FREE LOINC Education and Training Session

Dear Colorado hospital leader, IT staff & Lab staff

In partnership with the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC), Quality Health Network (QHN) and the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO), the Laboratory Interoperability Cooperative (LIC) is pleased to invite you to a free LOINC education and training session for Colorado hospitals.

At this workshop you will:

• Learn to map LOINC codes to your local data dictionary.
• Gain important skills to meet the Meaningful Use criteria for Electronic Lab Reporting (ELR) to public health agencies.
• Access online tools, resources and support through LIC participant portal.

For More information and to register, please click here

Two weeks until the 2012 FORUM!!!! Are you registered?

Have you registrered for our annual event brought to you by the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET? Join us April 11th - 13th at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood, Colorado and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. The agenda is now posted for this years exciting event - check it out and register today!! To register please visit our website or contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org. See you there!

Don't be caught off guard on that unannounced state survey!!

It's spring time and you know what that means? State surveyors are hitting the roads!!  Call today to take advantage of CRHC's RHC Mock Survey service to ensure you are ready for the state! Did you know that RHC's have recently been moved up in priority among facilities for the state to survey? With the RHC Mock Survey, clinics receive a comprehensive evaluation of compliance with existing requirements for certified RHC's. This service includes onsite clinic inspection and basic review for RHC Policy & Procedures, review of the clinic's Annual Evaluation processes and review of medical charts ( paper or electronic). A professional follow up summary, recommendations, and report of findings is included. To schedule your clinics mock survey or for more information, please contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org or by calling direct 303.309.6807.

CAH Swing Bed Webinar

Please join CRHC on April 3 for Part II in a 2-part webinar series covering information pertaining to CAH Swing Bed services. For more information and to register, click on the link below:
Part II – April 3

Don’t miss the opportunity to offer loan repayment to ALL of your healthcare providers!

Do you have a healthcare provider at your facility who is interested in loan repayment? Let them know that the Colorado Rural Outreach Program (CROP) Loan Repayment Program Spring 2012 application cycle will be open soon. The application cycle is open April 2nd until April 27th, 2012.

CROP is a grant applied to by a healthcare facility on behalf of a healthcare clinician:

Eligibility requirements for facilities
Public, non-profit or private healthcare facility.
Located in a designated rural county.
Ability to contribute a monetary award: Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) will “match” this award amount up to $10,000, making the total amount awarded to the clinician $20,000. Award may be funded through other avenues in the community, e.g., a local business, community college, fundraiser, etc.
Retention grant - facility may apply for CROP on behalf of a clinician already employed.

Award may be used for a different financial incentive to a clinician if they do not have loan debt, e.g., a bonus or other community request.

Eligibility requirements for healthcare provider:
Any clinician providing medical, dental or mental healthcare. Must be providing direct patient care.
Clinician may be employed at facility or be in the process of being hired
Application

Facility may re-apply for same clinician for up to three years. Facility may apply for more than one clinician, but preference will be given to only one applicant.
There are two application cycles each year (Fall, Spring) as funding allows.
Awardees will be notified four weeks after application cycle closes.

Please download the application packet and coversheet. Please complete and save the coversheet in Microsoft Word. You may submit your application via e-mail or postal mail. If submitting via e-mail, please make the narrative and all attachments ONE inclusive document. The coversheet may be separate. Please send your CROP application to:



Attn: Robyn Purvin
Colorado Rural Health Center
3033 S. Parker Rd., Suite 606
Aurora, CO 80014
rp@coruralhealth.org
Main: 303.407.2031
Fax: 303.832.7496



www.coruralhealth.org/programs/loanrepayment/crop.htm

Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow for the 2012 Forum - REGISTER NOW!!

Have you registrered for our annual event brought to you by the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET? The deadline for early bird registration ends Friday March 23rd! Join us April 11th - 13th at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood, Colorado and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. The agenda is now posted for this years exciting event - check it out and register today!! To register please visit our website or contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org. See you there!

Free Benchmarking Tool for CAHs

Quality Health Indicators (QHi) is an online benchmarking tool geared towards CAHs and rural hospitals under 50 beds. Currently over 200 hospitals in 14 states utilize the system to benchmark against peer hospitals around the country. QHi is available to all Colorado CAHs at no charge. There will be a Back to Basics Webinar of the Quality Health Indicators (QHi) benchmarking tool on March 29 from 1:00-2:00 MST. During the webinar, QHi administrators will give an overview of the system, discuss updates, and conduct a brief live demo. For more information, contact Jen Dunn at jd@coruralhealth.org.

Register Now for Regional CAH Workshops

Please join us for one of the Colorado Rural Health Center’s (CRHC) upcoming Annual Regional CAH Workshops. There will be a CAH Quality Improvement Workshop (9:00am-3:00pm) and a CAH Board Workshop (4:00pm-7:30pm) offered at each location. There is no charge for CAH staff and boards to attend, but you must register. For more information and to register, click on the links below.

May 1, 2012 – Location: Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital, Burlington, CO
May 3, 2012 – Location: Rio Grande Hospital, Del Norte, CO
May 10, 2012 – Location: Grand River Hospital and Medical Center, Rifle, CO

Keeping Safety-Net Hospitals on Sound Financial Footing

 
A new report prepared for The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System offers a series of recommendations to help shore up the finances of safety-net hospitals and promote their ability to provide high-quality care to low-income, vulnerable patients once the health reform law is fully implemented.

According to Toward a High Performance Health Care System for Vulnerable Populations: Funding for Safety-Net Hospitals, by Deborah Bachrach and colleagues at Manatt Health Solutions, safety-net institutions face a number of challenges, both short- and long-term. These include generally low Medicaid payment rates, anticipated reductions under the Affordable Care Act in payments to hospitals serving a disproportionately large share of poor and uninsured patients, and expected changes in funding streams owing to an expansion of Medicaid patients under health reform. The report suggests strategies that would better target public dollars to these hospitals to sustain them, as well as to stimulate and reward high performance.

Read more on commonwealthfund.org.

CMS Rural Health Open Door Forum

The next CMS Rural Health Open Door Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2012 from 2:00pm-3:00pmET. If you wish to participate, dial 1-800-837-1935 Conference ID 52258250. The Rural Health ODF addresses RHC, CAH and FQHC issues, as well as some inclusion of other questions and concerns that occur in clinical practice pertaining to other CMS payment systems that also extend into these settings.

Registration Deadline for First Time CAH Users of Hospital Compare

CAHs who will be reporting Outpatient measures to Hospital Compare for the first time as a result of participating in MBQIP (Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program) will need to register with QualityNet in order to complete the Outpatient data reporting online participation pledge by March 31, 2012 in order to submit their data. This deadline also aligns with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Inpatient/Outpatient CAH quality reporting initiative. For information on registering for QualityNet or to sign the Outpatient pledge, contact Marcy Cameron at CFMC at MCameron@cfmc.org. For more information about participating in MBQIP, contact Jen Dunn at jd@coruralhealth.org.

CMS Provider Education Resources - 3/21/2012

CMS asks that TrailBlazer share the following information received from CMS' Provider Education Resources Listservs.

 Please click on the link here for more information.

CPC Certification Preparation Course - Last Chance to Register!

Registration deadline is March 31, 2012!
Advance your career now! With the looming implementation of ICD-10, certified coders are (and will continue to be) in high demand!

This course is designed to offer the most comprehensive and complete coding information to prepare students for the CPC examination and a ca­reer in the medical field. This course will include an overview of medical terminology, anatomy, CPT, ICD-9-CM and HCPCS manuals, and coding scenarios for practical application in the work environment.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be prepared to sit for the nationally accredited American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification examination. This exami­nation will be offered to class participants at the completion of the course.

*Please see the attached flyer for additional course details including course dates, cost, etc.*

*Special discounts for organizations enrolling multiple

participants, please call for details*



Any Questions?

Please contact Jennifer Heuer at 303.534.0388 or by email at jh@rtwelter.com



www.RTWelter.com



If you would like to be removed from this email list, please send an email to info@rtwelter.com

Webinar: Activity Based Therapy - Practical Applications

This webinar, presented by Craig Hospital on Monday, April 2 at 2:00, will include an overview of activity based therapy components in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs including community focused programs. The program will also discuss the primary components of activity based therapy programs as well as financial implications regarding staffing, equipment, and other direct costs. The registration fee is $50. Target audience: Physical and occupational therapists, doctors, students. For more information and to register, click here.

CMS - Hospital Patient Privacy and Medical Record Confidentiality

On March 2, CMS published a certification letter that contains guidance concerning HIPAA standards. The letter specifically addresses permitted incidental uses and disclosures and includes reasonable safeguards that must be in place to ensure patient privacy. To access the CMS Survey and Certification letter click here.

Early Bird Registration Deadline for 2012 Forum is Fast Approaching!

Have you registrered for our annual event brought to you by the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET? The deadline for early bird registration is in one week!   Join us April 11th - 13th at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood, Colorado and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. The agenda is now posted for this years exciting event - check it out and register today!! To register please visit our website or contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org. See you there!

RHCs Want to Earn up to $1,000 at The Forum 2012?

It’s easy, just Register Here for our annual event The Forum, April 11-13, 2012. As a Rural Health Clinic you will receive $1,000 just by attending both Emergency Preparedness sessions during The Forum. This is all made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

We have an exciting agenda this year focusing on policy, behavioral health, oral health, billing and coding, accountable care collaborative, accountable care organizations, health information technology, medical neighborhood and so much more!


Don’t miss this opportunity!


ClinicNET and the Colorado Rural Health Center annually co-host The Forum … Essential Perspectives for Safety Net Providers which is an education, training, and networking opportunity for healthcare providers and staff of Colorado’s Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs), Community Health Centers (CHCs) and other organizations and stakeholders concerned about access to and delivery of care for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Coloradans.

FREE LOINC education and training session

Dear Colorado hospital leader, IT staff & Lab staff

In partnership with the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC), Quality Health Network (QHN) and the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO), the Laboratory Interoperability Cooperative (LIC) is pleased to invite you to a free LOINC education and training session for Colorado hospitals.

 At this workshop you will:

• Learn to map LOINC codes to your local data dictionary.
• Gain important skills to meet the Meaningful Use criteria for Electronic Lab Reporting (ELR) to public health agencies.
• Access online tools, resources and support through LIC participant portal.

For More information and to register,  please click here

Opportunities for Clinicians to attend the 2012 Forum in April!

Look to utilize the CRHC Rural Locum Tenens and CME Travel Scholarship to support your rural clinicians attendance at The Forum 2012. This Scholarship can provide locum tenens coverage and/or travel costs reimbursement post attendance.

For more information contact Fabian Valle, CRHC, Director of Workforce Programs at fv@coruralhealth.org.

Application information and materials are located at www.coruralhealth.org/programs/loanrepayment/locums.htm

FREE 1 Hour ICD 10 Training Webinar!!

Webinar Series #3: "
ICD-10: Analyze its impact on your practice"
Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m Cost: Free
The Colorado ICD-10 Training Coalition invites you to attend a free 1-hour ICD-10 Training webinar - the 3rd in our series - and one you won't want to miss! In this webinar, we'll discuss how you can begin the process of determining what people, systems and processes will be impacted by ICD-10 and how to conduct project mapping and workflow analysis. Worksheets will be posted on the facebook page and at cms.org for you to print out before the webinar.  

 Topic:
A large part of managing any change is understanding what the impact, in terms of time, people and dollars, will have on your practice. The ICD-10 transition is no different.
In this third webinar in our ICD-10 training series, we will discuss:
How you may be surprised by the many different areas and tasks that are impacted by diagnosis coding - and to what degree.
How an analysis will allow you to better plan and build a more realistic budget.
How understanding your workflow is key.

Who Should Attend?   
Practice Managers, Physicians, Coding Specialists, IT Managers, Nurses, Office Staff

Click here to register 

Don’t miss the opportunity to offer loan repayment to your healthcare providers!

Do you have a healthcare provider at your facility who is interested in loan repayment? Let them know that the Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) Loan Repayment Program spring 2012 application cycle is now open! The application cycle is open for one month, closing on March 31st, 2012. 

Up to $105,000 for a 3-year commitment is available to your primary care healthcare providers!

CHSC provides loan repayment to fully trained primary care providers in exchange for either a two or three-year full-time service obligation in an underserved community. After completing their initial years of service, loan repayors may apply for additional years of support! Eligible providers include primary care Family Physicians, Internists, OB/GYNs, Pediatricians, Dentists, Psychiatrists, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, Dental Hygienists and licensed mental health professionals.  

Many types of healthcare facilities are CHSC eligible sites including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Community Health Centers, and safety-net clinics.
To find out more about the CHSC Loan Repayment Program, please visit here.

Would you like to speak with someone to find out if your facility is eligible for loan repayment? Contact Colorado Provider Recruitment (CPR) at cpr@coruralhealth.org or (303) 832-7493.

Denver Job Fair opportunity for your clinic or hospital!

Monday, April 16th, Denver
“CONNECT WITH SUCCESS” Health Care Career Fair & Education Event

Brought to you by the Colorado Hospital Association & the National Healthcare Career Network

Healthcare professional job seekers in attendance will include nurses, allied health, billing and coding and veterans!

Please click here for more information

Have you registered for the 2012 Forum?

Our annual event brought to you by the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET is just around the corner. Join us April 11th - 13th at the Sheraton Denver West in Lakewood, Colorado and participate in the numerous education, training and networking opportunities available to you. The agenda is now posted for this years exciting event - check it out and register today!! To register please visit our website or contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org. See you there!

Don’t miss the opportunity to offer loan repayment to ALL of your healthcare providers!

Do you have a healthcare provider at your facility who is interested in loan repayment? Let them know that the Colorado Rural Outreach Program (CROP) Loan Repayment Program Spring 2012 application cycle will be open soon. The application cycle is open April 2nd until April 27th, 2012.

 

CROP is a grant applied to by a healthcare facility on behalf of a healthcare clinician:

 

Eligibility requirements for facilities

• Public, non-profit or private healthcare facility.
• Located in a designated rural county.
• Ability to contribute a monetary award: Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) will “match” this award amount up to $10,000, making the total amount awarded to the clinician $20,000. Award may be funded through other avenues in the community, e.g., a local business, community college, fundraiser, etc.

 

Retention grant - facility may apply for CROP on behalf of a clinician already employed. 

Award may be used for a different financial incentive to a clinician if they do not have loan debt, e.g., a bonus or other community request.

 

Eligibility requirements for healthcare providers

• Any clinician providing medical, dental or mental healthcare. Must be providing direct patient care.
• Clinician may be employed at facility or be in the process of being hired

Application

• Facility may re-apply for same clinician for up to three years. Facility may apply for more than one clinician, but preference will be given to only one applicant.
• There are two application cycles each year (Fall, Spring) as funding allows.
• Awardees will be notified four weeks after application cycle closes.

 

Please download the application packet and coversheet. Please complete and save the coversheet in Microsoft Word. You may submit your application via e-mail or postal mail. If submitting via e-mail, please make the narrative and all attachments ONE inclusive document. The coversheet may be separate. Please send your CROP application to:

Attn: Robyn Purvin

Colorado Rural Health Center

3033 S. Parker Rd., Suite 606

Aurora, CO 80014

rp@coruralhealth.org

Main: 303.407.2031

Fax: 303.832.7496

www.coruralhealth.org/programs/loanrepayment/crop.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Registration Deadline Approaching for First Time CAH Users of Hospital Compare

CAHs who will be reporting Outpatient measures to Hospital Compare for the first time as a result of participating in MBQIP will need to register with QualityNet in order to complete the Outpatient data reporting online participation pledge by March 31, 2012 in order to submit their data. This deadline also aligns with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Inpatient/Outpatient CAH quality reporting initiative. For information on registering for QualityNet or to sign the Outpatient pledge, contact Marcy Cameron at CFMC at MCameron@cfmc.org.

Thank you Grand River Hospital and Yuma District Hospital!!!

Thank you to both Grand River Hospital in Rifle and Yuma District Hospital in Yuma Colorado for hosting our ICD 10 Workshops Feb. 22nd and 23rd.  Both of these workshops were a huge success and we owe a big part of that success to these two hospitals. Participants took advantage of the learning opportunities and networking opportunities with fellow peers to engage in hands-on exercises and  discuss changes that will take place in the near future.  For those of you in the southern half of Colorado, we will be having two more workshops March 27th in Alamosa, and March 28th in Lamar Co.  Please visit our website or register here .  You may also contact Courtnay Ryan at cr@coruralhealth.org.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO RURAL COLORADO!

Medicare Program; Reporting and Returning of Overpayments – Proposed Rule

This proposed rule would require providers and suppliers receiving funds under the Medicare program to report and return overpayments by the later of the date which is 60 days after the date on which the overpayment was identified; or any corresponding cost report is due, if applicable. To access the proposed rule, click here. CMS is accepting comments until April 16.

Revised Exhibit 286 Hospital/CAH Database Worksheet

On March 1, CMS rescinded Transmittal 79, which revised the Hospital/CAH Database worksheet. It was replaced with Transmittal 80 to make some minor clarifying and technical edits in the manual instruction.

The Hospital/CAH Database Worksheet is completed by State Agency representatives during their on-site initial, recertification, or validation surveys for hospitals and CAHs. To access the new transmittal, click here.

Webinar: Telediabetes & ADVICE: The Arizona Diabetes Virtual Center for Excellence

March 14, 2012, 12:00pm MST
This webinar, presented by the Arizona Telemedicine Program, is an opportunity to learn about the clinical services that can be delivered to diabetic patients at a distance, how technology can be used to deliver both clinical and educational services to rural patients, and the ADVICE model as a resource and how care was delivered more efficiently as well as access improved by establishing a regular Diabetes Day format. For more information and to register, go to http://www.telemedicine.arizona.edu/documents/March2012_000.pdf.

CCHN Ventures Low-Interest Loan Program Infomation Session

Please click here  for more information on CCHN Ventures and the Low Interest Program opportunity. 

CCHN Ventures will be holding an information session on Thursday March 15 from 11am-noon. The conference call will consist of a brief overview of the program and a chance for participants to ask any questions regarding the loan fund and application process.  

Call-in Information:
Ph. #: (866) 453-5550
Pin #: 5489071

To download the application please click here

CCHN Ventures is a non-profit loan fund whose mission is to increase access to flexible, attractive and predictable capital financing to Colorado’s nonprofit, primary healthcare service providers.

CCHN Ventures is a non-profit loan fund whose mission is to increase access to flexible, attractive and predictable capital financing to Colorad

CCHN Ventures is a non-profit loan fund whose mission is to increase access to flexible, attractive and predictable capital financing to Colorado’s nonprofit, primary healthcare service providers.
o’s nonprofit, primary healthcare service providers.

Are you in need of FREE catheter insertion kits?

A provider has graciously donated two cases of catheter insertion kits. These are available on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested please reach out to us at info@coruralhealth.org

eMeasure Implementation: Implications in Small Practice Settings

March 15, 2012 | 12:30-2:00 PM Eastern Time

FREE REGISTRATION 

 

  

 

 Join the National Quality Forum’s eMeasure Learning Collaborative for a free webinar titled “eMeasure Implementation: Implications in Small Practice Settings.[1]” NQF staff and eMeasure experts from the provider and implementer community will lead an interactive 90-minute webinar and open discussion. This free webinar is open to the public and intended to provide information related to eMeasure implementation within small practices (e.g., physicians, private practices, and clinics). 

Learning Objectives

• The importance of electronic measurement within small practice settings
• Best practices in implementing eMeasures within Ambulatory Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
• eMeasure implementation results, challenges, and the work that lies ahead
• More about the eMeasure Learning Collaborative and its value to small practice providers

Who Should Attend

• Small practice providers planning to implement eMeasures in the near future or longer term
• Electronic health record (EHR) and other health IT vendors working with eligible providers to implement eMeasures used to support meaningful use
• Measure developers planning to develop measures in an electronic format
• Any healthcare stakeholder who wants to better understand the impact of implementing eMeasures for performance measurement and quality improvement

Featured Speaker:

Floyd Eisenberg, MD, MPH, FACP, Senior Vice President, National Quality Forum

 

Register here

Contact and Login Information

The webinar URL and dial-in information will be e-mailed to you before the event. If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Sims at dsims@qualityforum.org.

[1] Electronic measures (eMeasures) are standardized performance measures in an electronic format. eMeasures can promote greater consistency in measure development and in measuring and comparing performance results. They also can provide more exact requirements about where information should be collected, and drive greater standardization across the measures and greater confidence in comparing outcomes and provider performance.

 

 

InstructOnline Webinar: Preventing Patient Falls

Join InstructOnline for this webinar on March 12 from 9:00-10:30am CST. Falls are one of the most significant challenges for hospitals and other health care facilities. A recent study on how the IT process helped a hospital reduce falls will be covered. This webinar will also discuss how to comply with the Joint Commission and CMS hospital standards on falls. The cost to register is $225. For more information, go to http://www.instruct-online.com/.

Updated CMS CAH Fact Sheet

The recently updated CMS CAH Fact sheet is now available online. This fact sheet includes background information, as well as information on CAH designation, CAH payments, reasonable cost payment principles that do not apply to CAHs, election of Standard Payment Method or Optional (Elective) Payment Method, Medicare Rural Pass-Through Funding for certain anesthesia services, incentive payments, and grants to states under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. To access the fact sheet, click here.

CAH Swing Bed Webinar Series – Register Now!

Please join CRHC for a 2-part webinar series covering information pertaining to CAH Swing Bed services. For more information and to register, click on the links below:
Part I – March 20
Part II – April 3

CMS Update – Referring Practitioners Ordering Outpatient Services in Hospitals

On February 17, CMS issued and Survey and Certification letter that clarifies the requirements for who is authorized to order hospital outpatient services. The letter is in response to feedback received from Transmittal #72 issued in November 2011. To access the Survey and Certification letter, click here.

Register Now for CRHC’s Regional CAH Workshops!

Please join CRHC for upcoming regional Quality Improvement and Board Workshops for CAHs. These workshops are FREE for all Colorado CAHs, but registration is required. The dates and locations are:

• May 1 – Burlington
• May 3 – Del Norte
• May 10 – Rifle

The Quality Improvement training portion will take place from 9:00am-3:00pm at each location. The CAH Board training portion will take place from 4:00pm-7:30pm at each location. Click on the dates above for more information or go to CRHC’s CAH Events page here.