• Tip: For more information on correcting a rejected form, please refer to the Healthcare Quality Patient Assessment Form (HQPAF)/Patient Assessment Form (PAF) Error Code Explanations document for a list of reject reasons and solutions to resolve those issues, or contact your Healthcare Advocate.
• If you have not already done so, please submit an Account Setup Form (ASF), W9, and complete your direct deposit enrollment. Submission of the ASF, W9 and direct deposit enrollment are due by 3/31/2019.
• Submission of an ASF, W9, and direct deposit enrollment is not required for any groups that are already receiving HQPAF/PAF administrative reimbursement. This message only pertains to those who have payments pending. If you are unsure if you have pending payments, please contact your Healthcare Advocate, or call the Optum Provider Support Center at 1-877-751-9207.
• Failure to comply with these requirements will result in automatic forfeiture of administrative reimbursement for all 2018 HQPAFs/PAFs, if applicable.

Quality Gaps Year End Reminders

Measure compliance for "Control Measures" such as controlling blood pressure and diabetes HbA1c control is based solely on the last reading of the year. Please note:

• About 25% of medical records submitted with evidence of a blood pressure reading had results that did not meet compliance levels and did not close the measure gap.
• About 13% of medical records submitted for the controlling blood pressure measure did not close the gap because there was no measure information found on the medical record.
• About 26% of medical records submitted for the diabetes HbA1c screening and control measure only had an indication of the member being referred for a lab screening, without any results, and thus not closing the gap.

There is still a chance to make an impact; please continue to submit evidence of completed screenings.

Looking Ahead to 2019

Provider Roster Changes

• Did you have providers who left your practice this year?
• Did you have providers who joined your practice this year?

It is important to keep an accurate roster of physicians and mid-level providers in your practice and the membership associated with those providers. This is a great time of the year to stop and review the accuracy of your roster prior to Optum’s 2019 HQPAF/PAF deployment season. Now is the time to make any necessary adjustments prior to sending your roster to your Healthcare Advocate. This will ensure the accuracy of your membership and avoid duplicate HQPAFs/PAFs or inaccurate provider attribution. If you have any questions about the roster, please reach out to your Healthcare Advocate.

Provider and Staff Trainings

Reach out to your Healthcare Advocate to learn more about training opportunities available through Optum and work with them to get those scheduled. Provider groups also have the option to attend monthly Webex trainings provided by Optum, or you can work with your Healthcare Advocate to develop individualized trainings. We encourage you to work directly with your Healthcare Advocate so you can take advantage of our training opportunities.

HQPAF/PAF Annual Provider Survey

Be on the lookout for the HQPAF/PAF Annual Provider Survey that will be taking place in January 2019. Previous years’ responses have been paramount to guiding program innovation. All responses are kept confidential and, in the past, the online survey took less than 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback is valuable and is used to constantly improve our delivery and provide a market-leading product.

HQPAF Newsletter Distribution Update

Beginning in 2019, the HQPAF newsletter you are reading now will move from a monthly to a quarterly distribution. Our next edition will be distributed in March 2019. We hope you enjoy receiving these program updates, but if at any time you are no longer interested in receiving this newsletter, please select ‘Opt Out’ at the bottom of this email.

Thank you again for your participation in the Optum HQPAF/PAF programs. We look forward to your continued partnership and wish you, your families and your patients a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

If you have any questions about the PAF or HQPAF programs, please contact your local Optum Healthcare Advocate or the Optum Provider Support Center between 6:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. PST, Monday – Friday, at 1‑877‑751‑9207 or email us here.