In place of the Policy Advisory Council (PAC) update, the county team is using a newsletter in the style of County Connections to communicate critical information.
The content is designed for county human services directors and leadership.
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Letter from the Executive Director
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A Look Back and Thank You Before We Look Forward Together
Thank you for your partnership in another unprecedented year for health care. Together, we successfully served an additional 375,000 Coloradans in need – an increase of 30% - since the start of the pandemic. We are covering 1.62 million Coloradans, or one in four as we begin this new fiscal year. Clearly, our safety net programs have helped keep Coloradans covered through the economic downturn, with an uninsured rate steady at around 6.6%.
Your support in improving care access to meet the needs of so many more members during a pandemic has been critical. Together, we expanded our provider network by 28% over the past few years, with 95,000 providers now enrolled in Health First Colorado. That includes more than 10,000 active behavioral health providers. A very special thank you to the General Assembly and the Joint Budget Committee for their 2% across the board provider reimbursement rate increase effective July 1, for the specific rate increases propelled through our Medicaid Provider Rate Review Advisory Committee (MPRRAC) process, and for the wage increases for certain direct care and nursing home workers – all critical to supporting our providers in their quest to take good care of our members, reduce disparities, improve quality and increase provider access overall.
Together, we also successfully directed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding towards a number of meaningful, impactful, transformational projects to the betterment of our providers and those we serve, such as: strengthening the behavioral health safety net, stabilizing behavioral health crisis services, improving behavioral health access and integrating behavioral health into primary care; improving the affordability and accessibility of rural care; addressing health disparities with a focus on COVID-19 vaccination rates; targeting services to high-risk populations, especially individuals with disabilities and our older adult members; and investing in the health care workforce.
We also continued to improve the customer experience – for members and providers. Our Member Call Center answered calls in less than 30 seconds on average, all year. Special thanks to our counties and medical assistance sites for your partnership and collaboration. Our investments in 50+ CBMS system enhancements and other modernizations are paying off. The initial eligibility and renewal processes are more member-focused and automated, with 97% of applications approved within 45 days and projected reductions in error rates and rework. Missing information in eligibility correspondence is down to 0.012%, which is a massive improvement. And now, members can view coverage status and update information real-time online through PEAK, our online portal. For our providers, claims are processed in less than four days and provider calls are answered in an average of less than one minute. Together, we have handled the 30% membership growth without any major operational issues, which is an accomplishment we should celebrate together.
Amidst this growth, we kept Health First Colorado cost trends flat while evolving innovations that improve quality, reduce disparities and improve the health of our members as well. Our health care affordability leadership in value-based payments, prescription drug and hospital cost control will continue to help us manage our own budget (1/3 of the state’s overall budget), while helping save Coloradans and employers money on health care as well.
Thank you for your partnership on these important endeavors. Please feel free to view our performance on Administration goals at dashboard.colorado.gov. Finally, please join our July 19 webinar to celebrate what we accomplished together, review priorities for next fiscal year, and give us your feedback.
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Register now for HCPF Annual Stakeholder Webinar
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Please register to join Health Care Policy & Financing leaders for a virtual webinar on July 19, from 9-11 a.m. This event will share what we accomplished together last year, address priorities for next fiscal year, and invite stakeholder feedback and comments.
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Email Address for Disability Application Submissions Has Changed Effective 07/01/2022
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The purpose of this communication is to remind you that the email address for Disability Application Submissions has changed effective July 1, 2022 and all Disability Application Submissions will need to be submitted to ARG Colorado Apps. ARG remains the state contractor for disability applications; the submission email address is the only thing changing.
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July 22, 2022 Telephonic Signature Meeting
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The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) along with the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) and Deloitte presented information on May 11 in a meeting for all County Directors regarding the new telephonic signature requirement for Medical Assistance (MA) program renewals and feature that was built into CBMS.
We have been working with OIT and Deloitte to identify all of the nuances to implement these requirements. Please note that due to the PHE not ending yet and various logistics to be worked out, the implementation date of July 31 has been extended to September 30.
A follow up meeting with all County Directors and Division Directors will be held July 22, from 1-2 p.m. to review the final programmatic and technical requirements, and options available to counties to come into compliance with the MA telephonic signature requirements. Counties will have approximately two to three weeks after this meeting to make a decision on the option that best meets their business operations.
County Directors and Division Directors will receive an invite for the July 22 meeting. The meeting will be recorded for those unable to attend the session. If you don’t receive the invite or would like to have others added please contact Kim Vanderscoff-Eisen.
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Temporary Solution to Approve CDHS and HCPF Programs for Ukrainian Huamitarian Parolees
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The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) have collaborated to provide you with instruction on how to temporarily identify Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees on the Non-Citizen window of Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) in order to approve benefits for Adult Financial, Colorado Works, Medical Assistance, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for a newly eligible non-citizen population.
Please see below for context and instruction on how to temporarily complete data entry for Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees:
On May 26, 2022, Congress passed the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (AUSAA). This legislation provides that Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees are eligible to receive federal benefits provided they meet all other program eligibility criteria.
Starting May 21, 2022, Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees who have a Date of Entry between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, are considered qualified non-citizens and do not have to meet an additional condition (such as the five year bar) to be eligible for SNAP, Adult Financial, Colorado Works, and Health First Colorado.
Temporary Solution:
A temporary solution has been approved by CDHS and HCPF program areas, which will allow eligible clients/members to be approved for benefits as long as they meet other program eligibility criteria.
The following temporary solution is to be used until the long-term CBMS enhancement is implemented:
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When a client who is a Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee applies for benefits, temporarily enter the non-citizen status as Afghan Humanitarian Parolee.
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The data entry for the Effective Begin Date when using the temporary solution cannot be prior to May 21, 2022.
- Enter the Country of Origin as Ukraine and use the Class Code drop-down OAR PAR DT.
- Remember: the Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee status only applies to individuals who have Entry Dates after Feb. 24, 2022.
- A case comment should be entered in CBMS to document the use of the approved temporary solution.
A CBMS enhancement is in progress to create a new non-citizen value in CBMS that is specific to Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees.
CDHS and HCPF program areas will continue to pursue an automated solution to convert the non-citizen status of Afghan Humanitarian Parolee with a Country of Origin of Ukraine to the new Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee value.
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County Relations Team Introduces
Customer Relationship Management System
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Do you need help? Do you have a question? Does a case need to be escalated? There are two ways you can contact the HCPF County Relations team.
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County Relations Web Form—try this method first. It allows you to enter details to help us resolve your issues.
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County Relations E-mail—You can still contact us by email at hcpf_countyrelations@state.co.us. Your email to us will automatically create a service ticket with your email included. We cannot open encrypted messages within our ticketing system.
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Recent Memo Series Issued to Counties
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OM 22-035
The purpose for this Operational Memo is for the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (the Department) to promulgate state requirements and operational expectations for and to notify Eligibility Site staff of the minimum requirements for case comments entered into the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) based on federal regulations 42 CFR 435.914 and 42 CFR 431.17. Case comments must be entered into CBMS when determining eligibility, conducting ongoing case maintenance responsibilities, interacting with applicants and members and other situations that require a documented audit trail. As outlined at 42 CFR § 435.914, Case Comments must document facts supporting the eligibility decision. These requirements are compatible and supportive of other high level program groups (HLPGs) case comment requirements.
OM 22-034
The purpose of this Operational Memo is to revise the benchmarks to be met for earning payment for county departments of human/social services (counties) for the 2021-22 County Incentives Program Accuracy Incentive. The total Accuracy incentive earned payment continues to be weighted at 35% percent of total County Incentives funding; however, the earned amount is now updated to reflect 50% earned if one accuracy performance measure is met and 100% earned if both accuracy performance measures are met, as communicated on the “Director Accuracy DB” tab of the MAP Accuracy Dashboard by June 30, 2022.
OM 22-032
The purpose of this operational memo is to advise eligibility sites of the increase to the Community Spouse Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMMNA) and Shelter Allowance. Please share this letter with all eligibility staff, supervisors and administrators that manage nursing facilities, Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and other outside agencies as appropriate.
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IM 22-022
The purpose of this Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services of grant funding available through the FY 2022-23 County Grant Program and to extend the deadline for applications to Friday, July 8, 2022.
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Department Contacts & Resources
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