Transition/Diversion from Institutions

Provides practical information on how state agencies can obtain and use the MDS through Data Use Agreements (DUAs) with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Explores the progress states have made in: using the MDS to facilitate nursing facility transition; identifying barriers that remain; and, suggesting recommendations for changes to the MDS to make it more useful for nursing home transition efforts. We examine three uses of the MDS by nursing facility transition program.

The manual is a nursing home to community discharge planning manual designed primarily for use in nursing homes and may be of help to others to use in developing manuals for their communities. It is designed to orient the long-term care providers to the nursing home discharge process by defining the roles of the key partners who are involved in returning residents to community living and to document a standard protocol for accessing and maximizing partner resources.

The CMS Systems Change conference, Transforming Systems: Keys to Success was held April 10-12 in Baltimore. Presentations from the 2006 sessions are available in both PDF and text formats. Topics range from ideas on system transformation, stakeholder involvement, coalition building, strategic planning, sustaining systems change, and the Deficit Reduction Act. Full titles are listed in the keywords section.

This report draws on interviews with Medicaid care planners for insight into the issues that arise in establishing programs to move individuals with significant long-term care needs from institutional to community settings. The five states that participated in this study—Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington—each received federal grants for nursing home transition activities and had varied experiences.

This report draws on interviews with state Medicaid program officials for insight into the issues that arise in establishing programs to move individuals with significant long-term care needs from institutional to community settings. The five states that participated in this study—Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington—each received federal grants for nursing home transition activities and had varied experiences.

On March 31, 2006, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt outlined new flexibilities available to states under the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 (Pub.L. No. 109-171). Find out how the new DRA provisions may link with other options available under Medicaid to transform long-term care to person-centered care and to expand coverage for individuals with disabilities, increase access to community supports, and promote personal responsibility, independence, and choice.

HCBS.org News CLIPS highlights the important work of Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. In this issue, we have interviewed Dawn Lambert in Connecticut to discuss the key strengths and challenges faced during program implementation of their Nursing Facility Transitions to Independent Living Program. Find out the program basics, success strategies, stakeholder involvement techniques and the options for sustainability.

The Compendium contains basic information about each of the Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. The Compendium will help you learn more about how these grants will be used to allow more people of all ages with a disability or long term illness to live and participate in their communities. Real Choice Systems Change Grantees will also find the Compendium useful to identify other Grantees with similar goals and activities. The fifth edition of the Compendium replaces all previous editions.

This State Policy in Practice brief describes the process of sustaining Connecticut's nursing home transition program. Connecticut focused on bringing key stakeholders (including consumers) together and building evaluation into their efforts to make the case for obtaining state funding for the transition program. This brief is intended to help state policy and program leaders, advocates, and providers learn from their peers and colleagues across the states.

This State Policy in Practice brief describes Michigan's nursing home transition program and summarizes evaluation findings. The program has been sustained statewide through the addition of transition services to Michigan's 1915c waiver for the aged and disabled. This brief is intended to help state policy and program leaders, advocates, and providers learn from their peers and colleagues across the states.