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November 13, 2024

Five ways to make sure your FAMLI recommendations don’t hit any delays 

Last month we reviewed how much time to suggest when patients come to you seeking your recommendation for FAMLI leave. It’s a crucial consideration to make sure your patients still have FAMLI leave available when they need it.

That’s not the only thing that will make your FAMLI recommendations seamless.  

Once you’ve decided how much time is appropriate, make sure your recommendation doesn’t run into any delays by reviewing these five reminders:

1. Ensure the patient’s name is on the form. 
2. Ensure the ICD-10 codes and description are consistent and describe the claimant’s condition (or the family member’s condition when certifying a Care of Family claim). 
3. Make sure you certify only the medical leave you are recommending. Do not recommend bonding leave time on a medical or pregnancy claim. Bonding leave is a different type of leave and requires proof of birth or placement.
4. Make sure the condition is certified for the accurate dates. For example, a pregnancy complication of preeclampsia should not be certified for dates after the condition has resolved.
5. Don’t use codes describing situations that are not serious health conditions, such as bereavement. If you think a mental health diagnosis is more appropriate, consider using that diagnosis and appropriate ICD-10 code on the Serious Health Condition Form. Ensure your patient is safe and is receiving treatment for their condition.

Remember that Care of Family claims use a different form that clearly states the patient’s and caregiver’s names. In all cases, the medical condition should apply to the patient. The caregiver will be the FAMLI claimant.

FAMLI Division celebrates Global Health Equity Week

This week (November 11-15) is Global Health Equity Week. It’s a time to celebrate the potential of health information and technology to help eliminate global health disparities. 

It’s a topic we take seriously here at the FAMLI Division. Did you know that Colorado is the only state that has an online portal for health care providers to verify their patients’ requests for paid family and medical leave? We built the portal because we understand that technology and health equity go hand in hand. When health care providers use the portal, it reduces the administrative burden on their patients. This is crucial for patients who have knowledge, language and technology gaps.

We hope you’ll join us in the celebration tomorrow night in Centennial. The party runs 5 p.m.-9 p.m., and your ticket includes an update from FAMLI’s Rachael McCombs and some of Colorado’s other health equity thought leaders, not to mention some tasty fajitas!

Include FAMLI in your after-visit summaries

After-visit summaries are super important for health care providers. They let patients know their next steps and give them crucial information about their health.

Now you can make those summaries even more valuable by letting your patients know about paid family and medical leave in Colorado. We encourage you to copy-and-paste the message below into your after-visit summaries: 

Did you know that nearly all workers in Colorado now qualify for paid leave to take care of themselves or a loved one with a serious health condition? Pregnancy qualifies as a serious health condition, and both parents are eligible to take up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child. Find out more and get your claim started at famli.colorado.gov.

We also encourage you to print out our What Is FAMLI? flyers in both English and Spanish. These flyers are a great introduction to FAMLI and will point your patients in the right direction to learn more.