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Elizabeth M. Whitehorn, Director

Provider Notice issued 12/14/11

Opportunity to Receive Free Training and Technical Assistance on Becoming a Medical Home

To:​ Physicians, Hospital Clinics, Encounter Rate Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Centers​

Date:​

 December 14, 2011
Re:​ Opportunity to Receive Free Training and Technical Assistance on Becoming a Medical Home​

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) was signed into law on February 4, 2009. Title IV of CHIPRA creates a broad quality mandate for children's health care and authorizes health care quality initiatives for both the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Medicaid program. As authorized in Section 401(d) of CHIPRA, on February 22, 2010, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded ten grants to states to implement child health quality demonstration projects. Illinois, in partnership with Florida, was awarded one of the ten grants. The Illinois CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Project addresses the following areas:

  • Implementation and reporting on a core set of children's health care quality measures

  • Promotion of the use of health information exchange/health information technology to improve quality of care for children

  • Improving and enhancing medical homes

  • Improving birth outcomes, specifically, reducing pre-term births

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) are currently seeking up to 200 primary care practices to participate in the medical home component of the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Project to enhance primary care practices and improve child health outcomes.

If your practice has interest in improving its "medical homeness," we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Participating practices will be able to assess their "medical homeness" using the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) 2011 Patient-Centered Medical Home self-assessment survey and receive access to resources, technical assistance, and training to improve practices' medical home at no cost.

Participation in the program is flexible and tailored to the practice's individual needs and schedules. Following a brief web-based introduction to the standards and the survey tool, practices will be asked to take the short NCQA self-assessment so that they are aware of their strengths and needs. ICAAP will also use the practices' scores to develop training specific to the identified needs. Following the self-assessment, practices are then able to take part in technical assistance opportunities at their own pace over the next two years, through the summer of 2014.

While it is not a requirement of the program, practices are encouraged to apply for formal recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home through the NCQA PPC-PCMH program at any time during the program. Practices that are interested in pursuing NCQA recognition will be able to receive a 20% discount toward NCQA recognition fees through this grant program.

There are many potential benefits to participating in this program, including:

  • Increasing efficiency and improving staff satisfaction within your practice

  • Increasing patient and family satisfaction with your practice

  • Decreasing the use of unnecessary medical services

  • Quickly and easily determining how close your practice is to qualifying for formal medical home recognition via the NCQA or other programs

  • Receiving CME credit and Part 4 Maintenance of Certification credits

  • Reflecting on your practice, what you need and what you do well, and how you compare to other practices statewide

  • Striving for change over the course of two years at a pace that is directed by your practice

For further information, and/or to sign up for the medical home program please see ICAAP's website at http://illinoisaap.org/projects/chipra-quality-demonstration/mh/ and/or contact Lauren Seemeyer, MPH, ICAAP Project Director, CHIPRA Demonstration Project at info@illinoisaap.com or 312-733-1026 ext 237.

Questions about the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Project can be directed to Gwen Smith, Illinois CHIPRA Project Director, at 217-557-5438.

Theresa A. Eagleson, Administrator

Division of Medical Programs