Long-Term Care

The National Quality Forum (NQF), a not-for-profit organization funded by the three main trade associations for LTC providers, has created the National Commission on Quality Long-term Care. According to the founders –American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, American Health Care Association, and Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care – the new group is described as an independent body that will make recommendations concerning improving the quality of long-term care in America.

Explores states’ use of “global budgeting” to promote a public policy of supporting consumers’ long-term care choices. Prepared for NJ policymakers, this report defines global budgeting in the context of long-term care, provides five state models, and offers lessons learned about determining what is “in the globe,” legislative and administrative language to advance it, and how it can be implemented. Funded by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.

This report describes the FY ‘01 & FY ‘02 Grantees’ accomplishments & progress, using information from 10/1/02 to 9/30/03 (Year Two of grant period for FY ‘01 Grantees & Year One of grant period for FY ‘02 Grantees). The report describes grant activities in six major areas: Consumer Direction & Control, Access to LTC Services & Supports, State Budgeting & Reimbursement Rates & Methodologies, Service Creation/Modification, LTC Service & Support Workforce, Quality Management Mechanism.

The ROI calculator allows states to analyze the economic & social impact of additional investment in the wages of direct-care staff working in their personal care services programs. Designed to incorporate a wide range of factors--including the size of a proposed wage increase, staff turnover costs and retention rates, and issues related to implementation design--the calculator provides state policymakers with an easy-to-use tool for identifying the real costs and benefits of a wage increase.

On 10/7/2004 eleven new states were awarded three-year Cash & Counseling grants, allowing them to replicate and expand on the Cash & Counseling model. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation and the Administration on Aging, the following states will receive approximately $250,000 to implement Cash & Counseling programs: AL, IA, KY, MI, PA, RI, VT, WA, and WV. MN and NM will receive an additional $100,000 to enhance their programs.

On October 5, 2004, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced $31 million in grants to 31 states to help people with disabilities or long-term illnesses live in their homes and participate fully in community life. The grants were awarded under the New freedom Initiative and are known as Real Choice Systems Change Grants. A total of 52 grants were awarded in nine categories. The press release, which describes the grant categories, and list of grantees are available.

On August 23, 2004, the Community Living Exchange Collaborative at Rutgers Center for State Health Policy hosted a conference call on Children's SED Waivers presented to Community-based Treatment Alternatives for Children (CTAC) grantees. The agenda will included presentations from NY, KS, VT, IN, WI. Please note: This was an informal presentation to a small group of grantees.

The purpose of this report is to share identified best practices for recruitment & retention of nursing & nursing assistive personnel as identified by local experts. From Oct ‘02-July ‘04, the Center for Health Workforce Planning in the Bureau of Health Care Access, Iowa Department of Public Health, funded 7 demonstration projects with the intent of identifying successful strategies. This report provides a summary of the goals, strategies, challenges & contact information for each project.

Offered at the 29th Annual n4a Conference in Atlanta. Presentation includes national overview and vision, role of TA, and questions posed to three AAAs developing ADRCs during a July 11, 2004 n4a intensive about ADRCs.

About half of Medicaid LTC spending is for the elderly; the rest goes for services to non-elderly disabled people, especially people with developmental disabilities. There is wide variation in the resources states are currently devoting to LTC. In coming years, different rates of population aging may shift the financial burdens among states. One result may be growing interest in reassessing the federal & state roles in financing. This paper examines the implications for state Medicaid programs.