Aug. 26, 2021
We are happy to report that all 84 Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) applications have been submitted! We’d like to thank all HTP participants for their diligent work and collaboration with Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) staff and consultants during the application period. Beginning Sept. 1, hospitals will begin to submit their Implementation Plans to the Department. Additional information about Implementation Plans can be found in this newsletter.
 
On July 26, 202,1 the State Plan Amendment (SPA) for HTP was approved by Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Additional information about SPA approval can be found in this newsletter.


Thank you,

Matt Haynes
Special Finance Projects Manager
State Plan Amendment (SPA) Approval 

On July 26, CMS approved the Department’s SPA for the pay-for-reporting component of HTP leveraging future Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) supplemental payments as incentives designed to improve patient outcomes and lower Medicaid cost. The SPA also approves the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020-21 CHASE supplemental payments authorizing $1.48 billion in funding for Colorado hospitals, including $12 million for rural hospitals in need of support in their efforts to succeed in HTP. The Department has initiated a process to reconcile interim payment amounts to the final payment amounts to coincide with the regular monthly transaction schedule. The final transaction date for FFY 2020-21 will be Sept. 10, 2021. 
HTP Application Update 

Thank you to all the hospital that put such great effort into their HTP Applications! All applications have been submitted and the final phase of review has been completed by the Hospital Application and Review Oversight Committee. All applications are now considered approved and final.
Implementation Plan Template and Milestone Requirements 

Beginning Sept. 1, hospitals participating in the HTP must submit an Implementation Plan detailing the strategies and steps they intend to take in implementing each of the intervention(s) outlined in their applications impacting the six program priority areas, as well as the quality measures across the five HTP Focus Areas. Implementation Plans must be submitted during the Implementation Submission Period (from Sept. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2021) after approval of the hospital’s HTP application. Additional information about implementation plans, milestone requirements, interventions and timeline can be found in the “Implementation Plan Template and Milestone Requirements” document on the HTP website. The Implementation Plan Training Presentation and Implementation Plan Training Video are also available on the HTP website.
HTP Office Hours

HTP office hours continue to take place on Fridays from 9:30 – 10:50 a.m. In an effort to facilitate robust discussion, we recommend question submission ahead of time to the HTP inbox. 
Upcoming Training Events and Webinars

HTP participants might find training and webinars offered by Telligen valuable. A full list of events and registration instructions can be viewed on the Telligen QI Connect website. September trainings include topics such as “Root Cause Analysis Training,” “Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) Training” and a partner event with Colorado Hospital Association regarding National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) basic training. Please contact Meredith Koob, Sr. Quality Improvement Facilitator at Telligen, with questions.
 
The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) will be hosting a series of training opportunities related to HTP interventions and implementation. Please reach out to Sylvia Park for more information.
HTP Timeline

As a reminder, we’d like to share a near-term timeline of HTP rollout and implementation. Please direct any questions about the HTP timeline to the HTP inbox.
Community Advisory Council
Community Advisory Council meetings continue to take place on a monthly basis with the next meeting taking place on Monday, Sept. 20. Agendas, materials and notes from previous meetings can be found on the Community Advisory Council website.  
Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board meeting
 The next Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board meeting will take place via Zoom (passcode: 059559) on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. Additional information about the board, as well as meeting materials, can be found on the CHASE Board website. 
Helpful Links & Program Contact
CHASE Board website