Advancing Health in Rural America

Monday, June 13, 2011 | 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. ET

An AARP Solutions Forum in Collaboration with the National Rural Health Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focusing on how can we improve health care in rural America, where a shortage of providers limits access to primary and preventive services, reduces consumer choice and can raise costs?

Join policy experts, thought leaders and key stakeholders to examine important opportunities to improve rural health found in the recommendations of the recent Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.

We will discuss problems facing rural health care, highlight cutting-edge rural health models that are making a difference, explore state and national nursing-based solutions, and discuss policy implications for state and federal policymakers.
Click here to register to attend in person. or Click here to register for the live webcast.

Important new Update on Remittance Advice from CMS

CMS has identified an institutional remittance advice problem where claim adjustment reason code A7 is being used to explain adjustments where other appropriate codes that better explain the adjustments are available. Be assured that we are working to resolve this problem and we will inform providers when this issue has been resolved. We regret any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

For more information on Remittance Advice, please contact your local Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). A Provider Call Center Toll-Free Numbers Directory can be found by clicking here, in the ‘Downloads’ section of the webpage.

Provider Payment Delay Update from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

The proposed provider payment delay was not in the FY 2010-11 budget and was not in the FY 2011-12 budget. There will not be payment delays this fiscal year and they are not planned for the next fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011. There is always a possibility of changes in the budget based on the economy.

For more information, please contact Joanne Lindsay at joanne.lindsay@state.co.us.

Author in the Room Teleconference coming soon!!

June 15 Author in the Room® Teleconference Join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time for the Author in the Room® teleconference. The topic for this call is the JAMA article:

Finances in the Older Patient With Cognitive Impairment:
“He Didn't Want Me to Take Over”
by Dr. Eric Widera

Many patients with cognitive impairment and their families seek guidance from their primary care clinician for help with financial impairment, yet most clinicians do not understand their role or know how to help. Dr. Widera will discuss his JAMA article on the role of the primary care clinician in educating older adult patients and their families about the need for advance financial planning, recognizing signs of possible impaired financial capacity, assessing financial impairments in cognitively impaired adults, recommending interventions to help patients maintain financial independence, and knowing when and to whom to make medical and legal referrals.

To help launch this unique collaboration between IHI and JAMA, former IHI President and CEO Don Berwick, MD, MPP, and JAMA Editor Catherine D. DeAngelis, MD, MPH, co-authored a JAMA editorial.
Enrollment
There is no fee for this innovative initiative but enrollment is required. Enrollment grants you one telephone connection and unlimited participation at your site. Please note there are limited lines available for this call so early enrollment is encouraged.
A free audio recording of the call will be posted to the "Archive" tab of the program web pages after the call.

Enroll now for the June 15 "Author in the Room®" call.

Reminder: CCPD Review Committee Vacancies - June 7 Deadline!!!

The Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Pulmonary Disease (CCPD) Grant Program, on behalf of the Colorado Board of Health, is currently seeking applicants for four (4) positions on the statutorily-mandated grant program Review Committee (“Review Committee”):

1) Cardiovascular disease professional
2) Cancer professional
3) Recognized expert in health disparities
4) Public health professional

The Review Committee is a 16-member advisory committee created by legislation (C.R.S. 25-20.5-303) to oversee program strategies, review grant applications and make funding recommendations to the Colorado Board of Health for a competitive grants program established with a portion of the state’s tobacco excise tax revenue. The purpose is to fund competitive grants that provide a cohesive approach to cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary disease prevention, early detection and treatment in Colorado.
The Review Committee is a working advisory board that meets monthly. Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and are open to the public. Additional time is required during the grant review process between January and April of each year. In addition, ad hoc committee assignments related to major components of the program may be needed during the term of office. A committee Chair and Co-Chair, responsible for setting agendas and working with state health department staff, are elected by the committee members. Members serve without compensation but will be reimbursed for travel expenses.

All those interested in becoming a member of the Review Committee must submit 1) a signed application form, 2) current resume, and a 3) statement of interest (why the applicant would like to serve on this committee), by Tuesday, June 7, 2011. The term of office for new appointments will be a full three-year term, from August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2014.

The application form and more information about the Review Committee are available for review if you click here

Please join us for this interactive Web Forum on Community Transformation Grants

Monday, June 6, 201111:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Putting the “Transformation” in Community Transformation Grants: Building Momentum for Equity and Prevention
Please join us for this interactive Web Forum:

Click here to register

New Information Regarding Medicare Enrollment for Providers

Medicare Enrollment Guidelines for Ordering/Referring Providers Fact Sheet – This new publication is now available in downloadable format. It is designed to provide education on the Medicare enrollment requirements for eligible ordering/referring providers, and includes information on the three basic requirements for ordering and referring and who may order and refer for Medicare Part A home health agency, Part B and DMEPOS beneficiary services.

Medicare Shared Savings Program and Rural Providers Fact Sheet – View, print or download this new fact sheet that is designed to provide education on how the Medicare Shared Savings Program (as proposed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) impacts rural providers.
The following fact sheets are now available in print format from the MLN General Information Web page by scrolling to Related Links Inside CMS and selecting MLN Product Ordering Page:

Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (revised February 2011) – Designed to provide education on the
Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule including background information, coverage of clinical laboratory services and how payment rates are set.

Ambulance Fee Schedule (March 2011) – Designed to provide education on the Ambulance Fee Schedule including background, ambulance providers and suppliers, ambulance services payments and how payment rates are set.