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| September 5, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This Week at CT Healthcare At Home
News Update
Source: CT Dept of Social Services, August 30, 2024
HARTFORD, CT — Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves appointed William Halsey as the agency’s next Medicaid Director.
Halsey has been acting as interim Medicaid Director since July. He has been in state government for nearly 20 years serving the last four years as deputy director of DSS’s Health Services Division.
“Bill is a well-respected leader who is a strategic thinker and a nationally recognized leader in the health and Medicaid arena,” Barton Reeves said.
“I want to thank the Commissioner for her confidence in me at this pivotal time as the agency embarks on many new initiatives focusing on delivering quality care for the more than one million clients we serve,” Halsey said.
Halsey has been with the department since 2004. He holds a B.A. from Skidmore College, an MSW from Columbia University as well as an MBA in Healthcare Administration from the University of Hartford.
On behalf of the Association’s members, Tracy Wodatch Pres/CEO submitted these comments to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to outline our top three priorities for the next three-year LTSS Plan (2025-2027).
For background, the state uses its three-year plan to guide all rebalancing efforts for those needing services and supports. The primary goal of the state’s plan is to “develop a system that provides for more choice and opportunities for community integration as alternatives to all institutional settings, and increases the proportion of individuals receiving Medicaid long-term home and community-based care.” To view current 2022-2024 plan, click here.
Source: NAHC-NHPCO Alliance, August 26, 2024
(Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC) — Steven Landers, MD, MPH, has been named the inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly merged NAHC-NHPCO Alliance (The Alliance). A recognized national leader and innovator in home health, primary care and aging services, Dr. Landers brings almost two decades of experience as a physician, executive leader and health policy advocate to The Alliance, which represents care at home and community providers across the country.
Dr. Landers has dedicated his career to seeking home- and community-based health care solutions for people of all ages. As a board-certified physician in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine, he is a champion of the impactful role health care at home plays in the health and wellbeing of communities, acknowledging that as an aging nation, providing compassionate, dignified and cost-effective systems of care to patients is critical.
Source: NAHC-NHPCO Alliance, August 19, 2024
(Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC) –The leading national organization for hospice and other providers delivering healthcare predominantly in homes, the NAHC-NHPCO Alliance, responded to a segment about hospice that first aired on the HBO and Max current events satire show, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” on Sunday, August 18. While the show made some good points about the invaluable work done by hospice workers to care for patients at the end of their lives, we believe the segment missed an opportunity to educate patients and their families on the value of hospice and how to find the right hospice provider to meet their needs. It also overlooked the central role played by the hospice community to ensure proper care is delivered and bad actors are driven out of the Medicare hospice program.
The number of Americans choosing hospice for end-of-life care has grown significantly over the last 25 years, and the hospice benefit now serves approximately 1.72 million Medicare beneficiaries annually. The growth of the hospice benefit is the result of millions of families who have benefited enormously from the comprehensive, team-based, and patient-oriented care provided by hospice. There are several thousand dedicated, mission-driven, patient centered hospices that provide essential and comprehensive, high-quality services every day across the country. They stand in partnership with Medicare to ensure that patients get the care they need in a manner fully compliant with Medicare requirements.
Source: NAHC, August 30, 2024
On Friday, August 23, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report detailing the activities of Medicaid Money Follows the Person (MFP) Grants, which provide states with financial incentives to move, or transition, individuals from institutions into home and community-based settings. The report covers transitions during calendar years 2017 through 2021. Importantly, the period covered during this report was characterized by a series of short-term Congressional extensions of MFP, which created uncertainty about the long-term viability of the program and led to staff departures among some grantees.
Perhaps related to questions around long-term viability of the grants, the total number of states participating in MFP dropped from 44 in 2017 to 34 in 2021, a decline of 22.7%.
Source: NAHC-NHPCO Alliance
On Friday, August 16, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated summary of Medicaid state activities and spending under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA’s) home and community-based services (HCBS) funding. According to the release, state agencies projected spending a total of $37.1 billion, ranging from $18.5 million in Alaska to $5.5 billion in New York. As of December 31, 2023, states had spent approximately $18.8 billion, leaving $18.3 remaining to be expended before the March 2025 deadline.
The most common activities across the states are:
Activities within the Workforce Recruitment and Retention category include time-limited rate increases (30 states), rate studies to determine the appropriate cost-structure for reimbursement (16 states), and rate updates based on wage and benefit increases (9 states).
The full report with state-by-state breakdowns of activities and spending is available online HERE.
Membership News
Geriatric Medical is the largest long-term care-focused distributor in New England and the fourth largest nationwide. Since 1945, we have been a trusted partner to home care, hospice, and long-term care providers, offering a comprehensive catalog of over 30,000 products tailored to meet the unique needs of the communities we serve. Our mission is to empower care providers in Connecticut and beyond to achieve their clinical and financial goals, ensuring that the highest standards of care are met for those who rely on these essential services. We are very excited to join The Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home, where we look forward to collaborating with industry leaders and contributing to the advancement of home care and hospice services throughout the state. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on the quality of care delivered to patients and families across Connecticut.
 Do you want to stay updated on the latest industry trends, best practices, and innovations? Then don’t miss our Annual Conference!
This year’s conference is set to be our most impactful yet, bringing together leaders and experts from across the industry. This conference offers invaluable insights and opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge of your entire team.
Education
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Home Health Hot Topic: Home Health QAPI
