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Submit to HIE Integration & Participation Fee Assistance Program

Description and Purpose

The Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is soliciting proposals from eligible in state healthcare providers to fund costs associated with participation in Electronic Health Record data contribution to Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC), Montana’s Health Information Exchange (HIE). 

Access to complete and up-to-date patient information enables providers to make informed decisions, coordinate care, improve care quality, and reduce service duplication. This program aims to reduce financial barriers to technical integration and enhance information exchange participation for behavioral health, children’s mental health, and developmental disability service providers across Montana.  

Funding

A qualifying provider would be eligible for the following:

  • Integration costs: Up to $15,000 in provider EHR integration costs to be invoiced by the Provider to BSCC at the completion of the integration project. BSCC will submit costs to DPHHS for reimbursement and pay to the Provider, not to exceed $15,000 per provider. The $2,500 for integration fees and the up to $12,500 in integration costs will be reimbursed by DPHHS at successful completion of the project. All integration work must be completed by February 2026.
  • Participation costs: Up to $15,000 for the cost of BSCC participation fees.  Any annual participation fees in excess of $15,000 required of the provider by BSCC will be the sole responsibility of the provider.
  • NOTE: Maximum total provider amount for all costs (either to Provider or BSCC) will be $30,000. Facility EHR integration costs will be reimbursement-based, not prospective funding.

Qualifications 

Providers applying for funds under this program must:

  • Be enrolled as a Montana Medicaid provider in good standing
  • Provide services within adult behavioral health, children’s mental health, and/or developmental disability service areas 
  • Serve a minimum number of 500 patients annually 
  • Currently have a modern EMR/EHR solution with the ability to exchange clinical data electronically
  • Be willing/able to contribute required clinical data to the BSCC HIE
  • Be able to provide required clinical data to BSCC near real-time or at a minimum of one time daily 

Provider Requirements

Providers must agree to the following:

  • Complete outbound integration to BSCC with a minimum of a HL7 V2 ADT Feed and HL7 V3 CCD feed or equivalent as approved by Montana Medicaid.
  • Complete integration work by February 2026
  • Maintain these feeds for a minimum of 2 years.
  • Work with BSCC to meet USCDI data quality standards.

This application will remain open on a rolling basis from September 9th, 2024 (12:00 AM) until December 31st, 2024 (11:59 PM).

Submit to DD Workforce Capacity Grant

Program Description and Purpose 

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often need life-long supports and services to ensure health and safety while also accessing and participating in their local communities. These supports and services are often provided on a day-to-day basis by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).

There is a significant need and in turn value to investing in DSP workforce stabilization and promoting stronger capacity across the continuum to support people with IDD. Specifically, this initiative calls for piloting a DSP credentialing structure to test best practice approaches to DSP stabilization through career ladders. The DSP Workforce Capacity Grants provide one-time grants to five (1 per DDP region) service providers for, on average, 25 DSPs to become credentialed through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professional platform eBadge Academy, a web-based credentialing platform. The Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) will pre-purchase access to the credentialing platform on behalf of selected agencies, as well as some technical assistance support from NADSP. Grant funds will cover staff time for DSPs participating in the credentialing program as well as “backfilled” staff to cover the shift time of staff enrolled in the credentialing program; payroll processing, grant reporting and tracking and other administrative costs incurred by selected provider agencies; and one-time incentive bonuses to DSPs once they reach credentialing tiers, as modeled below: 

DSP – I (Tier 1) –$1,000 

DSP – II (Tier 2)  – $1,500 

DSP – III (Tier 3) – $2,000

DSPs enrolled in the NADSP eBadge Academy must complete the following under each tier to be eligible for the one-time bonuses; a DSP may achieve all three Tiers. 

DSP-I 

To earn a DSP – I certification, the DSP must earn 15 total E-Badges, including: 

  • The Code of Ethics Commitment E-Badge 
  • The 50 hours of Accredited Education E-Badge 
  • At least one E-Badge in Crisis Prevention and Intervention 
  • At least one E-Badge in Person-Centered Practices 
  • At least one E-Badge in Health and Wellness and 
  • At least one E-Badge in Safety 

 DSP-II 

To earn DSP – II certification, the DSP must earn 30 total E-Badges, including: 

  • The DSP-I E-Badge
  • The 100 hours of Accredited Education E-Badge 
  • At least one E-Badge in Evaluation and Observation 
  • At least E-Badge in Communication 
  • At least one E-Badge in Professionalism and Ethics and 
  • At least one E-Badge in Community Inclusion and Networking 

DSP-III 

To earn DSP – III certification, the DSP must earn 50 total E-Badges, including: 

  • The DSP-II E-Badge 
  • At least one E-Badge in Empowerment and Advocacy 
  • At least one E-Badge in Community Living Skills and Supports 
  • At least one E-Badge in Education, Training, and Self-Development 
  • At least one E-Badge in Cultural Competence
State of Montana