Health Innovations                                                                                May 2019

Successful site visit with CMMI The Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) office kicked off Mental Health Month with a final site visit with representatives from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and the Office of the National Coordinator May 1-2. A series of presentations showcased success across the four pillars of practice transformation, population health, health information technology and payment reform, the group visited Mayfair Internal Medicine, a SIM cohort-2 practice in Denver and participated in a SIM celebration with stakeholders. “We have been really impressed and have learned so much from the work in Colorado,” said Dawn Alley, PhD, who directs the State and Population Health portfolio at CMMI. “It’s exactly what we wanted from the SIM program” Prior to the two-day event, the SIM office hosted a special meeting to showcase its investments in e-Consults (detailed below) that spanned SIM and the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPi). Look for more details about the events on the SIM website and through social media channels . The team would like to thank everyone who completed the stakeholder readiness assessment sent by the Eugene S. Farley Jr. Health Policy Center. Your input is essential to understanding capacity for and motivation to build and continue cross-sector partnerships that promote behavioral and physical health integration. Results will be finalized this month and shared through SIM channels.

Focusing on men's mental health and wellness May is mental health month and SIM's metro local public health partners released new messaging for the " Let's Talk Colorado" campaign that focuses on men, who are at high risk for untreated mental health issues and suicide. This customized messaging was prompted by the SIM-funded call-to-action report that identified a need for specific outreach to men, who are not as likely to seek the whole-person care they need. Learn more about this campaign in the latest SIM podcast and read more online.

Strength in numbers: SIM-funded practice offers anxiety classes When care team members at Associates in Family Medicine (AFM), West Office started seeing more patients presenting with anxiety symptoms, they created a group class for guidance and help. What they didn’t expect was the number of staff members who’d want to attend, so they turned the patient content into a staff wellness program and 40 AFM employees signed up the first day the class, which has a 60-person limit, was announced. Read the full story online.

Last SIM-funded Multi-Stakeholder Symposium All SIM cohort practice representatives are encouraged to attend the final SIM-funded Multi-Stakeholder Symposium (MSS) on Thursday, June 6 in Denver. The MSS provides a unique and valuable opportunity for representatives from SIM practices, health plans that support them in the initiative and practice transformation organizations to learn from each other, build closer partnerships, reflect on progress made to date and discuss challenges and successes. Please watch for emails about this invitation-only event to which all three SIM practice cohorts are encouraged to attend. An email to RSVP will be sent soon. Please contact Elizabeth Mattes, SIM data management specialist, with questions and read a series of articles that cover previous MSS events for information about how these events have helped improve partnerships between health plan and provider representatives.

Increasing access to care for teens The Colorado legislature passed a bill that allows a teenager 12 years of age or older to seek and obtain psychotherapy services with or without the consent of a parent or guardian, if the mental health professional determines the minor is knowingly and voluntarily seeking services that are clinically necessary. This represents a win for increasing teen access to mental health services. Read more online .

State executive visits SIM and TCPi practices The SIM office is pleased to report that Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera met with the team that leads TCPi-funded work at San Luis Valley Health in Alamosa and with the La Plata Integrated Healthcare Clinic team in Cortez, a SIM cohort-2 practice. The visits were part of the lieutenant governor’s Health Care Roadmap Trip. Read about the new Roadmap to Saving Coloradans Money on Health Care released by the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care and stay tuned for more information about the visits.

Broadband expansion helps extend patient access to care SIM well exceed its goal of expanding access to broadband services for 300 rural health care sites during its four-year time frame. Using SIM funding, the Colorado Telehealth Network (CTN) helps eligible sites apply to the Healthcare Connect Fund, a federal funding stream administered through the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to reduce the cost of broadband expansion for rural health care sites. Through CTN’s efforts, 222 sites received expanded broadband services between 2015 and 2018, an additional 102 sites received funding commitment letters from USAC to expand broadband services and 58 applications are pending. Stay tuned for the final number of sites that expanded broadband services during SIM.

Telehealth/e-Consults SIM hosted a successful convening to showcase success and work underway with e-Consult programs. The University of Colorado School of Medicine and Mind Springs Health, which were awarded SIM funds, presented to representatives from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), who were in Denver for the final SIM site visit. Denver Health representatives also shared information about their e-Consult program, and work they’ve accomplished with funding from the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative. The convening provided a collaborative space for systems to share best practices and lessons learned. ONC and CMMI representatives shared a national perspective and offered insights and possible solutions for technical challenges. As noted by attendees, the convening was a successful demonstration of the innovation and energy in Colorado that is focused on improving patient care.

SIM video illustrates the value of integrated care When asked to summarize how SIM influenced health care in Colorado, several stakeholders described a cultural shift for care teams, a new body of knowledge that helps providers deliver whole-person care and more effective partnerships with health plans that support patient-centered, team-based care. Hear their words in a new video released by SIM .

Stratus ™ data refresh A Stratus™ data update is scheduled for May 31 and expected to include the following payers: Anthem, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, United, Cigna, Medicaid and Medicare (for CPC+, CPC+/SIM and SIM practices). This will be the final data update for SIM-only practices, and Stratus™ licenses for SIM-only practices will be deactivated June 30. Dual SIM/CPC+ and CPC+ only practices will have access to Stratus™ until the end of 2019, and there might be a potential for extending that time frame. Practice representatives should talk with health plan representatives about future access to the tool. S IM practices that are not in CPC+ are encouraged to use the data available through Stratus™ before licenses are deactivated at the end of June. Reach out to Elizabeth Mattes , SIM data management specialist, with questions and learn more about the tool: www.co.gov/healthinnovation/stratus .

SIM blog Read quick-hit snippets about lessons learned, successes and challenges associated with this federally funded health care reform initiative in the SIM  blog and let us know what topics you'd like to see covered in future posts.

Integrated care for vulnerable populations workshop You are invited to participate in a workshop hosted by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health that focuses on two integrated care models: One model for gender non-conforming and transgender children, adolescents and young adults and another integrated care model serving adolescents and young adults living with HIV or at-risk of acquiring HIV. The workshop will review literature on effectiveness and explore benefits and barriers to using integrated care models successfully. Learn more and register .

Free networking opportunity The Center for Health Progress holds an annual meeting every May to update members and partners, launch new initiatives and projects, and reconnect with its community of supporters. You are invited to participate as the Center reflects on the past year of work and looks ahead to the future. Register today for the breakfast and networking followed by a formal program. A Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Suggested reading

Primary care transformation: Can competitors collaborate? This issue brief, published by the Milbank Memorial Fund, assesses health plans’ perceptions about the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus initiative in three markets, including Colorado.

Resources for clinicians and care teams Check out these resources from The Care Transitions Network, which is tasked with reducing all cause re-hospitalization rates by 50 percent for people with a serious mental illness, while simultaneously helping organizations move forward with value-based payment arrangements.

Visit the SIM website

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The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1G1-14-001 from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM), a four-year initiative, is funded by up to $65 million from CMS. The content provided is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.