Navigator - Provider Newsletter from Colorado Access

Dear Health Community Colleague,

Welcome to the January edition of the Navigator. In this month’s issue, you’ll find information about revalidating with the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), a new National Provider Identifier (NPI) law, what to do if you’re closing your practice or a practice location, and a health care worker support group.

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.

In good health,
Colorado Access

This voluntary statewide program aims to lower the overuse of our health care system, particularly the use of pharmaceuticals. Once members are identified and placed into the program, our care management team will help coordinate their care. As a participating provider, you’re able to help lower the overuse of our health care system and give an extra level of help to patients who may be battling addiction issues, repeated misuse of the emergency departments, or need other assistance to find the right health care. Click here to learn more about COUP. For more information on becoming a locked-in COUP provider, please contact your provider relations representative. If you have questions about COUP, please email providerrelations@coaccess.com.

Community Events

Food Bank of the Rockies
has an easy way to find local food pantries on their website. Please share this link with
your patients.

Questions & volunteer opportunities:
foodbankrockies.org

February 1-4: The 12th Annual Medicaid Innovations Forum:
The 2021 Medicaid Managed Care Strategies to Expand Coverage, Improve Care, and Reduce Costs event will be virtual this year, with workshops, interactive panel discussions, general sessions, and one-on-one chat rooms. Click here to learn more and to register.

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

HCPF and Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) work with DataStat annually to administer and collect data from a member and caregiver satisfaction survey. Member outreach will begin for the 2021 survey soon by mail and computer-assisted phone calls. Survey results will provide valuable information on member experience of health care, but the response rate has historically been low. If members ask you any questions about the survey, please educate them on the importance of completing this survey and reiterate the value of getting their voices heard.

Free online disability cultural competency training
The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC) and NextFifty Initiative have an opportunity for physicians, therapists, and other medical professionals to earn 1.5 hours of AAFP prescribed CME credit by completing a free online self-paced course. The course is free until February 5th. Click here to enroll.
Primary care voice: advocacy and leveraging narrative series
The voices of primary care providers (PCPs) are needed to help address challenges in our health care system and share their stories to bring positive change. This Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) series aims to help PCPs improve their storytelling capabilities. The series meets Wednesdays until March 17th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Click here to learn more and to register.
Serving individuals with hearing impairments during the
COVID-19 pandemic
Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP), the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and the Deafblind (CCDHHDB), and the Mental Health Center of Denver (MCHD)/Colorado Daylight Partnership are offering free trainings to interested providers on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or Tuesday, February 9, 2021 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Trainings are offered for clinic staff and clinic administration, and to help CCDHHDB tailor trainings appropriately, they have asked for each group to complete an assessment prior to registration. Click here for the staff link and click here for the administrator link.

In 2017, we launched a pilot intervention program in partnership with Denver Health & Hospital Authority to address high- and over-utilization of their psychiatric emergency services. Our care coordinators worked on-site to assist with alleviating barriers to care and scheduling follow-up appointments. This provision of care coordination services ensured that patients were connected to primary and behavioral health care as needed (e.g., scheduling same-day or next day appointments), and barriers to care were mitigated, improving patients’ quality of life by connecting them to resources. Click here to read more about this program and the impact it had.

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) is an evidence-based service that helps people with diabetes learn how to manage their condition. It’s a covered lifetime benefit under Medicaid, Medicare, and most private payers, and it can be accessed at any time. DSMES is also offered in Spanish.
Click here for more information or email Joanna Espinoza at joanna.espinoza@state.co.us if you have any questions.
Tri-County Health Department is offering free, grant-funded virtual classes in both English and Spanish. Call 820-266-2971 or visit tchd.org/diabetes to register.