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Provider Digest | Volume 57

Date: 11/16/22

Diabetes Awareness Month: Controlling Blood Pressure

Most people with diabetes, about 6 out of 10, also have high blood pressure. To help your patients control their blood pressure, focus on having conversations about positive lifestyle, diet and exercise changes. Below is information about the “Controlling Blood Pressure” metric and some resources to help guide your efforts.

Controlling Blood Pressure (CBP)

Members 18–85 years of age who had a diagnosis of hypertension (HTN) and whose BP was adequately controlled (<140/90 mm Hg) during the measurement year

Blood Pressure Best Practices

  • Always: Retake BP if initial blood pressure is >140/90 mmHg;
    • Take and record in the medical record, at least three (3) separate measurements during the visit if the BP is high.
  • Repeated measurements should be separated by at least 1-2 minutes.
  • Never round up BP readings.
  • Use correct cuff size on bare arm.
  • Check BP on both arms and record the lowest systolic and diastolic readings.
  • Patients should rest quietly for at least 5 minutes before the first BP is taken.
  • Patients should sit with feet placed flat on the floor; legs uncrossed.

Additional Resources

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Help Increase Access to Care: Take the Survey Today!

Trillium is committed to partnering with you to support culturally competent care for our members. To help increase access to care for Oregon Health Plan members, please take the Provider Health Equity & Technology Survey today! We use your feedback to:

  • Better serve you and our members
  • Inform our community health equity initiatives
  • Develop provider resources to help improve access to care and health outcomes

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your responses are due by 12/31/22.

Thank you for your participation. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Provider Relations Representative or call Provider Services at 1-877-600-5472.

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Wellcare Providers: Submit Attestations Online for Chronically Ill Members

Effective January 1, 2023, fax attestations are no longer accepted

Special Supplemental Benefits for Chronically Ill (SSBCI) are offered to Wellcare’s highest-risk members who meet specific criteria for eligibility based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines. 

Effective January 1, 2023, you can check eligibility requirements and submit attestations on behalf of members online at ssbci.rrd.com.

Steps to determine eligibility, submit attestations and activate benefits

Members are required to schedule an office visit with their doctor or participating physician group for evaluation. Once appointment is made follow the steps below:

  1. Visit ssbci.rrd.com.
  2. Follow the steps on ssbci.rrd.com to evaluate your patient against the eligibility requirements outlined on ssbci.rrd.com.
  3. Submit an attestation form through ssbci.rrd.com indicating your patient meets the eligibility requirements.
  4. Submit a claim with the appropriate diagnosis codes from this office visit indicating a member has been diagnosed with one or more qualifying chronic conditions listed on ssbci.rrd.com.
  5. Upon receipt of all required information, the member will be sent an approval or denial letter within 10 business days. Approval letters include information on steps the member should follow to activate supplemental member benefits. 

If you have questions regarding the information contained in this update, contact your dedicated Provider Relations Representative with the health plan.

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Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program

Oregon Health Authority's Behavioral Health Loan Repayment program provides tax-free grants to supplement the behavioral health workforce in underrepresented and underserved areas of Oregon.

Qualified participants will receive tax-free grants to repay qualifying undergraduate and post-graduate loan debt.

Applicants must be currently employed in behavioral health care. For more information on eligibility, visit the Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative web page.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible to allow time for follow-up requests from OHA.

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Register Now: Oregon ECHO Network Winter Programs

Registration is open for Winter programs offered by the Oregon ECHO Network. Continuing education credits are available and each program is offered at no cost. Courses include Integrated Behavioral Health for Adult Populations, Recovery Peers in Medical Settings, Public Health Preceptor, Substance Use Disorders in Ambulatory Care, Chronic Pain and Opioids, Colorectal Cancer Screening Outreach for Rural Communities, and many more. To learn more and register, visit the Oregon ECHO Network website.

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OHLC Vitamin D Testing Guidelines

The  Oregon Health Leadership Council (OHLC) has produced a Vitamin D Testing Guideline to assist providers in appropriate ordering of Vitamin D tests. To help reduce unnecessary Vitamin D testing:

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Safer Suicide Care Webinar: Caring for the Healers Part III: Preventing Suicide in Healthcare Professionals & Staff

Healthcare professionals are significantly more likely to end their lives by suicide than the general population. The COVID-19 pandemic and other events have only exacerbated the stress, moral injury, and fatigue already felt by many healthcare professionals balancing caring for patients with concerns for their own wellbeing. And when healers end their lives by suicide, these tragic incidences can also have a “ripple effect,” increasing the vulnerability of other professionals, patients, and family members.

Join our webinar to understand the dynamics of the crisis and learn concrete strategies to help support primary care providers and teams, address suicide risk and prevent deaths by suicide in staff, and implement effective postvention strategies. This training will also provide tips from the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved on how organizations can self-assess their readiness to prevent and respond to provider suicide.

This webinar is made possible by the generous support of the Centene Corporation and draws from resources developed by ACU in partnership with Concert Health.

  • 12/8/22
  • 10-11 a.m.
  • Presenter: Dr. Virna Little, PSyD, LCSW-r, SAP, CCM, Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder of Concert Health, Co-Founder of Zero Overdose
  • Register here

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