HHS, HRSA and ORHP Resources on the Affordable Care Act

Health Insurance Marketplace

The new Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) will open for enrollment on October 1, 2013. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated HealthCare.gov to make it easy for consumers to sign up for coverage. For Spanish-speaking consumers, CuidadoDeSalud.gov also will be updated to match HealthCare.gov’s new consumer focus.

In addition, there is a new toll-free Health Insurance Marketplace call center (800-318-2596) open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, where consumers can obtain information on their state’s HIM. (Press “0” to reach a trained customer service representative).

Additional ACA Resources

• The new HHS.gov/HealthCare has all the fact sheets, blogs, and news about the Affordable Care Act that used to be on HealthCare.gov.

• The latest official materials about the Marketplace can be found at the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Health Insurance Marketplace web site.

•The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has created an Affordable Care Act and HRSA Programs web site, which has information specific to its safety net providers.

• The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy will have weekly office hours for questions and answers on the ACA and ACA updates on Thursdays, from 3-4pm (EDT), beginning July 11th. Contact Depti Loharikar at 301-443-1324 or daranake@hrsa.gov for more information. In addition, ORHP welcomes ACA questions at its new ORHPACAQuestions@hrsa.gov email address.

Upcoming ACA webinars

HHS will host The Health Care Law - Health Insurance Marketplace 101 webinars, which will include information on how consumers can access care in their communities. The webinars will be held on the following dates:

• July 11, 2013 at 2:00pm EDT (Click here to register)

• August 7, 2013 at 3:00pm EDT (Click here to register)

Patient Safety Primer Offers Strategies to Prevent Medication Errors

A growing evidence base supports specific strategies to prevent adverse drug events (ADEs), according to a new patient safety primer on Medication Errors, posted online on the AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet). The primer outlines strategies providers can use at each stage of the medication use pathway—prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, and administration—to prevent ADEs. These strategies range from computerized provider order entry and clinical decision support, to minimizing nurse disruption and providing better patient education and medication labeling. The primer also identifies known risk factors for ADEs, including health literacy, patient characteristics, high alert medications and transitions in care. Click here to view the primer.

Quick Health Data Online

Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women’s Health announces the availability of Quick Health Data Online, an interactive tool that provides state and county-level data, by gender and race/ethnicity while looking at a variety of health status indicators. The tool is available at: http://www.healthstatus2020.com/owh/ (click on the Start System link on the left column. This brings up a new screen that lets users pick variables such as state and county, and then generates a report).

Domestic Violence Toolkit

With funding from the Administration for Children and Families, Futures Without Violence’s National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence has developed a toolkit that will help providers in the screening of domestic violence. The toolkit can be found at www.healthcaresaboutipv.org.

Rural Implications of the Primary Care Incentive Payment Program

This brief reports on eligibility among rural primary care providers for the Primary Care Incentive Payments established in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Using the National Provider Identifier files and the lists of providers eligible to receive the payments, we found that the number and proportion of providers eligible increased during 2011–2013 and that for most practice types, rural providers were more likely to be eligible than urban counterparts. However, rural family practice physicians were less likely to be eligible for Primary Care Incentive Payments than their urban counterparts. Read more here.

Keep Up to Date on Agricultural Safety

The AgriSafe Network is offering a free distance learning webinar on June 19th (12 PM CDT) on Grain Safety, presented by Dan Neenan, director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety. Webinar participants will learn about the proper way to enter a grain bin, Lock-Out Tag Out procedures and proper use of body harnesses when working with grain. To register, click here. 

This is just one of AgriSafe’s many webinars, which are offered on an ongoing basis. To see a list of upcoming webinars, visit the AgriSafe Training Calendar or the AgriSafe Facebook page. To sign up for upcoming webinar announcements, and to receive a free monthly newsletter, email info@agrisafe.org.

Information on ACA Implementation for Essential Community Providers (ECPs)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued information on Affordable Care Act implementation geared toward Essential Community Providers (which include Critical Access Hospitals). The purpose of the communication is to help facilitate incorporation of ECPs into qualified health plan networks in the future. The documents explain how CAHs can sign up with qualified health plans, and provide links for additional information and places to go for questions. The information includes • Frequently Asked Questions on Essential Community Providers and Letter to Potential Essential Community Providers (May 13, 2013). These documents are also available on CMS’ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight Fact Sheets and FAQ page.

In addition, a Health Insurance Marketplace Fact Sheet for Providers is available from the NOSORH web site.

New AHRQ Reports Show Health Care Quality Improving, But Access Still a Problem

The quality of U.S. health care is slowly improving, while access to health care remains a great challenge for some Americans, especially racial and ethnic minorities and low-income people, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2012 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report. The reports note that “urgent attention” is needed to ensure continued improvements in the quality of diabetes care, maternal and child health care, and treatment for conditions such as pressure ulcers and blood clots. This year’s reports include new measures on early and adequate prenatal care, colorectal cancer screening, national rate of hospital-acquired conditions, standardized infection ratios at the state level for central line-associated bloodstream infections, and patient safety culture hospital survey findings. The reports’ quality and access data predate passage of the Affordable Care Act, which is now addressing many of the issues raised in the reports.


The reports are available online on the AHRQ National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports page. Print copies can be requested by emailing ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or calling 800-358-9295.