What's New
Comment on the Draft Telehealth PIN by Monday, November 14
Last week, we announced that we’re asking for comments on the Draft Scope of Project and Telehealth Policy Information Notice (PIN). Access the draft PIN and instructions for commenting on the Scope of Project and Telehealth PIN Public Comments webpage. Comment by 11:59 p.m. your local time on Monday, November 14.
The PIN will establish policy guidance for HRSA-supported health centers that provide telehealth services within the HRSA-approved scope of project. It also describes considerations as well as criteria that health centers must meet for providing services to patients via telehealth. Note that this PIN is a draft and is not yet in effect. The current policy guidance for scope of project remains in place, including the flexibilities currently in place due to the COVID-19 PHE.
If you have technical questions or feedback submission issues, call Health Center Program Support at 877-464-4772, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday (except federal holidays). If you have general questions about the draft Telehealth PIN, submit them via the BPHC Contact Form.
2023 Proposed Uniform Data System Program Assistance Letter
The Proposed Uniform Data System (UDS) Changes for Calendar Year 2023 Program Assistance Letter (PAL) (PDF) is now available on the UDS Training and Technical Assistance microsite. Health center staff responsible for preparing UDS data report submissions should review the PAL. It outlines these and other changes for 2023 UDS reporting:
- Expanded sub-categories for race and ethnicity categories to better reflect the diversity of health center patients and continue to align with the OMB minimum categories for race and ethnicity data collection.
- Four distinct categories for reporting pharmacy personnel in Table 5 (Staffing and Utilization).
- New measures to monitor children’s developmental screening and evaluation services.
- Updates to UDS clinical quality measure specifications to align with current CMS electronic-specified clinical quality measures (eCQMs).
- Addition of UDS patient-level reporting data for tables Patients by ZIP code, 3A, 3B, 4, 6A, 6B, and 7.
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Grants.gov Expected Downtime
Grants.gov will be offline from 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday, September 23, through 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 29. Read “What to Expect” to find answers to questions that will help you prepare for this planned outage. Check the Grants.gov Alerts page for updates.
Service Area Competition Notice of Funding Opportunity Released for June 1 Starts
HRSA released the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Service Area Competition (SAC) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), HRSA-23-023, for service areas with a June 1, 2023, project period start date. Find details for each of the announced service areas on the Service Area Announcement Table.
This NOFO announces the service areas for:
- June 1 start award recipients that received a 1-year period of performance through a SAC/SAC-Additional Areas in FY 2022.
- June 1 start award recipients that were given a 1-year extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic in FY 2022.
Applications are due in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, November 14, and in HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 14. Technical assistance (TA) materials are available on the SAC TA webpage.
Look-alikes Now Eligible for Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative Support
We recently posted a new PAL focused on our Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition Initiative. HRSA offers HRSA-funded health centers support for these processes. The most significant update is that this PAL now extends support for PCMH recognition to look-alikes. This support includes certain fees associated with PCMH recognition, initial, renewal, and add-on surveys.
The new PAL replaces PAL 2015-02 (published in 2015). Other changes in this PAL align us with changes from our partners since that date. For example, we include current schedules for renewals of accreditation and PCMH recognition.
TOMORROW: UDS Mapper Special Topics: Health Centers and Heat-related Illness
Attend this session to learn how social risk factors exacerbate heat-related illness and how to create a map of heat-related illness and health center data in the UDS Mapper.
Wednesday, September 21
Noon-1:00 p.m. ET
Registration page
CMS Asks You to Make Your Voice Heard
CMS seeks public input on access to health care and related challenges, understanding provider experiences, advancing health equity, and assessing the impact of waivers and flexibilities provided in response to the COVID-19 PHE. CMS will use the comments received to identify opportunities for improvement and efficiencies across policies, programs, and practices.
New Rule Makes Clear that Noncitizens Who Receive Health or Other Benefits to which they are Entitled Will Not Suffer Harmful Immigration Consequences
The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule applicable to noncitizens who receive or wish to apply for benefits provided by HHS and states that support low-income families and adults. Learn more.
COVID-19
DUE SOON: Provider Relief Fund Reporting for Period 3
The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Portal closes for Reporting Period 3 on Friday, September 30. Providers who received one or more PRF payment(s) exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, during the third Payment Received Period must report on their use of funds. More information and resources can be found on HRSA’s PRF Reporting webpage.
Boosting Your Booster Knowledge
Bivalent boosters are now available through the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. Review CDC's updated booster guidelines. Boosters were also the focus of last week’s CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call. Slides and recording are posted on the call webpage.
TODAY: Evaluating and Supporting Patients Presenting with Cardiovascular Symptoms Following COVID
Today’s CDC COCA call focuses on post-COVID conditions, also referred to as long COVID. Of the variety of symptoms that patients with long COVID experience, cardiovascular symptoms and complications are among the most common and debilitating.
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Join the session
The slides and recording will be posted on the call webpage.
TODAY: COVID-19 Response Program Office Hours
Today’s session will include discussion of what it means to be “up to date” on COVID-19 vaccination and how health centers should use monovalent versus bivalent vaccines.
Sessions are 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET every other Tuesday. Register one time and you’ll have access to all Office Hour sessions from now until February 2023. Though some information may be geared toward COVID-19 Response Program participants, these sessions are open to all HRSA-supported health centers.
The October 4 session is replaced by the Town Hall event discussed in an earlier section of this newsletter.
Special and Vulnerable Populations COVID-19 Forum
HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs) invite health centers to a discussion of COVID-19’s impact on health centers and the special populations they serve.
IMPORTANT: This session will also include discussion of monkeypox virus. Anthony Fortenberry (Chief Nursing Officer, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers’ (NACHC) LGBTQ Health Task Force) will give an update from the frontlines as health centers face this new challenge.
Friday, September 23
2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
Registration page (visit to see all dates and times)
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National Suicide Prevention Month
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. All month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness.
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Behavioral Health
Addressing Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions Among People Who Live in Encampments
Join the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) to examine the intersection of substance use, mental health conditions, and unsheltered homelessness. This learning collaborative is an opportunity to delve into best practices and build capacity to implement innovative solutions for meeting the needs of individuals who are living in encampments. Visit the registration page for details or to apply by Wednesday, October 19. NHCHC is a HRSA-funded NTTAP.
HIV
PrEP Champion Preceptorship
The National Clinician Consultation Center (NCCC) is accepting applications for a preceptorship focused on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This is an intensive training and capacity-building opportunity for pharmacists, nurses, and other clinical team members who are interested in advancing their PrEP-related knowledge and skills. Applicants should be non-physician clinical staff at health centers that received Ending the HIV Epidemic-Primary Care HIV Prevention (PCHP) funding.* Learn more or apply by Friday, September 23, on NCCC's website. NCCC is HRSA-funded.
*See eligible health centers (PCHP award recipients): FY 2020, FY 2021, FY 2022.
Workforce
Several HRSA-funded NTTAPs present learning collaboratives:
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Partnering with Family Caregivers of Older Adults
The National Center for Equitable Care for Elders presents an opportunity to learn about family caregiving as an essential part of age-friendly health care. Participants will use techniques like care mapping to visualize and tailor assistance to caregiver social needs. Visit the registration page for session dates and times or to apply by Tuesday, October 11.
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Addressing Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions Among People Who Live in Encampments
See the announcement above.
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Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Community Partnerships
Facilitated by Farmworker Justice, the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH), and Health Outreach Partners, this opportunity will continue discussions on implementing community partnerships that address SDOH and finding shared solutions. Sessions will include information and tangible tools to identify promising practices in coalition-building and relevant resources to help forge local, state, and national coalitions to increase access to care for the agricultural worker population. Visit the registration page for details.
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Promoting Healthy Choices and Community Changes: A Virtual Workshop for Community Health Workers (content and materials in Spanish)
Community Health Workers (Promotores de Salud) bridge the gap between underserved community members and health care/community resources. They’re invited to join the National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) to learn how to effectively promote healthy choices and changes at individual and community levels. Sessions will focus exclusively on Hispanic communities living in public housing. Participants will be eligible for continuing education (CEU) and a certificate of completion. Visit the registration page for details.
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Emergency Preparedness
NCFH invites health center staff to explore population-specific emergency preparedness. Participants will develop policies and procedures to streamline their organization’s response to emergency situations. This opportunity will build confidence and strategies around customizing health center communications, especially to migratory and seasonal agricultural workers, that minimize interruptions to service delivery during national emergencies. Visit the registration page for more details.
PrEP Champion Preceptorship
See the announcement above.
Oral Health
Oral Health Resources for Health Centers
We've updated our Oral Health and Primary Care Integration webpage. It now presents 2021 UDS data and new resources. Check out TA Resources for a continuing education opportunity on infection prevention and safety.
Telehealth
Guidance on Nondiscrimination in Telehealth: Federal Protections to Ensure Accessibility to People with Disabilities and Limited English Proficient Persons
HHS’ Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division recently released guidance on how various federal laws require making telehealth accessible by people with disabilities and limited English proficient persons.
New Tip Sheet: Leveraging Remote Patient Monitoring in Your Practice
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a growing telehealth practice that allows providers to use technology to help patients manage their health. Explore tips about RPM, implementation, and billing and reimbursement in a new tip sheet (PDF) produced by HRSA’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth.
Additional Resources
Voices from the Field: Recruiting and Hiring for SDOH Screening New E-Learning Modules
This self-paced e-learning resource includes modules exploring the challenges and successes of recruiting, hiring, and retaining staff to provide screenings for SDOH within community health centers. The Corporation for Supportive Housing, MHP Salud, and NHCHC share perspectives of professionals on how to address barriers and amplify the role of peer specialists. All three organizations are HRSA-funded NTTAPs.
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