MASSA LEAG OF COMM HEALTH CNT

The Connecticut River Valley Farmworker Health Program (CRVFHP) is a migrant voucher program managed by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (League). The CRVFHP target population is the estimated 12,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and dependents in the Connecticut River Valley. The Valley is the largest agricultural region in New England, extending from the New Hampshire / Vermont border with Massachusetts south to the Long Island Sound in Connecticut, an area roughly corresponding to Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties in Massachusetts and Hartford, Tolland, New Haven and Middlesex Counties in Connecticut. Shade tobacco, berries, fruit orchards and root vegetables are the main crops. Compared to other regions of the country, the Valley has a relatively short growing season and many farms in the Valley are small and dispersed. The CRVFHP supports outreach / enabling services provided for part of each year by partner agencies as well as reimbursement for clinical services provided to eligible farmworkers for appropriately documented, covered services by partner agencies contracting with the League. In 2008, the CRVFHP served 1,481 farmworker patients and dependents through 4,098 encounters, a 16% and 27% increase respectively over 2007. The program has experienced significant growth in total patients, uninsured patients, and medical, dental and total encounters each year since 2004. The CRVFHP will address farmworkers? needs for expanded access by increasing the FTE level of Outreach Worker staff supported by the CRVFHP in 2009 and 2010. The CRVFHP will add an additional .5 FTE Outreach Worker to currently supported levels. Program growth, as well as health care reform, state payment system changes, and new clinical measure reporting have significantly increased the administrative resources needed for data entry, documentation review, timely reimbursement, and accurate reporting. A part-time Administrative Assistant position to support increased administrative efficiency represents a second strategy for the IDS project. The CRVFHP will also make additional funds available for clinical reimbursement in 2009 and 2010, anticipating the increased demand for services created by market employment conditions and as an intended result of more intensive outreach. The CRVFHP will also support consultant engagements to conduct a farmworker enumeration study for the Valley, using updated demographic, land use, and employment data to better estimate the size of the current farmworker population of the Valley, and engage Masspro, the CMS-designated Quality Improvement Organization for Massachusetts, to enhance the current Medical Chart Review process by developing specific trainings for improving quality of care in both Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Clarification of Codes