County Connections Newsletter
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This Department of Health Care Policy & Financing newsletter is designed to inform county directors, management and staff about county performance, policy changes, process updates, upcoming due dates, and more
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High-Impact Policy and Process Updates
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CBMS Transformation Update
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Participants for CBMS Transformation Phase 2 Post Go-Live Focus Groups
During the July RE Connect Call, we discussed our plans to host focus groups following the CBMS Transformation Phase 2 Go Live.
This document includes the information we previously discussed.
The intent of these focus groups is to follow up on the results of the readiness survey, which will be sent out this Friday, September 20. We will ask users to provide more specific information about their readiness for Transformation and to determine other ways we can help support CBMS users.
We are asking for Resident Experts to work with Supervisors and Managers at your eligibility site to help identify individuals who can help participate with focus groups between October 21 and November 15. Once you have identified individuals who are able to participate, please go to the
Post Go Live Focus Group Participants List
to enter their contact information. The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 4.
We are looking for representation across small, medium, and large counties, as well as MA sites. We are hoping for around 85 volunteers from the counties and an additional 5-10 from MA sites.
As always, we greatly appreciate your help with these efforts!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us the
CBMS Liason
.
CBMS Self Service Ticket Process
It is also on the CBMS Home Page under the
Quick Links
.
PLEASE NOTE:
Do not use the outdated OIT Service Desk Portal. It does not have the most current version or CBMS templates.
CBMS TEMPLATES on the OIT Service Desk Portal:
- CBMS Case - Issues around the case itself
- CBMS Performance - Experiencing slowness in CBMS
- CBMS Navigation - Experiencing issues with the new updated navigation within CBMS
There are mandatory fields on each template that you will need to fill out.
REMINDER: Please do not email the CBMS Liaison emails box with issues. We will ask that you submit a Service Desk Ticket.
September Issue of The Road to Transformation Newsletter
The
Road to Transformation
is a monthly one page overview that previews one key feature of CBMS Transformation and discusses current activities. The newsletter is published the first week of each month.
This is the final
The Road to Transformation
!
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Letter from the Executive Director
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County Partners,
This month I’d like to address the second pillar of our new Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) performance plan:
Medicaid Cost Control — Ensure the right services for the right people at the right price
We take our responsibility to our members very seriously. This responsibility includes ensuring both appropriate program and benefit use and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Colorado Medicaid, which is growing at an annual claim trend of 9.19 percent on a per-member-per-month basis and 4.3 percent on a total cashflow basis. If we take steps now to safeguard utilization and control costs, we are ensuring Colorado Medicaid will be strong and viable for years to come.
These measures, outlined in our Department performance plan, support the Medicaid Cost Control pillar:
- Achieve $6,780 per member per year ($565 per member per month) in average annual Medicaid per capita total cost of care, excluding all supplemental and other financing payments.
- Work with the Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs) to better coordinate care for our members with the most complex needs. Identify the members who would benefit the most from RAE support, and identify the areas where Medicaid health care costs are rising by September 1, 2019.
- Work with the RAEs to identify programs that will improve Medicaid member health and better control costs by March 1, 2020.
The entire performance plan, including more detail on the five pillars and each of these measures, is available
on our website
.
Thank you for your partnership and commitment helping the Department improve health and control costs across the Medicaid program.
Kim Bimestefer
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HCPF Business Process Reengineering (BPR) Learning Sessions
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On behalf of the Department, Public Consulting Group (PCG) is excited to invite you to Learning Session 1. Participating in these two-day sessions will give you an opportunity to:
- Learn Lean principles to improve workflows
- Learn about the Cycle of Continuous Improvement
- Learn about Quality Improvement through “Mini Pump”
All participants will receive Training Incentive hours via
Colearn
for this State fiscal year.
There will be a limit of 2-3 participants per each County/MA Site. Please select the key staff that will benefit from this learning session.
Those attending must RSVP through
Colearn.
Search in Colearn under the subject
Learning Sessions
,
and select the region you will be attending.
Participants should plan to attend both days of the learning session to have the Training Incentive hours credited to their transcript.
Dates, times, and locations for regions are as follows:
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The Department will provide lunch at each region’s Learning Sessions.
Note:
If you have a food allergy or food preference please
contact us
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Recent Memo Series Issued to Counties
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OM 19-041
The purpose of this Operational Memo is to provide information about the process to transition to Conflict-Free Case Management when new providers move into regions where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have granted a rural exception.
OM 19-039
The purpose of this operational memo is to advise the eligibility sites of the increase to the Community Spouse Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA) and Shelter Allowance. Please share this letter with all eligibility staff, supervisors and administrators that manage nursing facilities, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and other outside agencies, as appropriate.
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HCPF Informational Updates
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Hospital Transformation Program Update
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Update on HTP communications archives
The Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) website was restructured to give more transparency to historic communications between the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (the Department) and stakeholders. In addition to archives of past editions of the HTP Newsletters, the website now includes, and will continue to include, additional communications regarding HTP. Please see the
HTP website
for more information
.
Scoring Framework Posted
The Scoring Framework
, the revised version of how measures will be scored, has been posted to the HTP website. Hospitals will be evaluated on both state and local measures, with local measures being chosen by hospitals to specifically reflect the needs in their community as identified through the Community and Health Neighborhood Engagement (CHNE) process. The document outlines the program pieces that have associated penalties and incentives, and at what levels.
The proposal
for calculating the total required effort for measures is that each hospital will be required to work on a set of statewide and local measures equal to 100 points. The number, mix and points per measure will vary according to hospital size, defined by bed count or specialty type. As it has been throughout the development of the HTP, the development process has been open, transparent and inclusive of stakeholder and community input and feedback.
We'd like to recognize the work of the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) and the various workgroups who participated in this important collaboration. Please feel free to reach out to
the HTP team
with any questions or comments.
Rural Support Fund
The Department is beginning the process of holding preliminary meetings with a small group of hospitals to discuss the Rural Support Fund component of the HTP. Pending approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, this part of the program will be under 1115 waiver authority to provide additional resources for non-resort, critical access and frontier hospitals. Additional information about this component of the program will be forthcoming and can be found in future editions of the HTP Newsletter.
If you’re like to know more about the HTP, we encourage you to visit
the HTP website
as well as read past editions of the HTP Newsletter in
our online archives
. If you have additional questions about the HTP, please contact
Courtney Ronner
, Hospital Relations and Communication Manager, at 303-866-2699.
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The Process for Submitting a Disability Determination Application to Arbor (ARG)
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Arbor/ARG will no longer accept applications from Non-Department approved sources.
This is not a new process and has been outlined within the scope of the contract that the department holds with Arbor/ARG.
Reasons why:
10 CCR 2505-10 8.100.5.A(b)
The Medical assistance disability determination application shall be collected by a designated eligibility site representative and shall be forwarded to the state disability determination contractor upon completion. The state disability determination contractor shall conduct a client disability determination and shall forward the determination to the designated eligibility site representative.
It is the responsibility of Medical Assistance Sites/County Human Service offices to review the disability application for completeness prior to sending to the disability vendor.
- The State pays Arbor per application and when they receive applications from third-parties, they have no way to verify if there is a valid open Medicaid case on file or in process.
We discovered there were some exceptions being made to allow the acceptance of third-party applications previously, however the process has been clarified with the vendor while working with them on their contract this past spring.
As a reminder Arbor (ARG) will only accept applications from approved Medical Assistance Sites/County Human Service offices.
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NOTE:
The Medical Assistance Sites/County Human Service offices is responsible to send the Disability Application to ARG for processing.
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ARG will reject applications that do not conform to this process.
The department wants to ensure clarity with the enforced process. We appreciate your participation moving forward.
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Public Rule Review Meeting
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Public Rule Review meetings
are an opportunity for stakeholders to have one-on-one conversation with the Department's rule author regarding draft rules.
Public Rule Review meetings happen on the second Monday after the second Friday of each month. Stakeholders can attend in person or can e-mail feedback to the rule author before the rule goes to the Medical Services Board (MSB).
This does not take the place of public testimony at the MSB meeting and anyone who wishes is invited to come to the meeting to address the Board directly.
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County Grant & County Incentives Programs
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FY 2019-20 County Incentive Program
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Quarter 1 grant check ins are scheduled for late September. Reach out to the County Team if you have any questions.
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Timeliness for August 2019
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Timeliness for all Medical Assistance
applications
was measured at
97.53 percent
.
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Timeliness for all Medical Assistance
redeterminations
was measured at
98.31 percent
.
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Department Contacts & Resources
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The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing complies with applicable federal and state civil rights laws and does not discriminate 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.
Learn more about our Nondiscrimination Policy
.
ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-800-221-3943 (State Relay: 711).
CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 1-800-221-3943 (State Relay: 711).
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
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Colorado Dept. of Health Care Policy & Financing
(303) 866-2993 | 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203
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