[WardFive] Fw: The District won't renew DC Chartered Health Plan's contract

This is a good health newsletter I receive. 

 

Albrette "Gigi" Ransom
Commissioner, ANC 5C12

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----- Forwarded Message -----
From: DCPCA Health Equity Alert <dcpca@mail.democracyinaction.org>
To: gigifor5C12@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 5:04 PM
Subject: The District won't renew DC Chartered Health Plan's contract

The District won't renew DC Chartered Health Plan's contract Tuesday, October 16, 2012 CONTENTS 1. Congratulations to the 2012 Unsung Heroes! 2. How Bill Conway's $1 billion will help the poor 3. Apprenticeship and social support are keys in job training 4. DC won't renew Chartered Health Plan contract 5. United Medical Center could require more subsidies 6. Excess medical care can be bad for your health, especially if it's not coordinated 7. Amanda Palmer's got the world sharing health insurance hell at #InsurancePoll 8. HIV Workforce Capacity Building Initiative 9. Strokes increasing in younger patients 10. The antidote to your burning health care questions 11. Five tips for women to deal with everyday aches and pains 12. America's top charities struggle to recover from downturn ARTICLE SUMMARIES 1. Congratulations to the 2012 Unsung Heroes! DC Primary Care Association, 15th Annual Meeting, October 9, 2012 Leadership of DCPCA member community health centers had the opportunity to nominate an "Unsung Hero" -- a colleague who exemplifies outstanding service and commitment to improving the health and well-being of the residents in the community. The 13 awardees are administrative or clinical staff whose exceptional dedication has been inspiring during our journey to health equity. Congratulations to our CHC's "Unsung Heroes"! Awardees include: Jeannine Sanford, Chief Operating Officer, Bread for the City; Angela Brown, Community Outreach Coordinator, Medical Assistant, Carl Vogel Center; Regina Hartridge, Clinical Nurse Manager, The Children's Health Project of DC/Children's Health Center at THEARC; Dorothy Lee, Certified Nurse Midwife, Community of Hope Family Health and Birth Center; Angela Fulwood Wood, Chief Operating Officer, Family and Medical Counseling Service, Inc.; Alma Hamar, Mental Health Counselor, La Clínica del Pueblo; Elsa Romero, Life Cycle Health Educator - Diabetes Specialist, Community Health Worker, USA Medical Doctor, Uruguay, Mary's Center; Deborah Howes, Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, Perry Family Health Center; Catrina McLaughlin, Center Manager, Ophelia Egypt Health Center, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC; Pat Spalatin, Billing Specialist (formerly Phlebotomist), SOME (So Others Might Eat), Inc.; Janice Heisey, DC Dental Clinic Coordinator, Spanish Catholic Center of Catholic Charities; Walter Green, WALTER R. GREEN, Case Manager III, Unity Health Care, Inc.; and Dwaine Gasser, Director of Clinical Operations, Whitman-Walker Health. DCPCA sends out congratulations to its Unsung Hero Robin Halsband, Director of Capital Projects. All too often we get caught up in the daily routine and challenges that come with the work that we do and forget to take time to recognize those among us who inspire and truly make a difference in the workplace and in the lives of others. Be sure to read the narratives about why they were nominated! 2. How Bill Conway's $1 billion will help the poor By Robert McCartney, The Washington Post, October 10, 2012 Summary: Local philanthropist Bill Conway began giving away $1 billion to programs that help people. His gifts should provide a lift to unemployed or other low-income people who are already striving to improve their lives. His generosity will mean that some people get permanent jobs -- with benefits and a future -- who otherwise would have remained unemployed or stuck in dead-end positions. That's what the McLean financier set out to accomplish when he started studying how to use his wealth to provide long-term solutions for the poor. Mark Shepard is a few weeks away from finishing a six-month, full-time training course in Anacostia that will qualify him to get a permanent job in building maintenance. The Center for Employment Training, which is part of SOME (So Others Might Eat), provided the course. Conway is donating $5 million to the center so it can expand. It was part of $55 million in a first round of donations that Conway expects ultimately to total $1 billion+. He pledged to donate $30 million for scholarships and other assistance to help nursing students at Trinity Washington University and at least five other educational institutions in the region. He picked nursing because growing demand means anybody with a nursing degree can get a decent job. Also, the field attracts many low-income people who wish to rise economically. Conway's help for future nurses might go to cover more than just tuition. He's considering subsidizing other pressing student expenses, such as transportation and child care. 3. Apprenticeship, Social Support Keys In Job Training By Yuki Noguchi, National Public Radio, October 5, 2012 Summary: Often, the bridge between workers and a good job is a training program to help give them a new set of skills. Donna Jackson hasn't been an ideal job candidate. She's a high school graduate, with a spotty work history and a drug habit she kicked last year. Until she started a training program, she hadn't had much luck in job interviews. For the first time in her 48 years, Jackson feels in control over a budding career. Every weekday, she dresses in nurse's scrubs and attends all-day classes sponsored by SOME (So Others Might Eat). In five months, she hopes to graduate, certified to become a medical assistant. Jackson struggles most with the medical terminology. Emily Price is director of SOME's program, which includes everything from social worker support to post-placement counseling for its graduates. SOME works with local employers to design the curriculum for their two programs: building maintenance and medical assistant training. On average, students take six months to graduate. But they do so with an industry-recognized certification, and some on-the-job training, under their belt. Because the programs are only in fields where workers are in demand, three-quarters of them find work. The vast majority of those remain in their jobs for at least a year. 4. D.C. won't renew Chartered Health Plan contract, officials confirm By Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post, October 15, 2012 Summary: The District is moving to end its relationship with the health care company owned by embattled campaign financier Jeffrey Thompson after auditors discovered significant financial irregularities in its books. Multiple senior officials confirmed that Chartered Health Plan won't have its contract renewed to manage care for low-income District residents, its only significant source of business, and that insurance regulators are considering a move to place the company in government receivership. Representatives from the DISB and DHCF are set to attend a Chartered board meeting this evening, where they plan to discuss a range of potential regulatory actions. Thompson remains sole owner of Chartered, which handles Medicaid coverage for more than 100,000 DC residents. DHCF Director Wayne Turnage told the DC Council that it was unlikely Chartered would keep its contract, worth $355 million last year, after it expires in May 2013 as long as Thompson remained its owner. Since then, Thompson has pursued a sale, but no deal has been finalized. The move toward possible receivership came after the company notified District officials that it would have to restate its financial positions after an independent auditor identified irregularities in the company's books. In 2011, the company reported an operating loss of nearly $15 million, but it remains the largest of DC's three managed care providers. 5. United Medical Center could require more subsidies By Ben Fischer, Washington Business Journal, October 12, 2012 Summary: Still stinging from this summer's abrupt recalculation of the Medicaid payments it will get, District-owned United Medical Center will be operating with a sharply reduced budget even as demand for its services continues to grow. At a board meeting Sept. 27, the hospital's management projected a $3.1 million loss on $105.8 million in revenue for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 -- a decline of nearly $10 million in revenue from two years ago, despite nearly 10% growth in inpatient admissions and a 14.5% growth in outpatient admissions over that period. That all adds up to widespread expense-cutting at the hospital. The cuts include the loss of 56 positions, achieved mostly through attrition, and several reworked physician contracts. The sudden budget revisions were made necessary by the surprise announcement from Mayor Vincent Gray's staff in June that the UMC received excessive payments from the federally funded pool of Medicaid dollars for hospitals that have lots of unpaid bills. The continued threat that additional subsidies from the District will be needed to keep the hospital open and paying workers and vendors. The budget situation shifted the terms of a simmering debate over the future of a Gray-ordered turnaround effort designed to drastically reshape the hospital's business model. The proposed strategy calls for the campus to be reformed into a small, less costly healthplex that emphasizes outpatient services and shrinks the hospital's costly inpatient capacity. The District expects to announce by November the winner of a $10 million contract to lead the turnaround effort. 6. Excess medical care can be bad for your health, especially if it's not coordinated By Consumers Union, The Washington Post, October 15, 2012 Summary: An article in the Sept. 26, 2011, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine added to the abundant evidence that many patients receive too much care. According to the survey reported on in the journal, 42% of primary care physicians in the U.S. think that patients in their own practice are receiving excessive care; only 6% said they were receiving too little. Physicians sometimes have their own incentives for seeing patients too frequently or ordering too many tests -- such as financial rewards or fear of malpractice -- but patients might also contribute to the problem by mistakenly believing that more visits or more tests will keep them healthier. When it comes to your well-being, less is often more. The combination of overtreatment and poor coordination of care by physicians, a threat that rises with the number of practitioners you see and the number of health care systems involved, leads to a higher incidence of medical problems and increased dependency -- especially for the chronically ill. That's according to a March report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some specific risks include: Medication problems; Too many tests; Waste of time and money; and Too much stress. 7. Amanda Palmer's got the world sharing health insurance hell at #InsurancePoll By Diana Reese, The Washington Post, October 15, 2012 Summary: The world is discussing health insurance on Twitter because of musician Amanda Palmer. Check out #InsurancePoll on Twitter, and answer the questions that she's asking: 1) country? 2) profession? 3) insured? 4) if not, why not? If so, at what cost per month (or covered by job)? A New York Times story, "A Possibly Fatal Mistake," about a 52-year-old financial consultant who chose not to buy health insurance because of the expense and is now dying of prostate cancer. Palmer sent a few musing tweets about her own experiences with health insurance. In her early 20s, health insurance would have cost as much as half her rent and it just didn't seem like an option. But the death of her step-brother, uninsured, almost destroyed the family bank, and her parents offered to pay half her insurance. People are now tweeting their own experiences with health insurance in response to her story, so she asked that they answer a few questions, and her Twitter feed exploded. There's a limit of 100 tweets/retweets in an hour, and she's gone to "twitter jail" twice. Despite the U.S.' reputation for cutting-edge, state-of-the-art health care, the rest of the world feels sorry for us. They were shocked that Americans don't have what they have. Tons of people in the Australia/Finland/UK, etc. don't know the extent to which U.S. people freak out about insurance. 8. HIV Workforce Capacity Building Initiative HealthHIV, October 2012 Summary: This initiative provides HIV expert mentoring to clinicians in community health centers. This free mentoring initiative matches physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to HIV clinical experts who will provide one-on-one coaching, education, and training. HIV has evolved into a chronic disease that can be managed in the primary care setting. With more people living with HIV accessing integrated care through CHCs, this initiative builds the clinician's capacity to provide quality HIV care. Demand for HIV care continues to increase as the number of HIV specialists decrease. The shortage in the HIV workforce and the rising HIV cases, building the capacity of clinicians in CHCs is critical. This initiative addresses the shortage of HIV specialists. The program makes HIV expert coaching, education, and training available to clinicians in health center settings. It features: Personalized one-on-one mentorship, Access to an HIV expert clinician, Customized learning to interests, and Flexibility with time availability. Participants can choose to meet with their mentor either at their health center, or at the mentor's practice/clinic. After an initial face-to-face meeting, participants decide how often they will meet with their mentor, as well as how those meetings will take place. For more information, contact HealthHIV at workforce@healthhiv.org or (202) 232-6749. 9. Strokes increasing in younger patients, study suggests By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY, October 10, 2012 Summary: Younger people are getting strokes at a faster rate, and people under age 55 make up a greater percentage of all strokes, according to a new study. The increase is an alarming trend because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability. The study design doesn't explore reasons for the change, but the increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes could be leading factors. National studies have shown those risk factors are increasing among younger patients. Better detection through increased use of imaging might also explain the rise. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. It can also cause paralysis, and speech and emotional difficulties. Lifestyle changes and better management of risk factors with medication have led to overall lower rates. Experts say the findings will change the way doctors think about strokes. About 80% of all strokes are preventable. Among older black and white patients in the study, the rates have been dropping, as other studies also have shown. Some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise. 10. The Antidote To Your Burning Health Care Questions By Julie Rovner, National Public Radio, October 13, 2012 Summary: Why do you have to work to maintain health insurance? During World War II, the U.S. had wage and price controls, but also a labor shortage because so many men were part of the war effort. One of the ways employers started to differentiate themselves was by boosting benefits, and health insurance was one of those benefits they started offering. After the war, there was a huge boom in hospital building, so it made sense for more people to have hospital insurance, and our system kind of grew up as an employer-based one. By the time health care got so expensive that insurance was a real necessity, we as a country were settled into the idea of having that employer-based system. President Richard Nixon first proposed the idea of getting everyone covered by requiring all employers to provide health insurance to their workers. That came in response to the Democrats' proposal of that same era to have a tax-funded insurance plan for everyone. The Democrats would pick up Nixon's idea and propose that employer mandate. Republicans came up with the idea of requiring individuals to have their own coverage, which is of course what ended up passing first in Massachusetts under then-Gov. Mitt Romney, and then in the Affordable Care Act, which we have today. Read more for the Candidates' Plans For Women's Health Care and Are Doctors Accepting Fewer Medicare Patients? 11. Five Tips for Women to Deal with Everyday Aches and Pains By StatePoint Media, The Washington Informer, September 25, 2012 Summary: A recent study shows 89% of women experience some type of muscle or joint pain every year, and 63% experience it weekly. But whether the discomfort stems from a day at work, strenuous exercise or housework, pain has its price -- from feeling tired and low on energy, to contributing to feelings of stress, depression, and frustration. Reduce your risk for pain and relieve the aches you already have with these simple measures: Avoid overexertion; Relax; Relieve; Maintain a healthy weight; and Take breaks from computer work. While modern life has created challenges that lead to aches and pains, Dr. Klimenko says women don't need to grin and bear it. You can take proper care of yourself to avoid pain and treat aches naturally before they get out of hand. For more natural health tips, follow Dr. Klimenko's blog at elena klimenko, md. 12. America's Top Charities Struggle to Recover From Downturn By Raymund Flandez and Marisa López-Rivera, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 14, 2012 Summary: Our slow economic recovery continues to dampen results at even the most sophisticated fundraising organizations. The 400 groups that raise the most from private sources achieved a median 7.5% gain last year -- the third straight year of median gains for nonprofits in The Chronicle's Philanthropy 400 rankings. That's much better than for the rest of the nonprofit world. Giving USA said charitable giving over all grew less than 1% last year. But the outlook among the top 400 charities is far less optimistic for 2012, with nonprofits forecasting a median gain of less than 1%. The Philanthropy 400 is a bellwether of giving trends because the charities on the list collect $1 of every $4 donated by individuals, corporations, and foundations. It ranks the 400 groups that raised the most money from private sources in 2011. The rankings include both cash and product donations as well as stock, land, and other gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The enormous variation in who's emerging from the downturn and who's still struggling can be seen just by looking at the top of the Philanthropy 400 rankings. Eleven of the top 20 are raising more money than they were before the financial crisis erupted in 2008. EVENTS Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF): Cash assistance for poor families Wednesday, October 17th, 12 noon - 2 pm DC Bar 1101 K Street NW This Public Benefits Training Series is a partnership between the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and Whitman-Walker Health Legal Services with support from Bread for the City and DC Hunger Solutions. The trainings are free and an opportunity to learn about eligibility, benefits, application procedures, and practical tips on how to help your clients navigate the system. It's also an opportunity to hear about new developments or policy changes affecting the specific benefit program. Case managers, legal services lawyers, pro bono lawyers, or anyone who works with low-income clients is encourage to attend these sessions. Registration through the DC Bar Pro Bono Program is required, as there are some space limitations for certain sessions. Public Meeting - DC Health Information Exchange Policy Board Meeting Wednesday, October 17th, 2 - 4 pm DC Department of Health Care Finance 899 North Capitol Street NE, 6th Floor Conference Room 6130 Mary's Center's Noche Tropical Gala Friday, October 19th, 6:30 pm Four Seasons Hotel Georgetown 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Featured in the Silent Auction: Six days/nights African photographic safaris for two people Safari to South Africa at the Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge or Zulu Nyala Luxury Tented Safari Lodge; seven-night stay at Palo Torcido Bed & Breakfast in Isla Margarita, Venezuela; two weeks in a beautiful beachfront home in Martha's Vineyard; and four days in a cozy cottage in the heart of Martha's Vineyard. There will also be a special live auction vacation package: Travel certificate to two round-trip tickets between the U.S. and any Mexican destination (valid until May 31, 2013) and two-night accommodation for two in an Ocean View Casita room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Punta Mita, Mexico (valid until October 31, 2013). Free Medicare Part D Legal Clinic Monday, October 22nd, 9 am - 12 noon Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center 1701 - 14th Street NW As open enrollment season for Medicare Part D prescription drug programs opens for 2013, Whitman-Walker Health will hold a series of free legal clinics to evaluate patients' current plans and make recommendations for the new year. For 2013, several big Part D plans that serve low-income Medicare beneficiaries are no longer participating or have merged and have new names. With all the changes, it remains critical for all Medicare beneficiaries to do the individual analysis to determine what plan will best meet their needs. This Medicare Part D clinic is free of charge. For more info, contact Lee Brubaker at (202) 939-7627. Focus Group on the DC Oral Health (Dental Provider) Assessment Form Thursday, October 25th, 4:30 - 6:30 pm Children's National Medical Center Sheikh Zayed Campus for Advanced Children's Medicine 111 Michigan Avenue NW The DC Pediatric Oral Health Coalition is calling upon dental providers, school nurses and managers, primary care providers, DC public school officials, and other related oral health providers to participate in a professional network focus group. The purpose of the focus group is to engage various professionals on the topic of oral health specifically on improving the utility of the revised DC Oral Health (Dental Provider) Assessment Form. Dental providers, school nurses, and officials asked for an opportunity to have a bidirectional exchange related to the utility of the form. One of the goals is to make the form easier for dental providers to complete, parents to understand, and school nurses to track and ensure that children in the District of Columbia receive follow-up treatment -- all while maintaining the integrity of the data. To register, send your name and contact information to Tesa White at (202) 471-4882 by October 22, 2012. Dinner and parking validation will be provided. Whitman-Walker Health's AIDS Walk Washington Saturday, October 27th, 7 am (day-of registration), 9:15 am (step-off) Freedom Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW AIDS Walk Washington is a 5K fundraising walk and timed run benefiting and produced by Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit community-based health organization which provides dependable, high-quality, comprehensive, and accessible health care to those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Understanding the DC Roadmap of Newborn Hearing Screening Monday, October 29th, 9 am - 4 pm Gallaudet University, Kellogg Center 800 Florida Avenue NE The goal is to increase parent and provider awareness of the importance of newborn hearing screening and parental follow-up. CEUs offered for nurses (no fee) and social workers ($15 check/money order to NASW). For more info, contact Angela Carole at (202) 442-9347. More Events... JOBS DCPCA Job Postings There are no positions open at this time. Community Health Center Job Postings Certified Dental Assistant, SOME (So Others Might Eat) (September 2012) Crisis Counselor, SOME (So Others Might Eat) (September 2012) Therapist, SOME (So Others Might Eat) (September 2012) Click on the link below to view open positions at: Bread for the City, Catholic Charities - Archdiocese of Washington, Community of Hope - Family Health and Birth Center, La Clínica del Pueblo, Mary's Center, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, SOME (So Others Might Eat), Unity Health Care, and Whitman-Walker Health. Other Job Postings Communications Coordinator, Black Women's Health Imperative (October 2012) Health Program Manager, Black Women's Health Imperative (October 2012) Senior Policy Associate, Black Women's Health Imperative (October 2012) Senior Program Associate, Black Women's Health Imperative (October 2012) Volunteers, AmeriCorps (October 2012) For more info, contact Lavonte Rollins at (240) 217-7082. More Jobs... RESOURCES DCPCA Program eHealthDC One of 62 federally-subsidized Regional Extension Centers, eHealthDC offers technical assistance, guidance, and information on best practices to support and accelerate adoption of electronic health records. eHealthDC is a neutral source and trusted advisor for credible EHR and health information technology -- offering direct, individualized, and on-site technical assistance to help more than 1,000 providers in DC achieve meaningful use and collect Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Incentive Payments. DC Boards and Commissions DC Boards and Commissions Review the OBC Application Guide and fill out the OBC Application Form for a mayoral or council appointment to a board or commission. For more info, contact Jonathan Antista, Policy Associate, Committee on Health, at (202) 724-8170. DC Government Reports Hetrosexual Relationships and HIV in Washington, DC, DC HIV Behavior Study Series (19 pages) Annual Report 2011, DC Department of Health, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration (109 pages) DC Government Resource Funding Alert DC Office of Partnerships and Grants Services, October 15, 2012 More Resources... How to Submit a Post: Send a brief summary (100 words or less) to HealthEquityAlert (at) dcpca (dot) org. Include links for fliers and/or your organization. If you don't have a website or immediate posting capabilities, send an attachment. In the subject line, write HEA POST and the event's DATE. The District of Columbia Primary Care Association is a nonprofit health action and advocacy organization. Founded in 1996, DCPCA works to improve health care and health coverage for the District's low-income, uninsured, and medically vulnerable residents by ensuring that they receive high quality primary health care -- regardless of their ability to pay. DCPCA represents 13 primary care providers in 48 sites across the District of Columbia.  DCPCA'sHealth Equity Alert is prepared to share with colleagues news about health reform efforts, DC politics, local events, jobs, and resources. The summaries are provided for your information only and do not necessarily reflect the views of DCPCA. The circulation of the alert is more than 8,600 recipients. Click to Donate to DCPCA, Join DCPCA, or Unsubscribe from Alert. DCPCA - Action and Innovation for Health Equity.

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