January 2018
  WVPCA Weekly Outlook Newsletter
     A Newsletter on Community Centered Healthcare
 

We offer this publication as a member service of the West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA).

If you have questions regarding our organization, WVPCA membership, or if you have content to suggest for this newsletter, please contact Kelsey Clough, Education and Communications Coordinator, by email or by phone at (304) 346-0032.

Sincerely,

West Virginia Primary Care Association
1700 MacCorkle Avenue
Charleston, WV 25314-1518
304-346-0032
1-877-WVA-HLTH
Quick Links: In This Issue.....

WVPCA News




 
Leaders of WV's federally qualified health centers wait for funding 
Read the entire article, originally from the Charleston Gazette-Mail  here

DHHR releases WV overdose death report 
Read the entire article, originally from the WCHSTV  here

Senate confirms Azar as HHS secretary 
Read the entire article, originally from Modern Healthcare  here

Gazette Editorial: To fight opioid losses, more treatment and faster 
Read the entire article, originally from the Charleston Gazette-Mail  here

Allscripts still fighting to restore all services 4 days after ransomware attack
Read the entire article, originally from Healthcare IT News  here

Michael Brumage: Beware the anti-vaccine sham 
Read the entire article, originally from the Charleston Gazette-Mail  here
WVPCA NewsWVPCA
Recent Patient Experience Survey Webinars a Success 
In preparation for the upcoming survey period, scheduled to begin in early February, the West Virginia Primary Care Association (WVPCA) offered two 3- minute webinars to discuss the entire Patient Experience Program.  

Participants learned  about the purpose of the survey, the process by which the survey was created, and the survey instrument itself.  Furthermore, strategies for more successful survey administration through randomization were discussed.  A Q&A session followed for each webinar, with additional comments from the participants which led to discussions about surveying techniques and how organizations use the data collected from the surveys. 
CDC Offers Advice for 2017-2018 Flu Season 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend a three-prong approach to this flu season.

The CDC recommends everyone 6-months of age and older receive a yearly flu vaccine, preferably prior to the beginning of flu activity in your community. Vaccinations are especially important for people at high risk (the CDC notes this group includes young children, pregnant women, individuals with chronic health conditions and anyone 65 years and older.) 

Additionally, it is recommended to take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs. When possible, avoid close contact with people who are ill and thoroughly wash your hands and any surfaces or objects that may harbor germs like those that cause the flu.

Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

For more information and recommendations from the CDC, click here
Register Today! February 8 ACEs Training for Charleston
Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on future violence, victimization and perpetrations, and lifelong health and opportunity.  These early experiences are an important public health issue; in fact, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) have been linked to risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential and early death. 

This workshop, Identifying Tomorrow's Issues In Students Today: Making Use of ACEs in SBHCs will be held in Charleston on February 8 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM at the Columbia Gas Building.  The workshop will focus on how School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) can improve the health of students through increasing the awareness of ACEs and the far-reaching impact they have on West Virginia's children. 

Please note - this training is identical to the ACES workshop held in Beckley in August 2017.
 
For more information, or to register, click here
State NewsStateNews
Congressman McKinley, Mooney and Jenkins send strong letter of support to House leadership 
While our congressional leaders wrangled over DACA, immigration reform, CHIP and other issues, health center funding took a back seat.  Now that a continuing resolution (CR) is in place for a few weeks, Congress is moving forward to resolve a myriad of other issues including health center funding.  Your advocacy has made a significant impact and the letter of support from our congressional delegation is evidence of your hard work.  NACHC reports that it is the intention of Congressional leaders to move health center funding alongside the next available moving piece of legislation.  The WVPCA will continue to communication with our representatives and will share information as quickly as possible.   Please take a moment to send a thank you note to Congressman McKinley, Mooney or Jenkins for their continued support of community health centers.  To read the letter of support sent to the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader, click here.
WV Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services unveils new Harm Reduction Program interactive  map 
The West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources, Office of Epidemiology & Prevention Services (OEPS) has created a Harm Reduction Program (HRP) page on their website. On this page, they have created an interactive map that lists all of the Harm Reduction Programs in the state. By clicking on each map point, the location and hours of the HRP is available. OEPS is working with the Great Rivers Harm Reduction Coalition and others to ask other HRPs to contact the office with their information so the map can be updated appropriately. The HRP page is located at www.harmreductionwv.org. 

Click here to be linked directly to the interactive map. 
Registration Open for WVPBRN Retreat 
Registration for the 5th Annual West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network (WVPBRN) Retreat is now open. This year's retreat activities will include poster and oral presentations highlighting current WVPBRN projects, a PBRN successes and challenges panel, and networking opportunities to discuss future projects and initatives. Deadline to register for the retreat is February 13, 2018. Please feel free to contact Andrew Denny, Network Coordinator (304-581-1922) or Stacey Whanger, Network Manager (304-581-1821) if you have any questions.

Click here for more information. 
Hepatitis C Overview Webinar Scheduled Feb. 27 
The WVU Health Sciences Office of Continuing Education recently announced a new webinar, Hepatitis C Overview. The webinar is scheduled for February 27 from 12:00 - 1"30 PM. 

An estimated 3 million to 4 million persons in the United States are chronically infected with Hepatitis C, which if left untreated, may cause advanced liver disease and/or hepato cellular cancer. Given the sheer number of persons infected, familiarity and comfort with caring for patients infected with HCV is vital. With the recent introduction of new medications, HCV treatment paradigms are rapidly evolving, offering a potential cure for many more patients than had been previously possible.

This program is designed for local/regional health care providers, specifically physicians, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses.

Click here to view the flyer and here to register. 
National NewsNationalNews
National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week January 22-28 
January 22-28 is National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week (NADFW), allowing organizations to participate in helping to shatter the myths about drugs and alcohol in their communities.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are encouraging your participation.  According to recent data from a NIDA survey,  Monitoring the Future, nearly a third of high school seniors report using alcohol in the past month, 28% report vaping, and 37% report past year use of marijuana. NDAFW is a national observance designed to equip communities with materials and tools needed to educate young people about the effects of drugs on their brain, body, and behavior.  You can obtain these resources free from NIDA.  To get more information on ideas on how you can help shatter the myths, take a look at the NADFW website.
Health Center Strategies for Diabetes Screening and Prevention for Children, Adults and the Elderly 
 Many health centers struggle to properly diagnose patients of all ages with diabetes. HRSA-BPHC recently announced a new webinar, scheduled for Monday, January 29 that will focus on diabetes screening and prevention across the lifespan. Presenters will discuss standards of care in screening and prevention for children, adults, and the elderly, sharing experiences from the field. Presenters will also engage participants around case examples of successful diabetes prevention programs, adult clinical treatment, and geriatrics care focused on vulnerable populations of children and adults of all ages. Presenters will connect participants with resources to outreach opportunities and tools they can apply and adapt for their own health centers.

The webinar will begin at 1:00 and will conclude at 1:30 PM EST.
 
For more information or to register, click here.
Live 5-Part BPHC Compliance Webinar Series offered 
Beginning today, January 23, and ending February 20, NACHC and Feldsman Trucker Leifer Fidell (FTLF) are offering an updated live session of the popular webinar series, The New Health Center Compliance Manual & Its Impact on the Program Requirements.  The series is designed to provide FQHCs with technical assistance on implementation of the manual - and now includes tips for the new Site Visit Protocol, which is BPHC's assessment process beginning January 22, 2018.

(Complete Webinar Series) Health Center Compliance Manual & Its Impact on the Program Requirements Webinar Series
January 23 through February 20, 2018 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

Introduction to the Compliance Manual; The Heart of Your Health Center: Need, Services, Service Delivery Model and Continuity of Care (Chapters 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 12)
January 23, 2018 | 1:00 PM ET - 2:30 PM ET
 
Making Care Affordable While Maximizing Reimbursement: The Sliding Fee Discount Program & Billing and Collection (Chapters 9 and 16)
January 30, 2018 | 1:00 PM  
2:30 PM ET
 
Quality & Personnel Dynamics: Ensuring Appropriate Clinical Staffing to Provide High Quality Care (Chapters 5 and 10)
February 6, 2017 | 1:00 PM ET 
- 2:30 PM
 
Internal Controls: Managing Your Grant Funds (Chapters 12, 13 and 15)
February 13, 2017 | 1:00 PM  
- 2:30 PM ET

Understanding the Roles of Management & Governance (Chapters 11, 19, and 20); the OSV Process As it Stands Today
February 20, 2017 | 1:00 PM  
2:30 PM ET
340B Updates
NACHC Launches Office Hours on Pharmacy and 340B Issues - focus on operational issues, not policy
We're excited to be launching monthly "Office Hours" on 340B, on the third Thursday of each month at 2:00 ET, starting Jan. 18.  Please note that Office Hours will focus on operational and technical issues, rather than policy developments.  (For example, this month Sue Veer will discuss the treatment of clinic-administered drugs under 340B, and then we'll have lots of time for Q&A.)  These Office Hours will be a good place to direct people who have specific operational questions   During tomorrow's Office Hours, we will also briefly discuss the operational issues outlined belowTo register; please click here here; also feel free to submit questions in advance  

Mandatory Re-certification Period Will be Feb7 - March 7, 2018
Health   centers are required to recertify the accuracy and completeness of yourinformation on the HRSA 340B database (OPAIS) annually; failure to recertify by the deadline will result in loss of 340B eligibility for at least 3 months.  

Health Centers that receive an inquiry from Kalderos should respond promptly
Health centers across the country are being contracted by an organization called Kalderos, asking about potential duplicate discounts. NACHC encourages health centers to respond promptly to these requests, as Kalderos is acting on behalf of multiple drug manufacturers, and failure to respond promptly can significantly increase the chances of being subject to a full-scale manufacturer audi t.

Rite Aid converting to Walgreens?
If you contract with Rite Aid,  stay in close communication with each store to determine if - and when - it might convert to a Walgreen's, as a conversion will interrupt its 340B eligibility.  If a conversion is schedule d, contact Apexus right away in order to minimize how long the site will be ineligible.   Failure to do this will impact eligibility for 340B - leading to claims of "diversion" if the "new" Walgreens continues to dispense 340B drugs. 

New Health Center Sites Can Register Through March 5 to Start 340B Eligibility on April 1
HRSA is again extending the deadline for health centers to register their new delivery sites in order for these sites to become eligible to participate in the program on April 1, 2018.  While other types of providers faced a January 15 deadline, health centers have until March 5 to register.  At this time, health centers should contact Apexus directly to register a new site.  Note that the extended deadlines do not apply to new contract pharmacy arrangements, and that sites registered after the March 5 deadline will not be eligible until at least July 1.

Kaiser Health News/NPR Researching Story on State Medicaid Programs and 340B Savings
The question of who receives the discount on drugs that 340B providers dispense to Medicaid patients may soon get national media attention.  A reporter from NPR and Kaiser Health News is currently researching a story comparing the California governor's repeated attempts to keep all the savings (by requiring total carve-out of Medicaid) with the Kansas Medicaid department's decision to allow health centers to keep the savings - and what that means in terms of services for underserved populations.  
Resources to Aid Care for Veterans 
According to the 2016 UDS, health centers nationally served more than 330,000 veterans; in West Virginia, more than 10,300 received care at an FQHC.  Here are some resources that can assist health centers in caring for veterans.
  • The Community Provider Toolkit assembled by the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (NC-PTSD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) supports behavioral health providers serving veterans and includes information related to how to screen for military service, information and training on military experiences and culture, and how to access benefits and resources.
  • Military Culture Training Curriculum for health care professionals, a partnership between the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) trains health professionals in providing culturally competent care to veteran populations. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has numerous other courses available for clinicians and public health providers focused on topics such as military culture in primary care and PTSD military culture. Learn more about VHA TRAIN .
  • The PTSD Consultation Program  targets providers, especially those practicing in rural communities, who treat veterans with PTSD. The program offers free access to mental health professionals to discuss PTSD-related assessments, treatments, medications, and referral questions.  An expert clinician can be contacted at PTSDconsult@va.gov or 866-948-7880. The typical response time is less than a day.
  • The VA recently launched the Be There campaign, which includes education and outreach to VA employees and community partners to #BeThere for veterans and to take action to help prevent suicide. Health centers are in a position to help veterans who may be at risk for suicide. 
Community Health Center ResourcesCHCresources 
ECRI Institute 
 
The  ECRI Institute  offers numerous policy templates that can be used as guidance consistent with the needs of community health centers. To take a look at their library of policy templates, click  HERE .
If you are not an ECRI member, creating a free account before accessing these materials is required. ECRI Institute resources are provided for free on behalf of HRSA.

To Access Policies: 
  • From the main page, click on the clinical risk management link on the left hand side of the page
  • Click sample policies and tools listed under tool-kits on left side of page
Click on the + sign to access individual templates.
Tracking and Referral Resources Available at ECRI
 
ECRI has released a Test Tracking and Follow-Up Toolkit and the Get Safe! Communication Ensuring Care Coordination of the Medically Complex Patient.  All resources are provided for free by ECRI Institute on behalf of HRSA.  If you do not currently have access and would like to set up an account, just email them or call (610) 825-6000.  For those who have already registered on the site, the links will take you to these tools.  
WVPCA Staff

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial/Chief Operations Officer
Clinical Consultant
Director of Health Center Operations
John Kennedy  
School-Based Health Coordinator
Staff Accountant
Education & Communications
Coordinator
Member Relations Coordinator
Outreach & Enrollment Coordinator 
Data Analyst
Data Services & Integration  Speci alist
Quality Improvement Coordinator
To sign up to receive the WVPCA Weekly Newsletter, click HERE

Pharmacy change? Action is needed to ensure uninterrupted 340B eligibility
West Virginia Primary Care Association
  1700 MacCorkle Ave. Charleston, WV 25314| (304) 346-0032 | WWW.WVPCA.ORG
STAY CONNECTED: