School Health Services Program News | |
Our newsletter is a Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) publication that provides information on the School Health Services (SHS) Program. The Colorado SHS Program is administered by HCPF in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). Providers participating in the program may receive federal matching funds for amounts spent in providing health services through the public schools to students who are receiving Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) benefits. | |
Important Update - Community Provider Letter | |
It is important to read the letter that was emailed to all School Health Services (SHS) program contacts on Friday, May 3rd regarding community providers in a school setting. You can also find the letter on the SHS program website by clicking this link. Community providers approved by a school district to provide services should email HomeHealth@state.co.us for any questions related to fee for service billing. Employees and contractors of the school district billing through SHS are still required to follow SHS program guidelines. Providers are not allowed to bill through both programs. | |
School Health Services 2024 Annual Training | |
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Registration for the 2024 Medicaid School Health Services Program Annual Training is now open. Registration links can be found on the HCPF website.
We will be hosting three all day, in-person sessions in different areas of the state. Training topics will consist of, cost reporting, Random Moment Time Study administration, program compliance, Department of Education (CDE) updates and program updates like those included in the 2023 CMS Comprehensive Guide.
We highly recommend that all personnel involved in the SHS administration and reporting, such as Medicaid Coordinators, from every district attend one of the in-person sessions or each of the virtual training components.
In-person sessions are 9:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. with registration and a light breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will also be provided.
Click here for the in-person Google Form Registration Link
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| Colorado Springs | Denver | Glenwood Springs | | Aug. 5, 2024
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Aug. 6, 2024
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. | Aug. 8, 2024
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | | Harrison School District
Boardroom
1060 Harrison Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80905 | Lowry Conference Center
Room 100ABC
1061 Akron Way
Denver, CO 80230 | Glenwood Springs Communtiy Center
Sopris Room AB
100 Wulfsohn Rd.
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 | | |
Virtual Session dates, times and registration links are below: | |
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Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 Annual Cost Settlement Highlight
There were 59 participating districts included in the FY 2022-23 annual cost settlement calculation. This was the third year Free Care had been included in the calculation, which has resulted in $6.2 million in district reimbursement. Statewide reimbursement increased $17.9 million from $62.2 million in FY 2021-22 to $80.1 million in FY 2022-23. Please keep in mind these increases may be attributed to the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, as well as the increase in allowable costs in the direct service cost pool with the addition of School Psychologists.
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Staff Pool List (SPL) Locations Feature Removal
The locations feature will be removed from the Public Consulting Group (PCG) Claiming system starting with the July – September 2024 quarter. Once this change occurs, locations will no longer be an option when populating or editing your staff pool list. When your staff pool list opens in August for the October – December 2024 quarter, you will no longer be able to assign staff to a location. All staff on your list that rolled over from previous quarters will remain in the PCG Claiming System assigned to your district. Notes from the ‘description’ field will roll over with your participants and will continue to be available for use to track participant school locations. The ‘description’ field can be edited at any time in the year, whether the staff pool list is open, or you are in the middle of a quarter.
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Medicaid Administrative Claiming (MAC) Certification for Public Expenditure (CPE) Reminders
It is MAC claiming season which means four CPE forms are released to districts/Board of Cooperative Educational Service (BOCES) between May and October. Districts/BOCES are typically communicated a one-week window of time to obtain and upload wet signatures on their CPE forms. Remember to make sure that a proper fiscal authority is reviewing and completing this form before submission to PCG. This means reviewing the form and expenditures associated with the claim, completing all lines on the form, providing a wet signature, then reuploading the form back into the PCG Claiming System. Any individual signing this form should be a fiscal agent within your district to sign a CPE form. In addition, it is very important to have an established backup signer in case the primary signer is out of the office and cannot complete the form prior to the due date. This will ensure there are no payment delays. If you have any questions about the qualifications of a fiscal agent, please contact PCG. Listed below are some examples of qualified individuals:
- Business Officer
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financinal Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Director of Business
- Director of Finance
- Controller
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National Provider Identifier (NPI) Ordering, Prescribing, and Referring (OPR) Claim Identifier Project
The NPI OPR project is now entering the final stage of implementation. Claims with dates of service of 07/01/2024 or after will require the NPI of the individual OPR provider for all occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech therapy services. Claims will be denied without a valid NPI OPR. The district/BOCES NPI will no longer be valid in the OPR field. Before the 120-day timely filing period passes for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 it is highly recommended to make sure all OT, PT, and speech services are being paid with no error messages. This will allow districts/BOCES to troubleshoot issues before claims with invalid NPI OPRs start denying. Follow the steps in the NPI OPR Guide on the SHS program website to ensure all individual PT, OT, and speech providers at your district/BOCES have a valid NPI.
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Senate Bill 23-174 (SB23-174)
As stated in the December 2023 SHS newsletter, certain behavioral health services procedure codes will be available to be billed through the SHS program starting with dates of 07/01/2024 as a result of SB23-174. The bill requires HCPF to provide certain behavioral health services to members under the age of 21 and has changes related to the SHS program.
Please click this link to see the list of codes to be included in the SHS program. These procedure codes will become available to be billed in addition to the codes that can already be billed through the SHS program. SHS program and billing manuals will be updated to include the newly available procedure codes. As a reminder, fee for service claims are required but continue to be paid at zero. Providers must bill for services within their scope of practice.
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Stakeholder Updates
Welcome to our FY 2024-25 stakeholders. HCPF and CDE rely on the experience of stakeholders throughout the year as a source of mentorship and program feedback. Stakeholders will contact districts and BOCES in the regions they support prior to each stakeholder meeting to make sure all are represented. In-person training sessions are a great time to connect with your stakeholder representative. Stakeholders are assigned to represent all CDE Regions that have at least one participating district/BOCES. CDE Region Maps can be found by selecting this link.
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The April stakeholder meeting included a robust discussion about SHS program training. Stakeholder representatives offered suggestions to help make training more engaging and interactive. HCPF will be incorporating stakeholder ideas into the upcoming annual training as much as possible. HCPF also checked on the progress of the NPI OPR requirement with stakeholders and their member districts. | |
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School Health Services Email Address
The new HCPF_schoolhealthservices@state.co.us email address should be used first for questions for HCPF related to the SHS program. Please, add it to your contacts and/or safe list to make sure you and any SHS support staff don’t miss any emails.
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Office Hours
Due to Summer scheduling and annual training in August, office hours are currently on pause until September. Email HCPF_schoolhealthservices@state.co.us with any staffing changes at your district/BOCES to ensure all SHS support staff receive the FY 2024-25 office hours invite. We look forward to hearing from you during office hours. Any SHS program-related questions should be directed to the program contacts listed at the bottom of this newsletter until office hours resume.
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Enrollment and Redetermination Support for Kids and Families
April 2024 formally reflects the last month of the 12-month Medicaid continuous coverage unwind period in Colorado. While the PHE unwind has ended, regular eligibility renewals will continue. Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) has published renewal reports throughout the unwind and a PHE Unwind summary on the Continuous Coverage Unwind Data Reporting page. HCPF is committed to learning from the unwind experience and improving the renewal process for our members.
Enrollment and Redetermination Support for Kids and Families
We appreciate your continued support in raising awareness about Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) enrollment and ongoing eligibility reviews.
A few ways you can help:
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Schools can print and/or email the flyers in the KeepCOCovered resource folder to parents and caregivers to educate them about health care options.
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Similarly, flyers reminding existing members to Prepare for and Take Action when their eligibility is reviewed can be printed and/or emailed.
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Existing members can learn more about renewals by visiting Health First Colorado’s renewal webpage, available in English and Spanish.
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Families who do not qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+ can learn more about other health coverage options on the Health First Colorado webpage, available in English and Spanish.
Thank you for your support during the PHE unwind and your continued collaboration to Keep Coloradans Covered.
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National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME) Updates
Ready for Medicaid Magic in the Mile High City? NAME is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2024 NAME Conference, hosted in Denver Oct. 15-18! Click here to register, book your hotel, and learn more! Our own Marie LeBlanc (Englewood Schools) is the chair of the Program Committee, heading up planning and scheduling for NAME's conferences; be sure to give her a hearty high-five or thumbs-up when you see her, as she and her committee do an incredible job bringing this event together.
Whether you've been a part of NAME for one year or 10, you know that Colorado has a strong presence on the Leadership Team - and we're going to continue that momentum! NAME is thrilled to announce that Olga Gintchin, current Membership chair, has been elected to the position of Region 3 State Medicaid Representative on the Board of Directors. Olga will step into her new role at the conclusion of the October conference. Congratulations Olga!
If you have a positive story of how Medicaid funds have impacted your students, NAME wants to share! Send your story (can be just a few sentences!) to info@medicaidforeducation.org and watch for your story to be included in future editions of Jenny's Journal, NAME's members-only newsletter.
Your Colorado representatives on the NAME leadership team are always happy to answer any questions, or you can reach out to info@medicaidforeduction.org anytime!
Olga Gintchin (Membership chair and incoming Region 3 State Medicaid Rep)
Shannon Huska (Region 3 State Medicaid Rep)
Marie LeBlanc (Program Chair)
Marlee Hart (NAME Secretary)
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Colorado Department of Education Updates | |
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The CDE SHS website's annual update is live with updated program timelines, templates, and minor formatting changes to support documents. The CDE SHS Learning Tool was also updated with revised videos and some small formatting edits.
You can find all the CDE SHS support documents, including links to the learning tool, the Local Services Plan (LSP) template, and the reimbursement spending report, on the CDE SHS website.
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Local Services Plan (LSP)
Final submissions for LSPs expiring in 2024 are due by July 1, 2024. If you haven't submitted your LSP yet, contact the CDE SHS Medicaid Consultant to review any drafts.
LSPs are five-year spending plans organized into cohorts based on their start and end years. Each plan starts on July 1st of the first year and concludes on June 30th of the fifth year. For instance, the 2022-27 cohort's, LSP starts on July 1, 2022, and ends on June 30, 2027. The start and end dates for an organization's LSP can also be found on the LSP cover page.
For LSPs expiring on June 30, 2025, here are the submission deadlines:
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Initial review deadline: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
- Final deadline: Tuesday, July 1, 2025
To verify your organization's cohort, visit the CDE SHS Program Timeline webpage.
LSPs can be revised as needed during the five-year plan period, without specific deadlines for each revision. To start, submit the revised LSP along with a completed LSP Companion Form to the CDE SHS Medicaid Consultant. The LSP Companion Form is available on the CDE SHS website and has been simplified from its previous version.
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Farewell Note
Omar Estrada is transitioning out of the CDE SHS Medicaid Consultant position. His last day is June 30, 2024. Contact information for the next CDE SHS Medicaid Consultant will be provided to all participants via email. We look forward to continuing to support your efforts with a new contact at the CDE! .
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FY 2023-2024 Stakeholder Dates | |
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Oct. 10, 2024
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Jan. 9, 2025
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Apr. 10, 2025
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
All meetings will be via Zoom & In-Person
In person location:
303 E. 17th Ave,
Denver, CO 80203
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Random Moment Time Study
No staff pool list or calendar will be opened for the July – Sept. 2024 quarter. The April – June 2024 staff pool list will be rolled into the July – Sept. 2024 quarter for you to update with replacements as they occur.
Aug. 1, 2024
The staff pool list and calendar for October – December 2024 opens.
Aug. 30th, 2024
The staff pool list and calendar for October – December 2024 is due.
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Quarterly Cost Report
July 1, 2024
The April – June 2024 quarterly cost report opens for district reporting.
July 31, 2024
The April – June 2024 quarterly cost report certification is due.
Remember to monitor the PCG Claiming System for CPE form releases. Jan – March 2024 CPE form is expected to be released mid-June.
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Annual Cost Report
Aug. 1, 2024
The FY 2023-24 annual cost report will open for district reporting.
Oct. 28, 2024
FY 2023-24 annual cost report is due from districts.
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The School Health Services Program is a joint effort between the Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing.
If you have any suggestions for the newsletter, please email the School Health Services Email Box.
Additional SHS Program Contacts:
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