New Title X Regulations in Effect
On Monday, July 15, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that most of the new Title X rules that were finalized this past March are in effect immediately .
 
This announcement follows weeks of court action during which the status of the rules changed several times, most recently on July 11 when the Ninth Circuit Court announced that HHS could begin enforcing them. Under the rules that are now in effect, health centers that receive Title X funds – either directly or as a sub-recipient – are prohibited from referring a pregnant woman for an abortion, and are required to refer all pregnant women for prenatal care.
 
Starting next year, Title X-funded organizations will be required to maintain strict physical and financial separation between Title X-funded activities and any abortion-related activities they offer.

A sample policy and procedure document developed by Feldesman Tucker on complying with the new Title X regulations can be found here. 
Targeted Funding Cliff Advocacy on Capitol Hill 
On Wednesday, July 17, CHCANYS' CEO Rose Duhan and Marie Mongeon, Policy Analyst, along with Lindsay Farrell, President & CEO of Open Door Family Medical Centers, and Kelly Sabatino, Public Policy Manager for Community Healthcare Network, were in Washington, D.C. to advocate for the continuation of the Community Health Center Fund through a long term extension. They met with the offices of Senator Chuck Schumer, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Nita Lowey, thanking them for their support and urging them to pass legislation funding health centers before September 30. Check out our Facebook and Twitter for more pictures and a video of Rose and Lindsay live from the Hill.  

Proposed Legislation Update
Congress is currently focused on two introduced proposals: S.1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act in the Senate and an amended version of H.R.2328, Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence ( CHIME) Act in the House.

  • The Senate HELP Committee passed S. 1895, Lower Health Care Cost Act, which calls for 5 years of level funding for the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF), National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME). It also addresses Special Diabetes Programs, surprise billing, youth tobacco use, maternal mortality and health care costs. Click here for NACHC's press release on the bill.

  • The House E&C Committee amended the CHIME Act by voice vote on July 17. The revised CHIME Act calls for 4 years of level funding for CHCF, NHSC, THCGME. It also includes DSH funding, Medicaid money for territories, Medicare extenders, surprise billing and other public health programs.

As the September 30 deadline approaches, keep tweeting, calling and engaging your lawmakers! National Health Center Week is a great opportunity invite your legislators to your health centers and events!
National Health Center Week is Less Than Two Weeks Away!
With the health center funding cliff approaching NHCW is way to engage your lawmakers and demonstrate the value of CHCs. August 4-10, 2019, we celebrate National Health Center Week (NHCW) to recognize the work of New York’s 800 health centers that provide comprehensive primary care services to 2.3 M New Yorkers and build ongoing support for the health center program.

We hope that you will consider hosting an event during National Health Center Week this summer and invite your elected officials, business partners, patients, and community members to participate. Let CHCANYS and NACHC know about your events by submitting an  event form  - NACHC will help to link health centers with sponsors who may be willing to fund their events. We look forward to celebrating with you! 

If you have submitted your event through the NACHC website, but don't see it listed here , please email hwoodman@chcanys.org .
CHCANYS19 Register Now!
Date: October 28-30, 2019
Location: Tarrytown, NY
Register today for CHCANYS Annual Conference and Clinical Forum! CHCANYS19   will provide FQHC leadership, staff, and partners with an o pportunity to learn from industry experts and one-another about current issues and initiatives impacting New Yo rk’s community he alth centers – and to learn about our onsite sponsors and exhibitors.  
Click here to register . Email us at  conference@chcanys.org  with any questions.
NEW DATE! Save the Date: 2019 Jeffrey T. Latman Family Day at the Races
Please hold Sunday September 22, 2019 for this year’s CHCANYS / Jeffrey T. Latman Family Day at the Races at Belmont Racetrack. This year marks the 22nd Anniversary of The Jeffrey T. Latman Family Day at the Races and benefits CHCANYS and its mission to ensure access to affordable, high-quality health care for all New Yorkers. Invitations will be sent soon!
Auto HPSA Scoring Changes to be Finalized in August: What to Do
HRSA expects to release the finalized auto-HPSA scores for FQHCs late in August. The scores will reflect the new, automated scoring process and organizations seeking a re-score of these results will need to do so through an online portal by September 30. CHCANYS will host a conference call on Tuesday July 30 at 11:00 am to discuss the changes and the process for appealing auto-HPSA scores. In order to participate, you must register ahead of time here.
 
To learn more about the changes in advance of our call, you may want to attend HRSA’s July 24 webinar about the portal or view the webinar’s archived version.
 
Please contact Liliana Heredia ( lheredia@chcanys.org) if you have questions in advance of our conference call.
Just Announced: CHCANYS Compliance & Risk Management Academy with FTLF
This fall, CHCANYS will launch the Compliance & Risk Management Academy, our latest initiative in partnership with Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP (FTLF). The academy will consist of a series of four training events (two in-person meetings & two virtual meetings/webinars). Each session will focus on health center-specific considerations for effective program development and strategies for addressing substantive risk areas. The target audience for the academy is health center leadership and compliance officers, as well as risk management and quality improvement staff. The first session will take place on the third day of our annual conference, CHCANYS19 with additional dates through June 2020. Early Bird discounted rate applicable through August 31 st . Registration and more information available here or reach out to questions@chcanys.org . 
Attn: CFOs – Leverage Resources To Save Time & Money
More than forty FQHCs Statewide actively participate in CHCANYS’ unique partnership with the Commonwealth Purchasing Group (CPG) to save on operational expenses. Collectively these centers realized $2.7 million in savings last year. With an expansive portfolio of vendors including employee screening, credentialing and compliance services, telehealth, language services, recruitment services, medical and dental suppliers and day-to-day business solutions to name a few, for 20 years CPG’s strategic contracts are designed to benefit FQHCs. To learn about a no-obligation assessment of current purchases or to discuss new site or specific project needs, please click here. Do you have plans for a new site or expansion or need to assess your operations for savings? By joining CPG, you are able to leverage the following resources. Click here for the 2019 catalog. Contact: rwynn@chcanys.org, pdubois@cwpurchasing.com or smason@cwpurchasing.com to schedule an appointment today!  
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