Navigator - Provider Newsletter from Colorado Access

Dear Health Community Colleague,

Welcome to the September edition of the Navigator monthly newsletter. In this edition you'll find information on our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how we are supporting our members and providers during this time. You'll also find some program updates and be introduced to our telehealth department.

If you want to learn more about anything in this issue of the Navigator or just have a question, don't hesitate to contact us or follow us on any of our social media channels using the links below.

Thank you,
Colorado Access

At Colorado Access, caring for you and your health is our top priority. This includes the health of our providers.

Free Webinar: Friday, September 18th - A Check-In With the Polis Health Cabinet. Hear from key health care leaders on the status of work being done to balance health care costs, even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and register here.

Status of Telehealth: After seeing an increase in telehealth visits during the onset of COVID-19, visits have more recently been decreasing. Read more about how providers are readjusting here.
Racial Disparities and Patient Matching: COVID-19 has shown that patient matching is helpful in supporting contact tracing efforts to help mitigate the virus. However, this is not as simple as it may seem and collaborating and linking EHR systems is a must. Read more about this here.
Poll Release: The Colorado Health Foundation released findings from their poll that indicate Coloradans' views on COVID-19, racial equity and major health issues that face our state. You can read more about the findings here.

We’ve also put together a webpage of COVID-19 resources and information. Visit coaccess.com/covid19 for the most current information. If you have any questions, please contact your provider relations representative directly, or send an email to providerrelations@coaccess.com.

The census is due on September 30. Every ten years, a count of all people in our country is required to allocate federal resources and dollars. Have you responded to the census? Have your patients responded to the census? Here are three actions you can take to help Colorado get an accurate count:

If you haven’t yet responded to the 2020 Census, it is not too late. You can fill out the Census online through this link or by calling 844-330-2020. You have until September 30.
Encourage your friends and neighbors to respond if they haven’t already. Call, text, or post on social media.
Fight misinformation with facts. In the era of fake news and misinformation, there is a lot about the 2020 Census that may keep Coloradans from participating. We have to push back with the facts: You don’t have to be a citizen to respond; the information you provide to the census is completely confidential; and no personal details you share will be given to law enforcement.

Find out more information about the census here.

Community Events

Commitment to Care: A City of Aurora Food Access Initiative
The Commitment to Care initiative, a partnership between the city of Aurora and local nonprofit organizations, provides food and resources to the community in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Seven food access programs welcome all Aurora community members. There is no cost for food or resources. Find full program details here.

Aurora Day of Giving
Once a month mobile food distribution event. Food for 1,500 families, along with pet food and baby supplies, is available at each event.

All events begin at 10 a.m.
September 26: Gateway High School, 1300 S. Sable Blvd.
Aurora, CO 80012
October 24: Overland High School, 12400 E. Jewell Ave.
Aurora, CO 80012
Questions & volunteer opportunities: 303-739-7281 or communityrel@auroragov.org

Food for Thought with SECORCares
Weekly, September to December 2020 at various APS and CCSD locations throughout Aurora.

Food distribution to 1,500 Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek School District families where children are sent home with food on Fridays to feed their family over the weekend.
Questions & volunteer opportunities: 720-842-5621 or lisa@secorcares.com

If you have an upcoming community event that you'd like us to share, please email us.

We are launching a new learning system for you! Our new online learning system gives you access to all the training and information we offer to help you navigate the world as a Medicaid or CHP+ provider. You’ll find on-demand training and, in the future, instructor-led webinars.

Stay tuned for more information, including how to set up your account to access the training on YOUR time! If you have any questions, please contact your provider relations representative directly or send an email to providerrelations@coaccess.com.

Provider revalidation is underway. If you are a Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) or Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) provider, you must revalidate in the program every five years to continue as a provider. If you are a organization health care provider, you are required to obtain and use a unique national provider identifier (NPI) for each service location and provider type you enroll.

The first set of deadlines for the next revalidation cycle begins in October 2020, based on previous enrollment approval dates. You will be contacted by the State by email approximately six months before your revalidation deadline with further instructions. Attempting to revalidate by completing a new application before you are notified will create duplicate enrollments and cause claim processing issues.

You can find your upcoming revalidation deadline by checking the new Provider Revalidation Dates spreadsheet. This is now available on the Revalidation webpage under the Health First Colorado and CHP+ Provider Revalidation section.

Visit the Revalidation webpage for additional information and links to helpful resources. You can also check out the Special Revalidation Newsletter and Special Revalidation Newsletter II, available on the Provider News webpage under the Newsletters > 2020 drop-down menu.

We adopt guidelines that are known to be effective in improving health outcomes. These guidelines include topics that relate to well-child care, perinatal, prenatal, and postpartum care for women, and conditions related to persons with a disability or special health care needs. We revised and updated these guidelines during a recent review. Additionally, we also updated resources on diabetes, asthma, alcohol and substance use, intensive outpatient services, generalized anxiety, bipolar disorder, COPD, influenza vaccinations, COVID-19, health disparities, and other resources that are applicable to our members.

You can find these clinical practice guidelines and additional resources on our website. We make these guidelines are available to providers, members, and other interested parties at no cost. If you have any questions, please email us at qualitymanagement@coaccess.com.

Effective December 2020, Colorado NPI Law HB 18-1282 requires all newly enrolling and currently enrolled organization health care providers (not individuals) to obtain and use a unique national provider identifier (NPI) for each service location and provider type enrolled in the Colorado interChange.

For information on how to add a new NPI, please see the "Provider Maintenance - Adding an NPI" quick guide available on the Quick Guides webpage.

Contact the Provider Services Call Center at 844-235-2387 if you have questions about the Colorado NPI Law. You can also contact your Colorado Access provider relations representative or send an email to ProviderRelations@coaccess.com

HCPF needs more providers NOW to help treat the influx of new Health First Colorado members. They are asking for help to inform your network about this immediate need.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCPF is asking health care providers to join them in ensuring all Coloradans have access to quality health care during this public health crisis by becoming a Health First Colorado provider.

Currently, HCPF is offering incentives to increase provider enrollment and help provide an important public service. In an effort to increase provider enrollment, HCPF is:

Allowing temporary enrollment for providers during the federally designated COVID-19 pandemic.
Waiving the application fee and fingerprinting process for applicable providers.
Waiving site surveys for applicable providers.

Key Health First Colorado Provider Benefits

FAST Payment: Health First Colorado pays faster than private payers, with claims paid weekly and deposited directly into a business account.
Enrollment is Quick and Easy: Online enrollment means you can become a provider in just a few weeks.
Quick Customer Service: Their provider services team answers calls in less than two minutes on average and regional provider field representatives are available to assist you with more complex questions.
Customize Your Patient Experience: As a Health First Colorado provider, you have full control of the number of Health First Colorado patients you see, as well as and whether or not your practice is published in the online provider directory.

Why Become a Provider?

Becoming a Health First Colorado provider gives you the opportunity to improve the health and well-being of more than one million Coloradans. Health First Colorado is more than health insurance -- it is a vital public service, helping nearly a quarter of our state's residents stay healthy or move toward better health.

If you know someone who is interested in becoming a Health First Colorado provider, please ask them to visit the provider enrollment website at co.gov/hcpf/provider-enrollment or call the provider services team at 844-235-2387, Option 2, then option 5.

Denver Health Medical Plan (DHMP) and Colorado Access (COA) have collaborated to address instances when Medicaid members are automatically assigned to DHMP in error. The process maps will help you understand the steps to take for newborns and current Health First Colorado members that have been passively enrolled into the DHMP. When you encounter members that meet criteria for disenrollment, complete the Attribution Issue Tracker and email it to ProviderRelations@coaccess.com. Please note that disenrollment decisions may take up to two weeks.

We appreciate your ongoing efforts to provide examples of attribution system issues so that Colorado Access and Denver Health Medical Plan can continue to work with HCPF to improve this process. If you have any questions, email our provider relations team at ProviderRelations@coaccess.com or contact your practice facilitator directly.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Stakeholder Newsletter

A substance use disorder stakeholder newsletter is now available from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). This newsletter provides implementation updates from HCPF on House Bill (HB) 18-1136 and is distributed periodically during the benefit development process.

You can sign up for the newsletter here.

Get SUD benefits here.

SUD Stakeholder Website here .

If you have any questions, please contact your provider relations representative directly, or send an email to ProviderRelations@coaccess.com.

APM Claims Measure Data is Coming to the Colorado Data Analytics Portal!

The HCPF vendor, IBM Watson, has begun posting quarterly alternative payment model (APM) claims measure data on the Colorado Data Analytics Portal (CDAP) as of August 7, 2020. If you are participating in the APM program and do not have access to the Colorado Data Analytics Portal, we can help you get signed up. Contact sandy.rangel@coaccess.com or your practice support facilitator for further guidance.

If you have any questions, please contact your provider relations representative directly. You can also send an email to providerrelations@coaccess.com.

AccessCare Services has a partnership with Colorado Access to provide telehealth services. These services support community health needs, improve population management, and reduce cost; all with a focus on improving quality of care without compromising the personal connection between provider and patient. The AccessCare Virtual Care Collaboaration and Integration (VCCI) program increases access to behavioral health support for contracted Colorado Access providers, offering no-cost virtual counseling and psychiatry services through collaborative consultations and direct telehealth care. The VCCI program supports patients in many ways, including: medication adherence, intrinsic motivation and behavior change, motivational enhancement, follow-through to external referrals, and new diagnosis processing.

AccessCare works closely with other provider departments across Colorado Access to identify and recruit practices for the VCCI program. The majority of the 10 staff members are on the clinical and operations teams and work directly with primary care providers to schedule and deliver behavioral health services. Staff members also deliver daily behavioral health care directly to members in the primary care setting. Since clinical services are delivered by telehealth, providers have the flexibility to work from the office or from home, minimizing interruption of services due to weather or traffic.