General Assembly Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on what's new at HCPF with this newsletter created specifically for the Colorado General Assembly. 

Please contact Zach Lynkiewicz if you have questions or need help with constituent issues. 
HCPF's 2017 Legislative Agenda

The Department's legislative agenda this session focuses on improving value and sound stewardship.  Two of our bills have been introduced to date, including:
  • HB17-1139: Improve Program Integrity Efforts sponsored by Rep. Landgraf, Rep. Michaelson Jenet, Sen. Kefalas and Sen. Martinez Humenik
  • SB17-091: Align Statute with Federal Home Health Rules sponsored by Rep. Ginal, Sen. Crowder and Sen. Moreno
The Department is also currently working with legislators on bills that will address:
  • Implementing Conflict-free Case Management
  • Reducing Opioid Overdoses by Accessing the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
  • Contingency Planning for Changes to the Child Health Insurance Program Funding 
New Study Finds Colorado's Accountable Care Collaborative is Working 

A new study  and editorial were published on February 13, 2017 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine, comparing Colorado's Accountable Care Collaborative program to Oregon's Coordinated Care Organization models. Oregon uses a fully capitated model while Colorado is managed fee-for-service. Equivalent reductions in spending were achieved in Colorado without capitation and overall quality was similar.
Department Annual Report Now Available

The Department's Annual Report is available on our website. The report covers Fiscal Year 2015-16 and focuses on data and personal stories of the people we serve.
Legislative Resource Center & Welcome Videos on HCPF Website

As a reminder, our Legislative Resource Center  on our website is available to help legislators and legislative staff easily find information and reports. It includes links to reports, fact sheets and overviews of the budget process. 

Recently, we added more short videos to this site where our office directors introduce themselves and provide basic background about Medicaid and other programs for new and returning legislators.  We hope you find them helpful and informative. 
HCPF Submits Seven New Reports & LRFIs to the General Assembly 
Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II Update: Draft Request Comments

The next Phase of the Accountable Care Collaborative seeks to leverage the proven successes of Health First Colorado's (Colorado Medicaid's program) programs to enhance the member and provider experience. The goal of the Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II is to improve health and life outcomes of members while using state resources wisely.   Learn more about ACC Phase II.

The Department sought targeted comments between November 4, 2016 and January 13, 2017 on the draft request for proposals (RFP) from stakeholders. More than 255 comments were provided on the draft Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II RFP. These comments, coupled with the feedback the Department received from 16 in-person meetings across the state and 3 live-webinars, is helping refine the content for the formal release of the RFP in Spring 2017

Respondents expressed appreciation of the process and the opportunity to provide comments. Some of the themes from the feedback include:
  • Strong support for the focus on the integration of physical and behavioral health
  • Mixed response to the proposed attribution methodology
  • Requests for greater clarification regarding the six behavioral health visits that can be offered in primary care practices
  • Suggestions for stronger incorporation of substance use disorder services into the program
  • Recommendations that cannot be incorporated into the RFP, such as suggestions for expanding Health First Colorado benefits or alterations to federal managed care regulations
All comments submitted to the Department have been made publicly available and can be found on Colorado.gov/HCPF/ACCPhase2 .

The Department is working to review all comments received and is making updates to the RFP that align with our agency authority, state and federal rules, and the goals of Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II.

The Department plans to release the final RFP in Spring 2017. Below is a high level timeline for the Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II. 

COMMIT Update

The Department's implementation of its new claims payment system, the Colorado interChange, is two weeks away. On March 1, our providers will begin using the new Provider Portal to update contact information (including whether they are accepting Medicaid or CHP+ members), check member eligibility and submit claims.

As of Monday, February 13, we had 41,397 providers enrolled. There are 285 providers awaiting review and 1,980 providers have been sent a request for more information.

We understand some providers have been waiting for approval on their application for an extended amount of time. The Department has increased resources dedicated to expediting applications in state review - more than 100 applications have been processed since January 30. We also sent a letter to providers last week letting them know that submitting an application prior to February 28 will ensure the provider is not terminated on March 1. The Department will work these providers to ensure they can continue providing services to our members and receive payment for appropriately billed services.
 
Providers have also been noticed about a delay in payment as we "turn off" the old system and "turn on" the new one. Messaging about the delay has been shared since October 2016 and specific dates were published at the end of January. Providers can find specific information about the delay here.

As always, if providers need help with their application, accessing the interChange or need information about their application status, they should visit our Provider Enrollment Webpage or call the Health First Colorado Enrollment and Revalidation Information Center at 1-844-235-2387.
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing  
(303) 866-2993 | 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203
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