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday, June 24 at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT and for Using Social Media to Promote National Health Center Week on Wednesday, July 22 at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT. Dozens of individuals and health centers have gotten started or accelerated their activity in social networking in the days since the first two webinars.
