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WVPCA Weekly Outlook
A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
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Emergency Management News - WVPCA News - PCMH Corner
School-Based Health - O/E - State News - National News
Financial and Funding Resources
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More masks, less play: Europe tightens rules as virus surges
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
West Virginia health officer: Lack of masks to blame for rise of COVID-19 cases in Doddridge County
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice: State daily positivity rate of 4.21% 'way too high'
Read the entire article from WVNews here.
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COVID-19 One-Stop Shop Toolkits |
CDC has released COVID-19 one-stop shop toolkits. The toolkits provide guidance to communicate with specific target audiences, such as young adults, childcare programs and summer camps, K-12 schools, and workplaces. They include videos, social media, PSAs, print resources, checklists, FAQs and web resources. Use and tell your patients about these communication toolkits to help meet their diverse needs to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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HHS Extends Public Health Emergency into 2021 |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar issued a renewal for the COVID-19 public health emergency. The extension is effective Oct. 23 and will last through Jan. 21, 2021, meaning all waivers and flexibilities authorized under the federal public health emergency will remain in place at least through Jan. 21, 2021 unless otherwise changed. |
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J&J pauses COVID-19 vaccine trial over participant's 'unexplained illness' |
Johnson & Johnson voluntarily paused the clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate Oct. 12 after learning of a participant's unexplained illness, STAT reported.
The drugmaker told STAT that the study has been paused due to "an unexplained illness in a study participant," but declined to disclose further information.
"We must respect this participant's privacy," Johnson & Johnson told STAT. "We're also learning more about this participant's illness, and it's important to have all the facts before we share additional information."
Johnson & Johnson began enrolling participants in its phase 3 vaccine trial Sept. 23, aiming to gather 60,000 participants in the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and South Africa.
The drugmaker's single-shot vaccine candidate is the fourth to enter phase 3 testing in the U.S. Moderna's candidate and the one Pfizer is developing with BioNTech both entered phase 3 testing in July. The vaccine AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford began phase 3 testing in August, but its U.S. trial is currently paused as its safety is reviewed following an adverse reaction in a U.K. trial participant.
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2021 E/M Documentation Guidelines:
Prepare for the Changes Webinar
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Please join the WVPCA and Shellie Sulzberger for our 2021 E/M Documentation Guidelines: Prepare for the Changes webinar. During this presentation we will discuss the upcoming changes, how to document E/M services and utilize your staff to help streamline processes to be more efficient related to seeing the patient and documenting. Major changes to office and outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) codes will take effect Jan. 1, 2021.
Objectives of the Presentation:
- E/M changes for 2021
- Selection of new and established patient visit codes based on medical decision making (MDM) or time.
- New guidelines for using time
- Revised MDM guidelines
Targeted Audience: Physicians, Non-Physician Practitioners (NP, PA), Psychiatrist, Psych NP, or Psych PA (if they are billing E/M codes 99201-99205 and 99212-99215), Any provider that bills Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes, Coding Staff, and Billing Staff.
This event is intended only for Community Health Center Staff at no cost for participants.
To maximize participation for health center staff this training is being offered on two separate dates. You ONLY need to attend one.
After attending one of these presentations health centers will have the opportunity to have a customized Learning Lab conducted by Shellie Sulzberger.
The Learning Lab will allow providers to send the presenter examples of patient encounters to discuss what level of service would be appropriate and what elements would not be required (unless the provider needed the information for clinical or other reasons). For example, the presenter can discuss how a new patient level 4 can be obtained without documenting a complete review of systems, PFSH and complete exam if not medically indicated.
This webinar will be interactive to help the providers understand how to select the appropriate E/M level based upon the work and complexity.
There will be a separate fee for health centers for the Learning Lab and this opportunity is only available to health centers after attending one of the above webinars. Please contact the WVPCA for more details.
Registration closes October 22 and November 3 at noon.
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2020 Uniform Data System Training Registration Now Open |
Please join the WVPCA in conjunction with HRSA/BPHC as we will be hosting the 2020 UDS Virtual Training event, presented by Jillian Maccini, JSI, Inc. This four-day virtual training will cover the preparation of the 2020 Uniform Data System (UDS Report).
This training is targeted toward those who are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements included in the UDS Report, as well as management, finance, and clinical staff who need to understand the definitions and concepts used, and those who use the data in their program management and quality improvement activities. The Uniform Data System virtual training will be made up of three live 90-minute training sessions and one live 90 minute instruction and Q&A session. Participants should plan to attend all sessions for a full and comprehensive understanding of the complete UDS report.
The annual training will be conducted virtually, via ZOOM, in a series of 4 trainings as follows (tentative agenda can be found here):
- Session 1 - 10/27/20 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST
- Session 2 - 10/29/20 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST
- Session 3 - 11/02/20 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST
- Session 4 - Instruction and Q&A 11/05/20 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST
As a large number of participants are anticipated, attendees are asked to join the ZOOM link starting at 9:45 am to ensure timely connectivity to the event.
Registration must be received by October 20 at Noon.
There is NO COST for the training this year.
Please feel free to contact Pam Moore should you have any questions or comments.
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IPHCA Announces All Virtual Leadership Conference |
The Illinois Primary Health Care Association, representing the state's 51 community health centers, announced its 2020 Annual Leadership Conference will be held online Oct. 28-30 during the coronavirus pandemic.
IPHCA is using the virtual conference to connect its attendees with an outstanding roster of speakers:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, pro basketball's all-time leading scorer and Presidential Medal of Freedom Winner for his work to improve education in underserved communities
- Regina Benjamin, the 18th U.S. Surgeon General
- Maria Hinojosa, an Emmy-winning anchor and executive producer of NPR's "Latino USA"
Anyone interested is welcome to attend the virtual conference.
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Modifications to PCMH Annual Reporting Requirements |
NCQA updates Recognition publications periodically to clarify guidance, revise resources and refine criteria expectations. Updates are now available for the PCMH Annual Reporting publication.
Recognition Programs publications are available for download by going to the My Downloads section of My NCQA. Log in using your email address and password. Refer to the information below to access the publication download.
Program - PCMH Annual Reporting (2021)
The modifications made to PCMH Annual Reporting 2021 clarify expectations to reduce the number of returned submissions. The goal of these modifications is to expedite both your submission and NCQA’s review process.
Changes include:
- Expanded the list of multiple-choice options and removing “other” as a multiple-choice option.
- Changed the AR-KM 2 “Denominator Definition” from a text answer to yes/no.
- Practices no longer need to enter the “Patients at the Practice—Definition” for AR-CM 1.
Modifications
Removed “other” as an option from the following multiple-choice questions:
- AR-TC 1
- AR-KM 1*
- AR-KM 2*
- AR-AC 1
- AR-AC 2
- AR-AC 3
- AR-CM 2
- AR-QI 4 •
*Additional answer choices added to provide a greater selection of options for practices
In addition, NCQA has added two new Annual Reporting 2021 resources, the Annual Reporting Preparation Guide for 2021 and a measure reporting tip sheet which is a new tab in the Quality Improvement Worksheet.
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Attend the Assister/Navigator
Annual Health Meeting
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The Annual Assister/Navigator Training Meeting will be held virtually on October 20, 21, & 22nd from 10:00 - 12:00. Attendees will be reviewing the Marketplace Plans, Enrollment over the phone and other updates.
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October is Health Literacy Awareness Month |
Here's what you can do:
- Review your communications materials for clear communciation
Use these tools to help:
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Evidence-Based Communication Strategies for Improving Child and Adolescent Vaccine Uptake |
Effective communication is a critical component in ensuring that children are fully vaccinated. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed vaccine hesitancy under its top ten threats to global health. Join this webinar on November 4, 2020 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm provide an overview of vaccine hesitancy and common communication pitfalls encountered in the clinical setting when attempting to address vaccination concerns. Alternative, evidence-based, communication strategies known to improve vaccine acceptance will be reviewed. Special considerations for potential future COVID-19 vaccines will also be addressed.
Objectives:
• Identify common communication assumptions that undermine effective communication with vaccine-hesitant parents.
• Describe 4 evidence-based vaccine communication strategies that have shown to increase vaccine uptake among children and adults.
• Identify communication issues related to potential future COVID-19 vaccines that may need additional study.
Speaker:
Amanda Dempsey, MD, Ph.D.,MPH is a Tenured Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver, and Research Director for Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Children's Hospital Colorado. She has studied pediatric immunization delivery for the last 15 years with particular interests in vaccine hesitancy, and potential solutions to mitigate this problem.
Cost: Free
Continuing Education:
Continuing Education Units for Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses are being applied for and pending approval.
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HHS Announces Phase 3 Provider Relief Funding |
On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration, announced $20 billion in new phase 3 provider relief funding. This funding is available to "frontline" providers -- including those who have already received the full amount they were eligible for under the General Distribution. (This amount was 2% of 2018 net patient revenues.) It is unclear how much any provider will be eligible for; it will likely depend on total requests received.
Providers can submit their application from Monday, October 5, 2020, through November 6, 2020. HHS urges providers against waiting to apply until the last week of the application window, and to apply early to help expedite the review process and distribution of funds to as many providers as possible.
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Take the Next Step in your Career with the NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program |
About the Program: NHSC S2S LRP applicants may qualify for up to $120,000 in tax-free loan repayment for their medical, nursing and dental school student loans. Eligible health professional students in their final year of school receive the award in exchange for a three-year service commitment in a high-need (HPSA 14 or above) rural, tribal, or urban community. Read the 2021 Application and Program Guidance carefully before you start your application
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- Students must be U.S. citizens or nationals and enrolled or accepted in an eligible medical (MD or DO), dental (DDS or DMD), NP or CNM degree program at a U.S. accredited school.
- Installments are paid to students annually in a lump sum which, when applied to qualified health professional student loans, can significantly lower the overall debt by reducing accrued loan interest amounts.
- NHSC S2S LRP award recipients are eligible to continue service through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, and could potentially pay off all of their educational debt with continued service at an approved NHSC site.
Online Q & A Sessions
Monday, October 26 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET
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Upcoming National Training Opportunities |
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COVID, Telehealth and the Impact on Health Centers |
During this training, NCQA invites health centers to provide valuable feedback on the recommendations of the Taskforce on Telehealth Policy (TTP) and will share how to maximize the use of technology to make health center operations and the medical home model operate more efficiently and effectively.
Monday, October 19, 2020
3:30 PM EST
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Management of
Alcohol Use Disorder
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Please join the National Clinician Consultation Center in partnership with the HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care for this interactive webinar for Health Center clinicians. In this webinar, we will define the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol use and compare therapeutic approaches, focusing on pharmacological treatment options. We will also provide strategies for managing withdrawal, an especially important issue during COVID-19. Following this webinar, participants will be able to more confidently assess and care for patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Presented by Dr. Triveni Defries.
Wednesday, October 22, 2020
10:00 AM EST
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The Joint Commission's Health Center Educational Session: Emergency Management in Health Centers |
This presentation is intended for all levels of professionals who need to know the ambulatory care standards associated with Emergency Management and the survey process. The presentation is especially geared to those charged with response planning for disasters and incidents that could negatively affect your organization. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to understand the components of an effective emergency management plan and determine next steps in bringing the healthcare organization into compliance.
Thursday, October 23, 2020
1:00 PM EST
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Today with Macrae: Health Center Program Updates
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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. Save the following dates for these upcoming session:
Thursday, October 23, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
*Access details coming soon
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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:
Risk Management Programs & Plans
Claims and Lawsuits
Role of the Risk Manager
Patient Grievances and Complaints
Communication with Patients
Credentialing and Privileging
Communication among Providers, Staff, and Community Partners
Tracking Systems for Diagnostic Tests, Referrals, and Hospitalizations
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COVID-19 Resources for Health Centers |
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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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Debra Boyd | Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
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To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter: |
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1700 MacCorkle Avenue, SE
Charleston, WV 25314
Phone: 304.346.0032
Toll Free: 1.877.WVA HLTH
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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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