1. Volunteer Health Care Program
Bejack Lor
Provider Recruitment Coordinator
June 30, 2015
Hello,
My name is Bejack Lor, the Provider Recruitment Coordinator for the Primary Care Office, PCO.
With me today, I have Traici Brockman, Primary Care Coordinator, and Shelley Malofsky, DHS Attorney.
We will be taking down questions and will have time at the end of the presentation to answer those questions.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

2. Agenda Wis. Stat. § 146.89 Out-of-state providers History, key points
Annual report
2013 Wis. Act 344
FAQ and time slot for other questions
Additional health care professions
Renewal cycle
2013 Wis. Act 241
Transfer of administration
The agenda today will cover key points of the Programs statute. We’ll also go over some key points from Acts 344 and Acts 241, which relate directly to the statute.
We’ll then move onto the frequently asked questions, which were obtained prior to this webinar.
Finally, we’ll cover the Renewal cycle and end our presentation.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

3. Wis. Stat. §
Created in 1990.
A person in a specified health care profession may submit a joint application, together with a participating school or nonprofit agency, to participate in the program.
Participating volunteer health care providers are considered agents of the state for limited purposes.
You can find the full statute online. I can also send you the link if you a request.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

4. 2013 Wis. Act 344
2013 Wis. Act 344 adds several categories to the list of health care professionals eligible to participate in the volunteer health care provider program. The Act also makes changes regarding the administration of the program.
The Act went into effect in April 2014.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

5. Health Care Professionals Eligible to Participate
State-licensed physicians
Nurse-midwives
Optometrists
Dentists
Physician assistants
Dental hygienists
Pharmacists
Registered nurses
Chiropractors
Practical nurses
Podiatrists
These are the eligible professions, the list continues onto the next slide. If a profession is not listed, it is not covered by the VHCP.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

6. Health Care Professionals Eligible to Participate
Physical therapists
People who perform certain functions of pharmacy technicians
State-certified dietitians
Certain nurse practitioners
The continued list of eligible professions.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

7. Health Care Professionals Eligible to Participate
After 2013 Wis. Act 344, additional categories
Licensed psychologists
Social workers who hold state social worker certificates
Licensed marriage and family therapists
Licensed professional counselors
Advanced practice nurses who are certified to issue prescription orders
With Act 344, these other professions were included into the VHCP. These categories, along with the previous categories, are in statute. Again, should a profession not be listed in statute, they are not covered by the VHCP.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

8. 2013 Wis. Act 241: Transfer of Administration
2013 Wis. Act 344 transfers the primary administration of the VHCP from the Department of Administration (DOA) to the Department of Health Services (DHS)
Online database and management system:
As many of you are aware, the VHCP was initially with another state agency, the Department of Administration. As of January, 2015, the Department of Health Services took over the administrative duties for the VHCP.
The previous application process required applicants to apply by paper. Since the transfer, we are now paperless and on an online database.
You can find the link on our PCO website and on DOA’s VHCP site (the original site).
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

9. 2013 Wis. Act 344 and 241: Credentialing
All nonprofit agencies must assume the responsibility for approving individuals to be volunteer health care providers
All nonprofit agencies must research and validate an individual’s credentials before submitting the joint application to be a volunteer health care provider
Both acts also changed the credentialing process. Originally, the DOA would confirm every applications credentials before registering them for the program. Now, the nonprofit agencies confirm their applicants credentials.
You should first confirm your volunteer’s license and credentials with the Department of Safety and Professional Services. There are other resources you may use to confirm an individuals credentials, some resources at zero to low cost, and some with a fee.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

10. 2013 Wis. Act 241: Out-of-State Providers
Allows health care providers who are properly licensed, certified, or registered in another state or territory to participate in Wisconsin’s VHCP if they meet certain requirements
No out-of-state provider may provide services under the VHCP for more than 60 days in any 90-day period
No out-of-state dentists or dental hygienists may participate in the VHCP
Not covered like in state providers. Not for schools.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

11. 2013 Wis. Act 241: Annual Report
Wis. Stat. § (3)(i) requires nonprofit agencies to prepare and submit an annual report
Reports will be entered into the VHCP every January
Nonprofit agencies will include the types and number of health care services (total number of visits and/or number of patients) they provided
The points in bold are the required data to be reported. Other states, with their own VHCP, track other data – to be used as leverage. For funds, to make changes, or for information purposes for the public.
It would be great if your agency could say that your contribution to your community is X amount of dollars.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

12. 2013 Wis. Act 241: Annual Report
Volunteer participants will include the types of service provided, the total number of hours of service, and whether there will be a change in hours (increase, decrease, or remain the same) the following year
Registered Volunteer Health Care Program agency contacts may prepare and submit the volunteer reports, in place of the provider
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

13. Frequently Asked Questions: Terminology
Primarily is defined as having “more than half” (Note: if you have more uninsured patients than insured patients, you fall under primarily uninsured patients)
Uninsured is defined as “not having any health insurance” and should not be confused with underinsured (Note: patients who have BadgerCare or a high deductible plan are considered insured)
Timeframe – The duration of the applicant’s coverage cycle, meaning 1 year from when the volunteer was registered.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

14. Frequently Asked Questions: Terminology
Underinsured is defined as having insurance, but the insurance is inadequate to cover certain health needs
Scope of practice is the description of procedures, actions, and processes that the health care profession is permitted to perform according to the terms of the health care profession’s license
Department of Safety and Professional Services will have details regarding each profession’s scope of practice.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

15. Frequently Asked Questions: Liability Coverage
Out-of-state providers with sufficient liability coverage are not eligible for the VHCP coverage
Wis. Stat. § :
provides the attorney general with adequate time to investigate claims that might result in judgments to be paid by the state
places a limit ($250,000) on the amounts recoverable in civil actions or civil proceedings against any state officer, employee, or agent
If your out-of-state provider already has sufficient coverage, personal or other non-VHCP, liability coverage, they are NOT eligible in the VHCP.
To clarify the $250,000 limit, should a claim be filed for more than $250,000 (as an example, $1 million) and win, they will only recover $250,000 – not the full million.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

16. Frequently Asked Questions: Schools
Wis. Stat. § (3r)(c)4 states that any school in the VHCP would not be able to provide any contraceptive article (e.g., drug, medicine, mixture, instrument, or device used to prevent a pregnancy)
Out-of-state providers are not covered for schools
At present, we don’t have any schools registered in the VHCP.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

17. Annual Renewal Cycle
The renewal cycle is January 1 to January 31 annually
You may register volunteers at any time but will renew their coverage every January
Example: You register volunteer John in October of In January of 2016, you renew all your volunteers, including John.
The benefit of renewing your volunteers in the January cycle is that everyone will have the same coverage cycle. This will allow you to keep track of all your volunteers coverage.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin

18. “The only bad question is a question not asked.”
Questions
“The only bad question is a question not asked.”
Bejack Lor
Primary Care Office:
VHCP contact:
PCO site will have resources 24/7. The DHSVHCP is a shared inbox with the PCO.
At present, we have 50 registered Agencies, 2 pending agencies – requiring further documentation. We have 1,297 registered providers, 2 of which are out-of-state.
Protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin