November 23, 2011 | Vol. 5 #43
The MPCA e-Update is a weekly
e-bulletin intended to keep MPCA members updated on issues important to
Community Health Centers. Please feel free to forward this to interested
individuals, or they may request to be added to the distribution list by registering here. Information from outside organizations does not
represent an endorsement by MPCA, and opinions expressed by outside authors
are not necessarily official positions or policies of MPCA.
ADVOCACY
Save the
Date:
Next NACHC Tele-Town Hall Thursday, Dec. 8
NACHC's CEO Tom Van Coverden and the Policy Team are holding a
Tele-Town Hall on Thursday, December 8 at 3 pm ET to provide the latest
updates on Health Center policy following the Super Committee deadline and
discuss advocacy efforts as we approach 2012. Participation in the
Tele-Town Hall is free, and NACHC will call you. Just enter your direct
phone number where you'd like to be called into the tele-town hall phone
number field in your NACHC advocate profile. Click here to update your profile.
Please Continue Collecting
Petition Signatures, Letters of CHC Support
The Campaign for America's Health Centers' Petition & Letter Drive is an ongoing activity, so
please keep collecting petition signatures and advocate letters!
Policymakers in Washington and Lansing continue to struggle with
challenging budget deficits and hard decisions about what programs to cut
or spare. We need to continue to demonstrate public support for Health
Centers, and the petition signatures and advocate letters do just that. If
you've been collecting signatures and letters, please keep it up. If you
haven't started yet, please begin today! To-date, Michigan Health Centers
have collected over 5,500! Click here for template petitions and sample letters.
MEMBER NEWS
CMS Recognizes MPCA
Staff Member for Excellence in Children's Health Outreach
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently recognized
Phillip Bergquist, Manager of Health Center Operations and CHIPRA Project
Director at MPCA, for outstanding efforts to identify and enroll eligible
children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Read more
Tribal Health
Centers, FQHCs Invited to Webinar on Michigan-Vaccine Replacement Program
Tribal Health Centers and FQHCs are invited and encouraged to join a
webinar on the Michigan-Vaccine Replacement Program (MI-VRP) next
Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 12-1 pm ET. MI-VRP is the only program which
offers you vaccines for adults at no charge. Criteria is very specific.
Details will be covered and questions will be answered. Please encourage
nursing staff, providers, billers, and other appropriate staff to register
and join the webinar. Click here to register.
Preview the Michigan Patient-Centered Medical Home
Learning Community
MPCA, in partnership with Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), has
developed a technical assistance package to assist Michigan Community
Health Centers in achieving Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)
designation and Meaningful Use (MU). Staff from MPCA and PCDC will jointly
sponsor a webinar on December 6 at 1-2 pm to provide an opportunity for
members to learn more about the partnership and ask questions about the
learning community. The webinar will detail components of the learning
community including practice transformation and implementation plans,
practice support, and improvement metrics. We will also address the goals
and objectives, features, strategy, benefits, and value of joining the PCMH
learning community. Click here to register.
Register by Dec. 2 for ICD-10 Remote Assessment &
Training Workshop
The entire healthcare industry is preparing for monumental changes as we
work toward the ICD-10 conversion on October 1, 2013. MPCA, in partnership
with Complete Medical Solutions, has designed a simple solution to help you
determine your level of readiness and establish a transition plan. Read more about the three-step process - participating
in a remote readiness assessment, attending a workshop, and receiving the
ICD-9 to ICD-10 translator - and register by December 2.
Click here for media coverage of Michigan Community
Health Centers.
SB 693 Awaiting
Consideration in the House
SB 693, legislation introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau that creates Michigan's
health insurance exchange called "MiHealth Marketplace" and which
passed the Senate just before Thanksgiving break, is now awaiting
consideration in the state House. Rep. Gail Haines, Chair of the Health
Policy Committee, has stated that she is getting no pressure from
colleagues to move SB 693. Click here to read an article that explains the
background behind the MiHealth Marketplace and the current situation - and
be ready to advocate for SB 693 in the House in the coming weeks!
Gov. Snyder
Proclaims November 17 Rural Health Day in Michigan
Governor Snyder proclaimed last Thursday, November 17, as Rural Health Day
in Michigan. His proclamation recognized various Michigan organizations
and associations, including the Michigan Center for Rural Health and MPCA,
for continuing to support the health care needs and services in Michigan's
rural communities. Click here for a recap of Michigan's Rural Health Day
celebration.
Deficit Reduction
Deal Eludes Super Committee
By the Super Committee failing to reach an agreement on how to cut at least
$1.2 trillion from the federal budget, automatic across-the-board cuts
(half to defense, half to domestic programs that depend on discretionary
annual appropriations) will go into effect starting January 2013 - unless
Congress proposes an alternative plan between now and then. A few programs,
such as Medicaid and Social Security, are exempt from the automatic cuts,
and cuts to Medicare are limited. As Kaiser Health News reported, the House
and Senate appropriations committees will have to decide how to spread the
cuts among various programs. "I am bitterly disappointed that we were
not able to find enough common ground to deliver the deficit reduction
choices that Congress needs to make, but I am not deterred in my commitment
to keep at it. Differences continue to divide us, but focusing solely on
those differences serves no one. Instead of listening to the naysayers, I
will continue listening to the people I serve: the folks in
Michigan..."said Congressman Upton (R-MI). Click here to read an update on the Super Committee
process from the NACHC Policy Team.
CMS Releases
Medicare Shared Savings Application
Following the October 20 release of its final Accountable Care Organization
(ACO) rule, CMS has issued the 2012 application for its Medicare Shared
Savings Program. Interested ACOs have the option for two start dates: April
1, 2012, or July 1, 2012. CMS is accepting applications from December 1 to
January 20 for the April 1, 2012, start date; and from March 1 to March 30
for the July 1, 2012, start date. Read more
CBO Report Shows
Stimulus Created Over 3 Million Jobs
According to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
this week, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus)
increased employment in the third quarter of this year by as many as 3.3
million full-time jobs. Read more
FY12 USDA Budget
Includes Major Changes in Rural Development Financing Programs
"Last week, President Obama signed a so-called FY12 'minibus'
appropriations bill into law, which included funding for several less
controversial FY12 Appropriations bills including the Agriculture
Department (USDA). Historically, Health Centers in rural areas have
benefited from several programs within USDA Rural Development including grants,
loan guarantees and direct loans for facility improvements and
construction. The new law will dramatically reprioritize these programs
within USDA." Click here to read more from NACHC's Health Centers on the Hill
blog.
More Uninsured
Patients with Diabetes Seen at America's Nonprofit Clinics and Health
Centers
The findings of a nationwide survey conducted by Direct Relief USA show
that the number of uninsured patients with diabetes at Health Centers
increased by almost 7% last year. Read more
New Study Finds
E-prescribing Safe, Efficient, but Barriers Remain
According to a study funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality and published in the Journal
of the American Medical Informatics Association, physician
practices and pharmacies generally view e-prescribing as an important tool
to improve patient safety and save time, but both groups face barriers to
realizing the technology's full benefit. Read more
How Health Care
Reform Can Create Jobs - and Cut Costs
This article in Time Moneyland explains how the new Health Care Innovation
Challenge will invest in project proposals that can deliver high-quality
medical care and save money, such as by employing more nurse practitioners,
community health workers, and nurse midwives - health care professionals
who staff Community Health Centers. Read more
RESOURCES
New MPCA Capital
Development Webpage
MPCA's Capital Development webpage has undergone a facelift,
with the reorganization and addition of a wealth of resources to assist
Health Centers in their capital development projects. Please direct
questions, comments, or additional resources to Neal Colburn at ncolburn@mpca.net.
FEMA Think Tank
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced its new
Think Tank, "a forum to engage our partners, promote innovation, and
facilitate discussions in the field of emergency management." The
Think Tank has two main components: an online forum where people can submit
ideas, comment on others, and participate in conversations, and monthly
conference call discussions open to the general public. Read more
The HPV Vaccine: Access and Use
in the U.S.
This fact sheet from the Kaiser Family Foundation discusses HPV and cancers
related to the virus, use of the HPV vaccines for both females and males,
and insurance coverage and access to the vaccines. Read more
Operations Manual for Health
Center Oral Health Programs
The National Network for Oral Health Access has added two chapters to its
Operations Manual - Risk Management and Workforce & Staffing. Next up
will be Quality. Read more
Staff Accountant, Cassopolis Family Clinic, Niles, MI
Click here
for career opportunities in Michigan Community Health Centers. Or,
subscribe to the MPCA career opportunities RSS feed - click here.
MPCA Offices Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving
November 24-25, 2011
UPCOMING STATE &
NATIONAL EVENTS
Billing 101 Webinar Series
December 1, 2011, 2-3:30 pm ET
NACHC's Billing 101 Webinar Series kicks off December 1 with the webinar
" Benchmarking and Key Performance Indicators." Please note that
the registration deadline is November 29. Read more and register
Connecting the Dots
Between State Policy and Our Kids
December 5, 2011, 10 am
Atheneum Suite Hotel, Detroit, MI
Michigan League for Human Services will host a special screening of Sesame
Street's Growing Hope Against Hunger and launch a community conversation
about Michigan public policy and kids. Read more
Click here for
a list of other upcoming events to be held by other organizations in Michigan
and across the country.
Michigan Primary Care
Association
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