School Health Services Program News
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Our newsletter is a Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (the Department) publication which provides information on the School Health Services (SHS) Program. The Colorado SHS Program is administered by the Department in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education. Providers participating in the program may receive federal matching funds for amounts spent in providing health services through the public schools to students who are receiving Medicaid benefits.
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2022 Mid Year Training - Save the Date
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The dates have been set for the SHS mid-year refresher training. The training dates are:
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Jan. 26, 2022
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Jan. 27, 2022
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Feb. 1, 2022
- Feb. 2, 2022
Similar to the SHS annual trainings, these trainings will also be conducted via the Zoom virtual platform. Detailed information and registration links will be emailed and posted to the Department website soon.
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SHS Program Stakeholder Forum
Thanks to all the stakeholders who contributed to the discussion at our October 2021 stakeholder meeting and for representing your member districts. One topic of discussion was how the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting provider turnover and remote learning has impacted SHS program management. Provider training, cost reporting, and staff pool list management were mentioned as having been most impacted.
Onboarding for new coordinators was also discussed and what resources would be most helpful as they are learning about the SHS program. In response to stakeholder feedback, stakeholders are now invited to new coordinator monthly mentorship meetings as an additional resource to share how program requirements are implemented in their districts/BOCES. We have also created a Stakeholder Areas of Knowledge Grid. Each stakeholder has chosen the program areas in which they have strong subject matter knowledge. When coordinators have specific program questions they can use this grid to know who to ask.
Have you visited the Stakeholder Forum website recently? There you will find stakeholder regions, meeting dates, and contact information.
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Spread the Word about New Free Youth Mental Health Program
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In October, the State of Colorado launched I Matter, a program that provides up to three free counseling sessions for any Colorado youth. Youth and their parents can visit the I Matter platform to take a confidential online survey about their mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician, primarily via telehealth. All Colorado youth ages 18 or younger—or 21 and younger if receiving special education services—are eligible to receive free services. Youth 12 and older can sign up for counseling sessions without a parent or guardian's consent. Nearly 500 counseling appointments were scheduled in the first two weeks after I Matter launched.
You can help spread the word by ordering free marketing materials in English or Spanish and sharing these social media graphics. The name I Matter and all of the visuals for the program were informed by feedback from youth across the state. A Spanish version of the I Matter site will be available soon, and the program has clinicians who can provide services in Spanish.
I Matter has care navigators available who can help youth following their three free sessions, and, where possible, we are connecting youth with providers who accept their insurance, if they have insurance. If you have questions about the program, please email elizabeth.owens@state.co.us. If a provider wants to participate in the program, please email providers@imattercolorado.org. Providers are paid a competitive rate to offer the sessions via I Matter. The program is funded through June 30, 2022.
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If you have any questions about who to contact for a specific issue or question, please refer to the following directory:
RMTS/Quarterly Cost Reporting, or Medicaid Administrative Claiming (MAC) Helpdesk
Contact: Andrew Dzielinski/Rob Niblock
Phone: 866-766-9015
Use this helpdesk if you have questions about any aspect of the RMTS program, SPLs, calendars, moments, shift configurations, or licensure requirements for SPL providers. This helpdesk also can help address system user access requests and quarterly cost reporting questions as well.
Annual Cost Reporting Helpdesk
Contact: John Ward
Phone: 866-317-0223
Use this helpdesk if you have questions about annual claims, annual cost reports, direct medical services other costs, transportation, interim payments, desk reviews, or student rosters.
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
Contact: Olga Gintchin
Phone: 303-866-4234
Contact the Department regarding program policy questions.
Colorado Department of Education (CDE)
Contact: Omar Estrada
Phone: 303-866-6455
Contact the CDE if you have questions on how to spend Medicaid reimbursements or for questions specific to CDE requirements or required reports.
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How to Print the Certified Public Expenditures (CPE) Form on One Page
Five times a year, each quarterly Medicaid Administrative Claim (MAC) claim as well as the annual cost report, districts/BOCES are asked to export, sign and upload CPE forms within the PCG Claiming System. The steps to generate unsigned forms to print on a single page may require districts/BOCES to set some printing parameters. Please follow the four steps below before printing your CPE form:
Step 1: Update to the most current version of Adobe Acrobat reader. Please consult with your district Information Technology (IT) department to be sure that the most recent version complies with your district’s IT policies.
Step 2: Click on the ‘Generate Unsigned Form’ drop down from the PCG Claiming System and select ‘Generate Unsigned Form’ (see screen shot below)
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Step 3: Next, select the option to print your CPE form in the print preview window. This will tell you if your form currently fits onto one page. If it does not, you will select the ‘More settings’ drop-down menu options shown in ‘Figure 2’.
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Step 4: In ‘Figure 3’ under ‘More settings’, adjust the ‘Scale %’ down to fit on one page. The percentage setting to fit the document to one page may vary by user so multiple adjustments may be attempted before printing.
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Accessing Provider Licensures
CDE and Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) licensures can be accessed through public databases online. The following web addresses can be used to access each database:
Provider Qualification Quick Reference
Providers on the Staff Pool List (SPL) must have the correct licensure for their job category. Job category requirements in the direct service cost pool are in the data request template which PCG sends to districts/BOCES when they have been selected to participate in a comprehensive review. Additional resources to find this information include the program manual in the appendix under section two located on the Department’s SHS webpage: Provider Qualifications Quick Reference – Direct Services.
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Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Updates
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The Annual Report to CDE is currently open and will close Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. This report will cover reimbursement expenditures from FY 2020-21. Don’t forget that we have support options available during this reporting period, all available on the CDE School Health Services website. These support tools include:
- The Annual Report to CDE Cheat Sheet
- The Category Transition Support tool
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Local Services Plan (LSP)
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Districts/BOCES have the option to transition to the new health service categories on their Local Services Plan (LSP). LSP templates with updated (as of October 2020) health service categories are available on the CDE website for districts who would like to make the transition early, instead of waiting until the end of their LSP period. Transitioning categories is always an option for districts/BOCES and can simplify completion of next year’s Annual Report to CDE. Contact Omar Estrada to get started.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, LSP revisions will require submission of an additional document in order to be considered for revision by CDE. This document is titled the “LSP Revision Companion Form” and is available on the CDE website, under the Local Services Plan section. The form follows a similar flow to the LSP and requests information covering the following:
- Why the revision is being made.
- Any community input needed as a result of this revision.
- Percentage changes to administrative or health services allocations.
- New category selections or removal of categories no longer receiving funds.
- Revisions to current goals and objectives, or adding new ones as needed.
This form creates a stronger document trail for the LSP allowing CDE to better serve the districts/BOCES and to better understand historical changes unique to an LSP. Please reach out to Omar Estrada for any additional questions.
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FY 2021-2022 Stakeholder Dates
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Jan. 20, 2022
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Virtual
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April 14, 2022
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: TBD
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Random Moment Time Study (RMTS)
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Feb. 1, 2022
April - June 2022 (AJ22) Staff Pool Lists (SPLs) and calendars will open for districts
March 2, 2022
(AJ22) SPLs and calendar certification due
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Jan. 3, 2022
Oct. - Dec. 2021 (OD21) cost report will open for district reporting
Jan. 28, 2022
OD21 cost report certification by districts are due
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The School Health Services Program is a joint effort between the Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing.
Additional SHS Program Contacts:
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