Board of Directors Meeting Highlights   The EHI Board met last night and took the following key actions: 1) Reviewed membership feedback on dues & tiers structure and decided to charge annual dues. Letter explaining dues and member benefits will be in next week’s alert. 2) Approved 2018 budget. 3) Changed by-laws to allow APRN members to serve in Board positions. 4) Decided to move forward to explore possible investment and MSO partner solutions for consolidating IPA operations and employing providers to improve access to care.

SAVE THE DATE! Annual Meeting & Election – Wednesday, April 25, 2018 – 5:30-7:30 PM   This event will be held at ‘Imiloa to elect Board members and discuss the future of the IPA. Voting will occur at the meeting. Please request an absentee ballot if you cannot attend and would like to vote. Registration flyer available next week.

22nd Annual East Hawaii IPA Healthcare Symposium – August 17-19, 2018 – Fairmont Orchid Hotel   This year’s theme is “Advancing Wellness for Patients, Providers and Organizations.” EHI IPA members receive a discounted rate of $75 which includes AAFP CMEs, all sessions, trade show attendance, pau hana event and two breakfasts. Please register early (flyer attached).

CPC+ Quarterly Work Group for Providers on eClinical Works   Christine Asato & Tina Morishima from Mountain-Pacific Quality Health will be hosting a webinar for CPC+ offices using eClinical Works EHR. We will be viewing this as a group at the EHI IPA office on Tuesday, March 13, 12:00-1:30 PM. Please RSVP by Friday, March 9. Mountain-Pacific will be holding additional separate webinars for offices on other EHR systems. If you prefer to view this in your office, please let us know and we will send you the link.

SBIRT   Stands for Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment for alcohol & substance abuse. EHI received a two-year grant from the State Department of Health to help offices do SBIRT screenings by having patients complete a brief survey. All offices are invited to participate and will receive honoraria for their effort. Please contact Jane for more information at jbontuyan@ehiipa.com.

CMS MIPS/MACRA: “Study on Burdens Associated with Reporting Quality Masures” – CMS would like your help in understanding the burden of MIPS reporting. Join the study and receive a full year credit for 2018 in the improvement activity category. Apply here.

East Hawaii IPA Recruiting Chief Medical Officer   The IPA is recruiting and hiring a Chief Medical Officer to help the IPA move toward clinical integration & consolidation and create infrastructure to improve quality of care, recruit & hire new physicians and help retiring physicians transition well. Attached is a position description. Please contact Susan Mochizuki at 797-3114 or smochizuki@ehiipa.com.

Hawai‘i State Department of Health SURVEY for Primary Care (Adult + Peds) & OB/GYN – Deadline: March 15, 2018   The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) greatly values your opinion as a healthcare professional and is pleased to invite your practice to complete an important online survey. You may have recently received mailers from Dr. Virginia Pressler, Director of the Hawai‘i State DOH, encouraging you to participate in this important health survey. The data is gathered to gain a clearer understanding of provider needs, so that DOH is able to enhance support to providers across the state and promote better health outcomes for the people of Hawai‘i. If you have previously participated in this survey, we thank you for your time. If you have not participated, we would appreciate a few minutes of your time.

By participating in this survey, your practice will:

  •   Have the opportunity to identify provider training needs

  •  Receive information about DOH programs that may be of interest to your practice and patient community

  •  Be part of an ongoing, statewide effort to identify barriers and gaps in care.

  • The survey should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Survey responses are confidential and will be compiled into a public report of all data collected; answers will not be matched to you or your facility. Neither you, nor anyone in your practice, will be identified in survey reports.

To access the password-protected survey, please visit this link:  http://tinyurl.com/HawaiiDocSurvey

Please enter the following password: Provider8

Announcements:

  • CMS MIPS/MACRA Webinar: “Quality Payment Program Data Submission Office Hours: MIPS Attestation for Advancing Care Information and Improvement Activities” – Wednesday, March 14, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM HST. Register here.

  • Opioid Epidemic Presentation – Wednesday, March 14, 2018 – 12:30 PM or 5:30 PM – Presentation sponsored by ‘Ohana Health Plan at the East Hawaii IPA office on Wednesday, March 14, 12:30-1:30 PM or 5:30-7:00 PM. Please RSVP by Friday, March 9.

  • HMSA Payment Transformation COREO to Replace COZEVA   Starting April 1, 2018, HMSA will replace COZEVA with a new reporting system called COREO. There are three webinar  (Session 1 – view VIDEO here),  (Session 2 – view PPT here), and Wednesday, March 21 (Session 3) from 12:30-2:00 PM. Register here.

  • Each webinar is on a different topic.

  • CMS MIPS/MACRA Quality Payment Program Webinar: “MIPS Tips Sessions” – Wednesday, March 28, 8:00-9:00 AM HST. Register here.

  • MIPS Reporting Deadline for 2017 Fast Approaching –  Attached are 10 things to do and know if you plan to submit data for the 2017 MIPS performance period. MIPS data submission: Now through March 31, 2018 – Submit your data on the CMS Enterprise Portal here.

  • Ecosystem Healthcare Referral: KTA Diabetes Self-Management Education Classes — Refer your patients to diabetes education classes presented by KTA Pharmacist Dayna Wong-Otis on Thursdays 9:00-11:30 AM and 4:00-6:30 PM, April 5-26, 2018. One-on-one sessions start on March 27th and 29th. Fax the COMPLETE and signed referral form to EHI IPA at 808-935-4472. Referral form attached.

  • Ecosystem Healthcare Referral: NKFH Chronic Disease Self-Management Program – Refer your patients with chronic diseases to this resource. Call Mary at 808-895-2730 or fax to 808-935-4472 a list of patients to refer to the program. Mary will request a demographic sheet. This six-week class will be on Fridays at 9:00-11:30 AM starting on April 27, 2018.

  • Ecosystem Healthcare Referral: NKFH Diabetes Self-Management Program – Refer your patients with diabetes to this resource. Call Mary at 808-895-2730 or fax to 808-935-4472 a list of patients to refer to the program. Mary will request a demographic sheet. This six-week class will be on Tuesdays at 9:30 AM-12:30 PM starting on May 22, 2018.

  • 2018 SPIN Conference (Pediatricians) – Saturday, April 21 @ UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom – Please register for this statewide conference for families of children with disabilities. Attached is the form to register, as well as the agenda. RSVP by April 2.

  • Get CMS Quality Payment Program (QPP) Email Updates – Keep track of CMS updates involving QPP by visiting this website and clicking on “Subscribe to Updates” at the bottom of the page.