June 2011 Issue

Five health foundations establish grant fund to support ACA implementation
$450,000 fund will help Kansas organizations pursue federal grant and technical assistance opportunities

Five philanthropies that fund health programs and initiatives in the state of Kansas announced formation of a $450,000 fund to help Kansas organizations carry out activities that support implementation of the federal health reform law. The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas Health Foundation, the REACH Healthcare Foundation, the Sunflower Foundation and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund established the fund to assist state agencies and nonprofit organizations with planning, research, consumer engagement and other activities related to implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act Opportunity Fund (ACA Fund) is modeled on funding pools philanthropies in other states have created to help their states maximize federal grant and technical assistance opportunities connected with health reform.

"Our goal in setting up this fund is to ensure that Kansas and its citizens are well positioned to take advantage of federal programs, technical assistance and grants that are becoming available as part of federal implementation of health reform," said Brenda Sharpe, president and CEO of the REACH Healthcare Foundation. "It is our intent that Kansans receive the full benefit of opportunities related to the law."

Beginning in June, organizations can apply through the Topeka Community Foundation for grants of $5,000 to $30,000. To be eligible, applicants must be operating in Kansas for the benefit of Kansans. Eligible organizations include:

• State agencies and collaborations of agencies serving Kansas
• Regional collaborations of organizations with an appropriate fiscal agent (governmental or 50l(c)(3) organization)
• 501(c)(3) organizations
• Local governmental entities (cities, counties, school districts, public health departments and public hospitals).

Organizations may apply for financial assistance to support legal, actuarial and policy research and activities; preparing federal grant applications; matching funds for grants; and efforts to engage consumers and other stakeholders in health-reform implementation. Other funding opportunities may include participation in regional and national conferences related to health reform and public education on provisions of the law. Grants cannot be used to support indirect expenses of state agencies, nonprofit organizations or collaborative efforts.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into law on March 23, 2010. Along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (signed into law on March 30, 2010), the law is intended to put in place comprehensive health-insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond, with most changes taking place by 2014. The law requires state action in many areas, including developing new state laws, regulations and structures to carry out health-reform requirements. The law also offers opportunities for health-system changes at local and regional levels.

ACA Fund applications will be accepted on a continuous basis through December 2011. Information on the ACA Fund and application forms can be found on the Topeka Community Foundation website.

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Pattie Mansur, Director of Communications
REACH Healthcare Foundation
6700 Antioch, Suite 200
Merriam, Kansas 66204
913-432-4196 / 816-674-2745 mobile
pattie@reachhealth.org

Health Care Foundations grant awards to fund children's behavioral-health needs assessment

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the Reach Healthcare Foundation have issued generous grant awards to the Mid-America Regional Council on behalf of the Metropolitan Mental Health Stakeholders Group to support a children's behavioral health needs assessment.

MARC's Regional Health Care Initiative provides staff support and coordination to the Metropolitan Mental Health Stakeholder's Children's System Change Committee, a formal planning and advisory body charged with developing recommendations and ongoing assessment of transformational initiatives to enhance behavioral-health care for children in the Kansas City region.

The needs assessment will help the committee develop recommendations to improve access to an integrated and well-coordinated system of quality behavioral health care for children in the Kansas City metropolitan area. MARC will contract with a third-party partner to provide expertise and guidance, research local and national children's behavioral-health models and develop a framework for a coordinated community initiative.

"Children's behavioral-health care is too often underfunded, fragmented, and not integrated with other services," said Scott Lakin, director of the Regional Health Care Initiative. "With this assessment, we'll be able to clearly identify what services are currently available in the Kansas City region and what gaps must be addressed to improve access to quality behavioral-health care services for children and their families."

The needs assessment is also expected to include a set of recommendations to help the Children's System Change Committee move from planning to implementation.

Since 2004, the Health Care Foundation and the Reach Healthcare Foundation have awarded grants to further their missions of promoting quality health for the uninsured and underserved in the Kansas City metropolitan area. "We're pleased to have both foundations' support for this and many other projects," said Lakin. "We share a common goal of helping all residents lead healthier lives."

Family Guardianship & Conservatorship Seminar announced

Terry Edwards, public administrator of Platte County, Missouri, has announced that the 2011 Family Guardianship One Day Seminar is scheduled for August 31, 2011, at the Platte County Resource Center at 11724 NW Plaza Circle in Kansas City, Missouri. The one-day seminar will run from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The seminar is tailored specifically around the needs of family members serving as guardians for their loved ones. The topics being presented at this one-day annual event include:

• Ticket to work
• Special Needs Trusts
• What, who and how of non-medical home health and hospice
• Protecting yourself with reports the courts require and information you need
• Why, how and when do you seek a Guardianship Judge's Panel
• Treatment needs and where they are

This seminar promises to provide excellent information on ways to meet the needs of those you care for and how to progress to the best level of care available. It will also allow participants to meet others looking for similar assistance. Exhibitors who can provide information on services and care will also be available during seminar breaks.

Registration fee is $20 and includes lunch.

• Registration form and more information (pdf)

If you have further questions, call the Platte County Public Administrators office at (816) 858-2130.

Missouri Coalition for Oral Health chooses leadership

The Missouri Coalition for Oral Health recently met in Columbia, Mo., and voted to reorganize with new bylaws and organizational leadership. The coalition will soon be accepting applications for a statewide executive director and staff.

The purpose of the Coalition is to bring together stakeholders to organize to improve oral health advocacy efforts across the state of Missouri.

The Coalition is supported with funding by the three major health care foundations in the state including the Health Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the Reach Healthcare Foundation and the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The following officers were elected at the meeting on June 17:

• Chair is Michael French who is the Director of the Area Health Education Center program office at A.T. Still University in Columbia, Mo.
• Vice-Chair is Scott Lakin, the Director of the Regional Health Care Initiative at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City.
• Secretary is Diann Bomkamp, RDH, BSDH was President of the American Dental Hygienist's Association in 2008-2009 and lives in St. Louis.
• Treasurer is Aaron Washburn the Assistant Executive Director at the Missouri Dental Association in Jefferson City.
• Joe Pierle, was also elected as the at-large member of the Executive Committee and is currently the Executive Director of the Missouri Primary Care Association of Jefferson City.

In addition, Scott Lakin of MARC and Dr. Michael McCunniff of the UMKC School of Dentistry were nominated to serve as co-chairs of the Coalitions policy committee.

Coalition members plan to meet monthly on the fourth Friday of each month in mid-Missouri and welcome new members. Dues are $20 and you can join by contacting Wendy Frosh at wjfrosh@wendyfrosh.com.

Brownback signs bill expanding child-only health insurance coverage

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has signed legislation into law allowing families to buy child-only health insurance policies through the state's high-risk pool.

The bill helps children younger than 19 obtain coverage through the pool if they are unable to get a policy in the county in which they live.

The Kansas Insurance Department pushed for the bill after insurance companies last year stopped offering child-only policies in 103 of the state's 105 counties. Child-only policies are still sold in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

Families in counties that no longer offer coverage will not have to comply with the two-denial eligibility requirement in current Kansas law.

Families in Johnson and Wyandotte counties will still have to show they have been denied coverage by two separate carriers.

"Now those families that need a child-only policy can seek coverage through the Kansas Health Insurance Association plan if they meet the new eligibility requirements." Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said in a release. "It provides a starting point for a Kansas-based solution to a coverage problem."

Praeger indicated the legislation is a temporary fix until 2014, when federal law under the new Affordable Care Act will require insurance companies to provide coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.

AMA: Nearly one in five medical claims processed inaccurately

In its annual report card on the health insurance industry, the American Medical Association said commercial insurance companies have an error rate of 19.3 percent, up 2 percentage points from last years' report. The AMA said the report is designed to hold insurance companies accountable.

"A 20 percent error rate among health insurers represents an intolerable level of inefficiency that wastes $17 billion annually," said Dr. Barbara McAneny, an AMA Board member and medical oncologist from New Mexico. "Health Insurers must put more effort into paying claims correctly the first time to save precious health-care dollars and reduce unnecessary administrative tasks that take time and resources away from patient care."

The AMA report findings are based on a random sample of about 2.4 million electronic claims for about 4 million medical services submitted in February and March.

Health care plans say the problem falls on both doctors and insurance companies to get it right for their patients and consumers. The problem is not just doctors, but physicians who have yet to upgrade to electronic means of submitting their claims.

Electronic Medical Records prove to be critical in Joplin disaster
Backup system a key to recovery

Officials at Sisters of Mercy Health System, which owns St. John's Hospital in Joplin, say that one key to getting the hospital back on line was a decision made more than five years ago to shift to electronic medical records, a move they implemented only weeks before being hit by the devastating tornado.
Mercy protects those records through a backup system at a data center in Washington, Missouri.

"Having all our records housed in a different location allowed us to be up and operational as a health-care facility within a week," said Mike McCreary, a chief of Mercy Technology Services. "Without the backup, St. John's would still not be operational at this point."

McCreary says the storm added to the argument for investing millions of dollars to develop electronic medical records. Like other hospitals and health systems, Mercy qualifies for federal stimulus money for shifting to electronic records.

St. Luke's East-Lee's Summit announces $68-million expansion

St. Luke's East-Lee's Summit is building a $68-million addition that will include 58 more hospital beds and an expanded emergency room. The first phase is scheduled to be completed in early 2012 and the remaining work finished by mid-2013.

The St. Luke's East expansion is the latest in a series of hospital construction projects in the metropolitan area. Last month, Overland Park Medical Center announced a $121 million expansion, and St. Luke's Hospital in midtown is opening a $330 million expansion this fall.

According to McGraw-Hill Construction fueling the growth in health care construction nationally is the increasing demand for medical services by aging baby boomers, new medical technologies that require larger spaces, and improved financing mechanisms to fund hospital expansions.