|
County Incentives Program
|
| Reporting Period 2 began January 1, 2016 |
New Reporting Period
Reporting Period (RP) 1 ended on December 31, 2015. RP 2 runs from January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016.
Deliverables for RP 2 are due
July 5, 2016
. Requests for extensions will not be granted.
|
|
County Incentives Program - Task Group
|
On February 29, 2016, the Department will convene the FY 2016-17 County Incentives Program Task Group which will provide counties the opportunity to share feedback on the FY 2015-16 County Incentives Program and inform FY 2016-17 program.
We encourage county directors and/or staff to participate in this opportunity. If you would like to participate, contact either
Joshua Montoya or
Crestina Martinez.
|
|
County Grant Programs - Task Group
|
On February 29, 2016, the Department will convene the FY 2016-17 County Grant Program Task Group. The Task Group will provide counties the opportunity to provide feedback on the FY 2015-16 County Grant Program and inform the FY 2016-17 program.
We encourage county directors and/or staff to participate in this opportunity. If you would like to participate, contact either
Joshua Montoya or
Crestina Martinez.
|
| County Training Opportunities |
|
Annualized Income Webinar
|
Quick Links and Resources
|
|
Medicaid and CHP+ Rules and Guidance
Volume 8 - Rules - direct link to Secretary of State
HCPF Forms and Rules
HCPF Agency and Directors Letters
HCPF FAQs and Training
HCPF County Relations
CBMS Enhancement Sheets - OIT
Staff Development Center
Training Calendar
|
|
 |
|
Welcome to the February 2016 edition of County Connections!
Welcome to the newest edition of the
County Connections newsletter. The content in this newsletter is designed to inform county directors, management, and staff in areas such as county performance, process improvement, collaboration, policy updates, upcoming due dates, and more.
The content will continue to evolve. We encourage our county partners to give us your content suggestions. Feedback can be sent to the
HCPF County Relations team.
Please feel free to share County Connections with your colleagues by selecting forward this email
at the bottom of this page.
|
Breaking News - Policy and Process Updates |
Upcoming Stakeholder Meeting on Annualized Income
|
Department to hold webinar/meeting for annualized income
Based on stakeholder feedback from meetings held last fall, starting in summer 2016, the Department is planning to move forward with implementing annualized income for individuals with income from self-employment, seasonal employment and/or commission-based employment. This policy change is limited to MAGI based Medicaid programs and Child Health Plan
Plus
(CHP+). Eligibility determinations for non-MAGI Medicaid for individuals that have a disability, are blind or are 65 and older, will not be impacted by this change.
Please join the Department for a webinar/meeting for stakeholders to discuss this upcoming policy change. The webinar will cover:
- How the Department is implementing annualized income
- Who will be impacted by the Department's upcoming annualized income policy
- How will this change affect eligibility determinations
- Your questions
When:
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Attend in person:
303 E. 17th Ave,
Conference Room 11B/C
Denver, CO 80203
|
|
Medicare-Medicaid Dually Eligible: Resources
|
New Resources Available
Clients who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits are considered "dually eligible". It's not always easy for these clients to understand which program covers their services or who they should contact. Many people on both Medicare and Medicaid experience more barriers to receiving appropriate, individualized care.
Colorado has chosen
Disability Law Colorado to implement an Advocacy Program for dually eligible individuals who are enrolled in the ACC: MMP. The new Medicare-Medicaid Advocate, Julie Bansch-Wickert, will assist enrollees who have concerns regarding delivery of their health care or possible violations of rights or benefits. If clients receive full Medicare (Parts A, B and D and have no private insurance) AND full Medicaid benefits and have questions or need to speak with someone about their benefits, please refer them to:
Disability Law Colorado
455 Sherman, Suite 130
Denver, Colorado 80203
Main line: (303) 722-0300
Fax: (303) 722-0720
Toll free: (800) 288-1376
|
|
1095B Press Release and County Resources
|
New Resources on Federal Tax Document IRS Form 1095-B
If you have any questions regarding the 1095B, please direct them to Nina Schwartz, Eligibility Communications Specialist.
|
|
New Medical Assistance (MA) Site
|
Welcome to Hilltop Health
Hilltop Health Services Corporation is now a State-approved MA Site. Hilltop provides a variety of programs and serves individuals from before birth through adulthood.
Hilltop Health Services Corporation
1331 Hermosa Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81506
As a reminder, collaboration with MA sites counts towards the County Incentives Program collaboration incentive.
|
|
Timeliness for January 2016
|
Statewide timeliness of eligibility determinations
January 2016
Medical Assistance
timely applications:
97.70 %
Medical Assistance timely redeterminations:
94.77 %
|
|
Medicaid Eligibility Quality Improvement Plan (MEQIP)
|
MEQIP FY 2014-15 Annual Report: Accurate Authorizations
Over the coming months, the Department will highlight various results from the FY 2014-15 MEQIP annual report. This month highlights whether the county's authorization of the eligibility determination was accurate in the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS).
In the map above, if your county is shaded green, your county's authorization rate was found to be accurate 95% or above of the time.
If your county is shaded yellow, your county's authorization rate was found to be accurate between 75% to 94% of the cases reviewed. If your county is shaded orange, your county's authorization was found to be accurate between 0% to 74% of the cases reviewed.
Counties should utilize this data in order to determine training needs and areas for improvement.
In addition, the entirety of the MEQIP FY 2014-15
Annual Report - Statistics is now available. The Department will continue to highlight various areas throughout the coming months.
More information about MEQIP can be found on the website. For assistance on MEQIP reporting, contact Gina Martinez.
Note: if your county is shaded orange, you may have submitted an exemption; MEQIP reporting on County Connections represents a point-in-time. If you have made corrections and/or other arrangements with the MEQIP program manager, they may not be reflected in County Connections at the time of publication.
|
|
Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS)
|
PARIS expenditures in FY 2015-16 - As of December 31, 2015
Each fiscal year, the ten counties with the most cases listed in the PARIS system are allotted additional funds in order to work these cases. This system is critical to determining if a beneficiary is receiving benefits in multiple states, and if so, whether the client's case in Colorado should be closed or remain open.
As of December 31, 2015, these counties have only spent 20.7% of the state-wide allotment. Breakdown by counties is listed below.
| County |
% of PARIS Allotment Spent |
| Adams |
32.6% |
| Arapahoe |
7.6% |
| Boulder |
0% |
| Denver |
15% |
| El Paso |
18.9% |
| Jefferson |
1.1% |
| Larimer |
57.6% |
| Mesa |
28.6% |
| Pueblo |
23.9% |
| Weld |
40.6% |
The Department encourages these counties to utilize the funding allotted to them to work those cases listed in the PARIS system.
For more information regarding PARIS, contact Jared Shaffer, PARIS Program Manager.
|
|
|
Tribal Partners
|
|
Reminder: Collaborating with Colorado's Tribes counts towards the Collaboration Incentive
Through the County Incentives Program, counties are eligible to include Colorado's tribes as part of their collaboration incentive. The Department would like to encourage counties to consider collaborating with either of the tribes below in 2016 to help meet their collaboration incentive.
If your county has ongoing meetings for the collaboration incentive, consider inviting one of the tribes to participate.
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe
You may contact the Department's tribal liaison, Crestina Martinez, for more information on how to collaborate with our tribal partners.
|
|
Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Phase II
|
ACC Phase II Update: Procurement Timeline & Behavioral Health Services Reimbursement
Procurement Timeline
In response to feedback from the community and evolving guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department has decided to adjust the procurement timeline for Phase II of the ACC and begin the next phase on July 1, 2018.
The Department weighed numerous internal and external factors when considering the revision of the procurement timeline. From the outset, the Department was aware that the original proposed timeline was aggressive given the time required to support a transparent procurement process, identify and receive the appropriate federal authority to implement the program, and incorporate stakeholder feedback.
The Department is committed to continuing delivery system innovation as we work towards Phase II. Over the next two years, the Department will work with our providers and the current Regional Care Collaborative Organizations (RCCOs) and Behavioral Health Organization (BHOs) to innovate and transform our delivery system. The Department is confident these ongoing innovations and the revised procurement timeline will help better meet the needs of our community.
Behavioral Health Services Reimbursement
The Department has revised its proposal for reimbursing behavioral health services as outlined in the
ACC Phase II Concept Paper
. A modified capitation payment methodology will be retained for core behavioral health services. The capitation will be directed to the Regional Accountable Entities who will be responsible for managing the health needs of Medicaid enrollees in their region. The capitation will differ from the current capitation administered by the BHOs in order to better support whole person accountability.
Opportunities for Engagement & Staying Informed
The ACC Phase II Team will continue to utilize the currently scheduled
ACC Program Improvement and Advisory Committee (PIAC)
and Subcommittees to solicit feedback. These meetings are open to the public and have a call in option for participation. Notes will be available online following the meetings.
We encourage all interested parties to
sign up for the ACC Phase II Stakeholder Updates list
. The Department will use this list and our site,
Colorado.gov/HCPF/ACCPhase2
, as the primary vehicles to announce feedback opportunities and Phase II developments.
|
| Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Updates |
Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS)
There is an opportunity for public comment on proposed changes and additions to the "Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set" which is published by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, commonly known as the NCQA. This data set is also known as the "HEDIS."
Please note that this comment opportunity is not coming from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. To make comments, you must contact NCQA directly via the links given by them below.
HEDIS 2017® Public Comment From February 16 - March 16, 2016
All parties are invited to
comment
on proposed new measures and changes to existing measures for HEDIS® 2017, the latest version of NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set.
Proposed New Measures:
- Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness.
- Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence.
- Standardized Healthcare-Associated Infection Ratio.
- Depression Remission or Response for Adolescents and Adults.
Proposed Changes to Existing Measures:
- Use of High-Risk Medications in the Elderly.
- Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in the Elderly.
- Fall Risk Management.
- Pneumococcal Vaccination Status for Older Adults.
- Use of Imaging Studies for Low Back Pain.
- Immunizations for Adolescents and Human Papillomavirus Vaccine for Female Adolescents.
|
Public Comment Opportunity: Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records
HHS has published proposed revisions to the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations-42 CFR Part 2. The Notice of Proposed Rule-making, titled "
Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records
," was published in the Federal Register on February 9, 2016. This proposal was prompted by the need to update and modernize the regulations.
The goal of the proposed changes is to facilitate information exchange within new health care models while addressing the legitimate privacy concerns of patients seeking treatment for a substance use disorder. The regulatory changes will ensure that patients with substance use disorders have the choice to participate in and benefit from new integrated health care models without fear of the risk of adverse consequences. Due to its targeted population, the Part 2 rules provide more stringent federal protections than most other health privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Deadline: no later than 5 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 11, 2016.
Submit to:
In commenting, please refer to file code SAMHSA-4162-20. You may submit comments online, by mail, in person, or by courier (to avoid duplication, please submit your comments in only one of the ways listed):
- To submit comments online, visit http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the "Submit a Comment" instructions.
-
To submit comments by USPS Regular mail or by hand or courier, deliver to the following address:
SAMHSA
Attn: SAMHSA-4162-20
5600 Fishers Lane
Room 13N02B
Rockville, MD 20857
-
To submit comments by USPS Express or Overnight mail, deliver to the following address:
SAMHSA
Attn: SAMHSA-4162-20
5600 Fishers Lane
Room 13N02B
Rockville, MD 20852
Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received before the close of the comment period.
|
| HCPF Website Analytics for 2015 |
Annual metrics for the Department's website are now available
- There were more than 1.9 million total visits
to the HCPF site in 2015 and 7.3 million pages viewed.
- The Find a Doctor page was the most-visited page on the site.
- The Medicaid Income Chart was the most-downloaded document.
- More than half a million documents (primarily PDFs) were downloaded overall.
- The colorado.gov/health site had more than
150,
 000 unique visitors in 2015, which was 2% higher than 2014.
- More than 300,000 total pages were viewed.
- 37% of visitors were using phones and tablets compared to 28% in 2014.
|
|
Questions about the Hospital Provider Fee?
|
From
Joe Hanel, Senior Communications Expert, Colorado Health Institute
|
|
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing does not discriminate against any person on the basis of disability in its programs, services, and activities.
To meet the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Department adopted operating procedure
ADA001 Disability Rights Policy and Grievance Procedure. More information including a copy of this policy is available on the Department's
website. Printable copies of the Disability Rights Notice in
English and
Spanish are also available on the website.
For further information or to file a discrimination complaint contact:
504/ADA Coordinator
Health Care Policy & Financing
1570 Grant Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Telephone: 303-866-6010
FAX: 303-866-2828
State Relay: 711
|
|
|
