Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Centers – Challenges for Improving Health Care Access in Rural America

In the discussions leading to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Health Care Reform requested research and policy analysis studies on a variety of key rural health care issues. This compendium is a collection of those research studies. Challenges for Improving Health Care Access in Rural America presents the studies according to subject matter from health insurance and its financing to health workforce. The Office of Rural Health Policy is releasing this compendium to fuel continuing discussion of the challenges facing rural communities as they implement health systems reform generated by the PPACA and by other policy changes. To access the compendium, click here.

TrailBlazer – Updated RHC Manual

TrailBlazer has recently revised their RHC manual.  To access the updated manual, click here.

2010 CAH Board Webinar Series

We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2010 Board Webinar Series hosted by CRHC and presented by Charney Associates. This series, geared towards CAH Boards and CEOs, will build upon the sessions presented in 2009, but will also be appropriate for new attendees. This year’s series will include 3 webinars to be held August 24, September 21, and October 19 from 4:30-6:00, plus a half-day workshop on November 4. Registration is available now. Click on the links below for more information and to register for each webinar. 

• Board Webinar I – August 24; 4:30-6:00: Key Elements of a Sound Board/CEO Relationship
• Board Webinar II – September 21;  4:30-6:00: What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You: Legal/Fiduciary Responsibilities of Directors
• Board Webinar III – October 19;  4:30-6:00: CEO Evaluation: Are We Getting What We Asked For?
• Workshop – November 4;  12:00-4:00: Details and registration available soon

HRSA Office of Pharmacy Affairs Webinar – Affordable Care Act and 340 Drug Pricing Program

Wednesday, July 28, 2010; 1:00pm EDT
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) has scheduled a webinar on the Affordable Care Act and 340B Drug Pricing Program for this Wednesday. To register for the event, please click here.

Commonwealth Fund Case Study – Pursuing The Triple Aim

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Triple Aim initiative seeks to help healthcare organizations achieve three objectives: improve the health of patients, enhance their experiences of care—including access to care, quality, and reliability—and reduce, or at least control, the per capita cost of care.

A new case study series from The Commonwealth Fund shows how three diverse organizations are transforming how they deliver care in pursuit of the Triple Aim:

• CareOregon, a nonprofit managed healthcare plan serving low-income Medicaid enrollees;
• Genesys Health System, a nonprofit integrated delivery system in Flint, Michigan; and
• QuadMed, a Wisconsin-based subsidiary of printer Quad/Graphics that develops and manages worksite health clinics and wellness programs.

To access the Commonwealth Fund case study series, click here.

Save the date for The Forum 2011!

The Forum 2011: Essential Perspectives for Safety Net Providers
Save the date for next year's Forum! It will be held April 19-21, 2011 at the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora. More details will be posted as they become available.

QHi Benchmarking Tool – Back to Basics Review

August 19; 1:00-2:00 MST
Quality Health Indicators (QHi) will be offering a Back to Basics webinar to review the fundamentals of using the benchmarking tool.  The QHi benchmarking tool is available at no charge to all Colorado CAHs. For more information, click here or email jd@coruralhealth.org.

Medicare Enrollment Guidance for Physicians that Infrequently Receive Reimbursement from the Medicare Program

In the process of implementing the provisions contained in the Affordable Care Act, CMS has become aware of several unique enrollment issues for certain types of physicians or practitioners. Specifically, CMS modified the process of enrollment to accommodate the special circumstances of the following individual physicians and practitioners:

• Physicians employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Physicians employed by the Public Health Service
• Physicians employed by the Department of Defense Tricare program
• Physicians employed by FQHCs, RHCs or CAHs
• Physicians in a Fellowship
• Dentists, including oral surgeons

For details on the modifications to the enrollment process for these special circumstances, visit the Special Enrollment Fact Sheet for Physicians with Infrequent Reimbursements on the CMS website.

Colorado Medical Assistance Program – Web Portal Survey

On July 12, the Colorado Medical Assistance Program sent out a link for their Provider Satisfaction Survey to get feedback regarding Web Portal services and functions. Answers will be used to help identify areas needing improvement which will help the program to adapt new and/or improved ways to communicate with and assist the provider community. The survey can be accessed at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ProviderWebPortalSurvey. The survey is available until Friday, July 23, 2010.

IHI Improvement Map

In a matter of weeks, IHI will host a conference call celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Improvement Map, IHI’s online interactive tool that distills the best knowledge available on key hospital process improvements linked to exceptional patient care. The call will kick off a series of calls designed to help hospitals get the most out of the Map – use it to make their care safer, more seamless, and patient-centered, as well as to reduce waste and lead more effectively. For more information or to access the Improvement Map, click here.

ENT Provider Available

ENT provider (also handles pediatric ENT) is interested in working in rural areas that are in need of an ENT to see patients once or twice a month.  For more information, please contact jh@rtwelter.com.

ONC Certification and Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs Final Rules: How will they impact you?

Thursday, July 22, 2010; 2:00-3:30 pm EST
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) together with The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) invite you to join an Audio Training on the Final Rules for ONC Certification and Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Learn about: The Benefit of HIT; Summary of the Final Rules; and Where to find additional resources. Hear first hand from ONC and CMS Experts! Call in information Dial: 1-877-251-0301; Pass Code: 87841621.

REC Services Now Available - Sign up Today!

The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC), in partnership with ClinicNET, is now available to provide clinics with Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC) services to help you assess, implement and adopt certified Electronic Health Records (EHR). These REC services are intended to help you achieve meaningful use, which for many will allow you to draw upon Medicaid or Medicare federal incentive payments!

The federal funding for CO-REC partners means that we can provide clinics with no-cost consultation services through CRHC’s Technology for Healthcare Excellence Consortium. These services include assisting you with:

1. Effectively selecting, implementing and meaningfully using an EHR
2. Standard contract language for EHRs and negotiated pricing including standard interfaces
3. Progress towards meaningful use of an existing EHR
4. Optimizing your practice workflow to ensure improvements in the quality of care
5. EHR contract language regarding Health Information Exchange (HIE) interfaces before you select your EHR so that you can position your practice to take full advantage of interoperability
6. Protecting the integrity, privacy and security of your patient’s Personal Health Information
7. Meeting the qualifications for Incentive Payments for Medicaid or Medicare
8. Developing an overall IT roadmap and infrastructure assessments

The no-cost CO-REC services are only available through federal subsidy for two years, so act now to begin taking advantage of this valuable resource that can save you time, money and the headaches usually associated with adopting technology!

To begin working with us as your REC partner, please fill out the provider letter of agreement and send us a signed copy by July 30, 2010, to attn: Nadine Gressett at 3033 S Parker Road, Suite 606, Aurora, CO 80014.

A Fact sheet is also available to provide you with more information about CO-REC as well as incentive funding and details regarding the CO-REC structure in our state. Feel free to email any questions you may have to cf@coruralhealth.org! We look forward to working with you.

Financing Your Working Capital Needs: The Colorado Health Foundation's Loan Fund webinar

TCHF has partnered with NCB Capital Impact (NCBCI) to establish a Loan Fund to help otherwise financially sound grantees through challenging economic times. The program enables grantees to maintain continuity of operations and ensure the impact of previous grant investments through an affordable source of borrowing.

If you are interested in attending this webinar register now, advanced registration is required. The webinar is
August 5, 2010 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT.

Notice to Providers Who Receive Medicare Payments to a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Account

TrailBlazer currently issues Medicare payments from accounts with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Due to CMS mandates, TrailBlazer will begin issuing Medicare payments from JP Morgan Chase Bank, effective August 2, 2010. As a result of this change, if you currently receive Medicare payments by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to an account with Bank of America, you will experience a change in the date that EFT payments are posted to your account.

Currently, because both accounts (TrailBlazer and provider) are with Bank of America, payments are transmitted to provider accounts the same day that TrailBlazer releases payments. When the banking change to JP Morgan Chase is effective, payments will transmit through the Federal Reserve Banking System's clearing process to reach the receiving bank. As a result, payments will not be posted to your account on the same day they are released as you are currently experiencing. This does not mean that the payment is late, but it does mean that payments will no longer be posted to your account as it is currently being done.  For more information, click here.

Part A Payments Mailing Address Change

Effective Monday, June 14, 2010, the address that providers use for remitting payments resulting from Medicare Part A overpayment determinations as well as all refunds due to Medicare Part A changed. Providers should now submit checks and accompanying correspondence regarding Medicare Part A payments to the following address:

TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC
Part A Financial Management Operations
P.O. Box 9060
Denison, TX 75020-9060

Part A payments include:

• Final and tentative settlement overpayments
• Interim rate review overpayments
• Claims overpayments
• Credit balance
• Voluntary refunds
• Miscellaneous reimbursements

This address is to be used only for the purpose of remitting Medicare Part A payments. This address should not be used to submit Medicare cost reports, reopening requests, appeal requests, extended repayment requests, credit balance reports or general correspondence.

Please contact the Part A Provider Contact Center at (866) 640-9202 for any questions regarding this address change. For more information, click here.

Fall 2010 Immunization Update Teleconference

Tuesday, August 3, 2010; 11:45 - 1:00 pm MT
CHAMPS will be holding the Fall 2010 Immunization Update Teleconference: HPV, Pertussis, Influenza/H1N1, and More on August 3. The teleconference is free to all healthcare professionals.

CME credit of 1.25 hours will be provided through the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), pending approval. CME credit will be provided for free to members of CHAMPS and CCHN. Non-members of CHAMPS or CCHN will be charged a $15 fee for CME.  For more information, click here.

Wipfli Webinar Series: Implications of the Health Reform Legislation

Please join Wipfli LLP for a series of four interactive webinars where presenters will help interpret the Health Reform legislation and will detail the implications of for your organization. Webinar topics will cover: Preparing for New Delivery Models; Implications for Operations; Impact on Quality; and Implications for Physician/Hospital Relationships.  For more information and to register, click here.

Cross-Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care

Physicians and other health care professionals practicing in today's culturally diverse society face significant challenges when they treat patients with different beliefs, values and views of health care. These differences are often exacerbated at the end of life, and may include different attitudes towards suffering, how death is addressed and discussed and the expression of pain. This monograph, presented by the UC San Diego School of Medicine, presents practical strategies for the provision of culturally and linguistically competent end-of-life care. For more information and to register, click here.

Quality Health Indicators (QHi) Quality Education Webinar

QHi has scheduled a free Quality Education Webinar available to all QHi users for July 20 from 12:00-1:00 MST titled, “Marrying the Strengths of Quantitative and Qualitative Data”.  The QHi benchmarking tool is available to all Colorado CAHs at no charge.  For more information on this webinar or to sign up to participate in the QHi benchmarking tool, email jd@coruralhealth.org.

HCPro CAH White Paper

HCPro has released a white paper about ten common CAH billing myths.  To access the paper, click here.

IHI Announces New CEO

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) announced that Maureen A. Bisognano, IHI’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will become its President and CEO. She will succeed Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, when he is sworn in as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). To read IHI’s press release, click here.

CMS Proposed Changes for 2011

In the proposed rule, released July 2, CMS proposes to modify the supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services to require direct supervision of the initiation of a service followed by general supervision for a limited set of non-surgical extended duration services, including observation services.  This is an important issue for CAHs and rural hospitals to review as it has direct implications on how these facilities are able to provide outpatient therapeutic services.   Another important issue is a proposed list of quality measures that are under consideration for possible future adoption, which include ER Transfer Communication measures. This is another important issue for CAHs and rural hospitals to review in order to make sure that the proposed measures are relevant to rural providers. CMS is accepting public comments on the proposed changes until August 31. For more information, click here.

RACTrac Collection Period Ends July 23, 2010

Please submit your hospital's RAC activity data to RACTrac before this quarter's data collection period ends on July 23. Submit your data today at: http://aharactrac.org/.

The AHA's RACTrac survey collects data from hospitals on a quarterly basis to assess the impact the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program on hospitals nationwide. AHA developed RACTrac in response to the lack of data and information provided by CMS on the impact of the RAC program on providers.

Please remember to fill out AHA's RACTrac survey before it closes for the quarter on July 23. Click here to fill out the survey today. Also, don't forget to attend this Wednesday's RACTrac webinar, click here to register.  Check out the RACTrac Results Report for more information on how RACs are impacting hospitals nationwide.
Contact RACTrac Support if you have questions or need your hospital's RACTrac registration information: 1-888-722-8712 or ractracsupport@providercs.com.

Thanks again for participating in RACTrac!

Fall 2010 Immunization Update Teleconference

CHAMPS will be holding the Fall 2010 Immunization Update Teleconference:  HPV, Pertussis, Influenza/H1N1, and More on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, at 11:45 to 1:00 pm MT.  The teleconference is free to all health care professionals.

CME credit of 1.25 hours will be provided through the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), pending approval.  CME credit will be provided for free to members of CHAMPS and CCHN.  Non-members of CHAMPS or CCHN will be charged a $15 fee for CME.

Immunization Update Teleconference Registration Form

Part A Payments Mailing Address Change

Effective Monday, June 14, 2010, the address that providers use for remitting payments resulting from Medicare Part A overpayment determinations as well as all refunds due to Medicare Part A changed.
Providers should now submit checks and accompanying correspondence regarding Medicare Part A payments to the following address:

TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC
Part A Financial Management Operations
P.O. Box 9060
Denison, TX 75020-9060

Part A payments include:

• Final and tentative settlement overpayments.
• Interim rate review overpayments.
• Claims overpayments.
• Credit balance.
• Voluntary refunds.
• Miscellaneous reimbursements.

This address is to be used only for the purpose of remitting Medicare Part A payments. This address should not be used to submit Medicare cost reports, reopening requests, appeal requests, extended repayment requests, credit balance reports or general correspondence.

Please contact the Part A Provider Contact Center at (866) 640-9202 for any questions regarding this address change. For more information, select the following notice here

Notice to Providers Who Receive Medicare Payments to a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Account

TrailBlazer currently issues Medicare payments from accounts with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Due to CMS mandates, TrailBlazer will begin issuing Medicare payments from JP Morgan Chase Bank, effective August 2, 2010. As a result of this change, if you currently receive Medicare payments by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to an account with Bank of America, you will experience a change in the date that EFT payments are posted to your account.

Currently, because both accounts (TrailBlazer and provider) are with Bank of America, payments are transmitted to provider accounts the same day that TrailBlazer releases payments. When the banking change to JP Morgan Chase is effective, payments will transmit through the Federal Reserve Banking System's clearing process to reach the receiving bank. As a result, payments will not be posted to your account on the same day they are released as you are currently experiencing. This does not mean that the payment is late, but it does mean that payments will no longer be posted to your account as it is currently being done.

CMS Update - Banking Transition Effective August 2, 2010

CMS recently awarded new banking contracts to U.S. Bank and JP Morgan Chase. Medicare providers do not have to take any action. However, providers should be aware that their Medicare payments may be made by a different bank than in the past because of these new banking contractors.

TrailBlazer will be transitioning to JP Morgan Chase effective August 2, 2010. For more information, select the following notice on the TrailBlazer Web site here

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Mentor Hospital Network

IHI has compiled a registry of mentor hospitals which have volunteered to provide support, advice, clinical expertise, and tips to hospitals seeking help with their implementation efforts for a number of initiatives such as CHF, Pressure Ulcers, CA-UTI, MRSA, RRT, Hand Hygiene, and more.  The registry lists mentor hospitals according to their area of expertise and includes the hospital’s urban/rural designation and bed size. For more information, to see a listing of mentor hospitals, or apply to become a mentor hospital, click here.

2010 CRHC Critical Access Hospital Advisory Council Meeting – Save the Date!

This year’s meeting will take place from November 4-5 in Denver.  This annual meeting brings together participants form CRHC, CAHs, and community partners to discuss Colorado’s CAH program accomplishments and goals for the coming year.  Details and registration available soon.

CDPHE Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Newsletter

The latest edition of CDPHE’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Newsletter is now available by clicking here. The newsletter contains important updates, recommendations and upcoming events.

TrailBlazer June 2010 eBulletin

TrailBlazer’s June 2010 eBulletin is now available with updates, notices, and links to TrailBlazer events.  To access the eBulletin, click here.

CMS Proposed Rule to Expand Medicare Preventive Services and Improve Access to Primary Care in 2011

CMS has issued a proposed rule that would implement key provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 that expand preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries, improve payments for primary care services and promote access to health care services in rural areas. The proposed policies would apply to payments under the MPFS for services furnished on or after January 1, 2011. The proposed rule would implement provisions that will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries for most preventive services. The proposed rule would improve access to primary care services by implementing an incentive payment for primary care services furnished by primary care practitioners, which can include physicians, NP’s, CNS’s and PA’s. The proposed rule would also implement a payment incentive program for general surgeons performing major surgery in areas designated HPSAs, would allow PA’s to order post-hospital extended care services in SNFs, and would pay certified nurse midwives for their services under the MPFS at the same rates as physicians. To read the entire CMS press release with links to the proposed rule, click here. CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule until August 24.

2010 Board Series – Save the Dates!

Save the dates for the 2010 Board Series, hosted by CRHC and presented by Charney Associates. This series, geared towards CAH Boards and CEOs, will build upon the sessions presented in 2009, but will also be appropriate for new attendees. This year’s series will include 3 webinars to be held August 24, September 21, and October 19 from 4:30-6:00, plus a half-day workshop on November 4. Registration information available soon.

CMS Proposed Rule – Visitation Rights

On April 15, 2010, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum to Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for the initiation of rulemaking that would ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors, regardless of whether the visitors are legally related to the patients. The President’s directive instructed HHS to propose that a participating hospital not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. CMS has issued a proposed rule, titled “Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Changes to the Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Conditions of Participation to Ensure Visitation Rights for All Patients,” which is currently on display in the Federal Register and was published Monday, June 28, 2010. To view the proposed rule, click here. The comment period closes August 27, 2010.