October 24, 2018
  WVPCA Weekly Outlook Newsletter
    A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
 

We offer this publication as a member service of the West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA).

If you have questions regarding our organization, WVPCA membership, or if you have content to suggest for this newsletter, please contact Kelsey Clough, Education and Communications Coordinator, by email or by phone at (304) 346-0032.

Sincerely,

West Virginia Primary Care Association
1700 MacCorkle Avenue
Charleston, WV 25314-1518
304-346-0032
1-877-WVA-HLTH
Quick Links: In This Issue.....

 State  News

News 
Flash!

West Virginians urged to take precautions to prevent polio-like illness
Read the entire article from The Exponent Telegram  here

Barriers to rural health care go beyond transportation
Read the entire article from  The Register-Herald   here

Southern Obesity Summit opens in Charleston Monday
Read the entire article from MetroNews  here
WVPCA NewsWVPCA
WVPCA Announces 2018 UDS Training Date
The WVPCA, in conjunction with HRSA/BPHC will be hosting the 2018 UDS Training, presented by Art Stickgold.  This event will be held on Thursday, November 8, at the Holiday Inn Express - Civic Center, Charleston.  Registration is at 8:00 am with the session beginning at 8:30 am and concluding at 4:30 pm.  Registration information is available here.  
 
Please note - our registration process has changed and is now exclusively online. If you experience any difficulty with the registration process, please contact the WVPCA at 304.346.0032.
Next MCO Meeting Scheduled for October 26
The WVPCA invites Community Health Center staff and MCO representatives to attend the next CHC/MCO meeting to discuss quality measures and other opportunities to collaborate and improve care to patients.  The meeting will be held at the WVPCA office building - and via WebEx on October 26, 2018 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm.  We encourage you to participate by completing online registration form available here.
WEBINAR SERIES OPPORTUNITY- WHAT WORKS: A QI Peer to Peer Learning Collaborative
Please join the WVPCA and Jennifer Calohan RN, CURIS Consulting for six, hour-long interactive webinars that will explore topics to assist health centers with Quality Improvement.  The purpose of this Learning Collaborative is to promote the sharing of best practices among your peers, to celebrate your achievements, and to continue to learn from not only experts but each other. 

The first webinar,High Performing Care Teams: Why, Who, How is scheduled for Tuesday, October 30 at noon. Registration is available here.
All upcoming trainings hosted by the West Virginia Primary Care Association are available on our website - WVPCA.org. Check out and get registered for upcoming events, mark your calendar for WVPCA-hosted trainings and events, and access recordings of past events. 

For more information, contact the WVPCA at 304.346.0032
State NewsState
Marshall University and Project ECHO host Endo-Cardio ECHO Opportunity 
Marshall University has partnered with Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). The goal of this program is to increase the capacity of primary care providers to safely and effectively treat chronic, common, and complex conditions associated with endocrinology and cardiology issues. The ECHO clinic is held the first Tuesday of each month at 12:00  with alternating endocrinology and cardiology sessions.

For more information, click here
2018 Health Information Technology Summit Registration Now Open
 You are invited to the 2018 Health Information Technology (HIT) Summit being held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center on November 14, 2018.  This one-day summit will focus on building technology partnerships across sectors to coordinate services to West Virginians affected by substance use disorder.  A special thank you to the West Virginia Partnership for Health Innovation, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, and the West Virginia Chapter of HIMMS for their work in helping organize this highly important summit.  Contact wvhit@wv.gov with any questions about the summit.
 
Registration information is available here. The complete invitation is available here and the draft agenda can be accessed here
National NewsNational
CMS Hands States More Power for Waiver Process
In a dramatic overhaul of the current 1332 waiver process, the CMS said state legislatures will no longer have to approve waiver plans. Instead, governors will be able to take action on their own. The agency also changed how it will evaluate waivers. 

Read the entire article from Modern Healthcare here
CMS 138 v.6: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention
 Due to updates in the guidance and specification of CMS138 from 2017 to 2018 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), health centers may see a difference in their "Preventive Care and Screening: Tobacco Use: Screening and Cessation Intervention" clinical quality measure percentage in their 2018 Uniform Data System (UDS) report. This difference stems from the change in the measure logic summarized below:
  • CMS138v5 (2017): Evidence of tobacco cessation intervention must occur within 24 months of the end of period (e.g., the end of 2017).
  • CMS138v6 (2018): Evidence of tobacco cessation intervention must start concurrent with or after the most recent tobacco use screening. Health centers must also use the most recent screening which has a documented status of tobacco user or tobacco non-user to satisfy the measure.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is aware of the measurement change, and health centers should continue to follow the specifications from CMS on this measure. Please feel free to share this note with your networks and/or other UDS stakeholders.
Webinar and Training Opportunities 
 



NCQA Digital Quality Summit
When: November 14-15
Where: Washington, DC
WhatThe Summit convenes quality improvement stakeholders including senior decision makers, measure development experts, clinicians, government agencies, public health officials, data intermediaries, vendors and payers to advance measure interoperability solutions. Registration is available here
Community Health Center ResourcesResources
ECRI Institute 
 
The  ECRI Institute  offers numerous policy templates that can be used as guidance consistent with the needs of community health centers. To take a look at their library of policy templates, click  here .

If you are not an ECRI member, creating a free account before accessing these materials is required. ECRI Institute resources are provided for free on behalf of HRSA.

To Access Policies: 
  • From the main page, click on the clinical risk management link on the left hand side of the page
  • Click sample policies and tools listed under tool-kits on left side of page
Click on the + sign to access individual templates.
Tracking and Referral Resources Available at ECRI
 
ECRI has released a Test Tracking and Follow-Up Toolkit and the Get Safe! Communication Ensuring Care Coordination of the Medically Complex PatientAll resources are provided for free by ECRI Institute on behalf of HRSA.  If you do not currently have access and would like to set up an account, just email them or call (610) 825-6000.  For those who have already registered on the site, the links will take you to these tools.  
WVPCA Staff

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
Data Services & Integration  Speci alist

 Jennifer Boyd  PA-C, PCMH-CCE Clinical Consultant
Education & Communications
Coordinator
 Warne Dawkins, MBA
Health Data Analyst
J ohn Kennedy
School-Based/Behavioral Health Coordinator
Member Relations Coordinator
Shannon Parker, 
MBA, PCMH-CCE 
Director of Health Center Operations
Special Programs Coordinator
Staff Accountant
Clinical Quality Improvement Coordinator
To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter, click HERE
West Virginia Primary Care Association
  1700 MacCorkle Ave. Charleston, WV 25314| (304) 346-0032 | WWW.WVPCA.ORG
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