LTSS Update - November 2017

Key Highlights This Month:  

(information provided at the HCBS CSWG)
Individual budgeting and waiver consolidation studies – Elyse Bailey and Colin Stemper, DHS fiscal policy team
Legislature required studies:
Waiver Consolidation Study

• Required by legislature with a report due 12/2018
• Waiver reconfiguration vs consolidation
• Goal to simplify and streamline program administration
• There will be stakeholder engagement

Individualized Budgeting Study

• Research and provide recommendations for an individualized budget model based opn assessment data.
• Revised methodology – for traditional waiver; a potential range based on anticipated costs. There would also be a recommendation for a revised methodology for CDCS
• Goal
• Adaptable to changes
• Align waiver programs that have consistent limits and services
• “smooth” transition if changes are recommended and approved
• There will be stakeholder engagement

MnCHOICES – Lori Miller

• MnCHOICES 2.0 – as the development goes forward, will engage county staff to test and review the build as it is being built.
• Tentative goal for 2.0 is the end of 2018 (or early 2019 – dependent upon how much is asked to change/updated 1.0)

MnCHOICES Workgroups:
MnCHOICES Modify Assessment/Reassessment Workgroup – Jill Schweisthal and Rita Chamberlin
Determined the problem to be solved: capacity and process issues (reduce the amount of time assessors work on each case; reduce the number of cases assessors are required to work on)
Brainstormed solution ideas and categorized:

• Changes to 1.0
• Policy
• Training
• Business process partnerships
• Total of 13 ideas that brought the most energy from the workgroup. Some of these are not short term.

MnCHOICES – DD Reform Workgroup – Shannon Smith
Workgroup continues to look at eligibility determination for Rule 185 and redetermination being outside of
MnCHOICES. Person Centered discussion responsibility would need to be

MnCHOICES Lead Agency Workflow – Raukiya Smith-Binns
Workgroup to meet 11/16.

• Will be looking at waiver billing during hospitalization and relocation services
• Discuss contract CM to have access to MMIS to enter and approve SA’s.

LTSS Improvement Tool – Raukiya Smith-Binns and Roshani Dahal, DHS
Clarification related to populations included: AC, EW (not managed care, fee for service only) and Disability Waivers
FAQ document to be posted to the website
Training webinar 11/1 – 500+ called in.

• Included and excluded populations
• Role clarification for who completes – Contract CM, County/lead agency, etc.
• Role of a guardian clarification – especially for people who cannot answer the questions.

Created a data workgroup to guide the data analysis. At this point, it is an internal group that will review with Roshani
and Raukiya what is needed and then will evaluate the county/lead agency participation need. Also continuing to
address how to share the data with lead agencies.
• For health plans – this is being built into the LTCC with reduced questions for those who have a residential or
day services and will be part of the reassessment.

Tom Gossett, DHS – TEFT Update
PHR demonstration – update

• Otter Tail County and more recently – Southern Prairie Community Care: Cottonwood, Jackson and Redwood Counties.
• Demonstrate that information from DHS systems CAN be shared information in a way that is: accessible, useful, securely available.

• 55 Core Fields in 8 areas

Functional Assessment Standardized Items (FASI)

• Tool for testing a few Functional Assessment Standardized Items – contract with Vital Research to conduct the assessments. Round one completed 192 assessments, DD, BI and SMI.
• Round 2 will be EW and CADI (physical disability). Prenotification to be sent to about 600 in each population in order to get to 120 each. To be completed 1/1/2018 – 3/31/2018. To be completed in the 7 county metro.
• NOT a replacement for MnCHOICES or addition. This is a test for the Feds as part of the TEFT grant.

MA Encounter Alert Service – technology mechanism to generate an electronic health alert for people who provide services or are important to a participant. This provides timely notification of admits, discharges and transfers. Message can be sent to a provider, family member, CM to alert them.

Requested Actions Needed From MACSSA:  None at this time.

New Trends in This Area:  Continued focus on MnCHOICES

Issues/Concerns Regarding This Topic:  

Legislative Impacts:  

Supporting Materials:  

Contacts(s):  Deb Sjostrom