To ensure all Coloradans have every opportunity to be fully vaccinated, the Colorado Joint Vaccine Task Force is joining the CDC in new guidance that advises that providers should not miss any opportunity to vaccinate every eligible person who requests a COVID-19 vaccination. Click here for more information.

Colorado has opened vaccine eligibility to the general public age 12 and over. Your patients trust information coming from you, even those who are hesitant to get vaccinated. Find more information on how to answer patients’ questions at covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine-faq. 

The Department needs your help ensuring your Health First Colorado patients and CHP+ patients get vaccinated. Do your part by letting them know when you have the vaccine available for them, or where they can get it if you don’t offer it. Let them know that the cost is entirely covered; they won’t be charged co-pays or for the office visit. Reassure them that it’s safe to come to your office and that there is transportation available if they need it. 

If a member requires additional support to get the vaccine, please contact the assigned Regional Accountability Entity (RAE) or Managed Care Organization (MCO). Please also encourage your staff to get their vaccines, and refer them to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for information on vaccine safety. You can get more information on which phase your staff should be vaccinated in and where at covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine.  

Now that Colorado's vaccine supply is becoming readily available, more and more primary care physicians are beginning to administer vaccinations to their patient population. CDPHE created a communication toolkit for primary care doctors who can help encourage their patients to get vaccinated. 

Resources from the Child Mind Institute:

Congratulations to the Diabetic Management & Outcomes Grant recipients! These five applicants were awarded funds to implement or sustain program geared toward improving the outcomes of members with diabetes in Region 2. Grants were scored based on reach, impact, feasibility, and sustainability. We are proud of the wide-reaching impact these programs can have on our region, and we look forward to hearing about their success! Click here for the list of recipients.

From the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies

Effective October 1, 2021, Medicaid providers permitted to prescribe controlled substances must query the Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) before prescribing controlled substances to Medicaid members, in accordance with Section 5042 of the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and the Communities Act (SUPPORT Act)”.

The requirement to check the PDMP do not apply when a member:

Visit the About the PDMP Program web page for more information about the PDMP Program.

Have questions? They are available to talk through your ideas and encourage you to connect with them before applying for funding. If you don’t already work with a program officer, please reach out by email at funding@coloradohealth.org or by phone at 303-953-3600, and be sure to note the county you work in and the focus area of interest.

Deadline for application is October 15, 2021. Here is the link to the opportunity.

The Beacon Quality team in collaboration with Medical, Clinical, Peers, Provider Relations and additional key stakeholders across the organization expanded our PCP toolkit online resource. The PCP toolkit is intended to support primary care clinicians by providing a quick guide to access behavioral health resources.  This toolkit is also beneficial for behavioral health providers and Beacon health plan partners. The toolkit is useful for managing populations with co-occurring disorders. The toolkit promotes an integrated healthcare approach encouraging whole person health by providing PCPs and other practitioners additional resources beneficial to clients, including screening tools. 

Click here to access the PCP toolkit online resource.

Find out more and what it means for Health First Colorado members, transportation providers, and counties. Health First Colorado members have been made aware and resources, including a Service Area Guide and list of NEMT providers, are available to help members during the transition. 

The List of Programs web page is a useful resource for members and providers which includes links to information about the programs offered.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind national hotline to connect people with disabilities to information and services to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities find vaccination locations in their communities, assist callers with making vaccination appointments, and connect callers to local services – such as accessible transportation – to overcome barriers to vaccination. The hotline also can provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation.

For more information, visit acl.gov/dial or call 888-677-1199.  

To be able to provide our Health First Colorado Medicaid members with accurate provider information and to ensure network adequacy, we ask that providers notify Beacon of changes to their practice and practitioners within 30 days of change. Please complete the PCMP Adds, Changes and Deletes form and submit to Healthcolorado@beaconhealthoptions.com. Please make sure to fill in all the fields noted in each section as this will ensure timely processing of your submission.

Should you have questions about the template or submission guidelines, please feel free to email Alma Mejorado at alma.mejorado@beaconhealthoptions.com.

RAE ROUNDTABLE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH---2nd Fri of every month at 11am

Click here to join the webinar.

Visit the NHP website for details on previous calls.

NHP RAE ROUNDTABLE PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL PROVIDER--3rd Wed of every month at 12pm

Please click here to join the webinar:

Or By Telephone: 1- 669-900-6833---Webinar ID: 971 5387 1547---Passcode: 869908

Visit the NHP website for details on previous calls.

Beacon's Colorado member engagement team would like to recognize our amazing providers that continue to provide stellar services to our community! Many of you have worked with our practice transformation team to select QI measures and goals related to preventative care. We want to come along side as a resource. Did you know that we offer live Getting Started ZOOM meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 11am that your patients and their families, or even your staff, can attend to learn about benefits and ask questions in real time?

Use this hyperlink, or copy and paste into your browser, to join.

Or to join by phone: Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Meeting ID: 939 7458 4539

Passcode: 230480

Every Third Thursday of the Month at 8am (MST)

Join Lt. Gov. Primavera, Health Cabinet Executive Directors and industry leaders for the Summer Health Cabinet Summit hosted by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. This FREE virtual event is designed for policy makers, advocates, payers, care providers, health care leaders and other industry stakeholders. Presentations, topics and panels will include:  

Click here to register.

Partners for Children's Mental Health is hosting free Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings for those interested in learning about suicide warning signs, prevention strategies, and how to support youth having thoughts of suicide. Click on the dates to register.

Spread the word and join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for their first Instagram live event. NIMH expert Dr. Krystal Lewis, Clinical Psychologist, will discuss causes or triggers of stress and share coping techniques to help reduce anxiety and improve the transition back to school. 

Join the National Council for Well Being in this webinar to learn strategies for supporting the socio-emotional wellbeing of youth as they head back to school. Attendees will learn how to foster youth resilience and growth in the face of stress and crisis.