CHAD Connection July 11, 2024

The CHAD team has prepared the Uniform Data System (UDS) Data Book every year for the last five years for member health centers. The data book shows trends and comparisons for patient demographics, payor mixes, clinical measures, financial measures, provider productivity, and economic impact. The data book includes health center specific data, as well as state-level data. Where appropriate and meaningful, national UDS data and other benchmarking data such as Great Plains Health Data Network (GPHDN) averages are used for comparison.

The data book was developed to promote data transparency across health centers and to allow health centers to benchmark their performance with others. This data enables health centers to identify the high performers within the network so they can reach out to learn about the best practices used to achieve better outcomes. The data book also assists CHAD and GPDHN staff in identifying focus areas for technical assistance for the network.

Over the last few weeks, staff have been updating the data book to include the 2023 UDS data and have identified the following trends:

North Dakota has seen a five percent increase in total patients served and a four percent increase in total patient visits in the last year;
The GPHDN health centers have had a 58 percent increase in the number of patients screened for social risk factors in the last year;
Nine out of the 11 health centers in the GPHDN have increased their breast cancer screening rates in the past year; and,
There has been a 13 percent increase in Medicaid patients served at the GPHDN health centers, which has been the largest number of Medicaid patients served in the last five years. The number of uninsured patients has declined by four percent in the last year.

Additional findings will be shared on July 25, at 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT as CHAD staff provide a comprehensive overview of the data books. This overview is open to CHAD and GPHDN health center members only. This presentation will walk attendees through the contents and layout of the updated data books. Additional registration information on this webinar can be found here.

National Health Center Week is a time to recognize health centers across the Dakotas contributing to healthier communities today and in the future. Join us August 4-10 as we recognize the significant impact health centers like us are making on patients and communities. Health centers in the Dakotas are valued for providing integrated primary, behavioral, and dental health care. The Dakotas’ network of health center organizations provides care to more than 158,500 patients each year in 54 communities across North Dakota and South Dakota. This year, our theme is Champions of Health: Celebrating Health Center Impact. For more information, visit our website.

Northland Health Centers’ Turtle Lake Medical, Dental, and Central Office have moved to a new location at 55 1st Ave E, Turtle Lake 58575. This project has been a dream project for Northland through the years, however two years ago they made a commitment to invest in the community of Turtle Lake and place all staff under one roof. Not having a building large enough in Turtle Lake to house everyone, they decided to dream big and start the building process. Working with their Board of Directors as well as the City of Turtle Lake and TRU Community Bank, they were able to make that dream come true. There will be an open house event taking place on Wednesday, August 7 during National Health Center Week.

Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas and Think 3D are excited to announce LeadU, a new cohort-based training program designed to develop confident and intentional health care supervisors and managers. The training program will focus on three dimensions of growth: personal, professional, and potential. Participants will explore their leadership mindset and develop critical leadership and accountability skills. LeadU will kick off in September with a full day of in-person training sessions in Chamberlain (September 11), Fargo (September 18), and Bismarck (September 19). Participants may also apply to continue their professional development by participating in an intensive virtual program that will include nine additional sessions.

To learn more and register, click here.
Questions? Contact Shelly Hegerle.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation has opened their Fall SPARKS grants cycle. Grants up to $50,000 are available to support health and community-based wellness initiatives. Projects must promote health, be sustainable, prioritize community well-being, collaborate with stakeholders, and align with evidence-based best practices. The goal is to create innovative, trailblazing ideas. More detailed information is available on their website.

The Call for Nominations for 2024 CHAMPS Awards is now open! For the past three decades, CHAMPS has presented awards to staff and board members of Region VIII Health Centers and related organizations to recognize exceptional contributions to the health center community. This has allowed CHAMPS to honor numerous highly deserving individuals from across the region for their exceptional advocacy, leadership, and dedication to the health center mission. Please read on for more information about the upcoming call for nominations, the most recent year’s awardees, and for lists of prior awardees in each category. All nominations must be submitted by Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Learn more and submit your nominations here.

We are halfway through the summer season, and the time has come to schedule sports physicals and vaccinations before the 2024-2025 school year begins!  Health center providers recommend scheduling at least six weeks before a child’s first practice of the season. Back-to-school time is also an opportunity to schedule a wellness visit for all children and adolescents to review developmental milestones and vaccination schedules. Back-to-school annual physicals and immunizations are crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of children as they return to the classroom, no matter what grade they are about to begin.

The spread of misinformation on social media and other channels has affected vaccine confidence, with some parents voicing vaccine hesitancy. As a top trusted source of child vaccine information, primary care providers play a critical role in addressing misinformation and hesitancy. Strategies to decrease vaccine hesitancy include motivational interviewing, trusted patient-provider relationships, follow-up communication, and strong vaccine recommendations. Voices For Vaccines is an excellent resource for addressing misinformation and talking to families about vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the Public Health Foundation, released a new free online training course, Fostering a Culture of Immunization in Your Practice.

The self-guided online course provides health care professionals with practical strategies and resources to help create a positive culture of immunization in their clinics, ensuring the best possible care for patients and promoting vaccination efforts. It consists of 4 segments:

Lesson I – Fostering a Culture of Immunization

Lesson II – Importance of Immunization and Factors Impacting Vaccine Uptake

Lesson III – 5 Strategies for Fostering a Culture of Immunization

Scenario Based Learning Activity

View Immunization courses here and visit CDC TRAIN to complete and receive continuing education (CE) credit for the course.

Additional Resources:

CDC Communications Tools

Immunization schedules

July Toolkit

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center announced on June 22 that it will conduct the first 2024 Rural Health Hackathon, a three-day series of in-person, collaborative sessions designed to generate and construct creative and actionable ideas to address rural health challenges. The solution-oriented events will bring together rural health community care providers, community organizations, industry and tech entrepreneurs, funders, policy experts, and beneficiaries to leverage the wisdom and experience of the crowd and generate new ideas to address some of the top challenges impacting health care in rural health.

The following locations will host this year’s events:

Bozeman, Montana: August 14
Dallas, Texas: August 22
Wilson, North Carolina: August 29

Individuals interested in attending an in-person session should complete the five-minute Interest Survey by 11:59 pm EST on July 12.

Over the past decade, syphilis rates and case numbers in the U.S. have increased across all populations. In response to this surge in syphilis cases, HHS formed the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic Federal Task Force led by HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine.

This task force issued new considerations for health care providers who test patients for syphilis. The new HHS document, "Considerations for the Implementation of Point-of-Care Tests for Syphilis" outlines four main differences between syphilis point-of-care tests and laboratory-based serologic syphilis tests and highlights the best settings to consider the use of point-of-care tests. It also examines parameters for point-of-care testing program implementation and management, provides answers to common questions, and lists links to related resources.

As primary care providers and trusted members of their communities, health centers need to be prepared to respond to emergency and disaster situations if they are called upon for medical care and other support services, as well as to ensure the continuity of operations for their clinics. CHCs need to assess vulnerability, create an emergency preparedness plan, train staff to evaluate response with drills and exercises and connect with local emergency management and community partners to identify resources and establish action plans before an emergency or disaster occurs.

The emergency preparedness network team meets bi-monthly and includes members who typically serve multiple roles in their health center, such as emergency manager, risk manager, or compliance officer.  Network team meetings include reviewing upcoming local and national training opportunities, peer networking around recent incidents and concerns, and updates on federal requirements. Network team meetings also include training on relevant topics, including tabletop exercises.

Meet the CHAD Team Lead

CHAD’s emergency preparedness network team is led by Darci Bultje. Darci has been the training and education specialist with CHAD for over two years. She is interested in emergency preparedness and risk management and has been learning about the requirements alongside the emergency preparedness team. Darci spent 19 years as the community services director at a South Dakota Community Action agency before joining CHAD.

Join us!

To learn more and join the emergency preparedness network team, contact Darci Bultje.

The North Dakota Medicaid Member Engagement Committee (MMEC) is currently seeking applications for new members. Participation is open to current ND Medicaid members, former members who have had coverage in the past three years, or family/caregivers of current members. Meetings are virtual-only through the end of 2024. Members will share their experiences, make suggestions, and contribute to the work done by Medical Services. If you know someone who may be interested, they can learn more about member engagement and apply for the MMEC here!

The status neutral framework provides care for the whole person by offering a “one-door” approach: people with HIV and people seeking HIV prevention services can access treatment, prevention, and other critical services in the same place. Normalizing HIV treatment and prevention helps to destigmatize both. In a status neutral approach to care, a provider continually assesses and reassesses a person’s clinical and social needs. The goal is to optimize a person’s health through continuous engagement in treatment and prevention services without creating or deepening the divide between people with HIV and people who could benefit from prevention.

Status neutral service begins with an HIV test – the pathway to prevention and treatment.

In a status neutral approach, an HIV test spurs action regardless of the result by recognizing the opportunity created by a negative or positive result for an individual to achieve better health:

If a person receives a negative HIV test result, the provider engages the person in HIV prevention and offers powerful tools that prevent HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

If a person receives a positive HIV test result, the provider offers a prescription for effective treatment to help them become virally suppressed and maintain an undetectable viral load as well as other clinical and general health support services to help achieve a high quality of life.

The status neutral approach aims to advance health equity and drive down disparities by embedding HIV prevention and care into routine care. Integrating HIV prevention and care with strategies that address social determinants of health can help reduce barriers to accessing and remaining engaged in care.

Issue Brief: Status Neutral HIV Care and Service Delivery Eliminating Stigma and Reducing Health Disparities

The 2024 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference will be held October 26 – 29, 2024 in Denver, CO. For over two and a half decades, CHAMPS and NWRPCA have partnered to offer the health centers of Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) and Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA) great speakers, excellent educational sessions, numerous networking opportunities, exhibits by industry experts, and more designed to meet the needs of Region 18 (Regions VIII and X) Community Health Center staff and boards. Continuing Education credit hours are offered for physicians, nurses, accountants, human resources professionals, social workers, and board members. To learn more and register, click here.

Partnering in Value-Based Care Contracting: Is it Right for You?

This panel discussion will examine 10 key areas a Health Center or practice should consider when thinking about partnering with a 3rd party in a Value-Based Care arrangement. The session will review the reasons to consider partnering with an enabler or other 3rd party, how to determine if the agreement is right for you, how to create a win-win situation for all involved, what each party must bring to ensure success, and how data sharing will be accomplished. Partnering can be an excellent opportunity or fraught with problems if you pick the wrong partner. Join us for an informative review of these types of partnerships based upon real world experience

Tuesday, July 16

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Community Health Workers (CHWs) serve as liaisons between providers and patients, helping them overcome cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers that may impede access to care. With the pivotal role that CHWs play, how can organizations quantify the impact that they make from a quality performance standpoint? Let’s dive into the logistics of how CHWs can leverage DRVS to directly contribute to improving healthcare quality metrics and the lives of our patients. During this webinar, we will hear from Western Wayne Family Health Centers of Michigan and discuss how they were able to demonstrate the value of incorporating CHWs into their clinical workflows and bill for the services they provided.

Thursday, July 18

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

When entering the waters of value-based care (VBC) programs, there are essential elements that organizations must do well to realize the full potential of improved quality and reduced costs. Join this session as we dissect those elements and equip you with practical strategies on how to leverage the entire suite of Azara products for success in VBC. We will explore topics from attribution and risk adjustment to care management and care gap closure; discussing why they matter and how to put Azara tools into practice. No matter where you are in your VBC journey, this session will empower you to maximize the Azara ecosystem to deliver on the essential elements of VBC.

Tuesday, July 23

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Patients Ahoy! Functionality and Features of DRVS Cohorts

Your practice offers services for care management, remote patient monitoring, substance use, prenatal care, health education - but how are you effectively and efficiently tracking patients engaged in these programs? Access Health Louisiana, the largest health center in the state of Louisiana and a health center quality leader, leverages cohorts within DRVS to identify and track target groups of patients. Using cohorts in DRVS has been fundamental in many ways for the organization, both from a clinical perspective and a data perspective. In this session, you will learn how to leverage cohorts at the point of care to easily identify patients who belong to a certain group or need a specific intervention and how they can be used as a filter for various reports and quality measures in DRVS. Cohorts in DRVS have allowed Access Health Louisiana to easily target patients and take additional steps to ensure they receive the best possible care, positioning the practice to be successful in value-based contracts. This webinar is recommended for team members responsible for identifying and tracking key populations. This might include the care team, population health, care coordination, care management, users with Admin privileges, among others.

Thursday, July 25

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

Join us for a hands-on review of cohorts! Catch up on last week's webinar and come with your questions. During this hour, we will be fielding Q&A from attendees working to utilize cohorts, as well as from attendees who hope to learn more about it.

Tuesday, July 30

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Treasure Map to Success: Creating a Plan to Maximize DRVS Usage

Taking on the management of a new program can be daunting at first, especially with the vast array of reporting capabilities in DRVS. Figuring out where to begin can be half the battle, so a step-by-step strategy is essential to ensure you are off to a great start using DRVS! This session will explore how to create a plan to maximize the use of DRVS across the organization. From the basics of mapping data in DRVS, to understanding quality measure performance and developing goals, to implementing new workflows and training staff, attendees will walk through developing a robust strategy to leverage data to support organizational initiatives. This webinar is the perfect opportunity for individuals or organizations new to DRVS to develop the skills needed to create their own treasure map and set sail to success.

Thursday, August 1

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

While social drivers of health (SDOH) have always played a central role in patient health outcomes, healthcare organizations are becoming increasingly focused on obtaining and acting on this information. Some of this motivation is driven by payer and policy makers who are factoring social needs into health care payment policies, suggesting that addressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges can reduce avoidable health care utilization and spending. During this webinar, participants will have the opportunity to explore functionalities available within DRVS that can help you evaluate your screening efforts, identify SDOH-related barriers to health, and connect patients to critical resources and services to drive improvement across the organization. This webinar is recommended for team members responsible for supporting patients with their social care needs, including Care Managers, Care Coordinators, Community Health Workers, among others.

Tuesday, August 6

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

DRVS SDOH Lunch N' Learn

Join us for a hands-on review of SDOH functionality within DRVS! Catch up on last week's webinar and come with your questions. Whether you’re already leveraging SDOH functionality within DRVS, or are eager to learn strategies for getting started, we’d love to see you there.

Thursday, August 8

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

2023 UDS Data Book

Join us for a comprehensive overview of the 2023 Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD) and Great Plains Health Data Network (GPHDN) Data Books. The CHAD team has prepared these books for member health centers and the GPHDN using the most current Uniform Data System (UDS) data. These publications were created for use within the CHAD and GPHDN networks and are not publicly shared.

This members-only presentation will walk attendees through the contents and layout of the 2023 CHAD and GPHDN Data Books. Presenters will provide an overview of the data and graphs demonstrating trends and comparisons in patient demographics, payor mixes, clinical measures, financial measures, provider productivity, and economic impact. The session will wrap up with a glance at individual health center data snapshots. This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for members to ask questions and share the background story behind the data.

Thursday, July 25

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Trauma-Informed Motivational Interviewing

In a quick-paced and dynamic training, participants learn Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills in the context of trauma-informed care. Many of those who engage in services face critical changes if they are to reach the health and social outcomes we hope for them. Recent research on the brain and trauma gives those working with clients a new paradigm to improve outcomes for clients experiencing issues such as homelessness, addiction, mental health issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and poverty. This training presents the trauma-informed paradigm in a practical context, giving participants a theoretical basis and tools to apply immediately to their work with clients.

July 16 and July 30

12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT

Depression Management Series

Enhance your expertise and become a part of the solution by joining the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas for an in-depth exploration of depression management. The training team from the Association for Utah Community Health (AUCH) will guide participants through comprehensive strategies, including data measurement, clinical pathways toward depression remission, and the integration of behavioral health to achieve optimal outcomes in depression management and remission.

This training session is designed for clinical professionals from all backgrounds, emphasizing our unified mission to manage and achieve remission in depression effectively.

July 30, August 13 and August 27

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

Leading Improvement Projects

The goal of this three-week course is to cover from start to finish what to expect in a quality improvement (QI) project. Learn how to scope and organize resources, engage in LEAN problem solving, verify impact, and ensure sustainability. Plus, get tools, templates, and tips from people who have experience facilitating QI projects. This micro-course was developed in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Partnership, Planning and Improvement and the Colorado Association for Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) for public health agencies in Colorado. However, those working in other states and in other settings may find it useful as well.

Wednesday, August 7

1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT

Grants Budgeting Workshop

In this interactive workshop, participants will walk through the process of building a grant budget that is directly linked to a project scope of work. The workshop will cover details of common budget categories and specific line items to include with each category, along with appropriate calculations and justification to include in budget narratives. Participants will have an opportunity to practice often-used (and yet somewhat complicated!) budget calculations for personnel, per-FTE direct costs, and indirect rates.

Thursday, August 8

10:00 am CT/9:00 am MT

CHAD Network Team and Workgroup Meetings

Thursday, July 11 @ 2:00 pm CT/1:00 pm MT – HR/Workforce Network Team Meeting

Wednesday, July 17 @ 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT – HCAN Finance Leadership Network

Thursday, July 18 @ 10:00 am CT/9:00 am MT – CHAD SDOH Workgroup

Tuesday, July 23 @ 11:00 am CT / 10:00 am MT – GPHDN Leadership Committee Meeting

Wednesday, July 24 @ 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT – DAETC Lunch and Learn

Tuesday, July 30 @ 1:00 pm CT/12:00 pm MT – Outreach and Enrollment Monthly Call

Tuesday, July 30 @ 3:00 pm CT/2:00 pm MT – CFO Finance Manager Roundtable

Thursday, August 1 @ 10:00 am CT/9:00 am MT – GPHDN Virtual Care Usergroup

Thursday, August 1 @ 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT – Clinical Quality Network Team Meeting