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Sage Advice Newsletter
Spring 2024
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View this as a webpage
Understanding the Importance of Health Equity and Barriers to Health
Join our June 26 webinar from 12:10 – 1:00 pm on Understanding the Importance of Health Equity and Barriers to Health. Dai Vu, Community Engagement Supervisor with MDH’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, will provide a broad overview of what social determinants of health and health equity are and how they affect an individual’s health. The Sage, SagePlus, and Cancer Screening Quality Improvement Programs will also give updates as they relate to social determinants of health and health equity.
This will be the first webinar in a two-part social determinants of health/health equity series. CEUs will be offered.
If you missed the March webinar on medical assistance for breast and cervical cancers (MA-BC), you can watch a recording of this and all past Sage Webinar Series recordings on the Sage videos webpage.
Join us for our quarterly office hours
Join our July 24 ‘Office Hours’ from 12:10 to 1 pm for a brief Sage Program overview and Q&A Time. Office Hours will be informal with a focus on the Sage Cancer Screening Program and plenty of time for questions. The Sage Office Hours are intended for new clinic staff or clinic staff who need a refresher on the Sage Program.
Another successful annual fundraiser hosted by the American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF)
AICAF held their 13th Annual Powwow for Hope on May 4th in St. Paul. The event raised over $100,000 for AICAF’s mission to eliminate cancer burdens on Native people through improved access to prevention, early detection, treatment and survivor support. It was a wonderful community event with dancing, celebration, and resources for healthy living. The Sage Program attended and talked with community members about the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as the SagePlus heart health program. Congratulations to AICAF on hosting another great fundraising event. If you would like to learn more about the AICAF Powwow for Hope, visit https://powwowforhope.org/.
The 2024 Minnesota Race for the Cure was another incredible success
It takes a village to fight breast cancer, and those who participated in this year’s Minnesota Race for the Cure helped raise critical funds that will invest in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer, eliminate inequitable barriers to quality care, and provide patients’ direct support in their treatment journey.
Sage was very happy to again be part of the 2024 Race at Viking Lakes in Eagan! This year’s event raised $450,000 and hosted nearly 4,000 participants! KFAN Sports Reporter and Timberwolves/Lynx Broadcaster for Bally Sports North, Marney Gellner was this year’s emcee and welcomed the Minnesota community to Susan G. Komen’s annual event that honors those affected by breast cancer. In addition to the fantastic vendors, sponsors, and participants the event also welcomed U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar to the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Hope.
Susan G. Komen is the world’s leading nonprofit breast cancer organization, working to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Komen has an unmatched, comprehensive 360-degree approach to fighting this disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries worldwide. They advocate for patients, drive research breakthroughs, improve access to high-quality care, offer direct patient support and empower people with trustworthy information.
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The United States Preventive Services Task Force updates recommendation for breast cancer screening
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its updated breast cancer screening recommendation on April 30, 2024. The updated recommendation is biennial screening mammography for women aged 40 to 74 years. Here are the links to their web page and the USPSTF Recommendation Statement published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
This updated recommendation does not affect Sage Program eligibility guidelines. Sage reimburses annual mammograms for individuals 40 to 64 years of age.
Sage is modernizing to better partner with clinics in service delivery
Sage Programs is required to collect and report data on services in accordance with our federal grant requirements and for reimbursement of essential screening services. Data have been gathered using paper forms, which are manually entered by MDH staff, causing delays in Sage business processes. Sage data reporting has become an administrative burden for clinics, to the point that continuing to partner with Sage Programs can be challenging. In response, Sage is modernizing its data processes to be future compatible and reduce the administrative burden of delivering Sage services. Clinic partners have communicated that this could save 15 to 45 minutes of administrative effort for each screened Sage patient! We believe this could greatly change Sage process to benefit all, so that administrative effort can be reinvested in service delivery and Sage patients can enjoy an improved care experience.
Sage Programs was awarded funds to pilot data modernization with select clinics during 2024. This project is under way, and we anticipate implementation in four clinics by close of 2024. Lessons learned from this first phase will be used to scale our data solutions to our entire network. We hope you are excited to partner with us in this initiative when it comes your clinic!
Are you interested in joining a pilot or learning more about this project? Please contact Ann Reid at ann.reid@state.mn.us, 651-201-5664. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress!
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Please join us in welcoming Lisa Nadeau to the SagePlus team
Lisa Nadeau, MPH, RDN recently joined the Sage Programs in the role of SagePlus Coordinator. Lisa joins the team with a strong background in varied healthcare settings with her most recent work focused on population health and onsite clinics at Optum. She also worked in nutrition program management and direct patient care as a registered dietitian in several Twin Cities hospitals and community settings. In this role, Lisa will coordinate the day-to-day implementation of SagePlus, a heart health program providing cardiovascular disease assessments, referrals for treatment and social needs, and support for lifestyle intervention programs for eligible participants. Lisa will focus on building and strengthening relationships with clinic and community partners and work with her SagePlus team to provide onboarding and ongoing support to clinic teams and ensure program quality. Lisa can be reached at lisa.nadeau@state.mn.us or 651-201-6760 with interest or questions regarding SagePlus.
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Billing updates and reminders
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Submission issues related to the clearinghouse hack are now corrected. Availity and Waystar are sending claims through, and no problems have been experienced.
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Encounter labels are to be used on the Enrollment, Imaging Summary, and Pap Summary forms. Each encounter number has 4 labels per patient that should be placed in the upper right-hand corner of these forms for billing to identify and process info to adjudicate claim. Please do not reuse the encounter number for another patient as it creates a duplicate encounter and holds up claim processing in a review or deny status.
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Data Entry is current, entering April forms and results.
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Review remittance advices sent by Sage to determine if follow-up is needed.
P1 status “Action Needed” means WE NEED SOME INFO FROM PROVIDER before we can adjudicate claim.
P2 status “Wait Status” means providers need to do nothing as we are entering forms/results for these dates of service.
“Denied status” means providers may or may not be able to correct and resubmit.
FAQs
Q: Where can clinic partners request additional Sage forms?
A: All Sage forms are available for download and print on the Sage Forms and Encounter Labels webpage.
Q: Will Sage cover the cost of a telehealth visit?
A: The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 extended telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2024. Therefore, Sage will continue to cover the costs of current telehealth services for breast education prior to their mammograms as long as your clinic has processes in place for completing and forwarding program enrollment forms and for managing the follow-up for any Sage-eligible individuals who have abnormal mammograms.
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American Cancer Society (ACS) Patient Support Available
The American Cancer Society offers programs and services to help your patients during and after cancer treatment. Below are some of the resources we provide.
If you have breast cancer, you may want to connect with someone who knows what you’re feeling – someone who has “been there.” Through our Reach To Recovery website and app, you can match with a trained volunteer who is a breast cancer survivor.
Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides support for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer, deciding what’s next can be overwhelming. ACS CARES™ (Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support) is a new patient and caregiver support program that connects people with quality curated information and one-on-one support.
Minnesota Cancer Alliance (MCA) News
Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the Cancer Plan 2030 Survey. Your insights into the objectives the cancer plan committee should focus on are essential to developing the Cancer Plan 2030.
In addition to the survey, MCA has created an updated toolkit containing questionnaires and guidance for listening sessions. This toolkit includes surveys for health professionals and patients/caregivers, along with detailed instructions. MCA is seeking information from a wide range of sources, with special attention to marginalized groups, patients and caregivers, and people living in rural areas. Our goal is to ensure that every corner of Minnesota is represented.
The work undertaken from 2025-2030 must reflect the foresight and contributions of a diverse group of passionate individuals committed to reducing the burden of cancer in our state. MCA committees and workgroups will convene over the summer with the aim of updating recommendations in October and November 2024. Thank you for helping MCA build a new cancer plan!
Upcoming events
July 17 - ACS National Roundtable on Cervical Cancer Patient Series: Cervical Cancer Basics
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