Thank you for serving Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan
Plus
(CHP+) members.
The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing knows providers, case managers, and county and eligibility partners have many questions about the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its impact on our programs. We are sharing updates on emergency policies, COVID-19 specific billing codes and other important information on our website at
colorado.gov/hcpf/covid
, and through this and other newsletters.
Providers:
Please sign up for general updates, including COVID-19 information, on the
Provider News webpage
.
County and Eligibility Partners:
Please sign up
for
County Connections and the HCPF Memo Series.
The information in this newsletter provides a weekly summary of COVID-19 guidance for Health First Colorado and CHP+ providers, Regional Accountable Entities, case managers, counties and other eligibility partners. Some audiences may receive audience specific guidance through other Department newsletters; this newsletter is a roundup of all of those communications in one place.
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NEW RESOURCE: Colorado’s COVID-19 Emergency Waivers Update
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The Department has published an overview of its requests for program flexibility from the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado’s COVID-19 Emergency Waivers Overview provides links to our requests, a summary of what was asked for and a status update on federal responses to program flexibility requests.
This resource will be updated as more information becomes known and posted on the COVID-19 pages.
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Information for Health First Colorado and CHP+ Providers and Case Managers
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General Resources
System & Billing Guidance
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions For Home and Community-Based Services Providers
- Billing - Retainer Payments, Emergency Relief Funding
- Telehealth and Telemedicine
- Case Management - Agency Closures, Conducting Assessments, Quarterly Monitoring, Human Rights Committees (HRCs), Eligibility Requirements, Application Process, Required Paperwork, Service Plan Revisions, Prior Authorization Requests (PARs), Critical Incident Reporting (CIR)
Other Guidance
- Operational Memo HCPF OM-20-027 – This memo outlines changes to signature requirements for member paperwork in response to COVID-19 for Case Management Agencies (CMAs). Issued 3/31/2020.
- Operational Memo HCPF OM-20-024 – This memo outlines changes to benefits and services in response to COVID-19. Issued 3/24/2020.
- Operational Memo HCPF OM 20-022 – This memo outlines temporary operational changes related to Critical Incident Reporting for COVID-19. Issued 3/19/2020.
- Operational Memo HCPF OM 20-019 – This memo outlines temporary operational changes to requirements for members’ functional eligibility paperwork. Issued 3/14/2020.
- Operational Memo HCPF OM 20-018 – This memo outlines temporary operational changes to requirements for face-to-face member contact and assessment authorizations. Issued 3/14/2020.
Long-Term Services and Supports Webinars
Other Guidance
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Information for County and Eligibility Partners
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County and Eligibility Site Guidance Resources
Guidance to Prepare
County departments should determine whether there are any gaps in their business processes for Medical Assistance eligibility or customer service necessary to ensure member service coverage and application processing. The Department has provided the below guidance for certain categories of county operations:
- For general operations:
- Review and follow your COOP and update if necessary to accommodate the COVID-19 impact.
- Create a plan for communicating to staff and members if your county’s workforce is impacted or your offices are closed, and ensure work at home and related county communication clarity.
- Contact HCPF and Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to discuss office disruption or closing.
- County Closure Matrix Form For Counties - Coming Soon.
- Prepare for a possible increase in the number of customer service calls, member visits and workload.
- Inform staff of where to find appropriate resources regarding COVID-19, such as those available from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, if asked by members to help reduce the spread of misinformation.
- For Medical Assistance eligibility:
- Encourage the use of PEAK, especially for new applications who can receive a Real Time Eligibility (RTE) determination. This allows for a quick eligibility determination, if done correctly by the member, and requires no immediate action by the county.
- Minimize in-person interaction for Medical Assistance eligibility. In-person interviews are NOT required for eligibility determinations. Counties should endeavor to utilize other contact methods when reaching out to members (a phone call is sufficient).
- Do not over-verify eligibility criteria for applicants/clients. Utilize electronic databases and interfaces, where possible, to minimize the need of the client to submit additional documentation. Utilize training from the Staff Development Center to ensure over-verification does not occur.
- Encourage the use of PEAKHealth mobile app for members to submit changes in their circumstances, upload documentation or find a provider.
For Medical Assistance Functional Eligibility
Guidance for operations during this State of Emergency
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