In place of the Policy Advisory Council (PAC) update and regional directors' meetings updates, the County team is using a newsletter in the style of County Connections to communicate critical information.
The content is designed for county human services directors and leadership.
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Message from the Executive Director |
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County Partners,
This year's unusual legislative session has come to an end, including the Governor's signature on the Long Bill, which sets the State's budget. I want to thank you for your partnership in adopting the difficult but necessary cuts to the Department's budget during this unprecedented economic downturn. The impact of COVID-19 is causing an increase in demand for our safety net programs and a concurrent decrease in available state funds -- certainly a difficult reality to navigate. Cuts to the Department budget impacted member co-pays, provider reimbursement, some benefits and Department administration funding, as well.
Our members will see an increase in co-pays to the federal maximum on pharmacy, physician services, Federally Qualified Health Center visits, Regional Health Center visits, inpatient services, outpatient services, durable medical equipment, lab and x-ray, anesthesia, Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) and dental services. Members currently exempt from co-pays will continue to be exempt from co-pays. At the same time, House Bill 20-1361 reduces the cap for the adult dental benefit from $1,500 to $1,000 per year for each recipient until December 2022. Both changes will be effective upon federal approval, but not before January 2021.
Coloradans need our programs now more than ever, including the support and services you provide every day through your work and partnership with us. The Department anticipates a net membership surge of 300,000 to 500,000 Coloradans as the downturn causes Coloradans to lose their jobs and their associated employer-sponsored health coverage -- figures that could exceed the membership uptake fueled by the Accountable Care Act.
We also want to thank you for your partnership in communicating our Here For YOU, Colorado! campaign, which is intended to help keep Coloradans covered during this pandemic and economic downturn. Resources we created last quarter to provide easy-to-use materials for your own outreach campaign. Key messages cover Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) eligibility rules, benefits, how to apply, provider enrollment and more. Please help us spread the word! Visit CO.gov/HCPF/HereForYou for materials and messaging you can share through your unique channels.
Please also help us remind your contacts that the Governor has mandated wearing masks in public. We are pushing that message out on our social channels and hope you'll help share it.
Thank you again for your partnership, and for all you are doing to support and assist Coloradans during this very difficult time.
Kim Bimestefer
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Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) Statewide Expansion Update |
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NEMT is a Health First Colorado benefit for members who don't have transportation to medical appointments. NEMT was previously administered by different vendors in different parts of the state, but soon NEMT will be the same in all areas of the state.
New County Resources
7/31/2020
7/29/2020
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County & Transport Provider FAQ updated on the Department's NEMT webpage.
7/21/2020:
Mileage Reimbursement Instructions for County Departments of Human Services
All mileage reimbursements for trips after July 1 should be submitted to IntelliRide regardless of when your county is transitioning.
If a member’s appointment was previous to July 1, 2020 it is the expectation that the county process the reimbursement and bill the state directly. If the member’s appointment is for July 1 or after, IntelliRide will process the reimbursement and bill the state directly.
Examples of scenarios below:
County’s responsibility: (process all reimbursements prior to July 1 regardless of when member submits reimbursement form)
- Member’s appointment was June 3 (prior to July 1). The member submits their form to the county on July 15, the county would process the reimbursement and bill the state.
- Member’s appointment was May 15. They submit their form to the county on August 10, the county would process the reimbursement and bill the state.
IntelliRide’s responsibility: (process all reimbursements for trips on July 1 or after regardless of when member submits reimbursement form)
- Member’s appointment was July 1. They submit their form to the county on September 3. The county would send the form to IntelliRide or inform the member to submit the form to IntelliRide for reimbursement. IntelliRide would bill the state directly.
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Submit mileage reimbursement to IntelliRide's claims inbox
- Member’s appointment is scheduled for June 10. They submit their form to IntelliRide. IntelliRide would send the form to the county or inform the member to submit the form to the county for reimbursement.
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Effective July 1, 2020, the Department transitioned the work of the Healthy Communities Program to the Department's Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs).
Historically, the Healthy Communities program provided outreach to newly enrolled families with children under the age of 21 and pregnant women enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Moving forward, this outreach will be performed by the RAEs and Managed Care Organizations (MCEs) as it aligns well with their existing work and provides cost savings opportunities.
We would like to thank the many Health Communities staff members and partners who worked so hard to help improve the lives and health of the people we serve.
RAEs will now handle Health First Colorado member questions concerning providers and benefits. County departments of human/social services will answer questions about member applications and eligibility status. CHP+ customer service will answer any CHP+ member questions at 1-800-359-1991.
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County Grant & County Incentives Programs |
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FY 2019-20 County Incentive Program
- Final Status Reports for FY 2019-20 were sent to county directors and county secondary directors on August 3.
- Reach out to Rahem Mulatu if you need your county's Status Report sent to you.
FY 2020-21 County Incentive Program
- If you have questions or need to chat about FY20-21 Incentives, please let us know, there will be three (3) support calls to answer questions. The Incentives FAQ and Support Calls communication will be sent out in the coming weeks.
- The Training and Quality Incentive requires attendance at a quarterly quality check in, facilitated by the Department.
- At least one person per county must attend to earn this incentive
- Check-ins can be attended by quality assurance staff, trainers, supervisors, or other director designee.
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Please email Rahem Mulatu the contact information for your county participants.
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Competitive Grants
- Five counties have been awarded grant funding through the competitive grant application process.
- The FY 20-21 Grant intergovernmental agreement is in the process of being finalized.
- The County Team will schedule a time with all grantees for the first quarter check in and to discuss conditions of funding for each grant.
Targeted Grants
- Two counties have been awarded grant funding through the targeted grant program.
- The FY 20-21 Grant intergovernmental agreement is in the process of being finalized.
- Please submit June progress reports for the MA supervisor backlog project, or let the county team know if your supervisors did not work overtime on backlog in June.
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HCPF Email Encryption Change |
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Due to a contractual change for state-wide encryption services, the Department will return to ProofPoint for email encryption instead of Zix on the evening of July 8, 2020.
For more information for how to access ProofPoint details, please refer to the ProofPoint guide.
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Eligibility Error Rate Resources |
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Resources linked include:
- Executive Director Communications
- Federal Audits
- State Audits
- Department Audits
- HCPF Response to Audits
- Federal Guidance-Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM)/MEQC
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Medical Assistance Limited Benefits Web-Based Training |
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The Staff Development Center (SDC) has released a new web-based training (WBT) for Medical Assistance Limited Benefits While Incarcerated . Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility is impacted when a member is incarcerated. Most members will qualify for limited benefits while incarcerated.
Training Summary: This WBT will explain Limited Benefits and how to determine when an incarcerated individual might be eligible for limited benefits. This training will also provide scenarios and instruction on how to correctly data enter this information into CBMS.
This WBT is available in CoLearn:
Please use the direct link provided above to access the training. After clicking the provided link, you will first be directed to the Sign-In page for CoLearn, where you will need to sign in with your login credentials. After signing in, you will then be directed to the Training Details page specific to the training you selected and will need to select Launch to begin the training.
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Connect for Health Colorado:
Coloradans Experiencing Job Loss
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Job loss in Colorado is at an all-time high and with that comes loss of job-based health insurance. To ensure that Coloradans have the health coverage they need, Connect for Health Colorado opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period to residents who lose their health insurance from their job. Because Connect for Health Colorado is the only place Coloradans can apply for financial help to lower the costs of health insurance, it is often a more affordable option than electing COBRA.
Please help us spread the word.
We have created an online Job Loss Toolkit for you, our partner organizations, to better assist you as you help those experiencing job loss navigate the resources available to them.
- Web versions of our brochures and flyers and instructions for ordering print versions at no cost.
- 10-minute video explaining health insurance options after loss of employer-sponsored health insurance.
- Social media images and copy to help get the word out to your communities.
We hope the Special Enrollment Period for those losing job-based health insurance will provide some comfort to those in your community who are newly uninsured, and I hope this toolkit will make it easier to get this information out to them. Thank you for being a great partner and helping keep Colorado covered by sharing this information with your community. Please feel free to reach out to Jessica Smith at any time.
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Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) Update |
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HTP Contractor update
This notice is to inform stakeholders that the State of Colorado’s contract with Public Consulting Group (PCG) for services related to HTP has ended. As such, PCG will no longer be providing services relative to the HTP. Please direct any HTP-related questions to the HTP inbox .
Rural Support Fund Update: Provider Application and Agreement
The Rural Support Fund is an integral part of HTP. The purpose of this fund is to assist rural hospitals transition towards a sustainable delivery model, with $12 million available annually for each of the five years of the HTP waiver. This dedicated funding will help rural hospitals prepare for future value-based payment environments.
Hospital Quality Incentive Payment (HQIP) program update
The proposed measures for the 2021 HQIP program have been updated and can be found on the HQIP website. These measures have been reviewed and recommended with consensus by the HQIP subcommittee and HTP Community Advisory Council. However, final approval from the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Board (CHASE) is still pending. Once approved, the full measure details will be published on the Department’s website.
Community Advisory Council
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Recent Memo Series Issued to Counties |
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PM 20-005
The main purpose of this memo is to inform stakeholders of a change to the disability trust regulations that adds a requirement for trustees to provide notice of certain trust distributions. Additionally, this Memo sets policy and provides guidance with regard to this change.
PM 20-004
The purpose for this policy memo is to communicate to eligibility sites about Continuous Enrollment due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic public health emergency.
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OM 20-074
The purpose of this Operational Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services and NEMT administrators of operational instructions to transition NEMT duties to IntelliRide, the new statewide NEMT vendor.
OM 20-071
The purpose for this operational memo is to provide guidance to eligibility sites on self-attestation of information to determine eligibility for Medical Assistance programs during the COVID-19 Federal public health emergency (PHE) period.
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IM 20-032
The purpose of this Informational Memo is to provide an invitation for a Provider Training for the Department Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Children’s Habilitation Residential Program (CHRP) Waiver for all current and potential HCBS – CHRP providers.
IM 20-026
This Informational Memo is intended to inform county human/social services directors of the Department's FY 2020-21 County Administration Allocation based on enhanced and non-enhanced Medicaid administration funding split.
IM 20-023
The purpose of this Informational Memo is to provide county Department of Human Service (DHS) agencies an update from the Department regarding closure of five Single Entry Point (SEP) agencies and information regarding the agencies that will be replacing them. Please see accompanying chart for agency information.
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Colorado Dept. of Health Care Policy & Financing
(303) 866-2993 | 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203
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