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County Incentives Program
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| FY16-17 County Incentives Program Guidance |
Official guidance available below
In July 2016, the Department released formal guidance for county partners to successfully implement the FY 2016-17 County Incentives Program. Download the guidance by clicking below; it is also available on the
County Administration website.
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FY 2016-17 County Grant Program
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CFMS Coding
If your county was approved for County Grant Program funding for FY 2016-17, please ensure you use CFMS code M210.5400 to code all grant expenses.
Grant expenses should NOT be coded to county administration if the county was approved for Grant Program funding.
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| County Training Opportunities |
Staff Development Center:
Expanding Foundations Long Term Care - Denver Metro
September 1, 2016 -
September 2, 2016
8:30am - 4:00pm
Expanding Foundations Non-MAGI - Denver Metro
September 7, 2016 -
September 8, 2016
8:30am - 4:00pm
Expanding Foundations MAGI - Grand Junction
September 19, 2016 -
September 21, 2016
8:30am - 4:00pm
Online through TrainColorado:
Building Effective Relationships
Civil Rights
Client ID State ID
Colorado Address Confidentiality Program
IRS 1095-B Health Coverage Video
Medicaid Buy-In
PEAK
Health App
Single Streamlined Applications (SSAp) 101
Understanding Poverty
Your Road to Resources
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing:
Annualized Income Webinar
Other training not mentioned above may qualify for the HCPF Training Incentive. Contact the County Relations team for more information on the Training Incentive.
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Quick Links and Resources
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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 - Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT)
Staff Development Center (SDC)
Training Calendar
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Welcome to the August 2016 edition of County Connections!
Please note: We have made a correction to the section: New 60 Day Timeline for Eligibility Appeals. Please see red text below. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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.
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Breaking News - Policy and Process Updates |
| New 60 Day Timeline for Eligibility Appeals |
Department works to implement HB 16-1277
Beginning on September 1, 2016, Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program) applicants and members will have 60 days, as opposed to the current 30 days, after the eligibility determination date on the Notice of Action to file an eligibility appeal with the Office of Administrative Courts.
The eligibility Notice of Action language will be updated to reflect the 60 day timeline for appeals starting in early 2017 based on current CBMS build schedules.
The Department will be releasing an Agency Letter with additional information for our county partners later this month.
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| Have you heard that Colorado Medicaid is now called Health First Colorado? |
Resources available for county partners
As of June 27, 2016, the Colorado Medicaid program is now called Health First Colorado. The new name reflects the significant improvements that have been made to modernize Colorado's Medicaid program to better engage members and improve the quality and coordination of care.
Grant funding provided by the
Colorado Health Foundation and
Caring for Colorado Foundation is currently supporting a statewide outreach and education campaign to let members and the general public know about the name change and emphasize Colorado's commitment to putting health first. Below is an example of the advertisements that are running on buses, posted at bus shelters located near health centers, online and playing on radio stations statewide. All advertising is running in English and Spanish.
The Department will provide a limited number of printed materials, including posters and key message cards, to help counties promote the name change. These materials will be delivered by Department staff during scheduled visits. Look for more information to be coming soon!
The Department is encouraging counties to update public-facing communications, including your website and printed materials as they need to be reprinted, with the new name. All references to Medicaid and Colorado Medicaid may be updated to Health First Colorado.
Visit
Garfield County's website for a great example of how they used the online banner advertisements to promote the name change and information about the Health First Colorado program.
For more information on the Department's rebrand effort, contact Debbie Fimple, Health First Colorado Grant Manager.
Back to Top
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| Building Better Health Conference |
Mark your calendar for the 2016 Building Better Health Conference - the only in-person training opportunity comprehensive health insurance outreach and enrollment training. In addition to providing training on the health coverage application process and Marketplace plan selection, attendees will have access to the latest uninsured data and coverage resources, with lots of time to network with other health coverage guides, assistance site navigators, certified application assistants, brokers, community-based organizations and advocates. Save the date now to join your colleagues and prepare for the open enrollment period.
Save the Date
Building Better Health 2016: Roadmap to Health
Oct. 13-14, 2016
Crowne Plaza DIA
15500 E 40th Ave, Denver, CO 80239
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| Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program): Educational Videos for Members |
Educating Members on Benefits
The Department developed four videos to help Health First Colorado members learn about their benefits. The videos cover what a member needs to know about their physical, behavioral and dental benefits. In addition, a video was developed just for pregnant women. Each video tells members the basic information they need to know and guides members where to go for more information and assistance.
Share the videos by linking to them on your website, sharing the videos through social media, playing the videos in your waiting room and sharing the videos in your newsletters. At this time, the videos are available only in English. The videos can be found here.
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Timeliness numbers for the month of July 2016 are in!
Timeliness for all Medical Assistance
applications for the month was measured at
98.39 percent.
The Department and its county partners have registered 25 consecutive months above 95 percent timeliness.
Timeliness for all Medical Assistance redeterminations for the month was measured at
96.99 percent.
The Department and its county partners have registered 6 consecutive months above 95 percent timeliness.
This could not have been accomplished without the hard work of our county partners. Many thanks!
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The following counties were
below the 95.00 percent benchmark for the month of July 2016.
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Applications
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Redeterminations
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| Archuleta - 90.38% |
Baca - 89.62% |
| Baca - 90.00% |
Broomfield - 91.86% |
| Moffat - 86.49% |
Clear Creek - 94.12% |
| Montezuma - 92.27% |
Fremont - 93.08% |
| Rio Grande - 91.40% |
Grand - 92.61% |
| Saguache - 94.64% |
Gunnison - 91.78% |
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Kiowa - 80.65% |
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Lake - 88.11% |
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Mineral - 46.43% |
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Moffat - 94.21% |
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Otero - 89.59% |
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Ouray - 93.33% |
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Saguache - 92.38% |
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San Juan - 91.30% |
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San Miguel - 91.67% |
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Medicaid Eligibility Quality Improvement Plan (MEQIP)
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MEQIP Submission for Quarter 4 Report
The Department has completed its review of MEQIP data to determine which counties submitted their Quarter 4 report timely
. The counties listed below were timely with the Quarter 4 report submission:
| Adams |
Alamosa |
Arapahoe |
Archuleta |
Baca |
| Bent |
Boulder |
Broomfield |
Chaffee |
Cheyenne |
| Clear Creek |
Conejos |
Costilla |
Crowley |
Custer |
| Delta |
Denver |
Dolores |
Douglas |
Eagle |
| El Paso |
Elbert |
Fremont |
Garfield |
Gilpin |
| Grand |
Gunnison |
Hinsdale |
Huerfano |
Jackson |
| Jefferson |
Kiowa |
Kit Carson |
La Plata |
Larimer |
| Las Animas |
Lincoln |
Logan |
Mesa |
Mineral |
| Moffat |
Montezuma |
Montrose |
Morgan |
Otero |
| Ouray |
Park |
Phillips |
Pitkin |
Prowers |
| Rio Blanco |
Rio Grande |
Saguache |
San Juan |
San Miguel |
| Sedgwick |
Summit |
Washington |
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Note: County Connections reflects a point-in-time. If you made alternate arrangements or submitted after the due date, those actions will not be reflected in the data above.
For more information on MEQIP, contact Gina Martinez, MEQIP Program Manager.
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Process Improvement and Collaboration
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Park County Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
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Park County redesigns business processes in collaboration with the Southern Institute
Congratulations to Park County for their upcoming BPR work that was funded through the FY 2016-17 County Grant Program. In collaboration with the Southern Institute, Park County will focus on redesigning their business processes to better utilize data and reporting that is available from the COGNOS system. This should better aid eligibility technicians in determining which cases require timely action, thus improving eligibility performance numbers.
In addition, Park County will also focus on further integration with their community partners:
Park County believes it can do a better job of processing applications in accordance with rules and expectations, the main benefit, of course, being that our clients will get needed benefits more quickly and our processes will be more seamless to them. We also intend to work with our community partners in health, corrections, schools, treatment providers, etc. so that they will understand what they are referring clients to and be in a better position to support them and work with us to meet the unique needs of our citizens.
The Department supports the efforts of Park County, and all of our county partners, in their continued drive to refine their business processes to better serve the citizens in their communities.
County partners can keep projects such as this in mind for future grant funding opportunities. The Department will continue to highlight process improvements and collaborations through the County Grant Program in the coming months.
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ACC Phase II Update: Requests for Proposals and Federal Waiver Authority
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The Department is working with our partners to develop the next phase of the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). Phase II of the ACC seeks to leverage the proven successes of Colorado Medicaid's programs to enhance the Medicaid client and provider experience.
Learn more about ACC Phase II.
Currently, the ACC Phase II Team is working with internal subject matter experts to review the draft request for proposals (RFP). We look forward to sharing the draft RFP for stakeholder comment in fall 2016. Between now and the release of the draft RFP, the Department will not regularly solicit stakeholder feedback.
Federal Waiver Authority
Through our ongoing conversations with CMS, the Department has received guidance that we can seek the necessary federal authority for the Program through a 1915(b) waiver. A new 1915(b) waiver will give the Department the federal authority to fulfill key components of Phase II, including automatic enrollment of members into the ACC and the utilization of one entity per region to administer primary care and behavioral health services for members.
In preparation for our waiver submission, the Department has been working with Leavitt Partners to analyze our waiver options. As experts in CMS authorities, Leavitt Partners is also helping the Phase II Team draft the waiver request. The two consultants from Leavitt Partners have more than 65 years of combined working experience in Medicaid and state health programming. They have been valuable assets in the development and refinement of a draft waiver and communications with CMS.
The Department intends to formally submit the waiver draft to CMS on September 1st in order to open up a dialogue with them and move towards the final draft submission in 2017.
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ACC Member Evaluation Survey Taking Place Now
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On behalf of the Department, TriWest Group is conducting telephone interviews with ACC members regarding their experiences, challenges, and successes in accessing and receiving health care. Each phone interview is expected to last approximately 30 minutes.
The purpose of these interviews is to inform a larger effort of evaluating the ACC program and developing a set of potential care experience survey questions for future use by Health First Colorado. Flyers were sent to randomly selected members at the end of July to alert them that someone will call to interview them sometime in the next four weeks. Findings will be submitted in August and included in the ACC evaluation final report in September.
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Cross-Agency Effort to Improve Member Eligibility Correspondence
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In spring 2016, the Departments of Health Care Policy & Financing and Human Services, the Governor's Office of Information Technology and Connect for Health Colorado partnered on a research project to inform and improve member eligibility correspondence.
The first part of the research project engaged our partners, members and communications experts in the field of plain language. We chose to focus on the four letters that would reach nearly every member: the Notice of Action, Redetermination/Renewal Letter, Income and Eligibility Verification System Letter, and Verification Checklist Letter.
The final reports, recommendations and a brief webinar to review the first part of the research project's findings are available at Colorado.gov/HCPF/PlainLanguage.
We are now beginning the next phase of work to get additional feedback from policy and legal experts, stakeholders and counties on the redrafted correspondence. We look forward to sharing additional information with you in the coming months our progress.
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From Connect for Health Colorado
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One-Time SEP for People Residing in Community Corrections Facilities
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued new guidance that residents of community corrections facilities, also known as halfway houses, are now eligible to enroll in Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) or through Connect for Health Colorado and receive Advanced Premium Tax Credits and Cost Sharing Reductions. These individuals are no longer considered to be incarcerated and should not indicate such when filling out the online application.
As a result of this guidance, Connect for Health Colorado will open a one-time Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals who were residing in a community corrections facility prior to July 29, 2016. This one-time SEP will last from
July 29 to September 27, 2016
. Individuals released into a community corrections facility on or after July 29, 2016, will have an SEP that starts the day they are released into the community corrections facility and will last 60 days. For a list of eligible community corrections facilities, click here (exception: Gateway: Through the Rockies is not an eligible facility).
CAC Program Application Now Open
The Certified Application Counselor (CAC) program is an unfunded initiative that engages partner organizations to support Connect for Health Colorado's efforts to provide Coloradans access to affordable health coverage. It is an opportunity for health care providers and organizations that already perform application assistance for health coverage or financial programs to become CAC Designated Organizations. Connect for Health Colorado will train and certify staff and/or volunteers as CACs. Application documents are on the Connect for Health ColoradoCAC Program webpage. Applications can be submitted between
August 1 and September 15, 2016
, for participation in the program from October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2017.
Connect for Health Colorado Shopping Marketplace Unavailable August 25-29
In preparation for the upcoming open enrollment period, Connect for Health Colorado is performing planned system maintenance beginning August 25, 2016, at 12:01 a.m. and continuing through August 29, 2016, at 6:00 a.m. During this time the shopping marketplace will be unavailable.
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Medicaid Training Offered by Community-Based Organization
Medicaid is designed to provide health coverage for our nation's most vulnerable individuals and families. Medicaid makes it possible for millions of children, parents, pregnant women, people with disabilities and seniors to get the health coverage they need to get healthy and stay healthy. And now, more low-income adults are eligible for Medicaid than ever before as a result of the Medicaid expansion, implemented with federal support provided through the Affordable Care Act.
As the improvements to the Medicaid program brought about by the Affordable Care Act take full effect, the information provided in this workshop will give providers and their managers new tools to work effectively with clients who are applying for or currently enrolled in Medicaid.
Designed for those new to Medicaid as well as more experienced providers, the day is broken into two sessions we're calling Medicaid 101 and Medicaid 202. You can register for the 101 session alone (half day) or both sessions (full day).
Medicaid and Beyond
Basic: Sept. 15, 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Advanced: Sept. 15, 1 - 5 p.m.
Denver Rescue Mission Administration & Education Building
6100 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80216
For more information and online registration, please visit: Medicaid Basic and Advanced.
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The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, creed, political beliefs, or disability in employment, admission or access to, treatment or participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs, services and activities.
For further information about this policy, to request free disability and/or language aids and services, or to file a discrimination complaint, contact:
504/ADA Coordinator
1570 Grant St
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-6010, Fax: 303-866-2828, State Relay: 711
Civil rights complaints can also be filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights electronically through the
Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal
or by mail, phone, or fax at:
1961 Stout Street Room 08-148
Denver, CO 80294
Telephone: 800-368-1019, Fax: 202-619-3818, TDD: 800-537-7697
Complaint forms are available online
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For more information, please visit our website at
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