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Health Center News

Preparing Health Center Leaders for Medicaid Expansion


Health center administrative and operational teams (CEOs, COOs, CFOs, IT Directors, Enrollment Directors, etc.) are encouraged to attend a webinar with OKPCA on Monday, May 10 at 11:00 AM on how to prepare for Medicaid expansion.

As many as 200,000 Oklahomans are expected to gain coverage under Medicaid starting July 1, including tens of thousands of existing community health center patients. Experiences with expansion in other states show that health centers and their patients have a lot to gain by proactively preparing for expansion.

Joe Rivera, Founder and Principal Consultant of Q in E Services, LLC, led the enrollment department team at Valley-Wide Health Systems, one of the largest rural CHCs in the country. When Colorado expanded Medicaid, Joe and his team helped to transition thousands of uninsured patients from self-pay to Medicaid and Marketplace eligibility. He now assists primary care associations and health centers to support and strengthen their enrollment functions.

Use this link on Monday 5/10 at 11:00 AM to join the Medicaid Expansion Preparation Webinar.



OKPCA continues to host a series of Outreach and Enrollment Workshops with Steve Goldman. These interactive workshops are aimed at enrollment teams. Learn more.

Policy & Advocacy

Governor Stitt Ends COVID-19 State of Emergency

On Tuesday, Governor Stitt issued an executive order ending the COIVD-19 State of Emergency for Oklahoma. The end of the emergency triggered changes to emergency provisions around agency hiring and spending as well as Senate Bill 300, passed last year to grant health care facilities and providers immunity from civil liability related to COVID-19 treatment. Temporary amendments to the Open Meeting Act provided through SB 1031 to allow virtual meetings will also expire next month. Health center boards are no longer considered public bodies under the Open Meeting Act thanks to the passage of HB 1690.

Watch Governor Stitt's full video address on the end of the COVID-19 State of Emergency on YouTube.
 

HHS Eases Restrictions on Administering Buprenorphine

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder. The new guidelines exempt eligible physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives from federal certification requirements related to training, counseling and other ancillary services that are part of the process for obtaining a waiver to treat up to 30 patients with buprenorphine. Read the press release.

Trainings and Webinars

Medicaid Expansion Preparation
Hosted by Joe Rivera & OKPCA
Monday, 5/10
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Health Center Showcase: The National Diabetes Prevention Program
Hosted by the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
Tuesday, 5/11
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
1.0 CME/CNE available

OKPCA & SVI Board Meetings
Wednesday, 5/12
12:30 PM

Buying Home Blood Pressure Monitors to Support SMBP
Hosted by NACHC
Thursday, 5/13
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Medical Marijuana Training
Hosted by Feldesman Tucker & OKPCA
Friday, 5/14
9:00 AM
Register now!

Coordinating Hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV Treatment in Primary Care
Hosted by the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium and the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center Tuesday, 5/25
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Medicaid PPS Change in Scope
Hosted by OKPCA
Tuesday, 5/25
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Register now!

Health Center Happenings

HRSA COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF): The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be hosting a webcast session on May 12 at 12:00 PM to provide an overview and orient health care providers to the program by covering information such as enrolling as a provider participant, submitting patient information, submitting claims, and receiving payment via direct deposit. For more information about the program, access:

The HRSA COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF) will cover the costs of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients whose health insurance doesn’t cover vaccine administration fees, or does but typically has patient cost-sharing. While patients cannot be billed directly for COVID-19 vaccine fees, costs to health care providers on the front lines for administering COVID-19 vaccines to underinsured patients will now be fully covered through CAF, subject to available funding. Providers who have FDA-authorized COVID-19 on or after December 14, 2020 (the first date of vaccine distribution in the United States), may now submit their COVID-19 vaccine administration fee claims for reimbursement consideration to the CAF. To be eligible for reimbursement, the provider must have first submitted the claim to the individual’s health plan for payment and had the claim denied or only partially paid. Providers can access the CAF Portal. View Frequently Asked Questions.

Updated Health Center Program Site Visit Protocol: HRSA is updating the Site Visit Protocol (SVP) to assess compliance with Health Center Program requirements for all Operational Site Visits (OSVs). See a summary of key changes. HRSA is not changing the Health Center Program Compliance Manual at this time. The updated SVP will be effective for all OSVs that start after Friday, May 28. Federal representatives have contacted site visit teams and health centers with visits scheduled between Monday, May 31, and Friday, July 30, regarding the updated protocol. The updated SVP and all related site visit tools will be posted on Thursday, May 27. Please contact your Project Officer with specific questions.

Vision Care Grants for FQHCs: The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved is partnering with the Centene Foundation for Quality Health Care to provide grants of $25,000 to health centers to assist with start-up costs and expansion of permanent and comprehensive eye health and vision care programs as part of its Eye Health and Vision Care program. Permanent programs are defined as programs that are located at the health center site and operate year-round on a regular schedule. Some health centers, particularly those in rural areas, may apply for portable equipment to operate a flexible clinical model where services are made available at more than one site on a regular schedule. Grant dollars may be used to support the cost of new equipment and services necessary to establish or expand vision care programs. Funds may not be used to support salaries, contracted optometry or ophthalmology services, replacement equipment, or construction costs. The deadline to apply is Monday, May 31 at 8:00 PM. Grants will be distributed in late June. For questions, please contact Sabrina Edgington at sedgington@clinicians.org. Apply now!

Champions of Health - Accepting Nominations: Do you know a Champion of Health? The annual Champions of Health program honors and supports those people and organizations that are working to improve Oklahoma's health, and the program holds them as examples, so others can follow their lead. Working together, we can improve the health of Oklahoma. Nominate your Champion of Health before the nomination window closes Friday, May 21.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program: Health center patients can apply beginning May 12 for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. $3.2 billion in funding will be available to provide qualifying households a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.

 

Consumer advocacy groups, social service agencies, and other organizations that support broadband customers are welcome to print and distribute any or all of the toolkit's resources in their communities. Additionally, all are welcome to integrate the web banners and tiles into their websites.

Instructions for using zipped folders can be found in the Overview and Guide.

To apply:
  1. Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process.  
  2. Go to www.getemergencybroadband.org to apply online and to find participating providers near you. 
  3. Call 833-511-0311 for a mail-in application, and return it along with proof of eligibility to: Emergency Broadband Support Center P.O. Box 7081 London, KY 40742 

Medicaid Prospective Payment System (PPS) Change in Scope Process Panel: Health center finance teams are invited to attend this presentation and panel on the Medicaid PPS change in scope process on Tuesday, May 25 at 1:00 PM. Health centers' Medicaid PPS rates are bundled, cost-based payments for qualifying providers and encounters. Changes to the PPS rate can be requested when costs rise due to increases in services delivered or the intensity of services provided. Variety Care CFO Tim Reddout will lead a brief presentation and join Charlie Vest, CFO of Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center, and Felicia Belvin, CFO of Caring Hands Healthcare Centers, on a panel to answer questions. Register now!

Medical Marijuana Training with FTLF: OKPCA is hosting a training on medical marijuana with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell on Friday, May 14 at 9:00 AM. Community health centers in Oklahoma are invited to attend this training on balancing state and federal law with federal grant obligations. Register now!

Outreach and Enrollment Workshops: OKPCA is partnering with Steve Goldman, a Navigator with expertise in health center outreach and enrollment, to help health center certified application counselors (CACs), community health workers, and other enrollment staff to prepare for Medicaid expansion. Workshops will provide a combination of training on Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment assistance as well as a place for enrollment teams to ask questions and share best practices.

Upcoming workshops will be held Thursdays at 1:00 PM on May 20; June 10, 24; July 8, 15, 22; August 5, 19.  Webinars will be recorded and materials will be posted on the Outreach and Enrollment Community on OKPCA's member portal. Learn more and register now.

Updated Medicaid Expansion Flyers: The Cover OK Coalition, led by the Oklahoma Policy Institute, has produced flyers in English and Spanish for health centers to use to get the word out to existing and potential patients about Medicaid expansion. The flyers now reflect that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) will begin accepting applications June 1.
Providers Encouraged to Apply for NHSC by May 27: Given the increased funding provided under American Rescue Plan Act, HRSA is seeking to recruit the largest-ever class of primary care, dental, behavioral, and mental health care providers to participate in the program. Without enough program recruits, HRSA will not be able to provide National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayors to health centers with lower health professional shortage area (HPSA) scores. Individuals can apply for the Loan Repayment Program (LRP), Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP (SUD Workforce LRP), and Rural Community LRP.

HRSA Healthy Grants Workshop Registration: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced that registration for the 2021 Healthy Grants Workshop – Presented as a Web Series, is now open. Register now for up to eight sessions. There is no cost to attend and you can attend as many sessions as you would like. The first session begins in May, followed by a new session every two weeks through August 24. Each session includes two to three topics, from grants policies, financial monitoring, and grant budgeting, to Prior Approvals, an Electronic Handbooks overview, and more.

2021 OKPCA Annual Conference - Call for Presenters: OKPCA is seeking abstracts through May 7 for breakout workshops and panels for our conference September 30 - October 1, 2021. This year's conference will be held at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel. OKPCA is looking for sessions lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes in the following areas:
  • General Sessions
  • Clinical (Care Innovations)
  • Enabling Services
  • Operations/Finance
  • Behavioral Health 
  • Board Governance
  • Population/Rural Health
  • Workforce/HR
  • Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health
  • Telehealth/Care Delivery Systems
  • Payment Transformation
  • HIV/Infectious Disease
  • Emergency Preparedness/Business Continuity
Use this link to submit an abstract by May 7.

Coverage for the Uninsured: Fact Sheets on COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage: In response to concerns of access barriers some patients face regarding documentation requests prior to receiving COVID-19 vaccination, and individuals inappropriately being sent bills for COVID-19 vaccine fees, HRSA created fact sheets to help patients and providers better understand their rights and responsibilities regarding access to COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccines are free to anyone living in the U.S. Learn more on HHS’ COVID-19 Care for Uninsured Individuals webpage.

Value-Based Reimbursement and Integrated Behavioral Health Community of Practice: Value-based reimbursement (VBR) offers a more equitable, integrated, and person-centered approach, but health centers may need support to navigate this complex process. HRSA invites health center staff to join an upcoming community of practice to learn VBR basics and what providers need to know and do as they work toward health care that is viable and sustainable for all. Because VBR cuts across all areas of a health center, participating teams can include managers in integration, quality improvement/quality assurance, health information technology (HIT), population health/data analysis, finance/billing, and, senior staff responsible for strategic planning. Participants can earn 1.5 CE credits for each session they attend, with a maximum of 9 CEs for participation in all six sessions.
Registration is open for the second cohort:

What We're Reading

  • OSDH changes some COVID-19 data reporting, sets new vaccine goal as State of Emergency lifted (KOCO)
  • State declines some of federal vaccine allocation due to decline in vaccine demand in Oklahoma (KFOR)
  • Bill that requires healthcare facilities to post prices of procedures signed into law (KFOR)
  • Oklahoma COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Mapped by ZIP Code (Oklahoma Watch)
  • What Stitt lifting his COVID-19 state of emergency means in Oklahoma (NonDoc)
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This newsletter is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,175,428 with 25% of the project financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.