Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program: New Covered Service Call
Date: Wednesday, September 26
Time: 2 to 3 pm ET
Audience: Medicare fee-for-service providers
Register here for Medicare Learning Network events.
The 2019 Medicare and You Handbook includes information on the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, a new Medicare-covered service. Help your patients prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes and understand their treatment options. During this call, learn about the service, eligibility requirements, and how to refer your patients. A question and answer session follows the presentation.
The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS) today announced the expansion of the inpatient detox facility operated by Helio Health in Rochester. The facility will now have 40 beds available, an increase from the previous total of 25 beds. These additional beds are expected to be operational by the beginning of 2019. The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, which already provides approximately $1.3 million for Helio Health services in Monroe County, is providing $450,000 in annual operational funding to support the new beds.
“We’re investing in treatment facilities across the state to help save lives, and ensure that individuals struggling with addiction have the resources they need to recover,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Co-Chair of the Heroin and Opioid Abuse Task Force. “We’re aggressively working to combat the opioid epidemic in New York, and the expansion of Helio Health in Rochester will provide additional beds for residents of Monroe County battling addiction and seeking services and support.
“Detox is a vital part of the OASAS continuum of care, and is the first step for many people in their recovery from substance use disorders,” OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said. “Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s efforts to add more beds, more people in Monroe County will be able to access this service closer to where they live.”
Medically Supervised Withdrawal and Stabilization services offer medical assessment, information about recovery support, family treatment, clinical services, and medication to manage withdrawal symptoms. Detox programs are a short-term service designed to prepare and connect people to longer term treatment.
The Helio Health facility is located at 1350 University Avenue in Rochester.
New York State Senator Rich Funke said, “As a member of the Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, I will continue to advocate for additional treatment beds and support services for our community. Every individual deserves the chance to begin their road to recovery as quickly and efficiently as possible. I commend the organizations in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region for their continued efforts in our fight to address this growing public health epidemic.”
New York State Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson said, “The opioid epidemic continues to plague our community, and I applaud Governor Cuomo and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse for committing additional resources to this fight. I also wish to thank Helio Health for providing families with the treatment options they need. Detox is the first step to getting people on the road to recovery, and by expanding the number of beds available to individuals beginning that journey, we can reduce the harm that opioid addiction is inflicting on our families and our community.”
New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website. Visit CombatAddiction.ny.gov to learn more about the warning signs of addiction, review information on how to get help, and access resources on how to facilitate conversations with loved ones and communities about addiction. For tools to use in talking to a young person about preventing alcohol or drug use, visit the State’s Talk2Prevent website.
Registration is open for our "Innovation in Action" event on September 12! We'll be showcasing how technology is changing the trajectory of advanced heart failure, as well as new technology for opening diseased blood vessels. Register here: http://bit.ly/2PBHE7D
You're invited to participate in an expanded patient safety course this year – nearly all of the topics in the prior course will be covered in redesigned sessions plus we will have additional content on improvement and achieving high reliability.
The faculty of the Division of Healthcare Management in the Department of Public Health Sciences are pleased to offer an innovative program on improvement science. This is a “mini” certificate course designed specifically for health care professionals, trainees, and students from medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, hospital administration, and health services research.
Course Content The program, designed to increase your knowledge of how to improve healthcare quality and safety and to educate you on the latest theories on improvement science, consists of 11 sessions addressing topics such as leadership’s role in nurturing a culture of high reliability, an understanding of the science of errors and safety, the model for improvement in clinical practice, identification of “measures that matter” in healthcare, teamwork and communication techniques, performance improvement tools, ways to create a safer medication system, the challenges of health literacy and patient diversity, event reporting systems, designing care for to maximize value and safety, the impacts of information technology and safety, safety in clinical research and the business case for safety.
Registration Information
The registration deadline for the Rochester Improvement Science Education (RISE) Certificate Program is Saturday, September 22. Sessions will begin on Thursday, September 6, 2018, and will be offered twice per month on Thursdays, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is no fee for this course. Course materials will be available online.
Existing MyPath/Achieve Users: Please refer to the attached instructions to register for the course.
New to MyPath?
Click here to create an account and begin the registration process.
Parking Information
Parking fees will be the responsibility of the registrant. A light snack will be provided beginning at 5pm.
Program Completion Successful completion of the program involves attendance at a minimum of 8 sessions. Those who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of participation from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Physicians, dentists, nurses, dental assistants, hygienists, pharmacists, radiology technologists and social workers will be eligible for up to a maximum of 16.5 hours of continuing education credits. For social workers, partial credit for this multi-part course may not be awarded. Learner must attend all parts in order to earn the certificate for contact hours. Physicians should note that medical staff privileges at SMH and HH, as well as participation in BCBS managed care products (including Blue Choice) require 50 hours of CME per year. Physicians insured through UR and MCIC Vermont for malpractice insurance will be eligible for a reduced premium through the premium differential program. Please see the documents below for further information. If you are unable to access any of the attachments, please feel free to contact Judy Hughes at 275-7712 or by email at judy_hughes@urmc.rochester.edu for another email version or fax copy. The materials are also available at the Quality and Safety Intranet Page for those who can access the URMC intranet.
Patient Safety Program Announcement_Share RISE 8.14.18-rp.pdf
Class Schedule_RISE_Fall_Share.pdf
Faculty List_Share.pdf
Registration Instructions for Existing MyPath Users.pdf
Don’t miss this opportunity to promote improvement science and patient safety by learning about the science, tools, and strategies for achieving safer patient care.
Robert J. Panzer, MD Chief Quality OfficerAssociate VP, Patient Care Quality & Safety Georgia & Thomas Gosnell Professor in Quality and Safety University of Rochester Medical CenterEmail: Robert_Panzer@urmc.rochester.eduPhone: (585) 273-4438Fax: (585) 273-1118Pager: (585) 275-1616 #1497
The Medical Reserve Corps. (MRC) is a program to recruit medical and non-medical volunteers that sign up to be notified of any emergencies or disasters in Monroe County where volunteers are needed to support the community. Notifications also go out for training opportunities and other non-emergency opportunities for the volunteers to help the community. This is a non-emergency opportunity for the members to get involved in the community, learn about general emergency preparedness, and to learn about the differences in the day to day struggle for people with disabilities. Instructions for signing up are attached here. Or, you may schedule a time to meet with Aaron Cignarale to go over the advantages of the MRC and how it can be used to really impact our community if we can get more people involved.
Aaron Cignarale Public Health Emergency Preparedness Specialist Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator Access and Functional Needs Coordinator Monroe County Department of Public Health Office of Public Health Preparedness 111 Westfall Road, Room 854 Rochester, NY 14620 Office: (585) 753-5453 Cell: (585) 478-4996 Fax: (585) 753-5131 aaroncignarale@monroecounty.gov
Sharing Federal Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic Wednesday, August 15, 20181:30 -3:00 pm Eastern TimeConference Call Only
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a Special Open Door Forum (SODF) for opioid prescribers to educate them on federal resources and strategies to combat the opioid epidemic.
The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. This SODF brings together representatives from various federal agencies to discuss strategies and resources for safe prescribing as well as other opioid-related topics.
You will hear information from the following federal agencies:
We look forward to your participation.
Special Open Door Participation Instructions:
Participant Dial-In Number: 1-800-857-1738
Conference ID #: 7785347
Note: TTY Communications Relay Services are available for the Hearing Impaired. For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880. A Relay Communications Assistant will help.
A transcript and audio recording of this Special ODF will be posted to the Podcast and Transcripts website at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts.html for downloading.
For automatic emails of Open Door Forum schedule updates (E-Mailing list subscriptions) and to view Frequently Asked Questions please visit our website at http://www.cms.gov/opendoorforums/
Physicians have until October 15, 2018 to collect their supporting information and attest for achieving 2017 Promoting Interoperability.
Participating Eligible Professionals (EPs) can receive an $8500 per year incentive for each of up to four years of participation. Grant funded free technical services are available from Strategic Interests to assist with your current and future attestations for Stages 2 and 3 through the Eligible Professional 2 Program.
About the Medicaid Eligible Professional Program (EP2) Program and Services Available
The Medicaid Eligible Professional Program (EP2) is a New York State Department of Health (DOH) initiative providing FREE outreach, assistance, and support services. In the Buffalo and Rochester areas, NYeC has selected Strategic Interests as the supporting Technical Agent to assist providers in achieving the various stages of Promoting Interoperability. These free EP2 Services include:
Enrollment is a simple two-step process:
Below is a summary of the program and a comparison of the Stage 2 and Stage 3 objectives:
NYeC EP2 Summary.pdf
MU Objective Comparison.pdf
For more information or to enroll, email EP2@strategicinterests.com. Staff from Strategic Interests are willing to set up a videoconference call with you or representatives from the practice to review the program and answer any questions.
The 2018 Quality Payment Program Exception Applications for the Promoting Interoperability (PI) performance category and for Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances for the Merit-based Incentive System (MIPS) are now available on the Quality Payment Program website.
Promoting Interoperatability Hardship Exceptions
If you’re participating in MIPS during the 2018 performance year as an individual, group, or virtual group—or participating in a MIPS Alternative Payment Model (APM)—you can submit a Quality Payment Program Hardship Exception Application for the PI performance category, citing one of the following specified reasons for review and approval:
An approved Quality Payment Program Hardship Exception will:
Please note that simply not using CEHRT does not qualify you for reweighting of your PI performance category.
You must submit a hardship exception application by December 31, 2018 for CMS to reweight the PI performance category to 0 percent.
Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances
MIPS eligible clinicians who are impacted by extreme and uncontrollable circumstances may submit a request for reweighting of the Quality, Cost, and Improvement Activities performance categories.
"Extreme and uncontrollable circumstances" are defined as rare events (highly unlikely to occur in a given year) entirely outside your control and the facility in which you practice.
These extreme and uncontrollable circumstances would cause you to be unable to collect information necessary to submit for a performance category, or to submit information that would be used to score a performance category for an extended period of time (for example, 3 months unable to collect data for the Quality performance category). In your application, you must indicate the performance categories that were subject to an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance and how the circumstance affected your ability to collect or submit data for the 2018 MIPS performance year.
The application for extreme and uncontrollable circumstances must be submitted by December 31, 2018 for the 2018 MIPS performance year.
For More Information:
If you submitted 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) data through the Quality Payment Program website, you can now view your performance feedback and MIPS final score.
CMS originally displayed a single payment adjustment amount, which included an additional adjustment for exceptional performance available to MIPS eligible clinicians and groups with a final score of 70 or greater. However, based on feedback from various clinicians and groups, we have updated the system so that your MIPS payment adjustment, and if applicable, your additional adjustment for exceptional performance, are now displayed separately. The system will continue to display your total MIPS payment adjustment, which is a sum of your MIPS performance and exceptional performance.
How to Access Your Final Score and Feedback
You can access your 2017 MIPS performance feedback and final score by:
Upcoming Office Hours
CMS will be hosting an office hours session on August 14 to provide a brief overview of MIPS 2017 performance feedback and targeted review and to answer frequently asked questions.
Title: Performance Feedback and Targeted Review Office Hours Session
Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Register: https://meetingconnect.webex.com/meetingconnect/onstage/g.php?MTID=e91df49e0f68fa7073866f0307f82b53b
Resources
Questions?
If you have questions about your performance feedback or MIPS final score, please contact the Quality Payment Program by:
Please see flyer for a webinar sponsored by the Chief Medical Officers of CMS Regions VII, IX, and X to discuss the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Year 3 of the Quality Payment Program. You can click here to register:
https://meetings-cms.webex.com/meetings-cms/onstage/g.php?MTID=e26dafc9adf37584d02153671a5fb96ab
Flyer: QPP Webinar Invitation2.pdf
