Reports

In 2003 CMS launched the Demonstration to Improve the Direct Service Community Workforce by awarding five grants and five more in 2004. Six grantees are using funds to make health care coverage more affordable/accessible. Interventions vary in strategy but each takes three approaches: subsidizing employer-based coverage, offering arrangements that combine basic insurance and personal accounts, or outreach to enroll DSWs in public private partnerships. This report reviews the lessons learned.

The annual 50-state survey of Medicaid officials finds an improved economy combined with the implementation of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has contributed to the lowest rate of Medicaid spending growth in a decade and the fourth consecutive year in which Medicaid spending growth has slowed. Review the news release, read the report, or listen to conference materials and view the presentation slides.

What areas of quality are important to individuals with disabilities, families and stakeholders in Ohio? The framework illustrates the areas of quality to be addressed by a functioning quality information management system. Organized by Domains, each section is accompanied by an Outcome. Next, the Core Indicators express how the system will know if the Outcome is present. Performance Measures establish the criteria for measurement and calculation. Review this outline of performance criteria.

States vary greatly in the proportion of Medicaid long-term care funds expended on home and community-based services. In 2005, Oregon and New Mexico spent over two-thirds of their Medicaid LTC dollars on HCBS while Washington, D.C. and Mississippi spent less than 20 percent on HCBS. To overcome the “imbalance” states, at varying rates, have been “rebalancing” the way that Medicaid LTC services are delivered and financed to allocate a higher proportion of dollars to HCBS.

In an effort to improve the quality of care provided in long-term care settings, as well as ensure a committed and qualified workforce, ASPE funded a study of the efficacy of various approaches to pre-employment screening and on-the-job monitoring of nurse assistants to prevent resident abuse in nursing homes. This study is intended to inform policymakers, providers and consumers about the contributions and effectiveness of existing federal mandates and state and provider based strategies.

The Alabama Medicaid Agency contracted with The Lewin Group to conduct a single point of entry feasibility study. Lewin and the Alabama Medicaid Agency staffed a single point of entry work group composed of Alabama consumers and other long term care stakeholders; this work group guided the study. A literature search on SPE best practices and national initiatives was used to develop three possible models for the state, each of which presents an array of pros and cons.

A new survey shows overwhelming support for giving residents choices for long-term care in the home and community. Tennessee is last in the nation in providing options in long-term care. AARP commissioned this survey to determine where voters stand on key issues. Voters say they are more likely to vote for state candidates who support allowing funds now used only for nursing homes to also be available for alternative services which help older and disabled Tennesseans remain independent.

This Discussion Paper summarizes selected approaches for analyzing the cost effectiveness of nursing home transition/MFP projects. It identifies questions that should be asked about the cost effectiveness of nursing home transition projects, discusses each question, identifies available national and state data pertinent to the question, and shows how states have answered these questions.

This tool box is intended to synthesize information that is available from multiple sources about nursing home transition and Money Follows the Person (MFP) initiatives to help states prepare for the MFP Demonstration program created by the Deficit Reduction Act. Each chapter summarizes the state of the field in a particular MFP design component, such as identifying consumers, planning and implementing transitions from an institution, financing MFP, and evaluating programs and progress.

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) conducted an end-of-grant de-briefing for its stakeholders. The purpose was to give the grant’s pilot participants (Heart of Texas Council of Governments; Central Texas Council of Governments; Texoma Council of Governments) an opportunity to discuss their 3-year projects and articulate lessons learned. The intent of the system navigator grant was to help all persons in their community navigate the maze of long-term services.