Colorado Children's Immunization Coalition 2013 Provider Education Series

Interactive Webinar!

Immunization Updates & Refresher:

What's New in 2013?

Thursday, August 15, 2013
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Register for this webinar here!

Presented by
Lynn Trefren, RN, MSN
Nurse Manager
Tri-County Health Department

Deb Zambrano, PHNC
Vaccines for Children Clinical Coordinator
Vaccine Management Team
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

In this webinar-only presentation, Lynn Trefren of Tri-County Health Department will:

• Update participants on new 2013 immunization recommendations and procedures 
• Offer a brief "refresher" on vaccine administration, timing & spacing, storage & handling, and communication 

Deb Zambrano of CDPHE will also provide attendees with a brief update about the Vaccines for Children program.

We want your participation!
Have specific questions about vaccine administration, basics, the VFC program or 2013 guidelines?
Please submit them with your registration form or email them to Camron and they will be addressed during the webinar's extended Q&A.

Register for this webinar here!

CRHC Offers Various Webinars

From customer service in the medical setting to how the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform will affect your practice, CRHC is excited to bring you a variety of webinars in the near future.

Click on the titles of each webinar to register.

August 19 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part I: The Challenge of Change - 

As healthcare continues to transform at a rapid pace, hospital leaders feel the challenges associated with the resistance to change. Studies show that the number one (bad) reason employees resist change is because they are protecting themselves! So where does that leave the patient and the organization? Even though change is mandated, when it comes to changing culture (how we do, say and think about things) the challenge can be a real puzzle. The Challenge of Change webinar will outline the seven steps to helping your employees embrace soft-skill changes that will help you transform your patient satisfaction outcomes for the better.

August 23 – The Future of Rural Health -

With the advent of the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform, ACOs, and greater scrutiny on reimbursements and outcomes, what lies ahead for rural health care facilities and providers? This

 presentation describes the highlights of the National Rural Health Association policy on the Future of Rural Health and the current status of developing a new rural payment and delivery system.

September 10 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part II: The Promise of Excellence -

From the time your employees enter the parking lot and step out of their cars, as they walk through the lobby, greet fellow staff, and then all day long, they are being observed by your customers. If they were wearing nothing but their attitudes, what might they be exposing? Are their actions eliciting great feedback –or–could their unintentional behaviors be the cause of negative perceptions and poor patient satisfaction? The Promise of Excellence webinar introduces a right-sized strategy and tool that helps to create a customized “Promise of Excellence” as it relates to behavior standards, employee communication and customer service. Another piece to the puzzle for achieving outstanding patient experiences, every visit, every time!

Coming Soon! – Rural Health Clinics 101 - (Registration information to come)

A webinar looking specifically at certified Rural Health Clinics and what it means to be certified. 

ICD-10 Basics MLN Connects™ National Provider Call — Register Now

Thursday, August 22; 1:30-3pm ET

To Register: Visit MLN Connects Upcoming Calls. Space may be limited, register early.

Target Audience: Medical coders, physicians, physician office staff, nurses and other non-physician practitioners, provider billing staff, health records staff, vendors, educators, system maintainers, laboratories, and all Medicare providers

Are you ready to transition to ICD-10 on October 1, 2014? Join us for a keynote presentation on ICD-10 basics by Sue Bowman from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), along with an implementation update by CMS. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

Agenda:

• Benefits of ICD-10 
• Similarities and differences from ICD-9 
• Coding 
• Basics of finding a diagnosis code
• Placeholder "x"
• Unspecified codes
• External cause of injury codes
• Type of encounter 
• Training needs and timelines 
• Resources for coding and training 
• National implementation issues 

Continuing education credit may be awarded for participation in certain MLN Connects Calls. Visit the Continuing Education Credit Information web page to learn more.

Event Added to PiHQ

The following event has been added to PiHQ: Partners in Healthcare Quality:

Event: QHi Back to Basics
Location: Webinar/Conference Call
Starts At: 2013-08-21 14:00
Ends At: 2013-08-21 15:00

Information: Please join us for our August 21st QHi Back to Basics Session from 2:00 to 3:00 pm Central Time. We will walk through the live site demonstrating the fundamentals of selecting measures, adding users, entering data and running reports. QHi offers many reporting options and this will be our focus. Following the demonstration, we will open up the lines for questions and comments. This webinar/conference call is free and open to all QHi participants.

Please click the following link to register: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ey0q3xdb56h6&eom

Webinars Geared Toward Your Facility's Needs

From customer service in the medical setting to how the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform will affect your practice, CRHC is excited to bring you a variety of webinars in the near future.

Click on the titles of each webinar to register.

August 19 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part I: The Challenge of Change - 

As healthcare continues to transform at a rapid pace, hospital leaders feel the challenges associated with the resistance to change. Studies show that the number one (bad) reason employees resist change is because they are protecting themselves! So where does that leave the patient and the organization? Even though change is mandated, when it comes to changing culture (how we do, say and think about things) the challenge can be a real puzzle. The Challenge of Change webinar will outline the seven steps to helping your employees embrace soft-skill changes that will help you transform your patient satisfaction outcomes for the better.

August 23 – The Future of Rural Health -

With the advent of the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform, ACOs, and greater scrutiny on reimbursements and outcomes, what lies ahead for rural health care facilities and providers? This

 presentation describes the highlights of the National Rural Health Association policy on the Future of Rural Health and the current status of developing a new rural payment and delivery system.

September 10 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part II: The Promise of Excellence -

From the time your employees enter the parking lot and step out of their cars, as they walk through the lobby, greet fellow staff, and then all day long, they are being observed by your customers. If they were wearing nothing but their attitudes, what might they be exposing? Are their actions eliciting great feedback –or–could their unintentional behaviors be the cause of negative perceptions and poor patient satisfaction? The Promise of Excellence webinar introduces a right-sized strategy and tool that helps to create a customized “Promise of Excellence” as it relates to behavior standards, employee communication and customer service. Another piece to the puzzle for achieving outstanding patient experiences, every visit, every time!

Coming Soon! – Rural Health Clinics 101 - (Registration information to come)

A webinar looking specifically at certified Rural Health Clinics and what it means to be certified. 

July At a Glance

Please find the link to the July edition of At a Glance below. This Department of Health Care Policy and Financing publication provides information on major initiatives including policy changes and program updates. Please feel free to share it with your colleagues.

At a Glance

RHC’s, Please Take this Important Survey!

The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) advocates, supports, and promotes Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) locally and nationally. Increasingly Colorado’s RHCs are acknowledged by state healthcare leaders, foundations, governmental entities and regulatory agencies as critical safety net providers. And we know you deliver essential services every day to improve the health and support the well being of residents in your community. CRHC is working with ClinicNET, our partner organization that advocates for all of Colorado’s non-federally qualified safety net clinics, to gather 2012 data from Colorado’s RHCs through this brief 13 question survey. The information you provide will help continue to grow the recognition of your work and to quantify the impact of your services on your communities and the state overall. As you are aware, unlike other clinic types, RHCs receive no federal funding and CRHC receives no federal funding to support RHCs. When it comes time for the federal, state, or local government to make decisions regarding provider reimbursements, Medicare or Medicaid payments, public coverage program eligibility, electronic health records (EHR) incentives, or other important policy choices, the people making those decisions need to understand how they affect RHCs like yours. Click here to access the survey.

Remote & Onsite Quality System Assessment

Did you know that CRHC provides Remote & Onsite Quality System Assessments? This periodic review of your organization’s quality system’s processes, structures, and outputs to help determine whether the system is meeting current internal and external needs and goals as well as identify ways to improve performance. This assessment reviews various quality system documents including:

1.       The quality plan

2.       Strategic plan/objectives

3.       Relevant policies and procedures

4.       Meeting minutes

5.       Reports

6.       Improvement initiatives

7.       Other relevant documentation

A written report with recommendations is provided to your organization.

The Onsite Quality System Assessment also incorporates onsite interviews with various organization staff members and leaders. 

Colorado ICD-10 Task Force Road Shows

The ICD-10 Road Shows will be taught by Colorado’s own AHIMA-Approved ICD-10 Trainers. These cost-effective seminars will allow you to get started on your ICD-10 education while learning from some of the industry’s best coding professionals. Cost includes 1-½ day seminar presented by ICD-10-CM/PCS experts, seminar materials, breakfast on both days, and lunch on Friday.

Denver, CO
July 26-27
Arapahoe Community College

Loveland, CO
August 2-3
McKee Medical Center

Grand Junction, CO
August 16-17
St. Mary’s Medical Center

Pueblo, CO
September 6-7
Pueblo Community College

For more information and registration information, please click here.

Don’t miss CORHIO’s FINAL Meaningful Use boot camp

This will be the last Meaningful Use Boot Camp offered by CORHIO, so don’t miss out!
Attend and learn what’s already changed and what will change with the Meaningful Use Incentive Program. Find out what you need to know about current HIT initiatives in Colorado.

Click here for more information and to register.Please contact myself or Jennifer Mensch (jmensch@corhio.org) with any questions about this final boot camp.

Click here for a promotional flyer with more information.

Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator Survey

Please complete the Colorado Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator Collaborative’s statewide survey before it closes on August 1.

To access the survey, click here: https://redcap.ucdenver.edu/surveys/?s=LZJV4g

The purpose of survey is to:

• learn about who, what and where: services, research, training and policy are delivered/underway in Colorado 
• utilize information to create a directory/resource guide for Colorado constituents and colleagues

Results of survey to be reported at the Colorado Public Health Conference in Breckenridge, September 20th

Please disseminate survey to reach all those populations who have programs/services in CHW and PN-please forward to all of your networks and related contacts.

If your organization needs to review the survey before dissemination, please contact andrea.dwyer@ucdenver.edu for background, IRB approval, etc…

For background information and detail about the CO Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator Collaborative, click here https://sites.google.com/site/copnchwcollaborative/home

Care Counts: Educating Women and Families Challenge

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is proud to announce the 

Care Counts: Educating Women and Families Challenge.

This new challenge from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to raise awareness about the new Health Insurance Marketplace and important benefits for women made possible by the Affordable Care Act. As open enrollment approaches, the Challenge offers an exciting chance to develop ways to disseminate information in English and Spanish regarding how Americans can find health care coverage that meets their needs at the Health Insurance Marketplace on HealthCare.gov. The Challenge also provides an opportunity for HHS to increase public awareness of the recommended preventive health services for women that are now covered without cost sharing because of the health care law.

Eligible entities include state, local, Tribal, or other non-governmental organizations. To be eligible to win a prize under the Challenge, a team:

• Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the Official Rules; 
• Shall be comprised of at least two (2) persons, preferably with a combination of technical expertise that may include design, social media, public health, and health communications expertise. Multi-disciplinary teams are encouraged to apply; 
• In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the U.S. 
• All persons must be at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; 
• Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth herein; and 
• May not be a federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment. 

The categories for submission include English print, web-based, or social media and Spanish print, web-based, or social media.

First and Second Place Prizes will be given in the following categories:
1) English print, web-based, or social media
2) Spanish print, web-based, or social media

Winners will be recognized by the HRSA Administrator, and a total of $25,000 in prizes will be awarded.

Submissions are currently being accepted. The deadline for submissions is 11:00 PM EDT on August 30, 2013.

To submit an entry or obtain additional information on the Care Counts: Educating Women and Families Challenge please visit www.carecounts.challenge.gov.

Join the fight for rural hospitals with NRHA’s free event

Rural hospital funding now faces the biggest threat from both Congress and the Administration in years. Cuts to critical access hospitals have again been proposed, and hundreds of millions of dollars to rural PPS hospitals will be lost if Congress does not act by Oct. 1. If these threats become reality, rural hospitals will be forced to cut services or close doors.

Join NRHA July 31 in D.C. for the March for Rural Hospitals. Rural America is counting on you.

This education and advocacy event is free, but registration is required.

HCPF - Important Update on Line Item Billing for FQHCs/RHCs

The changes to FQHC and RHC claim reimbursement processing allowing multiple line item procedures without generating denials will not be completed by August 1, 2013. Please do not attempt to submit claims using the method described in the July 2013 Provider Bulletin. We do not know at this time when the changes to the claims processing system will be completed. An update will be published in the September 2013 Provider Bulletin. If you have questions related to the changes to allow multiple line item procedures on claims contact Richard Delaney at Richard.delaney@state.co.us or (303) 866-3436.

Appeals Inquiry Status Tool

 Our Appeals Department has a few suggestions to ensure you’ll get the maximum benefit this tool has to offer. Please click here for more information.

Upcoming CRHC Webinars!

From customer service in the medical setting to how the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform will affect your practice, CRHC is excited to bring you a variety of webinars in the near future. 

Click on the titles of each webinar to register. 

August 19 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part I: The Challenge of Change - 

As healthcare continues to transform at a rapid pace, hospital leaders feel the challenges associated with the resistance to change. Studies show that the number one (bad) reason employees resist change is because they are protecting themselves! So where does that leave the patient and the organization? Even though change is mandated, when it comes to changing culture (how we do, say and think about things) the challenge can be a real puzzle. The Challenge of Change webinar will outline the seven steps to helping your employees embrace soft-skill changes that will help you transform your patient satisfaction outcomes for the better.

August 23 – The Future of Rural Health -

With the advent of the Affordable Care Act and Health Reform, ACOs, and greater scrutiny on reimbursements and outcomes, what lies ahead for rural health care facilities and providers? This

 presentation describes the highlights of the National Rural Health Association policy on the Future of Rural Health and the current status of developing a new rural payment and delivery system.

September 10 – Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction Part II: The Promise of Excellence -

From the time your employees enter the parking lot and step out of their cars, as they walk through the lobby, greet fellow staff, and then all day long, they are being observed by your customers. If they were wearing nothing but their attitudes, what might they be exposing? Are their actions eliciting great feedback –or–could their unintentional behaviors be the cause of negative perceptions and poor patient satisfaction? The Promise of Excellence webinar introduces a right-sized strategy and tool that helps to create a customized “Promise of Excellence” as it relates to behavior standards, employee communication and customer service. Another piece to the puzzle for achieving outstanding patient experiences, every visit, every time!

Coming Soon! – Rural Health Clinics 101 - (Registration information to come)

A webinar looking specifically at certified Rural Health Clinics and what it means to be certified. 

SB 222 Immunization Task Force Kick-Off Meeting

Please join the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the Colorado Children's Immunization Coalition (CCIC), and Children's Hospital Colorado for a planning session on the implementation of SB 222: Improving Access to Childhood Immunizations.

As a key stakeholder, your input is critical as CDPHE identifies task force structure, key points for consideration, and recommendations for improving access to childhood immunizations in Colorado.

What:
The purpose and goals for this meeting are to:

• introduce participants to SB 222, Colorado’s new law directing the CDPHE to convene a task force to study and make recommendations on issues related to immunization access in Colorado; 
• ensure common understanding of task force charge and goals/outcome; and 
• develop a high-level strategy for moving forward. 

Who:
Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting convened by CDPHE and hosted by Children’s Hospital Colorado and CCIC.

When:
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Where:
Children’s Hospital Colorado
13123 E. 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045
2nd floor, Mt. Princeton
Continental breakfast will be served.
Live webcast will be available.

RSVP:
Please RSVP by August 2. If you are unable to attend this meeting but would like to receive future emails about meetings, progress, etc., please fill out the information requested at the above link.

Background:
In an effort to improve access to childhood immunizations, the Colorado General Assembly recently passed Senate Bill 13-222. Signed by Governor John Hickenlooper, the newly created Act charges the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to convene a task force of interested stakeholders to consider a variety of issues related to immunization access in Colorado. This initial meeting will seek to establish a common understanding of our directive and goals as well as strategy for how the task force will conduct its work over the next several months.

Agenda and webcast information forthcoming.

For more information:
Please contact Diana Herrero, Interim Immunization Section Director, CDPHE at diana.herrero@state.co.us or 303-692-2695.

Novitas Contact Information Update

Effective Monday, July 29, 2013, Novitas will begin using the new street and PO mailbox addresses resulting from the transition to Florida Blue. Forwarding of mail will occur, but it will delay delivery of mail.

New Zip Codes:
Mechanicsburg Street Address 17050
All PO Boxes 17055

Below is an example of how to address mail for the new PO Boxes:
Novitas Solutions, Inc.
PO Box XXXX
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-18XX

These new addresses will be reflected at various locations (where the old addresses were) on the Novitas Web site.

Note: For providers who have continued to rely on forwarding of mail from Pinnacle’s PO Boxes to Novitas’ PO boxes, this will end on July 31, 2013.

A list of the old and the corresponding new street address and the old and the corresponding new PO Boxes is attached. Please make the necessary changes needed to begin using these new addresses.

We ask that you share this information with your members as you determine is appropriate.

ORHP ACA Office Hours

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy is currently hosting weekly calls focused various topics related to the Affordable Care Act for its grantees and stakeholders. These calls are open to all, so feel free to pass along the call-in information to anyone who may be interested. Thanks to those of you who joined us this week for our discussion on SHOPs, tax credits/subsidies, and the unbanked population. We had some great questions and feedback and your participation is much appreciated!

Below is the information for the next call, responses to some questions that came up during the last call, and links to our previous webinars.

Thank you for your hard work and we look forward to the next call!

ORHP ACA Office Hours

July 24, 2013
3-4 pm Eastern
Call-in Number: (800) 857-3749
Passcode: ORHPACA
Adobe Connect Session: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/orh1/

Agenda
1) Exemptions to the Insurance Mandate (which groups do not need health insurance)
2) Income Requirements for Subsidies and Tax Credits
3) Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees (“Dual-Eligibles”)
4) ACA Updates

Outstanding Questions

The following questions came up during the last office hours session (7/17/2013) and we wanted to provide some further information:
Q: Is the funding received from HHS by a community health center to be used for only enrollment activities?
A: As you know, HHS awarded $150 Million awarded to community health centers nationwide earlier in July. This funding is to be used for outreach & education as well as enrollment. Here is the link to the press release for more information: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/05/20130509a.html

Q: Where can we find income guidelines for the exchanges for families?
A: In general, to be eligible for subsidized coverage on the health insurance exchange, an individual must have an income between 100 to 400 percent above the federal poverty level ($11,490 to $45,960 for an individual in 2013 and $30, 656 to $92,200 for a family of four). There is a sliding scale applied to income which determines what percentage of your income you will pay towards health insurance coverage. For example, if your family income is at 200% FPL, you will only pay 6.3% of your income towards health insurance for your family and the remaining will be covered by a tax credit. This is a good and complex question, and we want to make sure we answer it fully. We are going to set aside some time on the next call to discuss further.

Q: How will the subsidies work in practice? (If I’m a consumer, how does the money from the subsidy flow?)
A: Great question and we are looking into this a bit more. Stay tuned!

Previous Office Hours Recordings

· 7/10 Topic: Consumer Assistance https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p94lfk0wtzg/

· 7/3 Topic: Medicaid Expansion https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p3yhxuz449f/

· 6/26 Topic: ACA 101 https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p5r0fh8fbcg/

· Audio from the office hours on 7/17 will be circulated next week

Accountable Care Organizations in Rural America

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the first Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in 2012. Since then, there has been significant ACO expansion, including into rural areas. RUPRI Center research finds that Medicare ACOs currently operate in 17.5% of all U.S. non-metropolitan counties. Furthermore, Medicare ACOs operate in non-metropolitan counties in every U.S. Census Region. The implications for rural providers are significant. ACO participants (principally hospitals and physicians) and their competitors can no longer rely exclusively on a business model that prioritizes service volume as an operational priority. Instead, they must direct attention and resources to increasing clinical quality, improving patient experience, and lowering the cost of care.

Please click on the following link to download a copy of the policy brief:
http://cph.uiowa.edu/rupri/publications/policybriefs/2013/Accountable%20Care%20Organizations%20in%20Rural%20America.pdf

Trauma Program Manager Course for Level IV Trauma Centers by the American Trauma Society

The Trauma Program Manager Course emphasizes key components of a Trauma Program. Taught by expert Trauma Program Managers, it is recognized throughout the trauma community as the premier course for learning the role and importance of the Trauma Program Manager as well as the role of other essential members of a trauma program.

Course location: The University of Arizona

Course Date/Time: August 24 and 25th, 2013

For more information on the program, as well as to register, please click here. 

Colorado ICD-10 Task Force Road Shows

The ICD-10 Road Shows will be taught by Colorado’s own AHIMA-Approved ICD-10 Trainers. These cost-effective seminars will allow you to get started on your ICD-10 education while learning from some of the industry’s best coding professionals. Cost includes 1-½ day seminar presented by ICD-10-CM/PCS experts, seminar materials, breakfast on both days, and lunch on Friday.

Denver, CO
July 26-27
Arapahoe Community College

Loveland, CO
August 2-3
McKee Medical Center

Grand Junction, CO
August 16-17
St. Mary’s Medical Center

Pueblo, CO
September 6-7
Pueblo Community College

For more information and registration information, please click here.

SAVE THE DATE: Webinar on Colorado’s Health Insurance Marketplace

Wednesday, August 7th
9:00-10:00A MT
https://webmeeting.nih.gov/connectco/
Dial-In: 1-866-846-3997
Pass-Code: 239514

Linda Gann from Connect for Health Colorado will join us to discuss the health insurance marketplace in Colorado, and the role public libraries can play. Connect for Health Colorado is the state’s new site to shop, compare, pick and purchase health plans.

This session is open to all library, public health and clinical staff; policy makers; patient navigators, and community-based organizations. Please forward this announcement to anyone you think might benefit from this presentation.

Registration is NOT required. This session will NOT be recorded or archived.

OPPS and MPFS Proposed Rules – CAH Impacts

CMS recently released the 2014 OPPS and MPFS proposed rules. The proposals include some provisions with impacts to CAHs. Click here for a summary and commentary from HCPro of these proposals. Click here for additional information posted on the CMS website. CMS is accepting comments on the proposed rules until September 6. If you have any feedback or questions, please contact CRHC’s Policy and Advocacy Manager, Alicia Haywood at ah@coruralhealth.org.

Webinar Series on Customer Service, Improving Patient Experience and Achieving "Always" Satisfaction

Save the Date!

CRHC will host a series of webinars presented by Impact! Communcations entitled Fail-Safe Strategies for Achieving “Always” Patient Satisfaction in the Real Rural World. 

This three part series (two, 1-hour webinars and one 2.5-hour onsite workshop) is designed to give participants solid and immediate strategies and tools to:

• Identify strengths and improve areas of weakness with respect to internal communication and patient interaction
• Create an awareness of how personal behaviors impact patient perceptions
• Formulate a right-sized strategy that cements behaviors for an “always” culture of commitment, reinforcement and accountability
• Teach every employee how to speak directly to the heart of any patient-satisfaction survey tool

More information to come on the following webinars:

The Challenge of Change – Part One Webinar – August 19, 2013 – 11 am - 12 pm MT
The Promise of Excellence – Part Two Webinar – September 10, 2013 – 11 am - 12 pm MT
Shift Happens! Making the Connection between Customer Service, Culture Change and Communication – Part Three Workshop - October 16, 2013 at the Annual CAH Workshop

Details and registration to come! Please contact Caleb Siem at cs@coruralhealth.org with any questions or for more information.

Please click here to view an excerpt from the proposed OPPS rule CMS released this week. This excerpt relates to EHR payments to provider-based physicians in CAH using Option II.

Join the fight for rural hospitals with NRHA’s free event

Rural hospital funding now faces the biggest threat from both Congress and the Administration in years. Cuts to critical access hospitals have again been proposed, and hundreds of millions of dollars to rural PPS hospitals will be lost if Congress does not act by Oct. 1. If these threats become reality, rural hospitals will be forced to cut services or close doors.

Join NRHA July 31 in D.C. for the March for Rural Hospitals. Rural America is counting on you.

This education and advocacy event is free, but registration is required.

MEDICAID AUDIT ANNOUNCEMENT

PLEASE NOTE: Many of our members who attested for Medicaid Meaningful Use have received a letter by email that seems like you are being audited!

This letter is not an audit!

Colorado HCPF sent out letters to all Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals that attested last year to introduce the auditing company and give everyone an idea of what will be expected if you are selected for audit. The letters also state that Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals will be contacted directly by the audit company if they’ve been selected and will be given a list of audit items.

Please click here to view the letter.

If you are selected for an audit please contact the team who helped you attest to Medicaid Meaningful Use.

For any questions -- email CRHC’s HIT Senior Advisor: David Ginsberg, at dg@coruralhealth.org

Accountable Care Organizations in Rural America

This policy brief reports that Medicare ACOs currently operate in 17.5% of all U.S. non-metropolitan counties, including Medicare ACOs operating exclusively in non-metropolitan counties. Furthermore, Medicare ACOs operate in non-metropolitan counties in every U.S. Census Region. The implications for rural providers are significant. ACO participants (principally hospitals and physicians) and their competitors can no longer rely exclusively on a business model that prioritizes service volume as an operational priority. Instead, they must direct attention and resources to increasing clinical quality, improving patient experience, and lowering the cost of care.

Contact Information:
Keith J. Mueller, PhD
RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Phone: 319.384.3831
keith-mueller@uiowa.edu

New Online Course: Preventing Pressure Ulcers

Despite significant efforts to spread known best practices, pressure ulcers continue to cause unnecessary harm to patients ---- increasing the amount of time patients remain in the hospital, and costing health care organizations around the world millions of dollars every year. A new online course in the IHI Open School's professional catalog, PS 202: Preventing Pressure Ulcers, provides practical strategies to help organizations achieve the goal of "getting to zero." The course, which contains four lessons, begins with the basics of pressure ulcers and then quickly moves into best practices, advice from exemplary organizations, and guidance from IHI faculty member (and course guide) Kathy Duncan, RN. The final lesson explains how organizations can apply the Model for Improvement to prevention efforts. The course, based on the IHI How-to Guide of the same name, is worth 1.50 credit hours for US nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. Be sure to check out more Open School online courses on patient safety and quality improvement.

Colorado Patient Navigator and Community Health Work Collaborative

The Colorado Patient Navigator and Community Health Worker Collaborative hopes to learn more about the resources available to clients and activities underway in the area of patient navigation, community health work and care coordination. We hope the results of this survey will help to better coordinate services within communities through an understanding of what is needed to support this work and the current status of community health work, patient navigation and care coordination in Colorado to advance the field.

As a partner in this effort, the Colorado School of Public Health is helping conduct this survey (COMIRB #13-1524). Link: https://redcap.ucdenver.edu/surveys/?s=LZJV4g

This survey is intended to capture information about the persons involved in the following role(s):

Section I: Persons actually delivering the service/care to clients

Section II: Persons directing or managing programs

Section III: Persons involved in training

Section IV: Persons conducting research

Section V: Persons involved in policy work/advocacy

Section VI: Persons who are not currently involved but have an interest

Please provide input about ALL areas applicable to your work or services. On average, the survey will take 15 minutes to complete. If you chose to share your contact information and allow your information to be released, you will receive the results of the survey. If you do not wish your contact information to be shared, the data will NOT be provided to outside agencies. We encourage you to forward this survey along to your networks and colleagues. Within the survey, there is an opportunity to provide information about networks and individuals you plan to forward/share information; or you can reply to this e-mail or andrea.dwyer@ucdenver.edu if you have any questions or ideas about survey dissemination. The results and a survey summary will be shared at the Public Health in the Rockies Conference in Breckenridge in September. There will be a special focus on patient navigation and community health work on September 19th and 20th. To register for the conference, please visit: http://www.coloradopublichealth.org/conference/.

Thank You-
Colorado Patient Navigator and Community Health Worker Collaborative
Regionalization Subcommittee

To Learn More about the Colorado Patient Navigator and Community Health Worker Collaborative, please visit: https://sites.google.com/site/copnchwcollaborative/

Joint Commission Prepublications

Revised CAH Requirement for Credentialing and Quality Assurance
The Joint Commission Standard LD.04.01.01, Element of Performance (EP) 5, already addresses The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Condition of Participation (CoP) for critical access hospitals that requires an agreement to be made with respect to credentialing and quality assurance. This revision to the EP clarifies that a critical access hospital can make the agreement with one of the three sources listed rather than having to do so with all of them. For more information, click here.

Requirements for Emergency Management Oversight
New Joint Commission requirements and revisions address leadership accountability for hospital-wide emergency management in hospitals and critical access hospitals. The prepublication requirements and revisions, announced earlier this week, provide a clearer description of leadership-level oversight of emergency management, according to The Joint Commission. To access the Prepublication Requirements, click here.

Effective Communication Tools for Healthcare Professionals

Effective Communication Tools for Healthcare Professionals is a free, on-line, go-at-your-own-pace training that has helped more than 4,000 health care professionals and students improve patient-provider communication.

Take the course any time, night or day, to improve your ability to communicate with patients and overcome barriers that can keep patients from taking their medications according to your instructions, going to the emergency room when they would be better served in primary care or otherwise preventing them from getting the full benefit of the quality care you provide.

Please click here to access the course.

Over the next few months, ORHP will hold weekly office hours on Wednesdays at 3-4 p.m. Eastern.  These sessions are meant to be a forum to share information about updates on ACA implementation and best practices of what ORHP grantees are doing around ACA Outreach, Education, and Enrollment.  If you would like to feature the work you’re doing around ACA Outreach, Education, and Enrollment during these office hour sessions, please contact your Project Officer.  

ORHP ACA Office Hours: Consumer Assistance

July 10, 2013

3-4 pm Eastern

Call-in Number: (800) 857-3749

Passcode: ORHPACA

Adobe Connect Session: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/orh1/

Health Information Technology and Quality Webinar

Free Continuing Education Resources for Safety Net Health Professionals from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Friday, July 12, 2013, 2 PM ET

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) are hosting a webinar to announce an exciting new HRSA website that provides HRSA grantees and safety net providers, such as health center providers, rural health providers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other safety net health professionals with free, clinically relevant modules to support continuing education and workforce training. These free, accredited continuing education resources are based on the comparative effectiveness research from AHRQ’s Effective Healthcare Program.

These modules cover a variety of disease areas including, but are not limited to- diabetes management, heart conditions, mental health, and infectious diseases. Participants will have an opportunity to hear directly from AHRQ staff on how these modules help health care providers access evidence-based research to inform patient treatment decisions and improve care. Furthermore, HRSA staff will discuss how these clinical training modules align with the work of HRSA grantees and debut the new user-friendly HRSA website for safety net providers to access these AHRQ resources. (Registration below)

Presenters include:

Natalie Brevard Perry, M.N., M.P.H.
Deputy Regional Administrator
Atlanta Regional Office
Health Resources and Services Administration

Jean R. Slutsky, P.A., M.S.P.H.
Director, Center for Outcomes and Evidence (COE)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Michael Banyas, M.P.A.
Lieutenant, United States Public Health Service
Health Resources and Services Administration

Register here: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/52862r4pd59x&eom

Access the HRSA website for “Free Continuing Education Resources for Safety Net Health Professionals from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality”: http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/portal/index.html

For more information and to send questions to presenters email healthit@hrsa.gov.

CMS Proposes Hospital Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Centers Policy and Payment Changes for 2014

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Calendar Year (CY) 2014 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Policy Changes and Payment Rates proposed rule [CMS-1601-P] on July 8, 2013. 

The proposed rule with comment period would update Medicare payment policies and rates for hospital outpatient department and ASC services, and update and streamline programs that encourage high-quality care in these outpatient settings consistent with policies included in the Affordable Care Act.  Total CY 2014 OPPS payments are projected to increase by $4.37 billion or 9.5 percent, and CY 2014 Medicare payments to ASCs are projected to increase by approximately $133 million or 3.51 percent as compared to CY 2013.

Overview

More than 4,000 hospitals, including general acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, inpatient psychiatric facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, children’s hospitals, and cancer hospitals are paid under the OPPS.  There are approximately 5,000 Medicare-participating ASCs paid under the ASC payment system.

The OPPS is currently a hybrid of a prospective payment system and a fee‑for‑service system, with some payments representing costs packaged into a primary service and other payments representing the cost of a particular item, service, or procedure.  Payment amounts vary according to the Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) group to which a service is assigned.  The OPPS includes payment for most hospital outpatient department services, and covers partial hospitalization services furnished by hospital outpatient departments and community mental health centers.

The CY 2014 OPPS/ASC rule proposes to expand the categories of related items and services packaged into a single payment for a primary service under the OPPS, in order to make the OPPS more of a prospective payment system.  When the OPPS began in 2000, the payment system provided for the packaging of a limited number of items and services, such as anesthesia and surgical supplies. CMS expanded the categories of included items and services in 2008 and 2009, by adding eight additional categories, including image processing services, and implantable biologicals.  This proposed rule would further expand the categories of packaged items and services by adding seven additional categories of supporting services, thereby moving the OPPS closer to a prospective payment system that is more analogous to Medicare payment for hospital inpatient services and less like a rate-for-service payment model. In addition to packaging these seven categories, CMS is proposing to create 29 comprehensive APCs to replace 29 existing device-dependent APCs. 

For the full Fact Sheet click here. 

Celebrate Safety Net Clinic Week 2013!

In an effort to raise awareness of Colorado's healthcare safety net providers, the Colorado Rural Health Center encourages your clinic to participate in the fourth annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 19th – 23rd. Sponsored by CRHC and ClinicNET, the week is devoted to educating the public and policy makers about these vitally important healthcare clinics - federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Community Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs). The 2013 Safety Net Clinic Week Toolkit is available to help clinics participate in a variety of ways. Included in the toolkit are many easily customizable materials (click on each to open).

§ Overview of Safety Net Clinic Week – Use as content for your website, blogs, social media, newsletters, email signatures, etc.
§ Safety Net Clinic Week 2013 Logo – Available for your website and other promotional materials.
§ Sample Letter to the Editor – Available for submission to local media.
§ Governmental Proclamation or Resolution – Request a proclamation from your city and/or county.
§ Safety Net Clinic Week Invitation – Consider inviting your city and county public officials, local business owners and community leaders to visit your clinic.
§ Open House Invitation Template – Host an open house to showcase your clinic.
§ Safety Net Clinic Week Fact Sheet – Use the fact sheet as talking points when providing tours or hosting an open house. Be sure to include information specific to your clinic as well.
§ Safety Net Clinic Week Press Release – Available for submission to local media.
§ Social Media Template – Engage with Safety Net Clinic Week via social media by tweeting these messages using the hashtag #SNCW13 or posting to Facebook.

The Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET secured a proclamation from the Governor declaring August 19th – 23rd Safety Net Clinic Week, and a press release will be disseminated statewide to announce the kick-off of the week. Save-the-date cards were mailed to policymakers and advocacy partners across the state, and formal invitations for tours are being extended to the Governor, our Congressional delegation, and all state legislators to encourage our policymakers to visit safety net clinics in their district throughout the week. Staff is reaching out directly to clinics in the districts of those legislators already expressing interest in a tour.

Our Safety Net Clinic Week Project Coordinator, Amber Burkhart, is available to help you with Safety Net Clinic Week 2013 activities! Let her know if you want to host an event, if you utilize any part of the toolkit, or if you need help using it. Email her here, or she can be reached at 720-863-7805.

Grants Council Update

THE FIFTH ROUND OF FUNDING FOR THE COLORADO RURAL HEALTH CARE GRANT PROGRAM AWARDS $1,180,936.02 TO IMRPOVE HEALTHCARE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE

DENVER, COLORADO – The Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Council in collaboration with United Healthcare awarded nearly $1.2 million in grant funds to help improve healthcare delivery in rural communities statewide. Governor John Hickenlooper announced a total of 36 recipients throughout the grant cycle, representing 18 Colorado counties would use the funds to support health initiatives, including health information technology, construction and remodeling projects, equipment and staff trainings.

Through the Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Program, a total of $7.5 million was available for grant funds from 2008-2012, completing the cycle with a total of $1,180,936.02 in grants awarded in it’s final year.

The purpose and intent of this grant program was fully met by supporting Colorado’s rural health infrastructure and strengthen the capacity of rural entities to provide primary care services. Only organizations that are located outside of Colorado’s Urbanized Areas and that provide outpatient primary care services – including medical, oral, and mental health services – were eligible to apply with the maximum award amount being $50,000 per applicant.

This grant program was funded by UnitedHealth Group. The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) manages the program.

Your Response Needed - Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator Survey

Click here to access the survey.

The Purpose of the Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator survey is to:

• learn about who, what and where: services, research, training and policy are delivered/underway in Colorado 
• utilize information to create a directory/resource guide for Colorado constituents and colleagues

 Results of survey to be reported at the Colorado Public Health Conference in Breckenridge, September 20th.

Please disseminate survey to reach all those populations who have programs/services in CHW and PN-please forward to all of your networks and related contacts.

For more background information and detail about the CO Community Health Worker and Patient Navigator Collaborative, please click here.

CMS Rural Health Open Door Forum

The next Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Open Door Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, July 10, 2013 from 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET. If you wish to participate, dial 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID: 14440061. An agenda will be posted in the Downloads section on the Rural Health Open Door Forum web page prior to the call. Thank you for your continued interest in the CMS Open Door Forums.

Announcements from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Funding Opportunities

1. The USDA is making up to $17.5 million in grant funding available to support distance learning and telemedicine efforts serving rural America. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the USDA’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program was published in the Federal Register on June 28, 2013. Applications for this program must be received by Monday, August 12, 2013. The DLT Grant Program is designed to assist community facilities serving rural areas acquire distance learning and telemedicine technologies to link with other professionals to improve the services delivered to rural Americans. Each award will be between $50,000 and $500,000. Applicants must be 1) a legally incorporated organization operating a rural community facility directly or serving an organization that operates a rural community facility and 2) must currently deliver or propose to deliver distance learning or telemedicine services through and beyond the three-year grant period. Applications will be scored based on the community’s rurality and economic need, as well as efficiency and innovativeness of the use of funds, and must show that the applicant can supply at least a 15 percent funding match.

For further information, please contact Norberto Esteves by email at: norberto.esteves@wdc.usda.gov or phone: (202) 720-0665.

Webinars and Technical Assistance

1. HRSA and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be hosting a webinar on Friday, July 12th at 2:00pm EST. Announcing an exciting new HRSA website that provides HRSA grantees and safety net providers, such as health center providers, rural health providers, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other safety net health professionals with free, clinically relevant modules to support continuing education and workforce training.

Register at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/52862r4pd59x&eom

Access the HRSA website for “Free Continuing Education Resources for Safety Net Health Professionals from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality”: http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/portal/index.html

2. On Tuesday, July 16th from 1:00-2:00pm CDT the AgriSafe Network will be hosting a webinar that will focus on common farm accidents among young farm workers – identifying prevention strategies, and reviewing how to increase the culture of safety.

Register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/586755406

3. Healthy People 2020 will be hosting three webinars in July.

July 18, 2013 – Maternal Infant and Child Health
Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/567155762?source=govdelivery

July 24, 2013 – Measuring Policy and Environmental Change in Obesity Prevention
Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/926753778?source=govdelivery

July 30, 2013 – The Burden of Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases in the U.S. and Abroad
Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/643595914?source=govdelivery

2014 IPPS Proposed Rule - CAH, Medicare Dependent Hospital, Sole Community Hospital Updates

In June 2013, NRHA commented on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notice of proposed rulemaking for updating the 2014 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) provisions. Among other concerns, NRHA commented on the proposal in the rule to change the payment mechanisms for residents training at Critical Access Hospitals, changes to CAH Conditions of Participation, as well as payment calculations for Sole Community Hospitals. To read NRHA’s comment letter, click here. To access the notice of proposed rulemaking, click here. CRHC will continue to provide updates. If you have any questions, please contact cs@coruralhealth.org.

Conference Presentation Submission Deadline Quickly Approaching

Our 2014 Annual Rural Health Conference and 2013 Rural Multicultural and Multiracial Conference presentation deadlines are right around the corner, and NRHA would love for you to share the opportunity with your members and contacts.

Help ensure Colorado is well represented at the National Rural Health Association's upcoming conferences.

Click here to submit a presentation for NRHA's 2014 Annual Rural Health Conference, which covers all facets of rural health and will be April 22-25 in Las Vegas.

And click here to submit your topic for this year's Rural Multiracial and Multicultural Health Conference Dec. 3-5 in San Antonio, Texas.

Submissions for both events will be accepted through July 15.

Are your facility personnel ready for ICD-10 Documentation Standards?

Workshop Objective: to help your CDI team (coders, physicians, other healthcare providers) understand the NEW documentation requirements in preparation for ICD-10 implementation, through the integral relationship of patient care, documentation, coding and compliance.

Why your CDI Team Should Attend: ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Disease, 9th Clinical Modification) has been the only diagnostic coding system most of us have ever known. In fact, the last clinical took place more than 35 years ago. With the conversion to ICD-10-CM set to take effect October 1, 2014 the time is now to educate both providers and staff involved with revenue cycle functions of the considerable changes in the structure of ICD-10-CM and the “explosion” of codes to manage. Three to five (3-5) digit codes are replaced with three to seven (3-7) digit codes and the 13,000 codes in ICD-9-CM will be replaced with the more than 68,000 codes in ICD-10-CM.

With a good understanding of the coding conventions and some careful consideration during the documentation and coding processes, ICD-10-CM can be successfully managed but only with buy in from the top down. Solid documentation will be critical!

This workshop is meant for team attendance - your hospital CDI team should include at least:

1 physician, 1 nurse, HIM Director, coder, QI Director, other hospital staff involved in clinical documentation and/or revenue cycle functions

For more information and registration, click on the location names:
Ft. Morgan - July 23rd
Rifle - July 24th
Alamosa- July 25th

Rural Women Veterans - Web Event and Discussion

Once again the VHA Office of Rural Health and the Rural Health Professions Institute are pleased to provide another great rural health learning event available to you live on www.MyVeHUCampus.com. This free broadcast may be viewed at work or at home, carries professional accreditation for your use, and promises to address issues specifically of concern to the care of rural women Veterans. We encourage you to set aside an hour, be prepared to ask questions of the presenters, interact with the other participants, and learn a little bit more about how we can all work to better meet the needs of this very special patient group.

For more information on VA eHealth University, visit our website at www.vehu.va.gov

Join the Office of Rural Health, Rural Health Professions and Virtual VA eHealth University (vVeHU) for:

"…To Care for HER Who Hath Borne the Battle…

The Rural Woman Veteran"

7/25/2013 1:00 PM - 2:10 PM ET

Click here to Register 

Of the 22 million living Veterans in the United States today, just over 10% are women Veterans. 83% of women Veterans receive care outside of the VA, and only 170,000 enrolled women Veterans living in rural and highly rural areas of the country, it is easy for VA health care providers to not be aware of or prepared for their unique needs. However, as the population of women veterans increase, so will their need for medical care from the VA. The Office of Rural Health is preparing for that challenge by educating those who will be providing that care.

This presentation will discuss the following topics to address:

• A history of women in the military
• The juggling of multiple roles by women
• Barriers to care such as clinic operating hours, transportation, and childcare issues
• Disparities in care of problems such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, immunizations and vaccinations
• Issues including high risk pregnancies, homelessness in rural areas
• Diagnoses like musculoskeletal and chronic pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Target Audience:
Rural Health Professionals, Women’s Health Professionals, All VA Employees, Women Veterans

iCARE: A Look At Year One and Updates on Year Two

June 30th brought the end the first year of CRHC’s funding through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Pulmonary Disease Grant Program (CCPD) supporting CRHC’s Improving Communication and Readmission (iCARE) program.

With this funding, the Colorado Rural Health Center implemented the iCARE Rural Diabetes Collaborative by partnering with the Southeastern Colorado Area health Education Center (SECAHEC) to employ a number of direct delivery and indirect delivery strategies tailored to improve diabetes outcomes in rural Colorado. The iCARE project supports an increase in access of self-management programs and education, improvement in use of disease registries and electronic health records (EHRs) to track data, identify high-risk individuals, and implementation of referral systems to enhance systems for early detection.

Twelve Critical Access Hospitals and their provider based clinics participated in the first year of iCARE Rural Diabetes Collaborative project representing all parts of the state from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope. During the first year CRHC conducted process mappings at each of the participating provider based clinics to help improve quality outcomes for their diabetic patients. Monthly webinars were held to examine quality data and provide quality improvement education. CRHC and the SECAHEC provided technical assistance and each participating clinic was provided A Personal Guide to Better Health: Managing Your Type 2 Diabetes (©The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation and Krames StayWell) to gauge a patient’s understanding and provide education surrounding self-management techniques for their type two diabetes.

The second year of the iCARE Rural Diabetes Collaborative will bring process mapping to the provider based clinics again as well as an expansion of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshops. CRHC and the SECAHEC will continue to provide clinics and hospitals with provider and patient resources for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol management and partner with local public health for community diabetes education sessions.

CRHC started iCARE in 2010. The program works with Colorado’s CAHs and their provider-based clinics on three overarching goals: improving communication in transitions of care; reducing readmission rates; and improving clinical processes that contribute to readmissions.

CAH Quality Network Webinars

Following our CAH Quality workshops we here at CRHC would like to highlight some of the services we can provide to help with your quality improvement needs.

The CAH Quality Network provides quarterly webinars surrounding quality improvement the upcoming topics are,

• July 18^th “Process for responding to Quality Concern”
• September 19^th, “Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Process”
• Nov 21^st, “Patient Engagement for Health”

Please contact Caleb Siem at cs@coruralhealth.org to ensure you are on the list serve to receive the invitations

CRHC is also pleased to provide

Quality Improvement Education Package

The Quality Improvement Education Package provides staff with education on three quality improvement (QI basics)

1.       Quality Improvement Team – Education about forming and utilizing a QI team

2.       PDSA (Plan Do Study Act) – teaches the PDSA cycle that facilities can then use to test and implement changes for improvement

3.       Process Mapping – on-site training with staff on tools and techniques to review current practice processes to understand and guide improvement

Management’s Role in Quality Improvement (QI) & Performance Improvement (PI)

This education program will help administrative and clinical manager and leaders enhance their role in QI/PI to lead the organization in attaining its goals. Topics covered include

1.       Aligning QI/PI efforts with the organization’s strategy

2.       Using QI as a strategy to accomplish goals

3.       Using data effectively

4.       Leading and coaching other in QI/PI initiatives

5.       Promoting and maintaining performance excellence

Guide – Becoming a Culturally Competent Health Care Organization

A guide released by the Equity of Care initiative and the American Hospital Association's Hospitals (AHA) in Pursuit of Excellence outlines the steps necessary for an organization to become a "culturally competent" hospital. Cultural competence—the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors and tailor healthcare delivery methods to meet their social, cultural, and linguistic needs—can improve health outcomes, increase community participation, and possibly lower costs, according to the guide, titled "Becoming a Culturally Competent Health Care Organization." For more information, click here.

Increasing Mental Health Literacy in Rural America

New Mental Health First Aid Rural Guide Released

An article from the National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council)

One in five Americans has a mental illness yet only about 4 in 10 of these people receive treatment. In rural America — where 20 percent of the country’s population lives — the challenges of getting mental health treatment are exacerbated by the fear of being misunderstood, lack of awareness about services and chronic shortage of behavioral health providers.

Mental Health First Aid delivery in rural communities helps to increase mental health literacy in rural America and connect people to care. A new guide focused on the delivery of Mental Health First Aid in rural communities was developed with support from the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions run by the National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council).

“Rural communities have a long history of taking responsibility and coming up with innovative solutions to disparities their populations face. Mental Health First Aid is an excellent tool to grow awareness in these communities. It is a low-cost, high-impact program that emphasizes the concept of neighbors helping neighbors,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council.

Mental Health First Aid helps to build community capacity to identify mental health and substance abuse issues early. Mental Health First Aid training in rural areas is offered through an in-person training that presents an overview of mental illnesses and substance use disorders, and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems. Participants learn a 5-step action plan to help individuals in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care.

Studies have found that people trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in helping others, a greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments and decreased stigmatizing attitudes.
Brought to the U.S. from Australia in 2008, the pioneering Mental Health First Aid program has already been delivered to more 100,000 Americans through a network of nearly 3,000 instructors. The training is intended for people from all walks of life, including non-clinical healthcare workers; school staff, counselors, and nurses; social and human services agency staff; law enforcement and corrections officers; nursing home staff; outreach workers; volunteers; clergy and members of faith communities; young people; families; and the general public.

Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) is testament to how Mental Health First Aid can make a difference in a rural community. A HRSA funded community health center in isolated Wrangell, Alaska, AICS has used federal grant funds to train local school system personnel, staff in integrated primary and behavioral health care clinics, respite providers and EMT first responders in Mental Health First Aid. The training has helped to reduce discrimination, make healthcare more user-friendly and accessible and has increased referrals as well as the likelihood of clients following up on referrals for behavioral health services.

Instructors already trained to teach the adult Mental Health First Aid program in their communities may add a rural certification by attending a brief online orientation and delivering a specified number of courses in designated rural areas annually (to learn more log in to the instructor web portal) Those new to Mental Health First Aid and interested in bringing the program to a rural community may review the Quick Start Guide. To find an instructor near you who can teach the course in your community, visit the Mental Health First Aid website and be sure to check for the blue “rural” icon.

Questions? Contact SusanP@thenationalcouncil.org or call 202.684.3733