News from MeHI
January 2020
Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition Launched
MeHI Joins with Business, Healthcare, Education, and Government Leaders to Address the Needs of Unpaid Family Caregivers
Family caregiving allows seniors to age within their community, surrounded by a strong network of supports, but it can place immense financial, physical and emotional pressures on caregivers. 
 
In collaboration with leaders from business, healthcare, education and state government, MeHI recently launched the  Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition to address the needs of unpaid family caregivers across the Commonwealth. Together, we are building a Coalition designed to help improve caregiver quality of life, and encourage the development of an ecosystem of digital health innovation and technology to support family caregivers. The Boston Globe covered the launch with a front page story .
 
The Massachusetts Caregiver Co alition invites all employers in the Commonwealth to join the Coalition in acknowledging family caregiving as a critical workforce opportunity and to support fellow employees with their caregiving responsibilities. 
WPI Cuts Ribbon on New Healthcare Technology R&D Facility - PracticePoint
This month, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) officially opened their new PracticePoint facility. This new healthcare research and development facility was supported by a $5 million infrastructure grant from the Commonwealth’s  Collaborative Research Matching Grant program  managed by the Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative. PracticePoint was also named as the first 'sandbox' in the Mass Digital Health Sandbox Grant Program , which is an initiative administered by MeHI that will help innovative healthcare technology startups gain access to R&D spaces across the state, drive product advancement, and shrink the time to market.
Opportunities
Right Care 4 You Grant Program
The deadline for concept papers for the Right Care 4 You Grant Program is fast approaching. MeHI’s new grant program will provide $500,000 to help offset costs for Massachusetts digital health companies to pilot their products and services with Massachusetts employers. Designed to both develop success stories for Massachusetts digital health companies and reduce healthcare costs for Massachusetts employers, the Right Care 4 You Grant Program supports the recommendations of the Massachusetts Employer Health Coalition .
 
To support both large and small employers, MeHI developed two tracks of the grant program. Massachusetts digital health companies with products or services that help address employer healthcare costs are eligible to apply to one or both program tracks. Concept papers, the first step in the application process for either track, are due on January 30, 2020
Medicaid Updates
Important Update about MAPIR Readiness
MAPIR is not yet ready for Program Year 2019 applications, as the updates required to allow MAPIR to accept Stage 3 Meaningful Use (MU) applications are not yet fully implemented. Any PY2019 applications launched prior to full implementation of the updates will need to be aborted and re-launched.

We advise Eligible Professionals and their designees to hold off on launching their applications until all MAPIR updates have been implemented.

We anticipate MAPIR readiness in early February. We will send a targeted announcement to all Medicaid Incentive Program participants when MAPIR is ready. In the meantime, we highly recommend using our 2019 Supporting Documentation Requirements Guide to organize your supporting documentation and prepare for attestation.
Reminder: The Program Year 2019 Deadline is
March 31, 2020
Note: Please submit any outstanding DCFs,
Group Proxy Information, and Resident Proposals as soon as possible .
As a reminder, the deadline for Program Year 2019 MU applications is March 31, 2020 .

Visit the  MU Toolkit  for the most up-to-date tools and resources, and reach out to our Technical Assistance Team with any questions.

Mass HIway Updates
Webinar: HIway Webmail
Mass HIway’s webmail solution, Communicate webmail, allows providers to securely send and receive clinical information, as well as search for the Direct addresses of thousands of Massachusetts providers. New webmail accounts can be set up quickly, and the HIway Account Management team can provide training and support to help you implement webmail within your organization. Join the Mass HIway team for an upcoming webinar on Direct Messaging and HIway Webmail services.

The webinar will include a live demo of how to create an account and use HIway Webmail, as well as an overview of the HIway, the Provider Directory, and HAUS Services
Tuesday, February 25
Noon-1:00pm