Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM)
Health innovation news
December 2016
In This Issue
Practice transformation: A personal journey for healthcare professionals
SIM supports practices along an integrated care continuum
SIM small grants aid integration efforts
ACC Phase II request for proposals
Join the conversation: What's the role of RNs in primary care?
SIM provides attribution guidance
Suggested articles and media
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Happy Holidays from the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) team. We are thankful for the progress made in SIM practices across the state to integrate primary care and behavioral health. It is difficult yet rewarding work that yields personal rewards as outlined in the first article of our practice transformation series (below) and in the first SIM video series. 

We invite you to share your stories with us about how integrated care has affected your life and the lives of those you love. We hope you enjoy this issue, look forward to hearing from you and wish you a happy, healthy holiday season.

One of the first things that BJ Dempsey, practice facilitator, HealthTeamWorks, does before she talks with healthcare teams about integrating behavioral health and primary care is to learn whether they have lost patients to suicide.

"I've found that it turns the tide," says Dempsey, who has five years of experience as a practice coach. "If the practice has lost someone to suicide it's very upsetting to the staff and they're motivated to doing something, even if it's not perfect."

That something is to start integrating behavioral health and primary care to ensure that patients get the help they need when they need it. HealthTeamWorks is one of 25 practice transformation organizations for the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM), a federal initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

SIM supports practices along an integrated care continuum

The primary goal of the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) is to move participating practices along the continuum of integrated care, which we illustrate in a graphic with data about where our first cohort of SIM practice sites are on the spectrum. 

SIM small grants aid integration efforts

Practices that were approved for competitive small grants of up to $40,000 through the Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) and The Colorado Health Foundation (TCHF) are using their funds to achieve stated goals for integration. 

ACC Phase II request for proposals

The Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) encourages practice representatives, practice transformation organizations and other stakeholders to  comment on the Accountable Care Collaborative Phase II draft request for proposals  by Jan. 13, 2017. 

The second phase of the Accountable Care Collaborative will leverage the successes of Health First Colorado's (Colorado's Medicaid Program) programs that enhance member and provider experience, improve member health and life outcomes and use state resources wisely. A key component of the next iteration of the program is to help ensure providers receive supports to achieve individualized practice goals. Learn more:   Co.gov/HCPF/ACCPhase2
Join the conversation: What's the role of RNs in primary care?

The University of Colorado College of Nursing is co-sponsoring a regional conversation about the role of registered nurses (RNs) in primary care settings. This conversation is a follow-up to the Macy Foundation conference held earlier this year, which resulted in several recommendations  . 

The event, which is co-sponsored by the American Academy of Nursing, will be held on the Anschutz Medical Campus Thursday, Jan. 12, 2016 from 8:30 am - 11:30 am. Please RSVP and contact Amy Barton with questions.
SIM provides attribution guidance

Accurate attribution helps ensure that your practice has actionable data. Make sure your providers are attributed correctly. Click on the resources below for guidance from SIM.
Suggested articles and media:

Homeless people are largely ignored by the public: living on the margins; often in the grips of mental illness and addiction; adrift in a world that has given up on them.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shares a new Health Affairs article by Secretary Burwell outlining her vision for the future of healthcare. 

The road map is the culmination of more than a year of research and in-depth discussions with experts and key players in the field. 

In a letter to the Congressional Budget Office last week, eleven of the nation's largest health insurance carriers offered to make available data on the value of telemedicine as Congress considers expanded coverage under Medicare for telemedicine services.
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