HAB Information E-mail

Volume 12, Issue 20

• Web Conferences on Implementing the RSR: New Ones and Summer Re-runs
• National ADAP Technical Assistance Meeting: July 15-17, Washington, DC
• Video Focuses on the Benefits of Peers
• Web Conference on Engaging Consumers in Quality Improvement: July 9
• ADAPs and Cost Containment Strategies: Coordination of Benefits
• Face of Ryan White: Roper St. Francis Healthcare, South Carolina
• TARGET Center: Financial Management TA

• Greater Than AIDS Campaign Targets Black Americans
• New CDC Fact Sheet on HIV and Young MSM
• NASTAD Survey Focuses on Cuts in State Funding for HIV/AIDS
• Online Tool Maps HIV/AIDS Prevalence

Effective Response to RSR Demands, Next Steps
The year 2009 was the first time that Ryan White entities were required to start collecting and reporting client level data to HRSA/HAB, giving HRSA/HAB and its funded programs new information to determine outcomes resulting from services provided with Federal Ryan White funds.

The new client level data system, the Ryan White Services Report (RSR), represents a significant change from the earlier aggregate level data system.  But despite the challenges of transitioning to a new and vastly different data reporting system, 89 percent of the 1,536 providers required to upload client level data had done so by the September 15 deadline.  These are impressive numbers and represent extensive effort among grantees, providers, data staff and HRSA/HAB Project Officers in moving forward on this important initiative.

The RSR provides data on the characteristics of funded grantees, their service providers, and the clients served with program funds.  Client level data will help HRSA and funded entities do a better job at monitoring outcomes achieved as a result of services provided with Ryan White Federal dollars.  Client level data will also help HRSA address the disproportionate impact of HIV in communities of color by assessing organizational capacity and service utilization in minority communities, and help both HRSA and grantees monitor the appropriate use of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funds.

So What’s Next in Terms of the RSR?

Follow Up
If you are a grantee or provider who had trouble submitting a report or the client level data file, a member of the RSR TA Team will reach out to you to help complete submissions for this period or do problem-solving for the next submission.

Feedback
Grantees will receive feedback on their client data.  In addition, the RSR TA Team will host a webcast on plans for HRSA/HAB’s first six-month data report.

Lessons Learned
The first data submission was a learning experience for HRSA/HAB as well as for the grantees and providers.  We are using this experience to identify ways to improve the system and to build additional resources for grantees.

Coordinated Technical Assistance
TA activities are continuing.  The RSR TA Team coordinates closely across organizations and with HRSA/HAB Project Officers from every division to jointly review issues as they arise, to answer questions consistently, and to link grantees to the best TA resources.

More Tools and Materials
Check out the new look of the RSR section of the TARGET Center website!  This site will continue to be updated with new TA tools and information, including links to future and archived webcasts, on topics from the new funded scope requirement to software solutions for the RSR submission.  You will also find links to T-REX, the Tool for RSR Export, created to assist grantees and providers currently not using an RSR-Ready System in the conversion of their client level data into the required XMLformat.
(Not a US Government Website)

Tell Us More
We are looking for suggestions on ways we can better help you succeed with the RSR!  We will continue improving the TA process so that the annual submission in December will go even more smoothly than this first submission.  To do this, the TA Team hopes to rollout new tools and materials to help grantees improve upon their first submission.  If you have ideas or feedback, please contact us at < RSR.TA@sphereinstitute.org >.

Webcast Schedule Centralized on TARGET Center
The TARGET Center has consolidated a listing of all HAB-related TA Webconferences and conference calls.  The revised page presents both upcoming and archived events.  Check out these TA opportunities.
(Not a US Government Website)

Data Academy Goes Live: Join the Webcast September 30, 3:00 pm ET
A September 30 Webcast will unveil the Data Academy, a series of seven web-based training modules designed to help Ryan White grantees gain practical skills to better collect, use, and share data.  The Data Academy, which goes live October 1, was created in response to discussions with more than 100 Ryan White grantees about their data TA needs.  Modules include:

• Essential Data Steps: A Self-Assessment;
• Simplify Your Data Collection;
• Building Data Partnerships with Staff and Contractors;
• Fundamentals of Data Quality;
• Getting Data from Existing Sources;
• HIPAA and Data Sharing;
• Ensure the Security of Your Clients' Data;

To register for the Web conference, "Data Academy: A New Resource for Ryan White Grantees and Providers" on September 30 at 3:00 pm ET, go to:
(Not a US Government Website)

Other technical assistance resources on data are available at:
(Not a US Government Website)

Ryan White Reauthorization Update
The House Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled, "'Ryan White CARE Act Amendments of 2009' Discussion Draft Legislation" on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.  The hearing examined draft legislation to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for 3 additional years.  HRSA’s Administrator, Dr. Mary Wakefield, provided testimony along with other witnesses.  The testimony is available.

TA Library Tool: How Indianapolis Examines Provider Capacity
The Indianapolis TGA assessed provider capacity and capability in a report they have shared for posting in the TA Library.  The purpose of the assessment was to identify the extent to which HIV-related services in the area are accessible, available, and appropriate for people living with HIV (PLWH).  The survey was designed to assist the planning council in making informed decisions about improving the system of care for PLWH in the TGA.  Look under “Planning” on the TARGET Center homepage;
(Not a US Government Website)

Interested in submitting tools to the TARGET Center TA Library?  Upload them.

(Not a US Government Website)

Trainings on Consumer Partnerships for Part D: November/December
The Consumer-Provider Partnership for Care Program targets Part D grantees andwill provide HIV health care agencies with a framework for developing partnerships between their staff and HIV-infected women consumers.  The goal is for agencies to improve their outreach, recruitment, and retention of other HIV-infected women who are not in care.  The trainings are conducted by Cicatelli Associates Inc. (CAI) with funding and support by HRSA/HAB.

Southwest Region Training: Dallas, during the week of November 17-20, 2009.
Western Region Training: Los Angeles, during the week of December 8-12, 2009.

Ryan White-funded Part D grantees that work with HIV-infected women and their families will be given first preference.  Part A, B, and C Ryan White-funded grantees are eligible to apply and will be contacted if space permits.

For more information, please contact Cornell Wrisby at < cornell@cicatelli.org > or 212/594-7741 ext. 258.

More information is available at:
(Not a US Government Website)

Webcast on Supervising Peers Supporting Clients: October 7, 2:00 pm ET
A Webcast focusing on the supervision of peers working to support clients in HIV care will take place October 7, 2:00-3:30 pm ET.  HIV-positive peers who work to retain other consumers in care and treatment and who may have experienced life challenges similar to those of their clients have unique needs for supervision and support.  Effective peer supervision calls for supervisors to develop a highly supportive supervisory style that borrows from mental health counseling, social work, and supervision.  This Webcast is the first of a two-part seminar.  It is designed as an introduction to approaches for supervising peers.  It will describe three distinct areas of supervision, which together can help peers to thrive in the workplace.  Included will be case examples consisting of issues that are common for peers working in the field.

To register for the Webcast:
(Not a US Government Website)

This Webcast is part of an MAI-funded initiative consisting of the PEER Center and three Peer Education Training sites.  The PEER Center is collaboration between the Boston University School of Public Health's Health and Disability Working Group and the Justice Resource Institute (JRI) and the training sites include the Lotus Project, PACT, and People to People.  For more information on this project.
(Not a US Government Website)

For more information on peer-based programs, check out the TARGET Center at:
(Not a US Government Website)

Face of Ryan White: Seattle-King County’s “Are You Covered?” Campaign
The Seattle-King County TGA has launched the "Are You Covered?" campaign, the third in a series of awareness/quality improvement efforts.  This campaign is focused on improving the percentage of clients who renew their Early Intervention Program (Washington State's ADAP) eligibility paperwork on time.  The TGA found that 14 percent of clients were having 1-2 month lapses in access to medical and dental care and HIV medications due to failing to meet the renewal deadline.  As this was also an issue for clients throughout Washington State, the TGA partnered with the Washington State Department of Health (Part B).  As a result, the materials went out to all Ryan White-funded HIV case management providers in the State of Washington as well as the HIV care providers and clinics throughout the State that most often request reimbursement for HIV care.  The campaign focuses on encouraging communication between clients and case managers while previous campaigns targeted communication between clients and medical providers.

Learn more about the campaign by clicking on the “Are You Covered” photo on the TARGET Center homepage banner at:
(Not a US Government Web site)

Programs and consumers are welcome to nominate themselves as “Faces of Ryan White” on the TARGET Center Web site at:
 (Not a US Government Web site)

Site of the Month: National Quality Center
Featured this month on the TARGET Center is the National Quality Center (NQC).  The NQC, with support from HRSA/HAB, provides no-cost, state-of the-art technical assistance for all Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees to improve the quality of HIV care nationwide.  Since its inception in 2004, the NQC has provided leadership and support in quality improvement for Ryan White-funded grantees nationwide.  Technical assistance takes the form of face-to-face meetings, training materials, online tutorials, collaboratives, and individualized technical assistance.  Check out the NQC at:
(Not a US Government Website)

SPNS Innovations in Oral Health: Something to Smile About
Transportation, awareness raising, and hiring of new dental staff are just some of the approaches in use by SPNS research and demonstration projects.  Featured in the September 2009 issue of What’s Going on @ SPNS are highlights from three of 15 SPNS grantees (Florida, New York, and Texas).  To view the newsletter, look under “What’s New” at:
(Not a US Government Website)

Other News

H1N1 and HIV Webinar
On September 2, 2009 AIDS.gov hosted a Webinar on H1N1 and HIV for Federal staff and grantees who serve people living with AIDS.  During the webinar experts from the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and HIV grantees provided updates on H1N1 preparedness for the HIV community. Listen to the Webinar.

HRSA and other Federal Agencies are working to provide guidance to their grantees on how to address H1N1 flu.  View HRSA’s guidance, which was updated as of September 15.

Medicaid/CHIP Coverage of HIV Testing; Medicare Requests Public Comment
CDC recommends that opt-out HIV screening be a part of routine clinical care in all health care settings for all adults and adolescents aged 13-64.  Opt-out screening preserves the patient's choice to decline HIV testing and ensures a provider-patient relationship conducive to optimal clinical and preventive care.  These recommendations were published in the September 22, 2006 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have established policies regarding the coverage of HIV testing and HIV screening.  For Medicaid, under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit described in sections 1905(a)(4)(B) and 1905(r) of the Social Security Act (“the Act”), Medicaid-eligible children under the age of 21 are covered for HIV testing.  This includes routine testing/screening for Medicaid-eligible children at State-specified intervals as part of the child’s well-child exam, and otherwise medically necessary HIV testing.  Routine HIV testing/screening for such children is covered by States under the preventive or screening benefit in section 1905(a)(13) of the Act.  For States with a CHIP Medicaid expansion, coverage of HIV testing is the same as for other Medicaid-eligible children, as described above.  States with a separate child health program are required to provide well-baby and well-child care services, which can include HIV testing.  HIV testing can be covered in a separate child health plan consistent with the State’s elected benefit package under Section 2103 of the Act and otherwise medically necessary HIV testing is covered under the benefit for laboratory services in section 1905(a)(3) of the Act.  Medicaid-eligible adults are covered for medically necessary HIV testing through the mandatory laboratory benefit under section 1905(a)(3) of the Act.  States also have the option of covering routine HIV testing of Medicaid-eligible adults as a preventive or screening benefit under section 1905(a)(13) of the Act.

For more information on these policies go to:
(Not a US Government Website)

CMS has announced a proposal for screening of HIV infection for Medicare.  Under a draft proposal released on September 9, Medicare, the government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, would pay for HIV testing for its enrollees. CMS proposes to cover HIV screening for:

• Annual voluntary HIV screening of Medicare beneficiaries at increased risk for HIV infection per USPSTF guidelines:
• Men who have had sex with men after 1975
• Men and women having unprotected sex with multiple [more than one] partners
• Past or present injection drug users
• Men and women who exchange sex for money or drugs, or have sex partners who do
• Individuals whose past or present sex partners were HIV-infected, bisexual or injection drug users
• Persons being treated for sexually transmitted diseases
• Persons with a history of blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985
• Persons who request an HIV test despite reporting no individual risk factors, since this group is likely to include individuals not willing to disclose high-risk behaviors; and
• Voluntary HIV screening of pregnant Medicare beneficiaries.

White House Office of National AIDS Policy Community Discussion Dates
The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), working with local community host committees, will hold community discussions in the following locations to provide an opportunity for the public to offer their recommendations to White House staff and other policymakers for the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  The following community discussions are scheduled.

Minneapolis, MN: October 2
Albuquerque, NM: October 9
Houston, TX: October 10
San Francisco, CA: October 16
Oakland, CA: October 17
Los Angeles, CA: October 18
Columbia, SC: October 26
Puerto Rico: November 6
US Virgin Islands: November 9
Jackson, MS: November 16
Fort Lauderdale, FL: November 20
New York, NY: December 4

More details will be available in the near future.  For information.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day: October 15
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) is designed as an opportunity to increase awareness of the disproportionate effects of AIDS in the Latino community. NLAAD is also a day to encourage HIV testing.  Hispanics/Latinos, who represent only 15 percent of the total U.S. population, make up 18 percent of new HIV infections.  Among Latinos, men make up the vast majority of new HIV infections (76%), but Latino women are also at disproportionate risk for HIV.  They are infected with HIV at a rate four times greater than white women.  The Latino Commission on AIDS, the Hispanic Federation and many others organize this day.  View more information and resources.

Resources from the National Diabetes Education Program
Many of our consumers, as well as staff members and family, may be at risk of diabetes.  New resources are available from the National Diabetes Education Program.  The information on the Website is user friendly for lay persons as well as for clinicians of all backgrounds. Many of the recommendations on the Website are also helpful for persons that have risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity and sedentary lifestyle.  View the site.

In addition to the resources listed above, don’t forget to check out these other HAB resources, which are updated regularly.

HAB Web Site

TARGET Center, Central Source for Ryan White TA:

(Not a US Government Web site)

The HAB Information E-mail is distributed biweekly by the HRSA/HAB Division of Training and Technical Assistance (DTTA).  To subscribe or unsubscribe contact < pjones1@hrsa.gov>.