CHAD Connection - October 7

CHAD invites you to join us in honoring the enormous contribution Indigenous people make to our region and our lives as we celebrate Native American Day (also known as Indigenous People’s Day) on October 11. This holiday, which celebrates Indigenous peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures, is officially observed by the state of South Dakota and by certain cities in North Dakota, including Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot. To learn more about the holiday, check out this article.

South Dakota officially began the celebration of Native Americans’ Day, which replaced Columbus Day, in 1990 under Governor George Mickelson. This measure passed the Legislature unanimously and was seen at the time as a step toward pursuing reconciliation and improved relationships between Native and non-Native residents of the state.

You can check out these pages for local events celebrating the day:
·     Sioux Falls
·     Native Americans’ Day Celebration at Crazy Horse Memorial
·     Fargo-Moorhead Indigenous Peoples Day
·     University of North Dakota Indigenous Peoples Day
·     Minot State University Indigenous Peoples Day

Finally, we would love to have you join us for an upcoming Native American Cultural Awareness Learning Series in November and December. Participants of this interactive series will be introduced to cultural customs, norms, protocols, and healing practices to help health care teams improve their delivery of care when working with Native American populations. Click here to learn more and register.

The most recent Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) Bulletin announced that there would be changes to the health center bi-weekly COVID survey, beginning with the October 8 survey. The BPHC website will be updated to reflect the following changes, as will the Survey User Guide, by 11:00 am CT/ 10:00 am MT on Friday, October 8.

The question about the number of visits for the past two weeks compared to the average number of visits will be removed.
The main part of the survey and the addendum will include new questions about COVID-19 vaccine booster doses.
For vaccine program participants, the questions from the addendum about the health center’s ability to use all the vaccines allocated through the program will be removed.
A new question to the main survey will be added but will appear ONLY to Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants. It asks if ALL vaccines administered in the past two weeks were received through the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. If yes, the survey will automatically skip three subsequent questions about vaccine administration to patients by race and ethnicity. Vaccine program participants who answered yes will supply their vaccine administration information only in the addendum. This change eliminates a redundant reporting requirement for these Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants.

Join CHAD for a comprehensive overview of the 2020 CHAD and Great Plains Health Data Network (GPHDN) Data Books. The CHAD team has prepared the books for health centers and the GPHDN using the most current data from the Uniform Data System (UDS). 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 2020 CHAD and GPHDN Data Books. Presenters will provide an overview of the data and graphs that demonstrate trends and comparisons in patient demographics, payor mixes, clinical measures, financial measures, and provider productivity. 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.

The CHAD and GPHDN Data Books will be shared with participants prior to the training. Registration information has been shared via email. Contact Melissa Craig at CHAD with questions.

Join CHAD for the 2021 Uniform Data System (UDS) training sessions on November 2, 3, and 4 from 1:00 - 3:30 pm CT/ 12:00 - 2:30 pm MT. These free web-based trainings are designed to provide assistance navigating and preparing the 2021 UDS report. This training is for people of all levels of prior UDS experience and covers all aspects of the UDS report.

The first session will allow participants to gain an understanding of the UDS reporting process, review key materials, and a walk-through of the patient demographic tables 3A, 3B, and 4. The presenter will cover the staffing and clinical information required on tables 5, 6A, and 6B during the second session. The third session will focus on the financial tables 8A, 9D, and 9E and share valuable tips for success in completing the UDS report. Each session will allow time for questions.

Effective reporting of a complete and accurate UDS submission depends on understanding the relationship between data elements and tables. This interactive training is an excellent way for new staff to understand their UDS reporting effort role. This training has been designed for attendees of all levels. All financial, clinical, and administrative staff are invited to learn updates, hone reporting skills, and share questions and experiences with their peers. Registration opens on October 11.

Hosted by CHAD and DAETC, this four-part webinar series will enhance cultural awareness and understanding of the Great Plains Tribes. Participants will be introduced to cultural customs, norms, protocols, and healing practices to help health care teams improve their delivery of care when working with Native American populations. This series is intended for providers and health care teams who are passionate about providing high-quality, culturally-informed care.

Led by Dee Le Beau-Hein, each session will include one hour of content followed by time for interactive dialogue. This is a safe learning environment where open questions and discussion are encouraged. Participants will be encouraged to submit questions or scenarios that they would like addressed at any time throughout the series. Learning will build from the previous sessions, so participants are encouraged to attend the complete series; however, it is not required. Click here for more information and to register for the entire series.

The Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care ECHO Program connects dementia care experts with health care teams from primary care practices in a free continuing education series of interactive, case-based video conferencing sessions. The program enables primary care providers to better understand Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and emphasizes high-quality, person-centered care in community-based settings.

Primary care practitioners who want to increase their ability to diagnose and care for patients with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia sign up for a free six-month telementoring program with expert multidisciplinary specialist teams. Participants must be primary care providers, and entire care teams are encouraged to participate. Past participant teams have included nurses, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, physicians, and nurse practitioners.

Each biweekly call includes instruction on a particular aspect of dementia and Alzheimer’s care, followed by a case discussion. This design helps participants to learn from one another as well as the subject matter experts. For more information, contact Lisa Groon, health systems director at the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends urgent action to increase COVID-19 vaccination among people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), who are trying to become pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future. The CDC strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy because the benefits of vaccination outweigh known or potential risks.

On September 29, the CDC released a health advisory via the Health Action Network (HAN) stating that pregnant and recently pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk for severe illness when compared with non-pregnant people. Severe illness includes illness that requires hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or illness that results in death. Although the absolute risk is low, compared with non-pregnant symptomatic people, symptomatic pregnant people have more than a two-fold increased risk of requiring ICU admission, invasive ventilation, ECMO, and a 70% increased risk of death. Click here to read the full alert, including recommendations for health care providers.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and First Lady Kathryn Burgum are inviting the public to join them for Recovery Reinvented on October 25 at the Bismarck Event Center. The event is free and open to the public. A robust online experience will also be available to all.

The daylong event will feature state and national addiction and recovery experts who will focus on reinventing recovery through sharing stories, creating recovery-friendly cultures in the workplace and community, and working toward eliminating the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction. Addiction and recovery-related nonprofit organizations and service providers can participate in the Recovery Resources Expo, which will connect people to extensive addiction, recovery, and mental health organizations and resources from across the state. For more information and to register for the in-person or online event, see the Recovery Reinvented website.

HIPAA Guidance Resource for COVID-19 vaccination

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance to help the public "understand when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule applies to disclosures and requests for information about whether a person has received a COVID-19 vaccine." OCR Director Lisa Pino said they are issuing this guidance to help consumers, businesses, and health care entities understand when HIPAA applies to disclosures about COVID-19 vaccination status.

The resource will provide guidance on who the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies to and help answer questions about whether and how the HIPAA Privacy Rules apply, which will be helpful for health center staff to understand if patients question them. For example, if a person or business asks a customer if they received the COVID-19 vaccine, that is not a violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, like many people assume. The HIPAA Privacy Rule applies "only to covered entities (health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers that conduct standard electronic transactions) and, to some extent, their business associates." Also, it does not regulate the request for information from patients. Still, it does regulate how and when health centers are permitted "to use and disclose protected health information."

From School to Rural Care: How to Create Effective, Scalable Telehealth Programs

Dr. Stormee Williams of Children’s Health and Mandy Bell of Avera eCARE will be the featured speakers in a webinar highlighting telehealth programs for school children, seniors in care facilities, and people in rural areas. Providers are implementing telehealth programs to ensure that these groups have easy and timely access to excellent health care opportunities, as these groups face serious disruption to their lives when attempting to access high-quality health care.

From the challenge of training staff spread across large areas to the business impacts of virtual care, speakers will discuss the programs they’ve been running together with TytoCare. Attendees will learn how setting up and optimizing a telehealth program can have a massive impact on the communities around us.

Thursday, October 14
Time: 10:00 am CT / 9:00 am MT
Register here.

Cybersecurity CIO Roundtable: Strategic Investments in Cybersecurity for Health Centers in 2021 and Beyond

Presented by HITEQ, this two-session roundtable series will bring together chief information officers, chief information security officers, and other IT leaders from health centers. Speakers will discuss strategic investments in cybersecurity, including those that can leverage recent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and sustain those investments for the future. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with each other and subject matter experts about implementation, considerations, and the future of cybersecurity and data protection in health centers.

Monday, November 4
1:00 pm CT/ 12:00 pm MT

Monday, November 18
12:00 pm CT/ 11:00 am MT

Register here.

On October 7, President Biden signed into law a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 3, temporarily avoiding a government shutdown. The law extended the Department of Health and Human Service funding at the fiscal year 2021 base level. It also included $28.6 billion in disaster relief to help families and communities recover from recent natural disasters and $6.3 billion for Afghan refugee resettlement. In addition to funding temporary housing, it also includes expanded options for insurance coverage. Afghan evacuees who are not eligible for Medicaid or the children’s health insurance program (CHIP) could qualify for subsidized coverage through the Marketplace, even if their income is below 100% of the federal poverty level.

Diabetes Lunch-and-Learn Training – November 2021

Diabetes is almost twice as prevalent among health center patients when compared to the general population. Moreover, rates are on the rise – a combination of delayed care and other barriers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join CHAD and the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN) for a diabetes lunch-and-learn series featuring health experts from North Dakota and South Dakota. The series will provide relevant updates, actionable information, and resources to primary care teams as they celebrate National Diabetes Awareness Month and work to ensure all patients receive high-quality preventative and chronic care.

Mondays, November 1, 8, 15, and 22
12:00 - 12:45 pm CT/ 11:00-11:45 am MT
Register here.

Lung Health Forum and Policy Symposium

The Walking Forward Program will present study findings from a provider and community lung cancer screening education project as part of the lung health forum. Presenters will also provide information regarding lung health and lung cancer screening. The policy symposium will include presentations by national speakers related to lung cancer screening policy and the future of lung health research. Find conference details, including the agenda, speaker biographies, and hotel information, here.

Wednesday, November 3 – Friday, November 5