Meeting with UAS-NY Project Staff
On July 10, LeadingAge New York and members Sharon Phipps from Ideal Senior Living Center and Maura Bordas from HHH Home Care, Inc. met with DOH and the UAS-NY project team to discuss program and implementation issues affecting home care and managed care programs. In addition to the items discussed, we advocated for a delay in the implementation schedule, program-specific webinars and greater support for our members in the transition.
We continue to ask DOH to clarify program specific questions that center around who is responsible for conducting the UAS-NY when a person is enrolled in MLTC and receiving services through the LTHHCP. In addition, questions have been raised about how SAAM scores would determine HRF and SNF level of care for the LTHHCP. We understand that when a person is enrolled in MLTC, the plan is responsible for all assessments and re-assessments unless the plan initiates a Care Management Administrative Services (CMAS) contract with the LTHHCP. During the meeting, DOH recognized the issue and concurred that it is ultimately the responsibility of the MLTC to administer the assessment.
We also discussed the delay with the implementation of the UAS-NY for the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) waiver and the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) waiver in the four pilot counties until further notice. Approval from CMS for the use of the UAS-NY is currently pending. The DOH has sent a memo outlining the Regional Resource Development Centers (RRDCs) roles and responsibilities.
We have brought to DOH's attention the need for a test environment for the the UAS-NY and we were informed this will be an option for members. With the test version (housed within the HCS), the assessor will have the ability to practice assessments, build client lists and run reports. Assessments generated from the testing environment will not be official, however, and supervisors can review practice assessments and determine whether or not they were completed correctly. The test environment is scheduled to be completed by early August.
At our suggestion, DOH will be scheduling program-specific webinars. They are also considering more targeted webinars on topics such as how to generate reports and pull data from the tool. This data will be very important for program evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.
The transition activities for Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, and New York City will begin on Sept. 1, 2013. It is expected that programs in these counties will complete their transition to the UAS-NY no later than Feb. 1, 2013.
The UAS-NY project team will conduct an overview of the UAS-NY, the transition activities and timeline for organizations in Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and New York City on Aug. 13, 2013. The one-hour webinar will begin at 11 am. All programs in these counties are strongly encouraged to participate as important information about the transition activities will be presented.
To register for the event, click here. Upon completion of your registration, you will receive an email with details to access the webinar. This email will include the link and password for the actual event.
We will continue to keep you posted as more information becomes available.
Contact: Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871