On Thursday, September 2nd the following members and staff met with Steve Jensen, Maria Bediako and Leah Zoladkiewiez of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to discuss the various initiatives that are impacting clients on Community Access for Disabled Individuals (CADI) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waivers.  The Care Providers of Minnesota attendees were:

Marcia Dooner, Parkinsons Specialty Centers
Sue Fries, New Challenges
Eydie Miller, Scenic Hills Alternative Care
Sarah Williams, Oak Grove Care Center
Michelle Wincell, Touchstone Assisted Living
Michelle Youngberg, Scenic Hills Alternative Care

Patti Cullen, Care Providers of Minnesota
Phil Manz,   Care Providers of Minnesota

The topics of discussion were:

1)  Rate Setting Methodologies Initiative (RSMI), whose work is posted here.

The deadline for the Provider Cost and Wage Survey, available at www.mndsdrates.com/, was August 31, 2010.  Over 200 providers responded to the survey, which involved a three-hour training video and took most members at least 10 to 15 hours to complete.  This information will be used to help populate the rate setting framework.  DHS will be accepting comments from stakeholders about the rate setting framework once it is complete in late 2010 or early 2011.  Members shared their frustration with the implementation and outcomes of the Elderly Waiver Customized Living (EWCL) rate setting tool and hoped the CADI and TBI rate setting tool, when it is implemented in 2011, would not have the same extremely challenging outcomes that have occurred with the EWCL rate setting tool.

2) Provider Enrollment and Provider Standards Initiative (PEPSI) whose work is posted here.

The next major work process of this group is a state/county/health plan workgroup that is discussing how these entities are going to work to monitor providers.  We stressed our frustration with some members being required to have corporate adult foster care licenses in addition to housing with services registrations with a Class A or Class F Home Care provider license.  We are also concerned with how contracting with providers will be conducted, given the dissolution of the Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO) managed care program.

Care Providers of Minnesota staff has been serving on the Expanded Workgroups of RSMI and PEPSI and will be working with DHS staff to discuss how the service language in the Rate Setting Framework can be articulated into home care tasks language in Class A and Class F Home care regulation.  DHS has been and will continue to have office hours on Friday mornings from 11 AM to Noon to answer questions about either RSMI or PEPSI.  The details are available here.  DHS staffers also expressed their interest and willingness to address issues brought up by members or staff on an ongoing basis.  We appreciate their flexibility.

3) Size and Setting For CADI and TBI Aka Housing Options Study, which was recently summarized by DHS in this document, has a webpage currently reflecting 2009, not 2010 legislation here.

Members were very assertive about their frustration with limitations on CADI and TBI clients under the age of 55 who are not supposed to be living in settings of greater than 4 people.  As we reported in the August 27 edition of Action, members and staff have been very active in the various forums provided by DHS for policy deliberation, with the most recent forum being August 20th, not August 2 as originally reported.  The next step in the policy process is a survey based on the information gathered at the August 20th forum.  This survey was to have been released by August 31st, but has been delayed given the volume of information shared by participants in the August 20th forum.

In summary, the meeting was very constructive, and all parties agreed to work together for the benefit of our mutual clients.

Phil Manz
952.851.2484
pmanz@careproviders.org

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