To ensure all Coloradans have every opportunity to be fully vaccinated, the Colorado Joint Vaccine Task Force is joining the CDC in new guidance that advises that providers should not miss any opportunity to vaccinate every eligible person who requests a COVID-19 vaccination. Click here for more information.

Colorado has opened vaccine eligibility to the general public age 12 and over Your patients trust information coming from you, even those who are hesitant to get vaccinated. Find more information on how to answer patients’ questions at covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine-faq. 

The Department needs your help ensuring your Health First Colorado patients and CHP+ patients get vaccinated. Do your part by letting them know when you have the vaccine available for them, or where they can get it if you don’t offer it. Let them know that the cost is entirely covered; they won’t be charged co-pays or for the office visit. Reassure them that it’s safe to come to your office and that there is transportation available if they need it. 

If a member requires additional support to get the vaccine, please contact the assigned Regional Accountability Entity (RAE) or Managed Care Organization (MCO). Please also encourage your staff to get their vaccines, and refer them to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for information on vaccine safety. You can get more information on which phase your staff should be vaccinated in and where at covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine.  

Now that Colorado's vaccine supply is becoming readily available, more and more primary care physicians are beginning to administer vaccinations to their patient population. CDPHE created a communication toolkit for primary care doctors who can help encourage their patients to get vaccinated. 

What are you doing this June to celebrate, support or be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community? Below are some resources to learn from and live by. Happy Pride Month!

There are currently about 8 million people in the United States with PTSD. Even though PTSD treatments work, most people who have PTSD don't get the help they need. Help spread the word that effective PTSD treatments are available. Everyone with PTSD—whether they are veterans or civilian survivors of sexual assault, serious accidents, natural disasters, or other traumatic events—needs to know that treatments really do work and can lead to a better quality of life. The National Center for PTSD has great resources for you to use and share.

The Colorado Farm Bureau along with the Department of Agriculture and other partners have announced the launch of the Agricultural Addiction & Mental Health Program (CAAMHP). The CAAMHP is intended to support the farming and ranching community in Colorado by offering six free sessions with an ag friendly, licensed behavioral health professional. It’s anonymous and, in many cases, can be accessed remotely. Learn more about the program on the CAAMHP website. If you are interested in being a provider, click here.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has a webpage that provides rural mental health resources, as well as the Farm Crisis Center.

Agricultural workers living in employer-owned housing can have trouble getting health care. It’s symptomatic of bigger gaps in worker protections that the pandemic spotlighted, say proponents of a newly passed Colorado bill for farmworker rights. Click here for the entire story.

Click here for the press release.

The Colorado Health Foundation partnered with Westat to commission a report, Perspectives on Adult Recovery in Rural and Frontier Colorado: A Look at Lived Experiences, Practices, and Systems, which shines a light on the recovery experiences of Coloradans living on low income in rural and frontier areas. Personal stories from people with lived recovery experience and in-depth interviews with mental health and substance use providers helped us better understand the recovery experience – from personal, professional and systems perspectives. The report examines these perspectives through a systems lens and lifts up opportunities to guide future systems change.

A Medicaid member who needs transportation through IntelliRide to get to their appointment with you will not be approved for the transportation if the servicing address is not listed with the state. The Find a Doctor tool is the same tool that IntelliRide reservationists use to confirm that a destination is a covered place of service. Please take a moment to ensure your service locations match with the state’s database so members can get to their appointments with you. Should you need to make updates, visit the Provider Enrollment webpage and contact the Provider Services Call Center listed on the enrollment page if you need assistance.

ProviderConnect is Beacon's provider portal. It makes routine tasks such as updating demographic information, processing claims, obtaining claims information, and verifying eligibility status easy and convenient. Below are resources to assist you in using ProviderConnect.

When the covid-19 pandemic forced behavioral health providers to stop seeing patients in person and instead hold therapy sessions remotely, the switch produced an unintended, positive consequence: Fewer patients skipped appointments. Click here for the entire story.

303-369-0039 ext. 213 or KHughes@peerassistanceservices.org

It is a dynamic time for telehealth advancement in our state and nation. The Office of eHealth Innovation and Prime Health launched Regional Telehealth Learning Collaboratives to collect insights that will create a set of strategies and recommendations for statewide telehealth infrastructure. The office needs input from health care leaders around Colorado. Please consider taking this 20-minute survey to share information about telehealth in your practice as well as your own experiences with telehealth.

Contact the Program Manager, Katrina Chaffin, katrina@primeheathco.com for questions regarding the survey. 

Mental health concerns among children and youth are rising as a result of the pandemic. Primary care providers are uniquely positioned to intervene and save lives. Partners for Children's Mental Health (PCMH) is offering training that includes consultation to help Colorado clinics implement a youth suicide prevention care pathway that guides pediatric PCPs in delivering suicide-safer care. Click here for more information.

Beginning May 17, 2021 requests for authorization for 3.2WM levels of care will be submitted and approved through ProviderConnect. ProviderConnect is Beacon Health Options provider portal which makes routine tasks such as processing claims, obtaining claims information, and verifying status easy and convenient. You can access ProviderConnect from the Northeast Health Partners website or Beacon Health Options website.

For more information, call 833-511-0311 or visit GetEmergencyBroadband.org/how-to-apply.

RAE ROUNDTABLE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH---2nd Fri of every month at 11am

Please click here to join the webinar:

Visit the NHP website for details on previous calls.

NHP RAE ROUNDTABLE PRIMARY CARE MEDICAL PROVIDER--3rd Wed of every month at 12pm

Please click here to join the webinar:

Or By Telephone: 1- 669-900-6833---Webinar ID: 971 5387 1547---Passcode: 869908

Visit the NHP website for details on previous calls.

This complimentary course provided by RELIAS will be available for a limited time. It teaches clinicians how to practice more affirmatively by addressing the behavioral health needs of LGBTQ+ populations and how to employ relevant, evidence-based interventions effectively. Click here to take the course

A new study shows that one in three people infected with COVID-19 is also diagnosed with a mental health or neurological condition, including anxiety, mood disorder, substance use disorders, and insomnia. It has also become increasingly apparent that the pandemic has had serious implications on the mental health of the general population at large, brought on by isolation, fear, anxiety, and fatigue. Click here for more information and to view the webinar.

The frequency of misdiagnosis in healthcare is surprisingly high, particularly when complex conditions are involved. Studies have shown that among patients with significant illness, 21% of diagnoses were incorrect and 66% required modification. Click here for more information and to view the webinar.

Click here to watch on demand.