CMS is hosting a series of webinars on the MIPS Performance Categories for Year 2 (2018) of the Quality Payment Program. The webinars will provide an overview on the Cost, Improvement Activities, and Quality performance categories for Year 2 (2018). CMS subject matter experts will cover topics including category requirements, scoring details, and data submission mechanisms.
Below are details for the following webinars and how to register:
MIPS Cost Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here
MIPS Improvement Activities Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here
MIPS Quality Performance Category for Year 2 (2018) Overview Webinar
Monday, August 6, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register Here
The audio portion of these webinars will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers. CMS will open the phone line for the Q&A portion, but if you are unable to hear audio through your computer speakers, please contact CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 – 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m Register Here
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 – 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register Here
If you participated in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2017, your MIPS final score and performance feedback are now available for review on the Quality Payment Program website. If you believe that an error has been made in your 2019 MIPS payment adjustment calculation, you can request a targeted review until October 1, 2018 at 8:00 pm (EDT).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting two “Office Hours” sessions over the next few weeks to:
- Provide a brief overview of MIPS 2017 performance feedback and targeted review
- Answer some frequently asked questions
- Highlight helpful performance feedback and targeted review resources available
CMS encourages you to email your questions prior to the Office Hours sessions. If you are interested in submitting a question to be considered, please email CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com. Please note, this email address is only for office hours questions; do not use this to submit a targeted review request.
Please note: Space for these sessions is limited. Register now to secure your spot. The audio portion of the sessions will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers.
Learn More
For more information on performance feedback and targeted review, the following resources are available:
Photo: FlickrCC
West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition
Director Position Description
Applications accepted through July 31, 2018 by email to HKFCDirectorSearch@gmail.com
The Organization
The West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition (WVHKFC) aims to make West Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family – no matter who you are. We fight child poverty in our state, and we fight to win. Working directly with low-income families and partner organizations, we have won 28 policy victories (raising the minimum wage, expanding school breakfast, protecting child care, etc.) and helped unite, train, and fund 290+ local action projects (community gardens, small businesses, student chapters, civic engagement groups, afterschool programs, etc.).
The original coalition was created in 1998 to develop broad-based support for the passage and implementation of the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). After a dozen years of successful work on children’s health, WVHKFC took three bold steps: becoming an independent 501c3 organization, widening its focus from child health to also include child poverty, and expanding its reach to foster the political will needed to lift families out of poverty.
WVHKFC currently has an annual budget of $1.7 million, a staff of 12 people located throughout the state, and numerous interns and AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers. WVHKFC is governed by an active and diverse board of directors that is majority low-income.
The Position
The main job of the Executive Director (ED) is to build power alongside West Virginia families to win local and statewide social change. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED has overall responsibility for WVHKFC’s staff, programs and execution of its mission. Working closely with staff, the ED will ensure the following:
Leadership & Management:
- Promote, embody, and defend the organization’s vision and mission, inspiring confidence in the organization, internally and externally;
- Offer assistance to our 9 major programs/partnerships and their directors: Try This, Our Children Our Future, Families Leading Change, WV Trainers Project, Call to Action for Racial Equality, Healthy Bodies Healthy Spirits, Young WV, the Candidate Training Academy, and Strong Mountain Communities;
- Engage and collaborate with community members, funders, partnering organizations, and state leaders; recruit, develop, and lift up the leadership of working families and vulnerable people in everything we do;
- Develop and support of a strong majority low-income board of directors; our board of directors, like all our leadership teams, should look like the change we are fighting for;
- Lead, coach and develop our top-notch staff team, while ensuring a respectful, collaborative and productive workplace;
- Help manage the re-granting of hundreds of thousands of dollars to 100+ partners annually, in a way that ensures resources get to the communities and leaders who need it most;
- Make WVHKFC a model organization that represents in its policies and procedures the change we are fighting for; and
- Install and monitor effective systems to track progress, evaluate programs and measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders and other constituents.
Fundraising & Communications:
- Work with staff, board, and partners to raise money from diverse sources to support our existing and future program goals and operations; and spread resources to community-driven efforts through re-granting;
- Refine our communications strategy to achieve recognition, engagement and support for the organization and its initiatives; and
- Tell great stories about our organization, our partners, and the grassroots leaders who are our lifeblood; find ways to unify, streamline and embolden our communications.
Planning & Development:
- Conduct regular, energizing assessments and strategy sessions with a mixture of Board, staff, partners, and community leaders;
- Make sure our staff and their families have the resources, support, and opportunities we work to ensure for all families; develop policies, practices, and structure that gives staff the tools to lift up marginalized and oppressed communities and individuals, and themselves.
- Manage the pace of change – learning how to take calculated risks to “seize the moment” while sustaining current efforts.
Qualifications
Desired qualities, experience and qualifications include:
- Embodies a commitment to the organization’s mission and to social, economic and racial justice;
- A track record of organizing low-income and vulnerable people for lasting social change;
- A strong background in management of nonprofit programs/organizations, including fundraising and grant writing;
- Ability to form and sustain good working relationships at all levels: staff, board, funders, community members, partner organizations and government agencies;
- Ability to communicate, work with, empower, and relate to people from all walks of life in a genuine way;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with good interpersonal skills; and
- Action-oriented, adaptable and innovative.
Salary, Benefits, and other Details
The Director will earn $60,000 – 75,000 (commensurate with experience), plus health benefits, generous paid time off and family leave, and reimbursement for all travel and on-the-job expenses.
The WVHKFC main office is in Charleston, and the Director should expect to have meetings at least 1-2 days/week from that office. However, this position also requires frequent travel statewide.
Please include all of the following in your application (Applications accepted through July 31, 2018. Please send by email to HKFCDirectorSearch@gmail.com):
- Resume
- Cover letter that tells us who you are, what matters to you, and why you would be excited to take on this role for the next 4-6 years;
- 4 people to serve as references, including 2 who are low-income or under-represented
- A writing sample that answers the following questions (maximum 2 typed pages):
o Write about a successful campaign, organization or project you built that featured prominently the leadership of low-income and vulnerable people – alongside alliances with other stakeholders. What did you learn from that work that you would bring to this job?
o How would you describe your leadership skills and style? What would be your approach to the supervision and support of WVHKFC staff (a dozen people at dispersed locations), interns and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers?
o WVHKFC helps lead 9 statewide movements (Our Children, Our Future; Try This WV; Young WV; WV Candidate Training Academy; Healthy Bodies, Healthy Spirits; WV Trainers Project; Call to Action for Racial Equality; Strong Mountain Communities; Families Leading Change). Can you offer 1-2 concrete ideas for how these movements could better collaborate or share resources…and how you would facilitate that collaboration.
o One of your main jobs in this position is to raise and maintain our ~$1.7 million annual budget. Tell us about how you would approach that task, and what experience you would bring to it.
o How will you balance your responsibilities to raise funds, manage and mentor the staff, and grow the leadership of low-income people in our movements?
Thanks for your interest! Applications are due July 31st. We will get back to all applicants by August 15th at the latest and hope to complete a first round of interviews by September 1st. Our plan is to make a final decision by October 1st, though of course that may change.
For more information about the organization or the position, please inquire with current director Stephen Smith (stephen@ourfuturewv.org) and board chair Michael Tierney (mtierney@stepbystepwv.org). For more information about the hiring process, contact Julie Pratt (julie@ontheridgeline.com).
For LICSW, LCSW, LGSW and LSW Exam Candidates
Featuring Dr. Sophia Dziegielewski, Professor, School of Social Work, University of Central Florida
9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Saturday, & Sunday September 8 & 9, 2018
Charleston, West Virginia – Location to be determined soon
* Bachelor Exam (LSW) Candidates will attend ONLY Saturday, September 8, 2018
* Master/Advanced/Clinical (LICSW/LCSW/LGSW) Candidates attend BOTH Sat. & Sun., Sept. 8 & 9
Extensive, regularly updated Workbook included! Offers 8-hours of face-to-face instruction for LSW Candidates on Saturday (3 hours apply to Social Work ethics) OR 15-hours of face-to-face instruction for LICSW, LCSW & LGSW candidates on Saturday AND Sunday (5 hours apply to psychopathology).
Additional Information
Deadline: July 30, 2018
What the Funding Will Do
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, released today a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural Community Opioid Response Planning Grant Program, to fund approximately 75 high-risk rural communities at up to $200,000 per award. These funds will support a range of activities to help rural communities develop plans and strategies to address the rural opioid epidemic in their communities. Successful awardees will partner with at least three other separately-owned entities and develop plans to implement substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions. This program is part of a multi-year, $130.0 million opioid-focused effort by HRSA. In FY 2019 and beyond, there will be additional funds available to provide continued support, including additional grants and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program awards.
Read HRSA’s Press Release
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include domestic public or private entities, nonprofit and for-profit, including faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations. All services must be provided in HRSA-designated rural areas. See Section III – Eligibility Information in the Notice of Funding Opportunity for more details on eligibility and consortium specifications.
How To Apply
The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available on Grants.gov.
It’s important to know that you cannot apply for a HRSA grant until three registrations are completed:
- DUNS Number (What is DUNS?)
- System for Awards Management (What is SAM?)
- Grants.gov
More information about the registration process can be found on the Grants section of HRSA’s website.
FORHP will hold an hour-long webinar for applicants on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 1:00 pm ET. A recording will be made available for those who cannot attend.
**NEW INFORMATION: Please reference page ii in the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the dial-in and playback information for the webinar.***
Federal Resources for the Opioid Crisis That May Help
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
U.S. Department of Agriculture
For questions regarding this funding opportunity, please email ruralopioidresponse@hrsa.gov
Upcoming Webinar:
Thursday, June 28, 2018
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Meningococcal disease, specifically serotype B (MenB), is an ongoing problem in this country, particularly in university outbreaks. Meningococcal disease is a serious illness that can develop from initial symptoms to death within 24 hours. It often occurs without warning – even among people who are otherwise healthy. Presenters in this webinar will discuss the disease burden of the meningococcal disease, specifically meningococcal B, the ACIP recommendation for MenB vaccination and the meaning of Category B recommendation, as well as strategies for improving MenB vaccination rates in your clinic.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to (or better able to):
1. Discuss the current epidemiology of meningococcal B in the United States and the profiles of patients at greatest risk for this vaccine-preventable disease.
2. Describe MenB vaccine recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the rationale behind a category B classification.
3. Recognize best practices in counseling patients and their parents/caregivers on the importance of administering the MenB vaccine
4. Discuss practice considerations for administering the MenB vaccine such as documentation, billing, and screening for additional immunizations.
Speakers:
1. Jeff Neccuzi, Director, Division of Immunization Services, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health
2. Angela Gray, BSN, RN, Nurse Director, RWJF Public Health Nurse Leader, Berkeley County Health Department
REGISTER
