FRIDAY 5/23

Note: New Content Noted with Asterisk* and Highlighted

Dear Kids Health First (KHF) Providers and Practice Administrators,

We have some important updates about payor updates, new programs, and upcoming events. There's a lot of information, and we want to keep you informed. Please read through this email carefully and let us know if you have any questions.

Important Updates

May Practice Administrators Meeting Recap*

If you missed the May Practice Administrators Meeting or want to revisit the content, the recording and slides are now available. Charles Rodriguez from Adams Keegan presented “A Roadmap for Anticipating, Documenting, and Delivering Everything from Coaching to Termination.”

CPR and Emergency Training Opportunity for KHF Practices*

Kids Health First practices are eligible for discounted CPR and emergency training through No Stress Training. Options include Basic Life Support (BLS) for $45, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) for $150, and Family & Friends CPR starting at $25. Flexible scheduling is available, including on-site sessions. Learn more at No Stress Training.

Paymode X Users: Review Your Membership Level*

If your practice uses Paymode X to receive quality distribution payments from TCCN, please verify your membership level. A premium membership has a 1.5% transaction fee; however, a basic membership has no fees!

If your practice wants to change the membership level, please use one of the following options:

Access the Paymode X portal
Call Paymode X at 1-866-252-7366
Email enrollment@paymode-x.com

HR Q&A from Mineral: Discussing Pay in the Office*

Question: Can we tell employees not to talk about their pay with each other?

Answered by the HR Experts at Mineral

Generally, no. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) grants all non-supervisory employees (not just those in unions) the right to organize and engage in “concerted activity” for the purpose of mutual aid or protection. Concerted means “in concert,” meaning more than one employee is involved. Activities for mutual aid and protection could include discussions about wages, benefits, treatment from managers, safety issues, and just about anything else that two or more employees might have a stake in. As a result, the protections provided by the NLRA are broad. Here are a few examples of protected activity:

Employees discussing their pay, whether via email, break room chat, or social media
Employees circulating a petition asking for better hours
Employees refusing to work in unsafe conditions
Employees joining with coworkers to talk directly to the employer, a government agency, or the media about problems in the workplace

While the NLRA doesn’t protect supervisory employees in this way, employers should be careful about who they classify as supervisory. Only those who have real authority will be exempt from the NLRA’s protections—an assistant manager or shift manager, for example, would in many cases not qualify as supervisory.

Note that a number of states have enacted pay equity or pay transparency laws that protect all employees’ ability to discuss their wages—even those in the C-suite. Under these laws, you wouldn’t be able to enforce wage confidentiality policies, even for supervisors.

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law.

Disclaimer

This content is owned and provided by Mineral, Inc. “AS IS,” and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, accounting, or tax advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship. Because laws are constantly changing, we do not represent or warranty that the content is comprehensive of all applicable laws and regulations, and/or accurate as of the date of use. You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations. Mineral expressly disclaims any liability associated with your use of the content, and/or your noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Avoid EFT Fees with ECHO’s No-Fee Option*

If your practice is using ECHO for CareSource payments, there are two EFT options:

All Payer Program: Includes 200+ payers but charges a 1.99% fee. View payer list here .
Direct Payer Connection: No fee but requires separate enrollment with each payer.

Practices currently enrolled in the All Payer Program who wish to avoid the fee can switch to the no-fee Direct Payer Connection:

Disenroll from the All Payer Program by emailing allpayer@echohealthinc.com with the subject line: Disenroll [Practice TIN]
Enroll in the Direct Payer Connection by calling ECHO Support at 888-485-6233 and requesting the form. You’ll receive a secure email link to complete the process.

Setup takes approximately 2–3 weeks. If your practice previously switched to paper checks to avoid fees, you will need to re-enroll in EFT using the steps above.