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Dear Health Community Colleague,
Welcome to the September Navigator. In this issue, you’ll find important information about the Pfizer vaccine getting full approval, an upcoming community outreach event we’re sponsoring, a vaccine information toolkit, and Emergency Medicaid through Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program).
If you want to learn more about anything in this issue of the Navigator or just have a question, please contact us. You can also connect with us on any of our social media channels using the links below.
In good health,
Colorado Access
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Pfizer Vaccine Gets Full Approval
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On August 23rd, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those age 16 and older. It was also announced that the Pfizer vaccine will be marketed as Comirnaty. Although it is the first to receive full FDA approval, all available COVID-19 vaccines have been proven safe, effective, and authorized for emergency use against the virus. Click here to read more.
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Revised Clinical Practice Guidelines
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We adopt clinical practice guidelines that are known to be effective in improving health outcomes to ensure adequate informational support for our network providers
and members. We recently revised guidelines on topics related 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 also updated resources on substance use disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, generalized anxiety disorder, asthma, COPD, diabetes, smoking cessation, adult immunizations, and other applicable resources for our members. You can find these guidelines and resources on our website. If you have any questions or have a suggestion for a clinical practice guideline or resource, please email us at qualitymanagement@coaccess.com.
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Colorado Access Vaccine
Clinic
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We are excited to partner with the Denver Health Mobile clinic on September 23rd for a community outreach and COVID-19 education and vaccination event for residents of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood at our community fridge at Jessica’s Laundromat. The mobile clinic will provide vaccinations to attendees, and we will have care managers on site to offer care coordination services and support process applications for Health First Colorado.
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On August 8, 2021, The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) implemented a system build that will remove the requirement for Emergency Medicaid applicants to submit a physician letter or form that they received treatment for a medical emergency. In place of the letter, physicians will code the treatment as a medical emergency when submitting the claims for billing. Click here to access the memo.
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Colorado COVID-19 Health Care Provider Vaccine Information Toolkit
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The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has created an online toolkit for providers.
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The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is supporting smaller orders to help COVID-19 enrolled providers who may not be able to expend an entire tray of the Pfizer vaccine in
seven to 14 days. Click here for more information and to place an order.
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Colorado Immunization Information System
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We are providing Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) data on COVID-19 vaccinations of attributed members. This information is posted on our provider portal for you and will include your
entire eligible population, regardless of where they were vaccinated. If you have questions about this new data, please email practice_support@coaccess.com.
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Our website has a new chatbot feature that will allow you to search for answers to questions such as who to call to find out who your provider relations representative is, where to check member eligibility, and how to register for online provider portal training.
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 IntelliRide is no longer the statewide broker for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services as of August 1st. IntelliRide has reduced its NEMT service area to its original nine-county region of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties, so NEMT service in the 55 counties outside of this region will return to local transportation providers.
Click here for more information about changes in service areas. There will be no changes in NEMT service for members living in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties. IntelliRide will continue to accept and schedule trip requests in these counties.
IntelliRide will no longer
transfer NEMT trip requests (including subscriptions) for Health First Colorado members living in any of the 55 counties outside of IntelliRide’s service area. Affected members must contact a local transportation provider directly instead of IntelliRide to schedule trips.
IntelliRide will continue to process mileage reimbursement
claims for all Health First Colorado members, no matter where they live in Colorado. IntelliRide will also continue scheduling air, train, and out-of-state travel for members statewide. Click here for more information.
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Screening, Symptom Recognition & Referral to Treatment for Eating Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care SettingsJoin the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) and the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC), supported by the Office on Women’s
Health of the Department of Health and Human Services, for a free webinar for primary care providers serving children, adolescents, and young adults. Click here to learn more and enroll. Past the Pandemic: Mental Well-Being for You and Your PatientsThis Project ECHO series offers strategies to navigate, normalize, and hold space for worries and experiences during the pandemic. Each session provides helpful, tangible tools in a psychoeducational, didactic format. By understanding stress along a continuum, participants will learn how to manage stress and loss, increase capacity to prevent burnout, elevate connectedness and mindfulness, and promote quality patient care. Six sessions are offered virtually every Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. from September 21st to October 26th. Click here for more information and to register. Adolescent Reproductive Health for Primary Care ProvidersThis Project ECHO series offers clinically relevant topics for primary care providers who provide or are looking to build, expand, and improve care to preteens through young adults, including an overview of adolescent reproductive health issues, best practices in adolescent contraception, and common adolescent gynecology concerns. Once completed,
participants will be able to evaluate and manage common conditions in adolescent reproductive health. Six sessions are offered virtually every Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. from October 14th to November 18th. Click here for more information and to register. Engaging Families in Program and Policy Development to Advance Health EquityAlthough this free webinar is tailored to Ohio, lessons from it can be applied to national efforts. This webinar will delve into the impetus for and goals of the Center for Family Voice, an innovative “center for excellence” that aims to build Ohio families’ capacity to engage in the development and implementation of programs and policies that directly impact the health, education, healthy development, and well-being of their children. Drawing on speakers’ direct experience working with parents and families, it will explore key findings from an extensive environmental scan on best practices for authentically
engaging with families in public services delivery to inform state and local programs, practices, and policy development. The webinar is on September 14th at 11:00 a.m. Click here to learn more and to register.
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Community Events
Park Hill Area Free Food Resources
Please see the flyer here for more information about food resources in the Park Hill area.
Invitation to Apply for Funding Summer/Fall 2021: Youth Engagement Pop-Up Event Series
The Youth Violence Prevention Program is a newly funded initiative to implement a public health approach and intervention level efforts that are based on national models and best practices to prevent and address the youth violence crisis occurring in the City of Aurora. Both intervention and prevention level strategies will be implemented through a multi-disciplinary approach to include community-based efforts such as youth engagement pop-up events to increase neighborhood protective factors. The grant period is from June 20, 2021 to October 31, 2021. Learn more here.
The City of Aurora has created a new economic development program to connect people in the community who are experiencing food insecurity with free meals at local restaurants. If you work with people or groups that could benefit from this program, please contact Frank for more information at 303-739-7272 or email fbutz@auroragov.org. If you have an upcoming community event that you'd like us to share, please email us.
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COVID-19 ResourcesFor COVID-19 utilization management information, click here.
For COVID-19 pharmacy information, click here.
For COVID-19 administrative information, click here.
For COVID-19 training information, click here.
For COVID-19 practice support information, click here.
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This is a virtual interactive course for certification that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the United States and introduces Mental Health First. It
presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems. The course builds understanding of the impact of mental illness, and overviews ways to help; including learning what to say and not to say to assist someone developing or experiencing a mental health crisis.
Those who complete the online pre-work (about two hours of self-paced work) and the six-hour Zoom course to certify as mental health first aiders will learn a five-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.
The virtual course is on September 30, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Click here or email info@mentalhealthfirstaid.org to learn more.
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Short-Term Behavioral Services in Primary Care -“six visit rule”
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Effective July 1, 2021, we have removed the authorization requirement for additional visits beyond the first six that were billed to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid! Please continue to bill the first six visits to FFS Medicaid. If the member requires additional visits, those can be billed to Colorado Access
without requesting authorization. Remember, these codes include: 90791, 90832, 90834, 90837, 90846, and 90847. We will monitor the claims to ensure that we only receive and pay for the additional visits and not the first six visits. Failure to adhere to this process will result in recoupment of claims billed incorrectly to Colorado Access. Please contact the provider relations
department at providerrelations@coaccess.com if you have any questions.
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Our suicide awareness webpage is designed to provide information and help individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, seeking mental health help, or family members and friends looking to help a loved one. This page helps connect individuals with tools and local services if they are struggling with mental health or suicide
ideation. It also contains information and tips for how family members and friends can talk about mental health, with a section that aims to decrease stigma and misinformation on suicide. Click here for more information.
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Facts About Children and COVID-19
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Although children are less likely to become severely ill from the virus that causes COVID-19, they can still spread the virus, get sick or hospitalized, and although rare, some have even died. Children’s Hospital Colorado wants parents and children to continue maintaining precautions against COVID-19, including getting all family members vaccinated as soon as possible. Click here to read more.
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Adolescent Reproductive Health Data Sheets
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The Office of Population Affairs now has national and state fact sheets on adolescent reproductive health, including teen pregnancy and birth rates, condom and birth controle use, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, and more on their website.
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Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among Youths
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The calories that children and adolescents in the United States consumed from ultraprocessed foods jumped from 61% to 67% of total caloric intake from 1999 to 2018, according to a new study from researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University that was published August 10th.
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Key Performance Indicators
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As of July 1st, the Accountable Care Collective (ACC program) is no longer measuring the health neighborhood key performance indicator (KPI). Similarly, this program’s definition and use of the wellness visit KPI has been changes. We have discontinued reporting both these KPIs as of July 2021. Starting this fall, we will report the revised wellness visit KPI data.
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Primary Care Vaccination Program
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Primary care providers (PCPs) in Colorado have direct, meaningful relationships with patients and are a safe and trusted place to discuss the benefits and risks of the COVID-19 vaccines. As of September 2nd, PCPs can receive grant funding ranging from up to $60,000 to $120,000, depending on practice size, to support the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Click here to learn more and apply.
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COVID-19 Vaccines for Immunocompromised Coloradans
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