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. 

Click here for the flyer with more information and to register for the learning sessions.

Have questions? They are available to talk through your ideas and encourage you to connect with them before applying for funding. If you don’t already work with a program officer, please reach out by email at funding@coloradohealth.org or by phone at 303-953-3600, and be sure to note the county you work in and the focus area of interest.

Deadline for application is October 15, 2021. Here is the link to the opportunity.

The Beacon Quality team in collaboration with Medical, Clinical, Peers, Provider Relations and additional key stakeholders across the organization expanded our PCP toolkit online resource. The PCP toolkit is intended to support primary care clinicians by providing a quick guide to access behavioral health resources.  This toolkit is also beneficial for behavioral health providers and Beacon health plan partners. The toolkit is useful for managing populations with co-occurring disorders. The toolkit promotes an integrated healthcare approach encouraging whole person health by providing PCPs and other practitioners additional resources beneficial to clients, including screening tools. 

Click here to access the PCP toolkit online resource.

Last July, the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing expanded its contract with IntelliRide to manage all NEMT trip referrals, scheduling, and claims submission throughout the state. Local transportation providers and Health First Colorado members expressed concerns about the statewide approach shortly after its July 2020 implementation. The Department evaluated the feedback with IntelliRide and decided to restore the relationship between members and their local community transportation providers for those members outside IntelliRide's original nine-county service area. As a result, IntelliRide will no longer serve as the statewide broker for NEMT services effective Aug. 1, 2021. 

IntelliRide will reduce its NEMT service area to its original nine-county region — Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld Counties — effective Aug. 1, 2021.

IntelliRide will continue to process mileage reimbursement claims for Health First Colorado members, no matter where they live in Colorado. IntelliRide will also continue scheduling air, train, and out-of-state travel for members statewide. Members should call IntelliRide at 1-855-489-4999 or 303-398-2155 (State Relay 711) or visit gointelliride.com/colorado/ for more information.

It is important to note that there will be no changes to NEMT service for Health First Colorado members living in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer or Weld County. Additionally, counties will not be required to take on additional work for this transition of service. However, the Department will provide counties a list of local transportation providers to support Health First Colorado members when they call county offices. Additional resources and information will be provided in future communications. Contact Ryan Dwyer with policy-related questions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 700 women die each year in the U.S. from problems related to pregnancy or delivery complications. CDC’s Hear Her Campaign seeks to raise awareness of potentially life-threatening warning signs during and after pregnancy and improve communication between patients and their healthcare providers.

Last month, the campaign released exciting new resources including posters and palm cards in multiple languages, PSAs, and website content syndication. The new materials highlight key information about urgent maternal warning signs and tips for talking about concerns with pregnant and postpartum people, their families and friends, and with healthcare providers.

To learn more or to download campaign materials and resources, visit the CDC’s Hear Her website.

The List of Programs web page is a useful resource for members and providers which includes links to information about the programs offered.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind national hotline to connect people with disabilities to information and services to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities find vaccination locations in their communities, assist callers with making vaccination appointments, and connect callers to local services – such as accessible transportation – to overcome barriers to vaccination. The hotline also can provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation.

For more information, visit acl.gov/dial or call 888-677-1199.  

To be able to provide our Health First Colorado Medicaid members with accurate provider information and to ensure network adequacy, we ask that providers notify Beacon of changes to their practice and practitioners within 30 days of change. Please complete the PCMP Adds, Changes and Deletes form and submit to Healthcolorado@beaconhealthoptions.com. Please make sure to fill in all the fields noted in each section as this will ensure timely processing of your submission.

Should you have questions about the template or submission guidelines, please feel free to email Alma Mejorado at alma.mejorado@beaconhealthoptions.com.

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

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.

Beacon's Colorado member engagement team would like to recognize our amazing providers that continue to provide stellar services to our community! Many of you have worked with our practice transformation team to select QI measures and goals related to preventative care. We want to come along side as a resource. Did you know that we offer live Getting Started ZOOM meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 11am that your patients and their families, or even your staff, can attend to learn about benefits and ask questions in real time?

Use this hyperlink, or copy and paste into your browser, to join.

Or to join by phone: Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Meeting ID: 939 7458 4539

Passcode: 230480

Join Lt. Gov. Primavera, Health Cabinet Executive Directors and industry leaders for the Summer Health Cabinet Summit hosted by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. This FREE virtual event is designed for policy makers, advocates, payers, care providers, health care leaders and other industry stakeholders. Presentations, topics and panels will include:  

Click here to register.

Partners for Children's Mental Health is hosting free Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) trainings for those interested in learning about suicide warning signs, prevention strategies, and how to support youth having thoughts of suicide. Click on the dates to register.

Spread the word and join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for their first Instagram live event. NIMH expert Dr. Krystal Lewis, Clinical Psychologist, will discuss causes or triggers of stress and share coping techniques to help reduce anxiety and improve the transition back to school.