What's New
2020 Uniform Data System Reporting Requirement Changes
Join HRSA for a presentation on the changes to the calendar year 2020 Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting. (The reporting window will be open Friday, January 1, 2021, to Monday, February 15, 2021.) We will provide an overview of the changes and a question and answer session.
Thursday, May 7
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
Register here
Key reporting changes include:
- Addition of HIV screening measure (CMS349v2);
- Addition of prescription for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes; and
- Revision of Appendix D to capture information on prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and social determinants of health.
For additional information, see Program Assistance Letter (PAL) 2020-04: UDS Changes for Calendar Year 2020.
COVID-19
White House Guidance on Reopening America
The White House recently published Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts. These steps will help state and local officials when reopening their economies, getting people back to work, and continuing to protect American lives.
CMS Updates for Health Centers
Health Center and Look-Alike COVID-19 Survey Data Published
Last week we published a second set of COVID-19 data collected from HRSA-funded health centers as well as data gathered from look-alikes.
Technical Assistance for COVID-19 and CARES Supplemental Funding for Health Centers
HRSA is hosting question and answer (Q&A) sessions to answer health centers’ questions about developing their COVID-19 (H8C) and CARES (H8D) activities and budgets. HRSA will answer questions about both supplements in the first session and answer questions about only CARES in the second session. Technical assistance (TA) is also available on the FY 2020 CARES Supplemental Funding for Health Centers TA webpage and the FY 2020 COVID-19 Supplemental Funding for Health Centers TA webpage.
- COVID-19/CARES Supplemental Funding for Health Centers Q&A Session
Wednesday, April 22
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
**UPDATED** Call-in: 888-787-0206
**UPDATED** Passcode: 8754397
- CARES Supplemental Funding for Health Centers Q&A Session
Monday, April 27
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the webcast the day of the session
**UPDATED** Call-in: 888-787-0206
**UPDATED** Passcode: 8754397
The H8C and H8D awards are separate grants from the H80 operational award. This webpage describes how award recipients can add the H8C and H8D grant folder to their HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) portfolio.
H8C activity and budget information is due in EHBs by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23. The submission requirement will appear in the H8C grant folder, and a pending task will appear in EHBs. H8D activity and budget information is due in EHBs by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, May 8.
Updated PAL to Add Temporary Service Sites in Response to Emergency Events
In response to recently declared emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic, HRSA issued PAL 2020-05: Requesting a Change in Scope to Add Temporary Sites in Response to Emergency Events. This PAL updates and replaces the information in PAL 2014-05: Change in Scope Requests to Add Temporary Sites in Response to Emergency Events.
The updated PAL does not establish new policy, but it clarifies key terms, such as providing a definition of an “impacted” health center. This clarification allows HRSA to streamline the amount of information health centers submit when requesting a temporary service site. The PAL also allows health centers to request HRSA approval for an extension of the temporary site beyond 90 days. For further assistance regarding a change in scope request to add a temporary service site during an emergency, we encourage you to contact your Project Officer.
Updated Telehealth PAL
HRSA has added two telehealth scenarios to the table in PAL 2020-01: Telehealth and Health Center Scope of Project:
- When a health center patient presents at an in-scope service site and the health center provider delivers services at a location that is NOT an in-scope service site (for example, the provider's home); and
- When a health center patient presents at a physical location that is NOT an in-scope service site and the health center provider delivers services at a location that is NOT an in-scope service site (for example, both the patient and the provider are at their own homes).
The updated PAL does not establish new policy, is not exhaustive, and does not reflect any temporary changes HRSA made to establish policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health centers should continue to direct health center-specific questions (including questions related to change in scope requests) to their Project Officer. Other external stakeholders should contact Health Center Program Support online or by phone: 877-464-4772, option 2, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday (except federal holidays).
Provider Relief Fund
On April 10, HHS began delivery of the initial $30 billion in relief funding to providers in support of the national response to COVID-19 as part of the distribution of the $100 billion provider relief fund provided for in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The Administration is working rapidly on targeted distributions of the remaining $70 billion that will focus on providers in areas particularly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, rural providers, providers of services with lower shares of Medicare reimbursement or who predominantly serve the Medicaid population, and providers requesting reimbursement for the treatment of uninsured Americans. For more information, visit hhs.gov/provider-relief.
Upcoming Events
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Flattening the COVID-19 Curve: Latest Update: The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a HRSA-funded National Cooperative Agreement (NCA), hosts weekly webinars on Thursdays through April. BPHC Associate Administrator Jim Macrae is expected to present updates on the April 23 webinar. Visit NACHC's website to register or view past recordings.
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COVID-19 Webinar Series: Resource-Sharing and Discussions with the Frontline: The National Center for Farmworker Health, a HRSA-funded NCA, presents a webinar series to provide health centers with the resources and strategies to continue enabling access to care for their patient populations. Learn more and register here.
Resources
USDA Announces Second Application Window for Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program Funding
USDA Rural Development announced a second application window for funding under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program due to the current public health emergency. This program helps rural communities use the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect to each other and to the world, overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density. Eligible applicants include most entities that provide education or health care through telecommunications. Apply by Monday, July 13.
Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Cost Accounting for Behavioral Health Integration for Health Professionals
Join a webinar presented by the HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA. Presenters will share strategies that health centers can use to assess their organization's level of behavioral health integration and identify strategies and resources they can use to guide telehealth billing during COVID-19.
Thursday, April 30
3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
To register for the webinar, you must first set up an account on the new HRSA Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health TA website.
National Substance Use Warmline
Through its Substance Use Warmline, the HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center provides free tele-consultation and guidance to clinicians on COVID-related inquiries as they pertain to HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and substance use-related prevention and treatment efforts. These include:
- Substance use disorder (SUD) evaluation and management
- PrEP and PEP care
- HIV and HCV testing and management
Same-day consultation is available and tailored to individual callers’ practice capacity and patient care scenarios, including when doing telemedicine and when teleprescribing. Connect by phone toll-free at 855-300-3595, or upload patient cases securely. The Warmline operates from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday.
Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Innovative State Responses
The Corporation for Supportive Housing, a HRSA-funded NCA, published a new opioid brief. States are implementing innovative practices and working with health centers and primary care providers to treat patients with opioid use disorders (OUD). This brief summarizes promising practices in three states; explores a managed care organization’s work with its members to address the opioid epidemic; and describes ways for health centers to incorporate these practices into their OUD services.
Diabetes
Empowerment and Self-Management of Diabetes: The Role of Pharmacists in Diabetes Care
The National Center for Health in Public Housing, a HRSA-funded NCA, presents a learning collaborative for pharmacists. It will equip them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide effective, evidence-based diabetes care in health center settings. Learn more or register now.
Workforce
The Power of Stay Interviews
The STAR² Center presents a learning collaborative that will help participants implement permanent solutions to reduce employee turnover and disengagement. Participation will be limited to representatives from 20 health centers. Sessions begin in May. Learn more or apply by 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24.
Deadline Extension: HRSA’s National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs HRSA’s National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has extended the application deadline for all three loan repayment programs to Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET.:
Eligible clinicians providing primary medical, dental, or behavioral health care services or evidence-based SUD treatment can qualify for loan repayment up to $50,000 for the NHSC LRP, up to $75,000 for the NHSC SUD Workforce LRP, and up to $100,000 for the Rural Community LRP. Learn more about eligible disciplines, site types, and service commitment.
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Additional Resources
Now More Than Ever: Help Patients Quit
The CDC reports that people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions, such as moderate to severe asthma and COPD, might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Now more than ever, health centers will want to screen patients diagnosed with asthma and COPD for tobacco smoking and provide them with referrals, tools, and resources to help them quit.
A good place to start a patient on this journey is the National Cancer Institute quit line. 1-800-QUIT-NOW line will connect them with local resources. Visit CDC’s site for resources and videos that can be shared.
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