Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center Celebrates 40 ^th Anniversary

Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center CEO Aurelia Jones-Taylor (center), Larry Haynes (left), Board Member, and Mississippi Senator Robert Jackson pose with the proclamation commemorating the 40 ^th anniversary of the health center.

Leadership, staff, community members, and policymakers recently gathered at the Isle of Capri ballroom in Lula, Miss. to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center. The theme of the celebration was “Looking Back, Leaping Forward.” The celebration included dinner, historical slide shows, and presentations by board members and CEO Aurelia Jones-Taylor. Senator Robert Jackson presented a proclamation and Representative Orlando Paden presented a concurrent resolution from the Mississippi Legislature.

Congratulations to three Mississippi CHC leaders who were selected to participate in the UCLA Anderson / Johnson and Johnson Health Care Executive Program. The 10-day program in Los Angeles provided immersive learning opportunities for those who attended. Mississippi leaders who attended are (photo on left) CFO Sherrin Roberts of Family Health Center in Laurel and (photo below, left to right) Dr. Takita Murriel, Chief Medical Officer, and Joseph Davis, Jr., COO, both with G.A. Carmichael Family Health Center.  

TAKE ACTION THIS SUMMER

FOR HEALTH CENTER FUNDING

Keep the advocacy going through the summer. The 30th of September deadline for Congress to pass funding legislation is quickly approaching. PLEASE do NOT take federal funding for health centers for granted . It is time to use your voice! Click below to contact your Members of Congress to ask for their support on legislation that has been introduced. 

Registration Now Open for the

Grassroots Advocacy

Leadership Program

Interested in learning how you can help your Health Center build a culture of advocacy? Consider signing up to join the fall/winter cohort of The Grassroots Advocacy Leadership Program (ALP). The ALP is an extended skills-building program that will begin before the Community Health Institute and Expo (CHI) on August 16, 2019 and continue through February 2020. It is designed to provide intensive training and hands-on experience in all aspects of Health Center Advocacy.

Click here to learn more and register to attend the breakout sessions before CHI. Contact Kristin St. John at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

Call for Mississippi Diabetes Prevention Programs

Contact Information 

 The Diabetes Coalition is creating a comprehensive list of Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPP) and DPP-like programs in the state of Mississippi. 

Organizers have created an Excel document for programs not listed to add information. Needed for each organization: name, contact information for the program manager/director, phone number and email, and all locations/sites providing the program. 



Open the link to the document here .

Questions? Please email Madison Moore at [email protected]   

W.K Kellogg Foundation-Mississippi

Host Stakeholder Convening

July 22, 2019

Facilitated by leadership from Trust for America’s Health, FQHCs and the Miss. Department of Health will convene to discuss an update on the healthcare landscape as well as local challenges and opportunities to partner. FQHCs are being asked to provide an update on the status of current initiatives and impacts to the overall safety net.

Please contact PCA leadership if you are interested in this opportunity, or feel free to share ideas by emailing [email protected] . 

You can also find information on current issues such as Social Determinants of Health published by Trust for America’s Health here .

HRSA Seeks Public Input and Feedback: Service Area Overlap

 

HRSA seeks input from the field to inform service area-related policy considerations. A link to the related Request for Information (RFI) solicits additional ideas and suggestions from the public related to these topic areas.

Insert Comments

 

Deadline : Public feedback must be submitted on or before July 8, 2019.

FAQs:  Service Area Considerations Request for Information Frequently Asked Questions

Open Season Announcement for Certified Designated Organizations-Application Link Now Live!

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites applications from organizations that would like to become Certified Application Counselor Designated Organizations (CDOs). Applications are accepted during CMS’s Open Season beginning June 12, 2019, through September 16, 2019. Any organization seeking to provide CAC enrollment assistance to consumers for Plan Year 2020 must be a certified CDO. Organizations that completed the CDO refresh process last year and received a new CDO identification number and a welcome packet do not need to reapply. The CDO application link is now live and can be accessed here: https://mats.secure.force.com/CDOApplication/ For additional questions, contact [email protected].

Reminders: New Rules in Effect August 1 ^st

Make sure your providers are informed of the new rule which requires EHRs and electronic signatures meet certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) criteria and comply with HIPAA regarding access, transfer, storage, and signing of EHR, effective August 1, 2019. Notice - Full Text

 

Also beginning August 1, 2019 , Alliant Health Solutions will begin performing prior authorization reviews as the Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) transitions to a new Utilization Management/Quality Improvement Organization (UM/QIO) vendor.

 

To learn more about this change, please  read  the attached news notice and share it with your health center teams.

FFS, MississippiCAN, & CHIP

  For CHC Talking Points and planned attendance, please email [email protected]

Medicaid Prescription Drug Limit

Increases took Effect

July 1, 2019

Effective July 1, 2019, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) will cover more prescription drugs per month for Medicaid beneficiaries. DOM will increase the monthly prescription drug limit from five (5) to six (6) prescriptions.

The two (2) brand monthly prescription limit remains

unchanged. Preferred brand drugs listed on the Universal

Preferred Drug List do not count toward this two (2)

brand monthly limit. 

Hospital Inpatient APR-DRG Alert

July 1, 2019 Updates

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) is proposing the following changes to the hospital inpatient APR-DRG payment methodology effective for the payment of hospital inpatient claims for discharges on and after July 1, 2019 :

The following APR-DRG parameters will be updated:

A.      Base Payment – will change from $6,585 to $6,731

B.      Neonate Policy Adjustor – will change from 1.40 to 1.25

C.      Pediatric Mental Health Policy Adjustor – will change from 2.00 to 1.85

D.      Adult Mental Health Policy Adjustor – will change from 1.60 to 1.50

E.      DRG Cost Outlier Threshold – will change from $45,000 to $48,500

F.      DRG Day Outlier Per Diem – will change from $450 to $675

Auto-HPSA Update – We’re up to #7 on Previews Released

HRSA has emailed the seventh round of automatically designated Health Professional Shortage Area Designation (Auto-HPSA) Update Preview reports to health center and look-alike CEOs and project directors as identified through the EHB. Please click this link for the latest iteration of impact to Mississippi health centers, and contact Joseph Grice at [email protected] if you have additional questions.

Option 2 Webinar Available on Auto-HPSA Designation:  H RSA is hosting an additional training webinar for FQHCs and RHCs regarding the Auto-HPSA Shortage Designation Modernization Project (SDMP) which will redesign the scoring process in the near future. Federally Qualified Health Centers and FQHC Look-Alikes that meet NHSC site requirements can join this webinar session.

2019 Uniform Data System Manual Now Available

The 2019 Uniform Data System (UDS) Manual serves as a comprehensive guide for health centers to understand UDS reporting requirements. It includes an overview of the UDS, instructions for completing each of the data tables, and information on how to submit the data through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks. Changes for 2019 UDS reporting include data to better capture mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services, reporting virtual visits, the addition of an electronic-specified statin therapy for cardiovascular disease clinical quality measure (CMS347v2), and workforce development data.

Registration Now Open!

Early Bird Registration EXTENDED TO

July 8, 2019, 5:00 p.m.

July 30, 2019 – August 2, 2019

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino

Ready! Get Set! Go Lace Up Those Athletic Shoes!

 

It’s time to register for the annual 65x65 races hosted by community health centers across the state. This one-day, statewide effort provides a chance to have fun while calling attention to the disease of obesity and the healthy ways to fight it. 

 

All 65x65 events are scheduled for Saturday, August 10th to celebrate National Health Center Week. Contact your health center for more information on local events.

 

Metro-area 5K/10K Race Details

7:30 a.m. Race Time

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Sign up here .

Thank you to our media sponsors

340B News: Free Training On 340B Specifically For FQHCs – Saturday, August 17th

As part of its on-going partnership with NACHC, Apexus -- the 340B Prime Vendor -- is offering a full-day version of its  340B University  focusing exclusively on the needs and challenges of health centers. The session will be held on Saturday, August 17th in Chicago – the day before, and in the same hotel, as the CHI. Participation is free, but  pre-registration  is required. This training is appropriate for all C-suite, operations (clinical and administrative), and quality/compliance staff from health centers. 

Of Note: CHCAMS Pharmacy Work Group launches July 12, 2019. Call Kathryn Rodenmeyer at 601-981-1817 with any additional questions.

New 340B Registrations Accepted through July 15; Increased Oversight of New Contract Pharmacy Arrangements

Health centers that participate in 340B must register all care delivery sites and contract pharmacy arrangements on the HRSA database (OPAIS). HRSA accepts new registrations four times a year, for a two-week period each. Registration is currently open through midnight ET on Monday, July 15; health center sites and contract pharmacy arrangements that register during this period will be eligible to participate in 340B starting on October 1, 2019.  While HRSA may extend the July 15th deadline for some new delivery sites, this is not guaranteed, so health centers are strongly encouraged to register during this two-week window, if possible. Also, health centers registering new contract pharmacy arrangements may be asked to submit the contract, so HRSA can verify that it:

NHSC Starts New Rural Loan Repayment Program for Providers

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) recently launched a Rural Community Loan Repayment Program (LRP) for providers working to combat the opioid epidemic in the nation's rural communities. The application cycle will open soon, and you can sign up for email notices . The NHSC LRP will make FY 2019 loan repayment awards in coordination with the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) initiative within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) to provide evidence-based substance use treatment, assist in recovery, and prevent overdose deaths across the nation. Learn more at the  NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program website. All FQHCs are automatically qualified sites, but only those in rural areas will be considered for this program.

NEED CMEs?

CHCAMS is officially accredited to provide

Direct Continuing Medical Education to Physicians.

Contact Desiree Stinson at 601-981-1817

July 12, 2019 | webinar (CHCAMS Sponsored)

Cyber Security Awareness

Learn about cyber threats that exist for you and your organization, ways to prevent or limit them, and steps to take if cyber attacked. The internet allows an attacker to work from anywhere on the planet. Some of the risks caused by poor security knowledge and practice are identity theft, monetary theft, legal ramifications (for yourself and your organization), and sanctions or termination if policies are not followed.

Register here

July 12, 2019 | online

UDS Mapper for the New and Advanced User

UDS Mapper is a collaboration between the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and is part of the HealthLandscape online mapping platform. There are monthly opportunities scheduled for those who are new to UDS Mapper and users familiar with it who would like to learn more about its uses and advanced tools.

July 22-23, 2019 | Ridgeland, MS

Understanding SBIRT: Foundations, Implementation, and Clinical Practice

The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model has been effective in emergency rooms, primary health clinics, campus health centers, and other healthcare settings. This model has also been shown to help increase housing stability, employment status, and overall health. This training will provide an opportunity to understand the SBIRT model and how to use it in different settings

Mississippi Public Health Institute | 829 Wilson Drive, Suite C, Ridgeland, MS 39157

Register here

July 24 - 26, 2019 |Madison

2019 Mississippi Opioid and Heroin Summit  

The 2.5-day summit will bring together three communities – public safety, public health, and the public. Learn about threats and trends from public safety officials who are tracking the supply of opioids and heroin. Listen to public health and treatment advocates discuss the disease of addiction and the many tools available to prescribers and treatment professionals. Join with the families touched by addiction to hear stories of recovery and hope.

For more details or to register, visit http://drugsummit.com/ . Continuing Education is available for a variety of professions.

 

Broadmoor Baptist Church | 1531 Highland Colony Pkwy, Madison, MS 39110

Deadline: Letters of Intent - June 24, 2019; F ull proposals invited - July 28, 2019

Women’s Foundation of Miss.

Proposals Ranging from $10,000-$25,000

The Women’s Foundation awards grants that drive social change, improve the lives of women and girls statewide, and promotes the well-being of families. For more information, contact: Latisha Latiker, Director of Grant Programming, 601-236-3002, [email protected] or womensfoundationms.org.  

 

Deadline: July 15, 2019

The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has released two Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs). One is the 2019 State Maternal Health Innovation (State MHI) Program (HRSA-19-107), and the other is the Supporting Maternal Health Innovation (Supporting MHI) Program (HRSA-19-106). For more information, click here .

Deadline: July 16, 2019

Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative (MDHC: Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes in High Need Areas)

The purpose of this NOFO is to implement population-wide and priority population approaches to prevent and control high blood pressure, and reduce health disparities associated with high blood pressure, among adults in the 18-county Mississippi (MS) Delta Region, which is a high burden, underserved, rural area. This will be achieved by the applicant implementing or strengthening strategies related to health systems interventions and community-clinical linkages across the 18-county MS Delta Region. For more information, click here . 

Estimated Deadline: April 10, 2020

Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development and Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program:

ORHP’s Outreach Program is a community-based program targeted to improve outreach and service delivery in local and regional rural communities. The goals for the Outreach Program are the following: