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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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/

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.

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

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.