Steamboat Springs — YVMA certified as enhanced provider

Yampa Valley Medical Associates has been certified as an Enhanced Primary Care Medical Provider within the Accountable Care Collaborative program by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. This recognizes YVMA’s commitment to serving as an advanced medical home. Enhanced Primary Care Medical Providers must meet a minimum five of nine factors to qualify. YVMA met all nine factors, including patient access, care management, behavioral health services and collaboration with the patient and their family for care. This certification is valid retroactively from 2014 through 2016.

Founded in 2000, Yampa Valley Medical Associates, P.C. is one of 73 practices in Colorado and 500 in the United States participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to use care coordination, patient access and involvement and data reporting from a medical home model to improve overall healthcare quality and delivery, while reducing health care costs.

Medical office uses new patient management system

Yampa Valley Medical Associates has implemented Phreesia, the nation’s leading patient intake management solution, to drive operational efficiency and data accuracy while improving patient convenience and satisfaction. Phreesia helps YVMA staff shift attention from time-consuming manual work to focus on providing exceptional patient care through a range of digital applications, including electronic form management, flexible payment options, automatically administered clinical risk assessments and a range of patient communication applications. Phreesia integrates with YVMA’s electronic medical record and practice management systems to streamline patient registration tasks and reduce errors by eliminating paperwork and duplicate data entry.

Phreesia’s electronic platform digitizes the check-in process by replacing the paper clipboard with the wireless, touchscreen PhreesiaPad, similar to self-service technology used in other industries, including airports, banks and grocery stores. Patients update their personal information and sign required consent forms directly on the PhreesiaPad, and Phreesia verifies insurance eligibility and automatically requests copayment and any outstanding balance payment from the privacy and comfort of their seat in the waiting room. Updated demographic and clinical information, including signed consent forms, are automatically added to the medical record and practice management systems, saving time, ensuring accuracy of patient data and providing convenient and timely payment for the patient.

To learn more about Phreesia, go to phreesia.com.

Be aware of tularemia

The Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association is advising residents to take precautions against tularemia or “rabbit fever,” a bacteria that infects rabbits, hares and rodents, such as mice, voles and beaver. People can get the disease if they handle infected animals or are bitten by ticks or deer flies carrying the disease. Exposure can also happen by touching contaminated soil, drinking contaminated water or inhaling the bacteria. Rabbits, hares and rodents often die in large numbers during outbreaks. Tularemia is not spread person to person. Seek immediate medical care if you have a sudden onset of illness with symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, severe headache, fatigue and shortness of breath and may have been exposed sick or dead wild animals. The time between exposure and onset of symptoms is typically one to two weeks. To prevent tularemia, use insect repellant containing DEET (always follow label instructions), stay away from sick or dead wild animals (if you have to dispose of a dead animal wear gloves and use a long-handled shovel), wear gloves and closed-toed shoes when doing yard work and avoid mowing over dead animals. A For more information, go to cdc.gov/tularemia.

Food boxes available for low-income seniors

Commodities Supplemental Food Program boxes are designed to supplement the diets of low-income seniors 60 and older. The boxes, distributed monthly by LIFT-UP of Routt County to area seniors, contain a variety of nonperishable food items and cheese. If you or someone you know may benefit from this program, call the LIFT-UP Food Bank at 970-870-8804 for more information.

Support groups meeting this week:

• A bereavement support group meets from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at Rollingstone Respite House. The group is open to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. Call 970-871-7628 prior to attending your first meeting.

• A Christian support group for parents of children have been called home by God is at 6:30 p.m. Monday at 27441 Brandon Circle. For more information, call 970-870-7879.

• A domestic violence support group for women is from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Advocates Building Peaceful Communities. Call Diane at 970-879-2034 before attending.

• A depression, anxiety and bipolar support group meets from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Conference Room 2 at Yampa Valley Medical Center, 1024 Central Park Drive. The group provides support, education and tools to help with everyday life. Family and friends are welcome. Call 970-819-6751 for more information.

• The Steamboat Meditation Recovery Group meets 5:30 p.m. Thursday at at the Buddhist Center of Steamboat Springs, 2250 Copper Frontage Road, No. 202. The group also has a recovery-based yoga beforehand at 4:30 p.m. The group will explore recovery through meditation, book study and all open discussion. Meetings are open to all faiths and addictions. For more information, call 720-670-8642.

• The Heartbeat of Steamboat support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Rollingstone Respite House, 480 Rollingstone Drive. The group is for those who have lost a loved one or friend.