Katina Beard, CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, appeared as the Chapel Speaker at Belmont University on Wednesday, February 8th. She spoke about her journey in faith to becoming a Christian as an adult and also shared the story of Dr. Matthew Walker, a groundbreaking surgeon and founder of the first Federally Qualified Health Center in the state of Tennessee.  

View the recording >>>

Governor Lee's State of the State

Governor Lee delivered his State of the State address to the General Assembly on Monday, February 6. The Governor’s State of the State coincided with the release of the governor’s proposed $55.6B FY23-24 budget. During his speech, he touted significant investments in infrastructure, economic development, education, children and family services, and natural resources and the environment.

Here are the highlights from the governor’s proposed budget:

• $3B for the Transportation Modernization Act to address traffic congestion and road projects; $350M for local highways
• Nearly $1B for Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT)
• $350M for the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA), the public school funding formula; which includes $125M for teacher raises
• $328.7M for state parks and natural areas
• $288.3M for a three-month grocery sales tax holiday
• $250M for the state’s Rainy-Day Fund
• $190M for the Department of Children’s Services 
• $150M in tax relief for small businesses
• $100M for crisis pregnancy centers 
• $70M to clean up superfund sites, Oak Ridge, and dry cleaner sites; $6.3M to address brownfield sites
• $50M for Violent Crime Intervention Fund; $33.25M to add 100 state troopers and 25 TBI forensic staff

Tennessee Department of Health

Governor Lee’s proposed budget includes an additional $7M in recurring funding for the Health Care Safety Net administered through the Department of Health. The Health Care Safety Net partially offsets the cost of providing care to uninsured adults at community health centers and charitable and faith-based clinics. If the additional $7M is included in the budget passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, this would bring total recurring Health Care Safety Net funding to just over $31M, which is the highest amount ever allocated to the Health Care Safety Net Fund.

TennCare

In his State of the State address, Governor Lee touted success of the state’s TennCare waiver, which resulted in $300M in shared savings for the state over the course of the first year. The governor outlined the following proposals in his FY23-24 budget:

• $18.7M to increase the income eligibility level for pregnant women and caregivers
• $5.2M for 12-month continuous eligibility for low-income children 
• $4.7M to permanently extend postpartum coverage 

View a summary of Governor Lee’s budget >>>

Read TPCA's Policy Blog to learn more about Governor Lee's agenda>>>

TPCA Member Days on the Hill: Cempa Community Care

During the state legislative session, TPCA is hosting Days on the Hill for community health centers to meet with legislators and advocate for health center priorities. Shannon Stephenson, CEO of Cempa Community Care in Chattanooga, visited the state capitol on January 31st to meet with legislators, including Representative Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga).

Haven't scheduled your day on the Hill? Reach out to Emily.Waitt@tnpca.org to learn how!

Reminder: TennCare Redetermination Process to Begin April 1st

A provision in the FY23 omnibus spending package de-linked the status of the Public Health Emergency with the continuous coverage requirement for Medicaid. This allows state Medicaid agencies, including TennCare, to begin processing redeterminations April 1, 2023. 

View TennCare’s Unwinding Plan >>>

TennCare appeared before multiple legislative committees last week to present on its plan to tackle the upcoming unwinding process, in which the agency will have to re-determine TennCare eligibility for all currently enrolled members.

• April 1, 2023 is the earliest a person could be disenrolled from the TennCare program.
• TennCare will review every enrollee's eligibility over a 12-month period.
• Using existing data, TennCare will attempt to auto-renew members.
• If TennCare cannot auto-renew a member, the member will receive a packet in the mail or email.
• Members can submit packets online, by phone, fax, mail or at any DHS office, and they have 40 days to return the packet + 20 days to return any additional needed info.

Tennessee Justice Center Presents

TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate

With the end of the Public Health Emergency approaching, the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) is holding a webinar, TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate. During this session, TJC will share information about the redetermination process as well as their plan to ensure eligible enrollees keep their coverage, including ways they can support efforts to help constituents navigate the process.  

TennCare Redetermination: A Call to Collaborate

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

11:00 Am Central

Learn more and register here >>>

Don't forget to register for the

NACHC Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. 

Register now for NACHC’s annual Policy & Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. from March 8-11. This dynamic gathering draws thousands of Community Health Center professionals and leaders from around the country to focus on critical health care issues and hear from thought leaders and top health care officials in Washington. Health center advocates will also visit the halls of Congress to fight for long-term and stable funding. 

Register for P&I >>>

View the conference schedule >>>

Reserve your hotel room for P&I >>>

Public Health Emergency to End on May 11, 2023

The White House announced that the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on Thursday May 11. The PHE is no longer tied to the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement or Medicare telehealth flexibilities. However, following the end of the PHE, many patients will begin having out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and treatments.

340B Recertification Ends February 27th

February 27th is the deadline for community health centers to complete their 340B recertification. Community health centers should ensure that they have current names and contact information listed on OPAIS for their Authorizing Official and Point of Contact.  

HITEQ Webinar -

Preparing for Patient Level Reporting:

UDS+ and More

February 21, 2023 | 12:00 PM Central



In the coming years, health centers will be expected to use FHIR, a data standard that is becoming more common, to submit UDS+ along with other information (such as public health reporting). Experts involved in preparation for UDS+ and similar initiatives with CMS will join to share their experiences and reflect on what health centers should be aware of as they prepare for the future of UDS and other reporting.

Learn more and register here >>>