STATE NEWS  

Without Additional Revenue, Michigan Budget Will Face Drastic Cuts Next Year
Senate Fiscal Agency Director Gary Olson told attendees of the Michigan League for Human Services' policy forum held December 3 that without additional revenue some areas of the state budget could face 40 percent cuts next year.  Read more

HRSA Releases Affordable Care Act Funding to MPCA
MPCA is among organizations across the country to receive Affordable Care Act funding from HRSA aimed at developing and strengthening Community Health Centers.  MPCA will use the $104,249 in funding to provide additional training and technical assistance to communities and Community Health Centers across the state.  The areas of focus will include community development, expansion planning, patient-centered medical home development, meaningful use health information technology adoption, and workforce development.  Read more

MPCA Concludes Holiday Enrollment Campaign
MPCA's Holiday Enrollment Campaign began November 29 to offer families the opportunity to gain health insurance for their children and receive a $10 gift card for each child enrolled to celebrate the season.  There are 1720,000 uninsured children in Michigan, and nearly 90% of them are already eligible for an existing low-cost or free health care coverage program.  The campaign closes December 10.  Read more

Have You Registered for the UDS Training & Finance Officers Workshop?
MPCA is once again hosting UDS Training and a Finance Officers Workshop.  The events will be held January 19-21, 2011, at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing.  If you are responsible for gathering and reporting the data elements included in the Uniform Data System (UDS), as well as managing staff that need to understand the definitions and concepts used, then the UDS training is for you! This two-day workshop will cover the basics of the UDS, as well as advanced features.  Registration and more information

MDCH Receives Funding to Help Reduce Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek recently awarded MDCH a grant to develop and implement strategies to help reduce infant mortality and examine the racial disparity in the African-American and American-Indian populations.  Read more

Michigan Approved to Begin Implementation of Michigan Health Information Network
MDCH received federal approval to begin implementation of the Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN), a public and private collaboration initiative that will connect Michigan's local health information exchange projects to ensure timely and secure health information is available electronically at the point of care.  MiHIN is a joint effort of MDCH, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, and a broad group of stakeholders from across the state including MPCA.  Michigan is one of the first states to be approved.  Read more

Michigan Ranks 30th in Overall Health
According to the 2010 America's Health Rankings released this week by the American Public Health Association, Michigan ranks 30th among the states in overall health.  This annual report provides a comprehensive perspective on the national health issues, state by state.  The nation's overall health improved one percentage point last year, but reductions in smoking, preventable hospitalizations, and infectious disease were offset by continued increases in obesity, children in poverty, and lack of health insurance.  Read more 

 
Two Michigan Congressional Members Approved as Chair-elects of Two Powerful House Committees
This week the Republican Conference approved Rep. Dave Camp (R-Midland) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) as chair-elects of two powerful U.S. House committees.  Rep. Camp is chair-elect of the Ways and Means Committee.  Rep. Upton is chair-elect of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is expected to take a central role in efforts to investigate, repeal, and replace the health care reform law.  Click here to read a blog post written by Upton and Rep. Joe Pitts, in which they write, "the Energy and Commerce Committee will embark on a comprehensive oversight and legislative strategy to uncover the many problems of the law and foster a new approach that will reduce healthcare costs; lower government spending on healthcare; reduce the role of government in the healthcare delivery process; and protect the sanctity of life."  Once the House of Representatives are sworn in on January 5, 2011, the full House will elect a Speaker and then there will be a privileged resolution introduced that will name the Chairs of the standing committees.  That will also be voted on by the full House.  Once that passes, the Chair-elects become official Chairs during the 112th Congress.

HRSA Accepting Applications for Teaching Health Centers Funding
HRSA is accepting applications until December 30, 2010, for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program.  Funding is available to provide graduate medical education payment to support community-based training.  It will offset the costs of training new residents at a newly-established Teaching Health Center, or an expanded number of residents at a pre-existing Teaching Health Center.  HRSA held an application content technical assistance conference call on December 7, and it will be holding a systems technical assistance conference call on December 21.  Read more

Congress Continues Appropriations Process
Last week Congress passed a measure to extend the current Continuing Resolution through December 18, keeping the funding for programs at FY 2010 appropriations levels.  Word is that Democrats in the U.S. House are prepared to pass a year-long Continuing Resolution to send to the Senate.  If passed, this would likely fund programs for the remainder of FY 2011 at FY 2010 levels.  Given the Health Center discretionary appropriations ask is for at least level funding of $2.19 billion (the level necessary for Health Centers to reach their goal of serving 20 million new patients by 2015), this scenario of a year-long Continuing Resolution would likely meet the ask for the Health Centers program.  However, it is clear that all discretionary programs, including the Health Centers program, are still at risk for possible funding cuts.  Read more

HRSA EHB To Undergo Major System Upgrade
Due to a major system upgrade, the HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) will be unavailable beginning at 5 pm on Friday, December 17 through 5 pm on Sunday, December 19.

Senate, House Pass Bill Averting Cut in Medicare Reimbursements
This week the U.S. Senate (unanimously) and House (409-2) approved a bill that would prevent a 25% cut in Medicare payments to doctors that was to go into effect January 1, 2011.  The bill freezes reimbursement rates at current levels until the end of 2011.  It  now heads to President Obama, who has promised to sign the legislation into law.  He has also urged Congress to spend 2001 developing a more permanent fix to the Medicare physician rate formula.

Genetics in Primary Care
Funder:  HRSA
Due January 31, 2011

Affordable Care Act Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program
Funder:  HRSA
Due:  December 30, 2010

Nursing Workforce Diversity
Funder:  HRSA
Due:  January 14, 2011 

Click here for a list of funding opportunities posted on the MPCA web site.