COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER RESOURCESGENERAL INFO ON CHW PROGRAMS, LAWS, CERTICFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Overview of State Laws ASTHO State Community Health Worker Certification Standards Map [Last updated August 2016]This map includes the current status of state CHW certification standards, a chart illustrating what states have which program requirements/elements in their CHW law, and chart outlining the summaries of each state’s CHW certification bills.

A Summary of State Community Health Worker Laws [last updated Dec 2012]To understand how states are using law as a tool to develop sustainable CHW programs, this fact sheet summarizes the extent to which states have enacted laws addressing CHW infrastructure, professional identity, workforce development, and financing.

ASTHO Community Health Worker ResourcesThis webpage contains resources for state health agencies on the use of non-licensed providers such as Community Health Workers (CHWs), including resources related to financing, certification and licensure, and examples of work in states to support CHWs.

NASHP State Community Health Worker ModelsThis map highlights state activity to integrate CHWs into evolving health care systems in key areas such as financing, education and training, certification, and state definitions, roles and scope of practice. The map includes enacted state CHW legislation and provides links to state CHW associations and other leading organizations working on CHW issues in states.

CDC Community Health Worker ToolkitCDC has compiled evidence-based research that supports the effectiveness of CHWs in the Community Health Worker Toolkit. The toolkit also includes information that state health departments can use to train and further build capacity for CHWs in their communities, as well as helpful resources that CHWs can use within their communities.

State specific websites Oregon Training Requirements for CertificationTraditional Health Workers must complete an Oregon Health Authority (OHA) - approved training program to qualify for State certification. This applies to community health workers, peer wellness specialists, personal health navigators, peer support specialists, and doulas.

Click here to view the Oregon Community Health Workers Association Website.

Colorado Patient Navigator Workforce Development InitiativeThe initiative aims include creating a voluntary credentialing program for unlicensed health/patient navigator training. It will also create a registry of competency-based training programs and a registry of health/patient navigators who complete the training program and pass the competency evaluation.

Minnesota Community Health Worker ResourcesThis page provides an overview of CHWs in Minnesota, and describes eligible criteria, eligible billing providers, covered and non-covered services, and lists billing codes.

Certification and Training Standards

C3 Core Consensus Project: The Community Health Worker (CHW) Core Consensus Project (C3) developed 2016 recommendations for a consensus statement of CHW roles (duties), skills and essential qualities in order to build a greater common understanding of this growing workforce. Read the summary or full report. These slides provide additional info:

FINANCING AND BILLING

Options for funding CHWs Issue Brief: Community Health Worker Certification and Financing [2016]ASTHO, with support from CDC, has published an issue brief that provides an overview of the unique capabilities of CHWs and options for CHW certification and financing. The brief also offers recommendations for state and territorial health agencies to cooperate effectively with other stakeholders in planning, policy development, program design, strategy implementation, and evaluation to promote health workforce innovation involving CHWs. 

Financing of Community Health Workers: Issues and Options for State Health Departments [2016]These presentation slides offered state technical assistance with CHW financing. The presentation helps participants assess the context for state action, identify and pursue strategic objectives, and relate a business case to the evidence base. It also reviews various payment mechanisms and provides state examples.

Sustainable Financing for CHWs: Exploring Medicaid Opportunities [February 2016]This Web Forum featured speakers from state agencies in Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania who provided valuable insight into how they have approached sustainable financing levers for CHWs, such as the recent preventive service rule change (440.130), managed care contracting, and health homes.

Community Health Workers: Financing and Administration [February 2016]This brief providing an overview of federal and state policies governing CHW programs and providing recommendations for how National Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) projects can fully leverage public and private funds to implement CHW programs. The brief describes a brief history of the CHW profession, financing options, training and certification models, opportunities in the ACA, shares three state case studies, and provides considerations and recommendations for HCH projects.

Advancing Community Health Worker Practice & Utilization: The Focus on Financing [2006] This study examines sustainable financing mechanisms for community health workers, focusing primarily on existing and emerging

funding, reimbursement and payment policies for CHWs. The study seeks to identify promising examples and models of payment programs for community health workers generally in the United States.

Financing Community Health Workers: Why and How [January 2007]This policy brief highlights the rationale for and the methodologies that have been created to use available mainstream healthcare financing for CHWs. The brief also demonstrates that the barrier of lack of ongoing financing for CHWs is being tackled successfully by a range of organizations that purchase, manage, and/or deliver health care and describes why and how these innovators have managed to do so.

The Evolution, Expansion and Effectiveness of Community Health Workers [March 2014]This paper describes the current state of knowledge about how and where CHWs can contribute effectively, where barriers inhibit efficient deployment of CHWs, and what business models could support change. Observations come from literature reviews, key stakeholder interviews, case studies of CHW initiatives, and a convening of practitioners, employers, advocates, policymakers, and other experts.

Billing Codes for CHWs Minnesota Community Health Worker Billing CodesThis page provides an overview of CHWs in Minnesota, and describes eligible criteria, eligible billing providers, covered and non-covered services, and lists billing codes.

FOR POLICYMAKERS

What policymakers need to know to incorporate CHWs into the healthcare system

Incorporating Community Health Workers into State Health Care Systems: Options for Policymakers[August 2015]This brief describes the role of community health workers, highlights recent state actions, and presents various policy options. 

Community Health Workers in the Wake of Health Care Reform: Consideration for State and Federal Policy Makers [October 2015]This brief captures areas in which state and federal policy can align around the use of CHWs in transforming health systems to achieve better care, lower costs, and improved population health.

These slides were presented at a Community Health Worker Summit in North Carolina [November 2016] and provide some background regarding CHWs and how they have functioned in the past, review of the literature on CHWs and inconsistencies and promise, speculations on future roles of CHWs, and recent data on CHWs in the Carolinas:

EVALUATION

Evaluation of a Patient How are we doing? How to evaluate your Patient Navigation Program‐ [July 2014]

Navigator Program This toolkit is designed for Patient Navigation program managers who have little to no experience with evaluation. The purpose of the toolkit is to help identify goals, identify what measures can be tracked to help determine if goals are being met, creating data collection tools, and some basic descriptive analysis.Key   Performance   Indicators   for   PN   Programs in   Healthcare   Service   Settings [August 2016]