In April 2020, there were 1,219,436
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Upcoming Events and Helpful Resources
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| Health First Colorado videos for use in waiting rooms and other areas members visit are available for download on our website. |
New to PEAK or Need a Refresher?
The Intro to PEAK and Application Walk-Through recorded webinars are available anytime. For more information and trainings, visit the
PEAK Outreach Initiative website.
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Public Rule Review Opportunities
Anyone interested in a one-on-one discussion with Department staff about upcoming rules is invited to attend the Department's
Public Rule Review Meeting. Information is available on the
Public Rule Review Meetings webpage.
For more information, or to be added to the Medical Services Board email distribution list, please contact
Chris Sykes.
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Employment Opportunities
Applying for state government jobs is easy. Applications are electronic, you will receive updates, and you do not need to answer any written questions until it is determined that you meet the minimum qualifications.
Check out the
website for State of Colorado jobs including the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing jobs.
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Welcome to the May 2020 edition of
At a Glance!
Thank you for your interest!
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| A Message from the Executive Director |
Please Help Us Keep Colorado Covered and Enroll New Care Providers
As Coloradans struggle with record unemployment in the fallout of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) is projecting a surge of more than 500,000 Coloradans between April 1 and Dec. 31, reflecting a 40%+ increase in Medicaid and CHP+ members. During this difficult time, the passionate staff at HCPF is working hard to keep Colorado covered!
Given this goal, it is critical that we help Coloradans easily navigate their way to the right health coverage solution. That means providing clear guidance on what Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan
Plus
(CHP+) cover, how to apply, how to find a doctor and who to call with questions. To that end, we have developed a coverage guidance tool that answers these questions and ultimately helps Coloradans stay covered during this economic downturn. We appreciate your help sharing this tool broadly so we can reach the Coloradans who need this support. Please post this link on your organization's website, share it via social media and forward it to your customers, associates or constituents. In tandem, we are sharing this tool via our social media channels. You could further help us keep Colorado covered by "following us" and sharing our posts on
Facebook
and
Twitter
.
We would also appreciate your help recruiting care providers to serve our Health First Colorado members. Many physicians and other providers want to continue serving their patients who transition from commercial coverage to our coverage; at the same time, our new members often want to continue to see their preferred providers for care. To accomplish those shared goals, we need to "enroll" new providers into Health First Colorado. Providers can enroll at this
join us now
link. Feel free to share this link on your website, as well.
Last, we appreciate your collaboration in thoughtfully balancing the state budget, given the tremendous reduction in available funding. HCPF represents 26% of the state's general fund and 33% of total funds, so it is critical that our Department do our part, despite our projected 40%+ membership surge. Your attendance at our many webinars, your shared suggestions for budget cut alternatives and your engagement throughout this difficult process is very much appreciated by me, our leadership team and our staff. Thank you for all you are doing to be part of the solution!
Kim Bimestefer
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| New Website for Employers and Job Seekers |
Many health care employers and employees have experienced significant disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department,
ADvancing States
and
Centene Corporation
have created a website that helps connect residential care facilities and health care workers.
ConnectToCareJobs.com
provides facilities and job seekers with an easy way to connect. The online tool pairs licensed and/or trained health care workers with facilities that need their specific skills.
Please help us spread the word about this new resource.
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Non-Emergent Medical Transportation Update
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A contract has been awarded to the vendor, IntelliRide, to begin managing the Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) benefit for all counties in Colorado.
Expanding management of the NEMT benefit to one statewide broker will help us improve customer service to both our members and our county partners. By moving to a single statewide vendor, the state is better able to ensure more consistent, streamlined operations and infrastructure, including improved access for members and reduced administrative burden for counties. We are not changing or terminating the NEMT benefit. This is only a change to NEMT administration.
IntelliRide already operates in nine counties and is working to expand its network to the rest of the state as quickly as possible. Although the contract is effective July 1, 2020, IntelliRide may experience delays in credentialing providers in some counties because of logistical constraints due to COVID-19. Because of this, counties will continue to provide NEMT services to members until IntelliRide is fully operational in their county. The timeline for this transition will vary from county to county to ensure no interruption to members' NEMT benefit.
County administrators of NEMT can continue to bill for NEMT services delivered until the transition occurs and will be paid using already established administrative funding. The Department, which oversees the NEMT benefit, will work closely with counties and IntelliRide to track progress and determine where additional support is needed.
The Department is providing regular updates at county directors meetings and a monthly NEMT administrators call.
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Many Coloradans have recently lost their jobs and their health care, and they may not know about all their options. Please help by sharing the information below with your partners and through your communication channels.
Any Coloradan who needs health care coverage should apply for Health First Colorado and CHP+.
- Applications can be submitted any time of the year--there is no enrollment period for Health First Colorado and CHP+
- No one should assume they don't qualify--there are different eligibility categories for different situations. The only way to know for sure is to apply!
- Anyone can apply online at Co.gov/PEAK or by phone at 1-800-221-3943 (Press "1" for phone applications)
- More information for applicants is on our website.
Coloradans can also apply for financial help to purchase private health insurance through Connect for Health Colorado. Anyone can apply within 60 days of a life changing event, including loss of job-based coverage.
Thank you for helping us spread the word!
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Resources for Coloradans Impacted by COVID-19
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Onwardco.org can help connect Coloradans with services, funds and jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This resource is the result of collaboration with the Governor's Office, state agencies, community partners and Bitwise Industries. Please visit the website and share with anyone who is struggling, or may need the help: Onwardco.org.
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| Follow Health First Colorado on Twitter & Facebook |
In addition to our already established Department social media accounts,
Health First Colorado is now on Facebook and
Twitter
with information for members including:
- Updates about COVID-19
- Tips and tricks for using PEAK to manage benefits
- Useful resources on our website
We're working hard to get the latest information to our members during this time. Please help us spread the word about the new social media channels we have created just for members!
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The Colorado General Assembly reconvened for an abbreviated session on May 26, 2020.
A brief overview of the Department's updated legislative agenda can be found on the Department's website. During the limited session, the Department is supporting the following bills:
- Renew Overexpenditure and Transfer Authority
- Expand Canadian Prescription Drug Import Program (SB20-119)
- Drug Price Transparency Insurance Premium Reductions (HB20-1160)
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Health Care Affordability
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Hospital Transformation Program Update
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The Hospital Quality Incentive Payment (HQIP) Program Data Collection Tool (DCT)) opened to users on May 1. In light of COVID-19, the Data Collection period has been extended an additional 30 days until June 30, 2020. We held a DCT training webinar on April 29, 2020. That webinar was recorded and can be found along with
Community Advisory Council
A Community Advisory Council meeting was held on April 24. Council members used the time to talk about the best ways to continue community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting notes can be found on the
Community Advisory Council website
next week. The council plans to meet again in late June and details will be forthcoming in this newsletter.
COVID-19 Resources from the Department
The Department has created a COVID-19 resource center for various audiences, including providers, at
colorado.gov/hcpf/covid
.
Additionally, t
he Department has created a weekly update for providers, stakeholders, community partners and staff containing updates from the Department about the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). If you'd like to opt-in to receive this newsletter, please go to the Department's
newsletter sign-up webpage
, complete the form with your contact information.
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Upcoming Improvements to Claims Review
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The Department is committed to
improving
health and quality services to our members while
ensuring
appropriate claims payments to Health First Colorado.
In accordance with
Senate Bill 18-266
, the Department is implementing
a new
claims payment solution
, ClaimsXten, and
improvements to
the existing 3M EAPG
solution
to
improve payment accuracy.
- For outpatient hospital payments, the Department and its contractor, DXC Technologies (DXC) are working to map 3M EAPG return codes to edits in the Colorado interChange.
- For other professional and outpatient claim types, the Department and DXC are working with Change Healthcare to implement its ClaimsXten tool to automatically review claims for appropriate billing practices. The first phase of ClaimsXten implementation will exclude home and community-based services (HCBS) claims.
Both
solutions are scheduled
for implementation in late fall 2020.
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At a Glance
