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Hello, just a reminder you are receiving this email because you expressed an interest in the West Virginia Primary Care Association. Don't forget to add
paula.beasley@wvpca.org to your
address book, so you don't miss any issues of the WVPCA Weekly Outlook!
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WVPCA Weekly Outlook Newsletter
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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Quick Links: In This Issue.....
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Read the entire article from NPR
here.
Read the entire article from WV News
here.
Feeling short-changed? COVID-19 causing nationwide coin shortage
Read the entire article from
WOWKTV
here.
WV public, private schools won't reopen for students until Sept. 8
Read the entire article from
Charleston Gazette Mail
here.
Read the entire article from Axios
here.
Large party in New Martinsville leads to young people testing positive for COVID-19
Read the entire article from
WTRF.com
here.
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WV KIDS COUNT released an Issue Brief on the 2020 Census. As part of a series on The State of West Virginia's Kids, the briefs shine a light on relevant and timely issues impacting West Virginia's children and families.
KIDS COUNT wants to spread the word that taking the 2020 Census is Easy, Safe, and Important. Easy: This Census will consist of 10 questions and takes an average of 10 minutes to complete. Safe: The information gathered is protected by federal law, and information on specific individuals or households cannot be made available to other agencies or authorities. Important: West Virginia receives $2,755 in federal funding per capita based on Census information. In addition to this funding, which provides healthcare, education, food, and roads for the citizens, our Congressional Districts and the number of Representatives rely on the data collected this year.
The U.S. census has a significant impact on kids due to how its results determine how $800 billion dollars of annual federal funding is allocated. At stake are several hundred federal financial assistance programs that rely on census data to determine the amount of funds given to states, counties, and cities. These programs include the Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid), Medicare Part B, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Section 8 Project-Based Housing and Head Start/Early Head Start, among others. An undercount on the census would affect the amount of money the state and counties receive for these programs starting in 2021.
Additional information is available at www.wvkidscount.org, which also contains the most recent national, state, and local data on hundreds of indicators of child well-being.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci was blunt in testimony to Congress on where the country is in its response to COVID-19, indicating:
- America does not have the coronavirus under control
- Outbreaks in various parts of America put the entire country at risk
- He would not be surprised if we hit 100K new cases a day, up from 40K
Fauci said, "I can't make
an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing, I will guarantee you that, because when you have an outbreak in one part of the country even though in other parts of the country they're doing well, they are vulnerable." Top leaders across the country are now beating the drum in favor of face masks, although that still does not include President Trump.
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NACHC Clinical Workforce Wellness Resources
Workforce wellness has come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic. NACHC is investing in the health center workforce and is engaged in a long-term strategy to secure a primary care workforce that meets the needs of America's health centers and their patients. Use this web page to find
a
collection of NACHC workforce wellness resources.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released
interim guidance
intended to help immunization providers safely administer vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Routine vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential for protecting people and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks, including flu. This guidance will be reassessed and updated based on the evolving epidemiology of COVID-19 in the U.S.
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FCC Approves Final Tranche Of Telehealth Expansion Funds
The Federal Communications Commission signed off on 25 funding applications for federal telehealth funding, allocating the remaining dollars of a $200 million set-aside from Congress to fund the expansion of remote medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Charleston Area Medical Center is one of the 25 applicants that was awarded funds. Click here to read entire article.
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COVID-19/ NOVEL CORONAVIRUS Pandemic
As you know, information on coronavirus is changing daily. The WVPCA is working with Federal, State, and local health officials in emergency preparedness activities as well as disseminating appropriate and current information to our Community Health Centers. This includes up-to-date resources and policies to ensure the continued health and safety of the communities we serve.
Guidance and resource information can be found on the WVPCA website here and coronavirus.gov.
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WVPCA News
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Don't Let Video Meetings Zap Your Energy:
Tips for Tackling Zoom Fatigue
Many of us are using laptops, notebook, and phone screens to keep us connected and engaged in our professional duties. We are likely spending more time in front of a screen-and likely in painfully ergonomically incorrect chairs-than at any other time in our lives.
Integrated work has shared some tips to tackle the Zoom fatigue:
- Move frequently throughout your day, even if it's just for a few minutes.
- Schedule meetings to end 10 to 15 minutes before the hour to create breathing room between meetings.
- Avoid multi-tasking.
- Be human first! Connect with the folks on the other side of the Zoom window with a personal check in.
Read more of Integrated Work Blog
here.
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Successful PRAPARE SDoH Implementation Webinar Series!
In partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the West Virginia Primary Care Association recently hosted two webinars focusing on social determinants of health and using PRAPARE with resources from the WVPCA and the National PRAPARE Team. The first webinar provided an overview of social determinants of health and collecting social risk data using PRAPARE. The second webinar took a closer look at PRAPARE workflows and resources to address social risk needs.
The target audience for this webinar series included Quality Improvement Leadership, Nurses, Medical Assistants, Community Health and CE credit hours were available.
In addition, we had a guest speaker, Jill Fields, PA-C, Director of Clinical Quality at Cabin Creek Health Systems. Jill discussed how Cabin Creek is currently utilizing PRAPARE and made a very profound statement worth highlighting:
"Tell the story of the patient through codes. You can't tell the entire patient story or that patient's treatment context without knowing (and using) the Z codes. They influence patient health outcomes more than the 'medical' diagnosis codes do." Jill Fields, PA-C
If you have any questions about PRAPARE or would like a copy of the presentation and/or recordings, please contact Emma White at
emma.white@wvpca.org.
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Relatient - Patient Engagement Demo Webinar
As the WV Primary Care Association (WVPCA) and health centers continue to advance our Health Information Technology (HIT) efforts, the WVPCA has been reviewing several Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Patient Engagement (PE) platforms in order to provide our members with the best information when it comes to reaching out to and caring for patients. With the recent changes in how healthcare is being delivered the time is now to continue involving and encouraging patients in engaging and monitoring their own health in order to improve health outcomes, improve the quality of care, and achieve lower costs. After the demonstration, we will evaluate health center interest in the system and group purchasing options.
The WVPCA team has researched various patient engagement tools and has found that RELATIENT has resources which could be valuable to health centers in patient engagement strategies. We invite you to join us, along with Dusty Allen, Enterprise Sales Executive, for a demonstration of this patient engagement (PE) tool that has been voted "Best in KLAS 2020 for Patient Outreach & Engagement". During this demonstration you will be able to interact with Dusty and view the features and functionality of their software and participate in a Q&A session.
Relatient uses a Patient-Centered Approach to Engagement. Patient-centered engagement is about understanding patient needs, desires, and behaviors and bending technology to meet them. Relatient pushes the information and services relevant to them, as they need it and in ways which they can quickly respond to it. In addition, Relatient offers the following while reducing no-shows, improving satisfaction and increasing revenue:
- Appointment Reminders and Alerts
- No-Show Engagement
- Recalls
- Health Campaigns
- eRegistration and Check-in
- Broadcast Messaging
TARGET AUDIENCE:
This event is intended for CEOs, COOs, CMOs, Medical Directors, Quality & Operations team members.
July 16 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.
Registration Closes July 15, 2020 at 12:00pm
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Qure4U - Remote Patient Monitoring Demo Webinar
Please join the West Virginia Primary Care Association and Qure4U's Tara Whitesides along with Megan Stewart to attend a demonstration of Qure4U. The WVPCA team has researched various patient engagement tools and found that Qure4U has resources which could be valuable to health centers in patient engagement strategies.
During this demonstration you will be able to interact with Tara and Megan and view the features and functionality of their software and participate in a Q&A session.
As the WV Primary Care Association (WVPCA) and health centers continue to advance our Health Information Technology (HIT) efforts, the WVPCA has been reviewing several Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Patient Engagement (PE) platforms in order to provide our members with the best information when it comes to reaching out to and caring for patients. With the recent changes in how healthcare is being delivered the time is now to continue involving and encouraging patients in engaging and monitoring their own health in order to improve health outcomes, improve the quality of care, and achieve lower costs. After the demonstration, we will evaluate health center interest in the system and group purchasing options.
Qure4u's all-in-one patient experience platform offers patients and providers a fully integrated solution that supports the entire patient journey and optimizes care before, during, and after office visits. Their flagship solution, MyCarePlan, improves patient outcomes and communications while boosting in-office efficiencies, collections, cash flow, and revenues. Qure4u drives brand equity, in-office efficiency, and revenue while enhancing clinical insight and improving the patient experience. Qure4u also offers remote patient monitoring with bluetooth connected devices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: This event is intended for CEOs, COOs, CMOs, Medical Directors, Quality & Operations team members.
July 23 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.
Registration Closes July 22, 2020 at 12:00pm
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COVID- 19: CORONAVIRUS AND PCMH
Although federal guidance and local circumstances continue to evolve, NCQA is implementing the exceptions noted below for the March 1-September 30, 2020, time frame. This applies to all future surveys that include this look-back period. They will give updates as needed and when new information becomes available. They suggest primary care practices consult and complete
The Green Center's weekly COVID survey.
While NCQA does not issue or manage this survey, they believe the information gathered is meaningful. The survey helps practices understand and report primary care's capacity to respond to COVID-19.
Practitioners Who Provide Care During a Public Health Emergency:
Organizations do not need to credential practitioners who are not part of their network or practice and are providing care to members/patients as part of a federal, state or local government emergency response team.
CMS 1135 Waivers for State Licensing:
CMS allows states to request a waiver that will temporarily allow out-of-state practitioners to provide services if they are licensed in another state. When credentialing these practitioners in a state that receives a waiver, NCQA will waive the requirement that the organization verify the license to practice for that state.
Health Care Organizations and Practices Whose Operations Are Affected:
NCQA understands that normal operations have been disrupted in many communities, which could affect organizations' ability to meet NCQA requirements. NCQA will be flexible in scoring organization performance during the March-September time frame. Organizations will need to provide documentation regarding the circumstances that interfered with meeting requirements.
Note:
Recognition practices may show evidence from any time in the past year, so organizations may demonstrate that activities were routinely implemented before and after the March-September time frame.
Organizations with an upcoming survey or evaluation in 2020 should contact their Recognition account representative. NCQA will determine if additional accommodations (e.g., longer extensions, virtual surveys, shorter look-back periods) are necessary on a case-by-case basis. Please submit all other questions through My NCQA at my.ncqa.org.
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State News
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Masks Mandatory in Indoor Places
Governor Jim Justice has ordered everyone to wear a mask out in West Virginia starting on Tuesday, July 7, at 12 am.
Justice made the announcement during his daily press briefing, and as the state is continuing to see an increase in cases. Last week, the Mountain State saw its largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started.
Masks are not required outside, or at home. Mandatory masks are required when you are in buildings, including grocery stores. If you don't have a mask, you can wear some type of face covering.
Justice says all masks or face covering must be worn in all confined indoor places where social distancing cannot be maintained. It does not apply to children under the age of 9 or anyone who has trouble breathing, or otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance.
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Wednesday Webinar Series: June and July
The West Virginia Primary Care Association, the
Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers and the MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center have created this six-part webinar series for Community Health Centers who have an integral role in Ending the HIV Epidemic. Participants will hear from fellow Community Health Centers and clinic leaders for a strategy-gathering information exchange to learn more about HIV Routine Testing, Implementation of Routine Testing, Importance of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and how to access funding for PrEP. The webinars will be an hour in length and will include Q&A as well as audience interaction via polling. CME, CNE, and CEU are available.
For more information and registration information
click here
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Vaccine Super Hero Contest
The
West Virginia Immunization Network has launched a Super Hero Comic Contest for middle and high school students. The purpose of this contest is to spark an interest in science and vaccine development. Full contest description, permission slips, and comic strip panels are available on their website
. If you need further information on the contest, please feel free to email
barbara.thaxton@wvruralhealth.org
or
elaine.darling@wvruralhealth.org
. Completed entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm, July 15th, or postmarked by July 15th, if mailed.
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National News
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Monthly Introductory UDS Mapper Webinar
There will be monthly webinars for Introduction to the UDS Mapper. Join the July 13, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. EST for a live demo and a Question and Answer session.
Registration information can be found here.
If you cannot join then, there will be webinars on August 4 and September 2. If you are already an experienced user and would like to sign up for an advanced webinar, visit our website for dates and signup links.
Contact the UDS Mapper for questions or access the UDS Mapper for more information.
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Year 2021 FTCA Health Center Deeming Applications
Applications for medical malpractice coverage under the FTCA are open in EHBs. We've extended the completion deadline to Monday, July 13.
HRSA guidance for both new applications (deeming) and renewal of existing coverage (redeeming) for health center staff is available in Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2020-02
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
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Project ECHO, is hosting a free 16-week webinar series
that provides primary care providers and other members of a multidisciplinary diabetes care team with case-based learning and consultation to empower them to address the needs of patients with diabetes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Webinars are held every Wednesday at 12:00 - 1:15 pm discussing a new topic each week. CME credits are offered for attendance.
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websites and
contacts
to
verify the
status
of ALL
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Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is often essential to an individual's recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD). Join the Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions for a free webinar to focus on what MAT is, how to identify when a patient may benefit from a prescription and how to successfully integrate MAT into a treatment recovery plan.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
3:00 PM EST
The title says it all. Head of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Jim Macrae brings us up to date on the most recent health center news.
Thursday, July 14, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
*Access details coming soon
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
*Access details coming soon
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Financial and Funding Resources
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The various federal funding streams to FQHCs during a pandemic can create record-keeping and accounting challenges. Here are some points to keep in mind:
- Single Audit: If your organization is usually under the $750,000 threshold and therefore not required to have a Single Audit conducted, verify whether you exceeded that threshold this year due to increased COVID federal funding.
- Retroactive Effective Dates: Federal COVID funding awarded in March, April and May (H8C, H8D, H8E funding) allowed health centers to backdate for costs incurred since Jan. 20, 2020, allowing you to make an adjusting journal entry, with supporting documentation, for any pre-award costs as long as you have proper documentation.
- Provider Relief Funds: Learn about eligibility and the methodology for each distribution and note that Provider Relief Funds may be used for revenue lost due to coronavirus or for healthcare-related expenses attributable to coronavirus.
- Deadlines: This NACHC chart summarizes upcoming deadlines related to BPHC grant funds, Paycheck Protection Loans, Provider Relief Fund allotments and other federal COVID-19-related funding sources (for more information on the various federal funding streams, see the NACHC spreadsheet).
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The HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) will be making approximately 50 awards of $200,000 each to rural communities to enhance capacity to address substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. Over the course of an 18-month period of performance,
grant recipients will conduct a series of planning activities, engage multi-sector consortiums and participate in the RCORP-Planning learning collaborative. Applicant organizations may be located in an urban or rural areas; however, all activities supported by this program must exclusively target HRSA-designated rural areas
(per the
Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
). FORHP recorded an hour-long webinar that is available upon request.
Apply
by Monday, July 13.
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USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants
The USDA Rural Development announced a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program due to the current public health emergency. This program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Eligible applicants include most entities that provide education or health care through telecommunications. Apply by Monday, July 13.
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Community Health Center Resources
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Jackson Kelly attorneys provide limited consultation to all members of the WVPCA at no charge, as part of the WVPCA contract. There is no limit to the number of calls which any member may make. All inquiries within the scope of professional competence of firm attorneys will be addressed. Inquiries which require expertise not available through the firm will be promptly identified and, when requested, Jackson Kelly will assist in referring the matter to accounting firms, insurance agents, or others as circumstances warrant.
All inquiries, responses and consultation services provided by the firm lawyers will be provided without additional charge beyond the retainer amount, except for matters which require formal opinions, representation of record in litigation, transactional work, e.g. the purchase or sale of real property, or matters which require continued representation, research or consultation beyond a single inquiry or document review.
Justin M. Harrison is a labor & employment lawyer with Jackson Kelly PLLC. He is available for consultation through a special retainer relationship with the WVPCA.
Justin can be reached at 304.340.1358 and via email at justin.harrison@jacksonkelly.com.
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Risk Management Manual for Health Centers Now Available!
The
Risk Management Manual for Health Centers is now available on the ECRI Institute Clinical Risk Management Program website! Designed to support a proactive approach to risk management at health centers and free clinics, the Manual provides background, tips, and how-tos in a manageable format.
Specific areas that are covered include:
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Risk Management Programs & Plans
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Claims and Lawsuits
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Role of the Risk Manager
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Patient Grievances and Complaints
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Communication with Patients
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Credentialing and Privileging
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Communication among Providers, Staff, and Community Partners
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Tracking Systems for Diagnostic Tests, Referrals, and Hospitalizations
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COVID-19 Resources for Health Centers
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ECRI Institute
Federally qualified health centers and free clinics are on the front line in testing and treating patients who may have been exposed to COVID-19. Use these resources to keep your staff and patients safe:
In addition, ECRI's COVID-19 Resource Center includes free resources addressing the provision of clinical care and managing the supply chain. Updated several times per week, highlights include:
Additional guidance is available directly from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), including:
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WVPCA Staff
Debra Boyd | Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
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To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter, click
HERE
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West Virginia Primary Care Association
1700 MacCorkle Ave. Charleston, WV 25314| (304) 346-0032 |
WWW.WVPCA.ORG
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This project is/was supported partially/fully by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U58CS06834 State and Regional Primary Care Associations. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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