We hope you find this an efficient, useful tool and we welcome your feedback and comments. –Elizabeth Swain, CEO
Advocacy Day is Just Around the Corner - March 7, 2011 With just over a month left until Community Health Center Advocacy Day, we hope you are finalizing your plans to come to Albany on March 7th. New York faces a budget crisis of historic dimensions. Now, more than ever, New York needs its community health centers. 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.
Join Community, Homeless and Migrant Health Centers in Albany on March 7th for our Annual Community Health Center Advocacy Day 2011. If you have not yet registered, please do so by clicking here.
News from Policy CHCANYS CEO Appointed To State’s Medicaid Redesign Team In his State of the State address, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke about the need to address the state’s staggering Medicaid costs. He has pulled together a team of health care leaders from around the state, including Elizabeth Swain, CEO of CHCANYS. To read the Governor’s press release on the team, click here.
The Medicaid Redesign Team is conducting regional public hearings across the state to solicit ideas from the public on ways to reduce costs and improve the quality of the Medicaid program. We strongly encourage FQHCs, FQHC Look-Alikes, and others who care about community-based health care to participate in one of the upcoming hearings. The MRT must hear from you how vital it is to invest in a robust, patient-centered primary care system that will reduce the need for more expensive interventions, particularly for patients with multiple chronic illnesses.
Dates and Locations of Upcoming MRT Regional Hearings
North Country (Queensbury) Thurs., Feb. 3, 2011 10:30 am–1:30 pm
SUNY Adirondack Community College 640 Bay Road Main Theatre, Science & Humanities Building Queensbury, NY 12804
New York City* Fri., Feb. 4, 2011 12 pm–5 pm Baruch College The William & Anita Newman Vertical Campus One Bernard Baruch Way 55 Lexington Avenue & E. 24th Street New York, NY 10010
*The hearings originally scheduled to be held on Jan. 27 in Manhattan and the Bronx have been rescheduled as a single session.
For the Primary Care Coalition’s recommendations to the Medicaid Redesign Team the click here.
If you would like CHCANYS’ assistance in preparing your testimony for a hearing, please contact Beverly Grossman at bgrossman@chcanys.org.
Medicaid Redesign Team Meeting—Open to the Public
The New York State Medicaid Redesign Team, created by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to conduct a comprehensive examination of New York's Medicaid program, will hold its next Team meeting in New York City.
This meeting is open to the public, with limited seating available. Date: Feb. 9, 2011 Time: 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Location: Hunter College School of Social Work 10th Floor – Room 1010 129 E. 79th St. (between Lexington and Park) New York, NY 10065
This is not a hearing, so time will not be allotted for public testimony. However, this is a good opportunity to observe the team in action. The meeting will also be webcast and can be viewed live at: http://www.health.ny.gov/events/webcasts/
For more information on the Medicaid Redesign Team, visit http://www.health.ny.gov/medicaidredesign. Suggestions for reforming New York's Medicaid program may also be submitted on this website.
Please note: CHCANYS has been informed that the New York State Department of Health is working to make the Medicaid Redesign Team web page more accessible to Spanish-speakers.
At this time, NYS DOH is working to translate individual documents related to Medicaid Redesign into Spanish and posting them on the website as the translations are completed.
In addition, Spanish-speakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their Medicaid Redesign recommendations via the website and they will be translated and included in the final compilation of recommendations. The interface on the website where recommendations are to be entered has not yet been translated, but people nevertheless can use it to input their ideas in Spanish.
If you have any questions, please contact Beverly Grossman at bgrossman@chcanys.org.
Edwin T. Graham Joins CHCANYS Staff We are pleased to announce CHCANYS new – and first ever - Vice President for Policy, Ed Graham. Ed joins CHCANYS with over 25 years of executive level health care experience ranging from provider, insurer, public policy and non-profit organizations. These include the Executive Director of Gilda’s Club Capital Region, and Health Facilities Managed Care Inc., and Executive level positions at the NYS Health Facilities Association, Kaiser Permanente Northeast Division, and the Center for the Disabled in Albany. He most recently served as a Governor appointed member of the State Hospital Review and Planning Council (SHRPC) and served as the Chair of the Major Medical Equipment and Medical Appropriateness Review Committee. With his entire career based in the Albany area he is well known by Albany based health care leaders in government, trade and membership associations, and related businesses. Please join us in welcoming Ed to CHCANYS egraham@chcanys.org.
Two New Medicare Provisions Took Effect 1.1.11 On January 1, 2011, two important Medicare provisions from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect. First, there are several new preventive services that are now covered under Medicare, and patients no longer have to pay coinsurance for these services. Second, the new law calls for the creation of a new Medicare reimbursement structure for health centers beginning in 2014. In order to create this system, the law requires health centers to begin reporting Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes beginning January 1, 2011. These codes are used to indicate the types of services being provided at each visit. CMS has updated its Claims Processing Manual for FQHCs, which provides more information on this change. It is imperative that health centers review these new requirements and code their services correctly, because under the current law these codes will be used in the upcoming years to develop the new Medicare reimbursement structure for FQHCs. Please let us know if your health center is having any issues with either of these new requirements. Also of importance, on January 1, CMS updated the Medicare payment caps. This year, each cap was increased by the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), which was 0.4 percent. For 2011, the rural cap is $109.24 and the urban cap is $126.22.
News from Health Center Support HRSA Funding Opportunity: Health Center Planning Grants The Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Care, has announced the release of Funding Opportunity Announcement HRSA-11-021: Health Center Planning Grants. These grants are a useful aid in the development of viable proposals to establish new Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)—i.e., Community Health Center, Migrant Health Center, Health Care for the Homeless, and Public Housing Primary Care Programs.
Existing FQHCs (organizations currently receiving section 330 funding) are not eligible to apply.
Other HRSA-funded, non-section 330 entities (such as Ryan White programs), Article 28 centers, and FQHC Look-Alikes are eligible.
Deadlines: The first part of the application must be submitted through grants.gov by 8 p.m. on March 18, 2011. The remainder (and bulk) of the application must be submitted through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks by 5 p.m. on April 8, 2011.
Please visit www.grants.gov to access the application guidance. Additional technical assistance information is provided here.
For an introduction to the requirements for forming an FQHC, please visit CHCANYS’ website here.
If you are interested in applying for a Health Center Planning Grant and would like to discuss your application with a member of the CHCANYS staff, please contact Rebecca Gaige-Troxell at rgaige@chcanys.org.
NHSC Loan Repayment Program Update NACHC continues to encourage ALL health centers, regardless of their HPSA scores, to register and keep their sites and vacancies updated with the NHSC. Health centers with 0-9 HPSA scores may receive up to 12 clinicians in each discipline category and those with higher scores may receive up to 18 in each category. The website has been updated as NHSC continues to simplify programs and market more effectively. Clinicians may now serve full or part time and the loan repayment amount has been increased to $60,000 for two years full-time service with repayment of all debt possible with longer commitments. NHSC clinicians may also count a percentage of their service obligation time to teaching. Clinician applications are being accepted until May 26, 2011.
Have You Completed NACHC Salary Survey? All health centers are encouraged to participate in NACHC's 2011 Health Center Salary and Benefits Questionnaire. On the website, click "Survey Questionnaires" at the top of the homepage and then select "2011-2012 NACHC Health Center Salary & Benefits Questionnaire." The submission deadline is March 1, 2011, but health centers are urged to complete the survey as soon as possible!
HHS announces new Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program Click here for details.
News from Clinical Quality Initiatives CME Credits Now Available from October Conference This activity, Community Health Care Association of NYS Clinical Forum & Statewide Conference with a beginning date of October 3, 2010, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 15 Prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). 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. To report their credit online at the CME center click here.
Members will need their Member ID # and password to login. Once they are logged in, they will be able to click on the report my CME and click on the "I attended a live CME activity" link and select the date of the activity 10/3/2010. Members of other clinical associations may contact rwynn@chcanys.org to receive a certificate of participation to be used to file with the appropriate medical groups.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SAVE THE DATE! Are you interested in learning more about health effects from fine particulate air pollution? Perhaps you are a health professional short on free time and looking to earn some continuing education credits? Two upcoming, FREE lunch hour webinars in February 2011 might help! Each webinar will provide 1 hour of CME, CNE, CEU, and CPE credit (approval pending). You are welcome to attend either one or both of these events.
Particulate Matter and Patient Health – Module 1 (1 hour of continuing education credit--pending) February 15, 2011, noon-1:00 pm Toll-Free Dial-in: (877) 675-8205 Passcode: 9721450 For the Internet/presentation slides on 2/15: Click here.
Agenda: Patrick Breysse, MHS, PhD, CIH (25 minute presentation ) Objective: Describe sources of particulate matter (PM) and how it affects air quality --Types of pollutants that affect air quality -- Description of how PM settles in atmosphere and characteristics that determine location of deposition in airways --Importance of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5)
Ronald H. White, MST (20 minute presentation) Objective: Appraise air quality trends and interpret their relevance for exposures and health effects --Sources of PM and PM 2.5 (indoor and outdoor sources of PM) --Air quality trends --Testing for PM 2.5 in the environment --National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 2.5 and how they are set
Patrick N Breysse, MHS, PhD, CIH (15 minute presentation) Objective: Identify available resources to investigate and manage particulate matter exposures --What do local medical practitioners need to know about local air quality data --The Air Quality Index --Where to find local air quality conditions
Particulate Matter and Patient Health - Module 2 (1 hour of continuing education credit--pending) February 22, 2011, noon-1:00 pm This session will focus clinical impacts of particulate matter in the environment, sensitive populations and appropriate interventions. Toll-Free Dial-in: (877) 675-8205 Passcode: 9721450 For the Internet/presentation slides on 2/22: Click here. Meeting ID: W8NWKC Entry Code: mB}5nZdTq
Agenda: Andrew Stolbach, MD (20 minute presentation) Objective: Explain the clinical impact of fine particulate matter on health --Health effects of PM 2.5 (pulmonary, extrapulmonary, acute, and chronic) --Acute & chronic exposure evidence--Pathophysiology of PM 2.5 injury
Ronald H. White, MST (15 minute presentation) Objective: Recognize populations particularly susceptible to particulate matter exposures --Special population considerations (elderly, pediatric)
Andrew Stolbach, MD (25 minute presentation) Objective: Describe approaches to management and interventions regarding particulate matter exposures -- Reduction of PM 2.5 exposure at the level of the community and the individual patient --Management of exposure to PM 2.5--Case studies – Intervention studies The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ATSDR/CDC) and the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) are sponsoring the two webinars. Participants are welcome to register for either or both of these events. All you will need is a connection to the Internet and a phone line to participate in these live events. During the live broadcasts on February 15 and 22, you will have the opportunity to ask questions of leading experts in this field. Afterwards, these webinars will be archived on the ACMT website.
If you have any questions or you would like to register for the sessions, please contact Lora Siegmann Werner, ATSDR Region 3 at 215-814-3141, lkw9@cdc.gov or Tarah Somers, ATSDR Region 1 at 617--918-1493, tsomers@cdc.gov.
NYS DIABETES CAMPAIGN
Diabetes Learning Series In January, Dr. Aruna Poduval conducted an insightful presentation on the Current Trends in the Management of Type I and II Diabetes in children and adolescents. For access to the presentation, click on the link below and enter the associated Recording ID. Recording URL: here Recording ID: JQD6M9 The presentation slides are also available for download on the NYS Diabetes Campaign page under CQI at www.chcanys.org.
Preventing Diabetes and Promoting Heart Smart Women: A Webinar with Dr. Jennifer Mieres In recognition of American Heart Month in February, please join us for a webinar with Jennifer Mieres, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASNC. A nationally renowned expert in CVD and women, Dr. Mieres is the Director of Nuclear Cardiology and Assistant Professor at New York University School of Medicine, and a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association. Dr. Mieres will discuss clinical approaches to prevent, diagnose, and manage the double burden of CVD and diabetes, which affects so many women.
When: Friday, February 18, 2011 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
HANYS Diabetes Webinar Series As partners in the NYS Diabetes Campaign, the Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS) holds monthly Web conferences and they are opening the January through May sessions to all CHCANYS members. The Web conference schedule is listed below and all sessions are FREE to join. To register, please click here.
Upon registration, you will be added to the e-mail list to receive reminders with log-on instructions for these Web conferences. All Webconferences will be held from noon to 1 p.m.:
Date: Thursday, February 24, 2011 Topic: Aggressive Management of Diabetes in a Busy Primary Care Office Faculty: Thomas Dilamarter, Jr., M.D., Medical Director, Chestnut Ridge Family Practice
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011 Topic:Transitions of Care for Patients with Diabetes: From Hospital to Home Faculty: James Desemone, M.D., Director of Medical Staff Quality, Ellis Medicine
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2011 Topic:Benefits of Utilizing Certified Diabetes Educators and Diabetes Self Management Education for Patients with Diabetes Faculty: Esther Wei, M.S.N., A.N.P., C.D.E., Adult Nurse Practitioner and Site Co-Leader of the WCIMA Diabetes Improvement Team, Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates at New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2011 Topic:Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Community Diabetes Initiative Faculty: Abby Schwartz , R.N., B.S.N., M.B.A., Diabetes Nurse Consultant and Tracy Breen, M.D., Director, Diabetes Center, The Mount Sinai Medical Center
Reimbursement for DSME or DSMT Effective January 1, 2011, Medicaid will reimburse for DSME or Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) when provided by an Article 28 clinic that is accredited by The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS recognizes the accreditation from the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA). DSMT is performed by a NYS licensed, registered, or certified professional such as a MD, DO, RN, ANP, PA, RD, PT, or Pharmacist. These services can be provided at individually or group sessions of up to eight patients. For more information, click here for the NYS Medicaid Policy and Billing Guidance document.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Project IMPACT-CHCANYS Depression Collaborative – NYC FQHCs Applications for the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation’s Healthy Aging Grant closed on January 25th, 2011. Four New York City based FQHCs have been selected for Round Two of the review process and the final decision will be announced by the Foundation in April 2011. Award notification will mark the beginning of Project IMPACT – CHCANYS Depression Collaborative (PI – CDC) led by CHCANYS staff and faculty from the Institute of Family Health. Watch this space for more information in April!
Trauma-Informed Care: Practical Solutions for Patients, Providers, and Organizations Presented by: Sheela Raja, PhD February 7, 2011, 3:30pm EST The impact of violence, abuse, neglect, disaster, war, and other harmful experiences continues long after the traumatic event has ended. Exposure to trauma is a pervasive issue that has significantly impacted the health and well-being of millions of Americans and nearly everyone seeking services in the public health and social services systems. Understanding how trauma affects the emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and physical functioning of the people we care for can improve our services.
Join us as we:
Summarize the major findings of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study
Describe the prevalence of trauma in childhood
Identify how trauma affects women and girls throughout their lives, including evidence that links trauma with profound physical, mental health, and behavioral consequences
All health and social service providers are welcome, including medical care providers, dentists, social workers, teachers, mental health workers, substance use disorder treatment providers, corrections officers, and community program staff, to name a few.
Click Here to Register Now! *This webinar will be recorded, archived and available for viewing at the above link after February 7th.
HIV/ORAL HEALTH
HIV ORAL HEALTH PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM in New York & New Jersey The New York State Department of Health-AIDS Institute Oral Health Regional Resource Center in collaboration with the NY/NJ AETC would like to offer you a unique chance to participate in an HIV Oral Health Preceptorship/Mini-Residency.
HIV Oral Health Preceptorships/Mini-Residencies are available for dentists or dental hygienists in New York and New Jersey. These programs are individually tailored to the needs, interests and experience-level of the individual provider. Typical training sessions are from one to five days. Tuition for the preceptorships/mini-residencies is fully covered by a grant from Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) and nationally accredited continuing education credits are available from the NYS Dental Foundation and the Dental Hygiene Association of the State of NY.
If you would like further information regarding this program or to register, please contact Howard Lavigne, Deputy Director of HIV Clinical Education,NYS Department of Health-AIDS Institute at 315-477-8479 or HEL01@health.state.ny.us Participant slots are limited so don’t wait.
RFA for Improving Oral Health - Preventive Dental Services Program The New York State Department of Health, Division of Family Health, Bureau of Dental Health is soliciting applications for promoting population-based interventions and innovative oral health program models to address oral health problems in school aged children. Support for these services is being made available from funds awarded to New York State through the federal Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant.
The objectives of this request for applications are:
to enhance health promotion and disease prevention activities and provide underserved children a point of entry into the dental health care system;
to establish or expand preventive service models for providing dental prevention services, more specifically dental sealants to underserved populations in geographically isolated and/or health manpower shortage areas;
to improve participation rates of dentists in public insurance programs;
to develop case management models to address the needs of difficult-to-reach school aged populations; - to improve the local infrastructure for dental health services; and
to implement a surveillance system and evaluate the outcome of local activities, including methods to monitor progress toward Healthy People 2010, Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, and New York State Oral Health Plan objectives.
It is anticipated that approximately $1.5 million will be available annually to support approximately 30 awards for the period July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016. The maximum annual award will be $50,000 distributed to successful applicants scoring the highest amount of points until funding is exhausted.
Please review the RFA here for eligibility information and other application instructions, or how to submit a question.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Hepatitis A and B Vaccination and the NYS DOH Adult Hepatitis Vaccination Program Please join us on February 9, 2011 at 9 am for an hour-long webinar with Elizabeth Rausch-Phung, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) Bureau of Immunization. Dr. Rausch-Phung will discuss vaccination of your patients against hepatitis A and B infection and the NYS DOH Adult Hepatitis Vaccination Program. All Federally Qualified Health Centers in NYS (except New York City) are eligible to enroll in the NYS DOH Adult Hepatitis Vaccination Program. Under this program, participating health care providers receive single antigen hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines or a combination hepatitis A and B vaccine at no cost. This program’s target population is individuals over the age of 18 years without health insurance coverage and high-risk adolescents and adults (i.e., MSM, IDUs, HIV+, etc.).
In the box under Search for meetings by host, topic or words in the agenda type in hepatitis and click on Search.
Click on Register which is to the right of Hepatitis A and B Vaccination and...
Enter your first name, last name and email address (necessary for email confirmation of registration) and click on Register again.You will receive an email which confirms your registration, provides directions to join the webinar on the scheduled date, and how to call in to the audio portion of the webinar.
Learning objectives: At the completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Describe hepatitis A and B disease, risk factors for hepatitis A and B infection, and recommendations for vaccination against hepatitis A and B infection.
Participants will also be able to describe the eligibility criteria for the NYS DOH Adult Hepatitis Vaccination Program and the application process for this program.
CDC: 2010 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the publication of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines—2010, which update the 2006 Guidelines, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) December 17, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Recommendations and Reports. Click here for the guidelines.
They can also be found on the MMWR's website and through CDC's STD Treatment Guidelines 2010 webpage. You can order hard copies of the report as well as wall charts and pocket guides
Eat Well, Live Well, Move More: First Annual Conference of Collaborative Efforts Promoting Obesity Prevention and Healthy Lifestyle Activities April 14-15, 2011
Call for Abstracts Healthier New York City is now accepting abstract submissions for Eat Well, Live Well, Move More: First Annual Conference of Collaborative Efforts Promoting Obesity Prevention and Healthy Lifestyle Activities.
The purpose of this conference is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to engage in learning, discussion, and action planning to reduce obesity, improve nutrition, promote physical activity, and influence health for the better among residents of New York City.
The target audience for this conference includes academics/educators, public health practitioners and officials, policy makers, employers, human resource managers, urban planners, members of the faith community, students, social innovators, community leaders, and anyone interested in improving the health of New York City residents and employees.
Presenters are encouraged to highlight innovative programs, perceived challenges, models of sustainability and economic viability, and opportunities for further advancement in promoting the health of New York City residents and employees.
Contributions to the conference should relate to the conference title, with a focus on one of the following five themes/tracks:
Improving health through Grass Roots/Faith and Community organizations - Track 1 Focus: Identify successful efforts and models of support for faith and community organizations which successfully improve community health. Identify barriers and solutions to current environmental issues that limit access to healthy food and physical activity in communities.
Community Health Research translated to action - Track 2 Focus: Identify evidence-based and successful studies which have been translated to sustainable, measurable and repeatable community health improvement programs. Metrics of community health and measurement systems and/or measured results are encouraged also.
Building Policy Solutions for Healthier Communities - Track 3 Focus: Identify local, municipal, state, and national level policies that promote active living, healthy eating, and vibrant urban communities.
Building Healthier Worksites - Track 4 Focus: Identify the tools needed by employers to support good nutrition, physical activity and wellness practices in the workplace. Discuss successful implementation models and the role of worksite wellness in building healthier employees, customers and communities.
Building Healthier Youth in schools and the community - Track 5 Focus: Identify evidence-based and successful programs improving childhood obesity, physical activity and/or nutrition in schools and communities.
If you are interested in submitting an abstract for the 2011Conference, please consult the proposal guidelines here, type your information into the template, and return the form via email to: Building a Healthier New York City, bstracts@healthiernewyorkcity.org, “HNYC Conference 2011 Abstract Submission” in subject line
The deadline for submission is February 15, 2011.Presenters will be notified by February 28, 2011. Thank you for your interest in the Healthier New York City Conference. We look forward to your submissions. Direct questions via email to abstracts@healthiernewyorkcity.org
Are you looking for a Dentist, a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in Women’s Health? Underneath the auspices of HRSA, the Bureau of Clinician Recruitment & Service (BCRS) was established in 1970 to address health disparities. It also helps underserved communities and facilities experiencing critical shortages of health care providers by recruiting and retaining clinicians through scholarship and educational loan repayment opportunities in exchange for service. HRSA is legislatively mandated to develop shortage designation criteria and use them to decide whether or not a geographic area, population group or facility is in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) or Population (MUP).
The BCRS is able to assist these underserved communities through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Over 30,000 clinicians have served since 1972. In 2008, 3,500 clinicians cared for 4 million patients and about half of those were in CHCs. Statistics show that half of the clinicians who serve in the NHSC go on to care about underserved people and choose to work where they are needed most.
The NHSC clinician is committed to serve one year for each year of support (usually 2-6 years) at an approved site in a high-need HPSA. These clinicians are licensed and have served a primary care residency in various specialties (family medicine, general pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, general or pediatric dentistry).
There are four NHSC clinicians that need immediate re-placement:
Dentist – NYC Area
Nurse Practitioner: Women’s Health – NYC Area
Physician Assistant – Upstate (Rockland/Orange)
Pediatric Dentist – NYC Area (HPSA score must be > 17)
If you have any interest in employing one of these dedicated clinicians, please contact Dr. Kameron Wells (VP, Clinical Quality Initiatives) at 212-710-3814 or kwells@chcanys.org to discuss further.In addition, if you would like to learn more about the BCRS click here (http://hrsa.gov/bcrs), and for the NHSC click here (http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/).
News from Health Information Technology Please Take 10 Minutes to Respond to a Very Important Survey On December 7 you should have received an invitation to participate in a brief 10-12 minute on-line survey to assess your readiness for meeting standards for Meaningful Use and achieving Patient Centered Medical Home recognition. This survey has been developed by the Geiger Gibson Program at George Washington University (GWU) in partnership with NACHC. GWU requested completion online within 10 days.
Many of you still have not responded to this very important survey. We recently learned that to-date only 60% of New York State health centers have responded. This results in an underreporting of our capacity and readiness, and makes us look unprepared. It is very important to communicate the progress that is the result of so much hard work by you and your association. We strongly urge you to complete it by the end of this week and agree to share your response with CHCANYS to help inform future offerings in TA and Training.
If you cannot locate your invitation to the online survey, please contact Merle Cunningham MD MPH, Principal Investigator, at merlec@gwu.edu or Anthony Lara, MHSA, Senior Research Associate, at anthony.lara@gwumc.edu. For any questions, please contact Lisa Perry at lperry@chcanys.org.
NACHC Billing 101 Webinar Series Many have requested information on the NACHC Billing 101 webinar series. To access information on this series, please click here.
New NCQA Medical Home Standards Incorporate “Meaningful Use of Health IT. Patient Experience and Pediatric Care
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released its 2011 Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards last. This set of national standards helps healthcare providers meet a patient-centered model of care that emphasizes coordinated, comprehensive care, a strong and robust relationship between the primary care physician, the patient and patient's family. Practices will continue to be eligible for recognition under prior standards until December 2011.
Click here or the NCQA press release, and here to download PCMH 2011 standards free of charge.
What’s New in PCMH 2011? Incorporation of federal "meaningful use" of Health IT: Federal "meaningful use" language is embedded throughout new standards. Practices that meet PCMH 2011 requirements will be well prepared to qualify for meaningful use, and vice versa.
More emphasis on "patient-centeredness" and patient experience:
New standards emphasize access to care during and after office hours; providing services in patients' preferred languages; helping patients with self-care and facilitating access to community resources. They will also include a new optional patient experience survey (release scheduled for second half of 2011).
New standards for pediatric care: Includes guidelines for parental decision making; teen privacy and guardianship; enabling communication between medical facilities about newborns' lab results; and guidelines for planning the transition from pediatric to adult care.
PCDC’s Medical Home Consulting Services
The Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) helps primary care providers expand access to care, improve productivity, and qualify for Medical Home recognition and EHR Meaningful Use certification. Using proven strategies, we work side by side with our clients, helping them assess and understand their operational issues; develop customized strategies for change; define measurable outcomes; and establish processes to sustain these improvements. Our services include:
Eligibility assessments, gap analyses, survey submission and documentation for Stage 1 Meaningful Use certification and NCQA PPC® Patient-Centered Medical Home recognition;
Analysis and solutions for improving provider productivity, patient flow and cycle times;
Solutions for care coordination, panel management and "open-access" to care, including same-day scheduling and 24/7 access;
Selection, adoption and optimization of EHRs to achieve advanced HIT utilization, including Health Information Exchange, personal health records, patient portals and clinical decision support.
Executive coaching, project management, staff training and team-building.
For more information about PCDC's PCMH services, please visit www.pcdc.org or click here for our Performance Improvement Inquiry Form.
Emergency Preparedness NYSDOH News In February, the NYSDOH will be conducting a communications drill administered through the Integrated Health Alert Network (IHAN). Each center is requested to have active account status with designations of Administrator, HPN Coordinator, and BT Coordinator. The HPN Coordinator has the ability to assign roles and each center may have multiple HPN Coordinators.
If your account password is disabled, please call CAMU at 1-866-529-1890 and they will reset it for you. When calling CAMU, please have your original PIN or driver’s license available. If you have additional questions, please call Mary Lou Caprara, CHCANYS EP Team at 518-434-0767 x15. Following is the link to access the network: here.
Management, Finance and Compliance Recovery Audit Contractors Audits and investigations of health care providers are proliferating, and more are on the way. Under the Obama health care reform law, each state is now required to contract with Recovery Audit Contractors, or RACs, to audit, review and recover moneys that are owed to the state's Medicaid program. This article explains these new Medicaid RACs, which are coming soon.
NYS Office of the Medicaid Inspector General website includes OMIG Compliance Webinars For more information, please click here.
If your health center has a training or technical assistance program 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.
