The Mass Caregiving Initiative, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and ARCHANGELS Team Up to Launch "Any Care Counts" Campaign

The Mass. Caregiving Initiative at MassTech, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and ARCHANGELS announced the launch of the Any Care Counts campaign to highlight and address the impact that unpaid caregiving has on the Commonwealth and connect more of this population to available support resources.

"By providing support for caregivers through efforts like Any Care Counts, we can boost the Massachusetts economy by helping ensure a healthy and stable workforce," said Carolyn Kirk, Executive Director for Mass Tech Collaborative. "This effort will raise awareness among our business community and our workforce, helping caregivers be seen and heard, while also connecting them to critical resources."

Participate in the Any Care Counts Campaign here

Next week, the preeminent digital health conference in the country is coming to Boston for the first time in its history. We invite you to join MeHI and the Mass Digital Health Initiative as we celebrate the innovators and disruptors whose bold ideas have the potential to transform the healthcare experience.

Visit us at the Mass Digital Health Innovation Lounge and Activation (Pavilion - A8) in Hall A on Level 0, in the heart of the event. 

Registration closes on October 15th. Don't miss your opportunity to attend the largest digital health conference in the country. Use code 21hlth_massch150 for $150 off of your registration (virtual or physical).

This fall, Massachusetts digital health companies are ramping up their hiring, as seen by the over 2,700 currently open roles on the MassDigitalHealth jobs board – a high water mark since the pandemic.

Find your next career at jobs.massdigitalhealth.org.

Questions? Email Paul Bosco at bosco@masstech.org.

As part of October’s #MassCyberMonth programming, MeHI and the MassCyberCenter invite you to join us on Thursday, October 14^th at 10:00 am as we expand on one of the most critical aspects of organizational cyber preparedness – tabletop exercises to develop and rehearse incident responses.

We will open the October 14^th session with our usual federal and regional threat update from Ron Ford of CISA and Brian Gavioli of the Massachusetts State Police and Commonwealth Fusion Center. After hearing from Ron and Brian, we will briefly discuss the process of conducting a tabletop exercise within your organization. All participants will then be divided into breakout groups to run through a mock exercise with a leader from MeHI or the MassCyberCenter.

Discussion materials will be shared with registrants following the call, but we encourage live participation given the subject matter of the October call. To register, please click here. If you have any questions on the October 14 event or the series in general, please contact Paul Bosco at bosco@masstech.org.

On October 28, the Mass. Caregiving Initiative will host speakers from the MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs, SecureSeniorConnections, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Babson, and AARP MA as we explore the downstream health consequences of social isolation and how the innovation ecosystem is responding to address this long-standing crisis. Isolation among older adults in the United States was identified as a looming public health crisis before “social distancing” was ever part of the public vernacular.

In recent years, there has been increasing evidence drawing a connection between isolation in the 50+ population and all-cause mortality, increased risk of dementia, and increased risk of heart disease. Tackling a challenge of this magnitude necessitates a broadened definition of innovation – to include innovators in technology, public policy, community support, and healthcare who can address the unique factors that contribute to isolation in this age group.

To register for the webinar, click here.

Per the HITECH Act, all Medicaid EHR Incentives must be paid by December 31, 2021. To be paid on time, applications must be validated and approved by November 12, 2021.  

Any application cycling due to incomplete attestations or inadequate supporting documentation may result in missing the approval deadline. Ensure your application can be approved on time to receive payment. Review the Supporting Documentation guide and make sure your supporting documentation is complete, meets all the requirements, and is uploaded in MAPIR as soon as possible. 

We encourage you to speak with a Technical Assistant or Analyst about the documentation requested for approval. Our experts are here to help make your final attestation year as seamless as possible. We are waiting to assist you. Contact us today at 855-627-7347 or send an email to massehr@masstech.org.

All organizations required to meet the Connection Requirement by January 1, 2021 (that is, all acute care hospitals, community health centers, and medium/large medical ambulatory practices) must submit an attestation form by October 31, 2021. If an organization was unable to meet the Connection Requirement, it must submit an Exception Form. For more information, see the FAQs regarding the Mass HIway Regulations and Connection Requirement. You can also find detailed information about the regulations, including educational presentations, here.

You can also submit questions directly to the Mass HIway at MassHIway@state.ma.us.