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Showing posts from June 3, 2018

What To Watch For As Trump Takes Aim At ACA Protections

Charlie Wood of Charlottesville, Va., plays with bubbles during a May 4, 2017, rally near the Capitol to oppose proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act. Charlie was born a few months prematurely, and her mother, Rebecca (left), fears changes to the health law will negatively affect her care. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. JULIE APPLEBY FROM KHN The Trump administration is refusing to defend key parts of the Affordable Care Act, essentially arguing that federal courts should find the health law's protections for people with pre-existing conditions unconstitutional. The federal lawsuit hinges on the ACA's individual mandate, or the requirement to get health coverage or pay a penalty. The mandate has long been a sticking point for conservatives, who argue that the government should not be telling individuals what coverage they must have. But that mandate was crucial to persuading insurers to offer plans under the ACA. It helped expand their risk pools while the law…
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Update on CHIP

Q. Did congress vote to cut CHIP?
A The House voted along party lines (Rs for, Ds against) late last night to pass a White House proposal that would claw back nearly $15 billion in previously approved government funding.

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ––makes up almost half of the rollbacks. And the worry is it would lead to barriers to coverage if enrollment is higher than expected (think of the money as a back up plan if lots of new kids become eligible—due to something like a recession)
But, the Congressional Budget Office analysis says that the rescissions would not affect any spending on children’s health, and would not affect any coverage.
For the cuts to happen the Senate has to act, and it is still unclear if they will take up the issue at all let alone how the vote would turn out.

Action items

Call your Representative and share your thoughts on how they voted and your thoughts overall on the value of CHIP. Call your Senators and share your thoughts on CHIP
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Palliative Care

Palliative care is patient-centered and family-focused medical care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering caused by a medical illness or a physical injury or condition that substantially affects a patient's quality of life.  The term includes:
Addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.Facilitating patient autonomy and choice of care.Providing access to information.Discussing the patient's goals for treatment and treatment options, including hospice care when appropriate.Comprehensively managing pain and symptoms. In 2016 the Indiana General Assembly created the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council.  The goal of the Council is educating and advocating for quality palliative care throughout Indiana.  
The ISDH has created the Palliative Care Information Center and the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council website to provide information and resources.
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Mortality Review webinar reminder

The Data Forum: Mortality Review on May 21, 2018, hosted by the Bureau of Quality Improvement Services (BQIS), experienced technical difficulties which prevented users from participating. Therefore, BQIS is pleased to announce a repeat webinar will be held on June 12, 2018, at 1 p.m. EST to share trend data on mortalities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in services with the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS). BQIS will share aggregate data for individuals in BDDS’ services as well as comparative data with general populations both in Indiana and nationally. The presentation will include a white paper on the Mortality Review Committee’s recommendations made to providers as well as information on resources to address identified issues. Time will be allotted for open forum discussion. The webinar will be recorded and posted to the BQIS website for future reference. Below is information regarding accessing the webinar. Mortality Review webi…
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#LifeCourse: Indiana Resources

One of the tools the state will be using for person centered planning, and other DDRS services, is the LifeCourse Framework. We will be sharing more information and resources from Indiana and other states. Please let us know if you need additional information.

Indiana Resources:

LEARNING MATERIALSLearning materials indexCharting the LifeCourse infographicFoundation of the LifeCourse frameworkCharting the LifeCourse: Experiences and questions bookletCharting the LifeCourse: Daily life & employmentCharting the LifeCourse: Focus on transitionCharting the LifeCourse: Focus on aging LIFECOURSE TOOLSLifeCourse tools indexLife trajectory worksheet: Individual versionLife trajectory worksheet: Family versionCharting the LifeCourse: Experiences and questions bookletIntegrated supports starIntegrated supports optionsTool for developing a vision: Individual versionTool for developing a vision: Family versionExploring life possibilitiesIntegrated long term support needs MY PORTFOLIO TOOLSMy po…
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Medicaid Covered IEP Services

Covered IEP Services

IHCP-covered IEP evaluation and treatment services are face-to-face, health-related services provided to students eligible to receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Covered services must be medically necessary, included in the Indiana Medicaid State Plan, and listed in (or required for developing) a student’s IEP or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Examples might include:
 Nursing services provided by a registered nurse (RN)
 Behavioral health services, including assessments and evaluations
 Speech/language pathology and hearing services
 Physical and occupational therapy
 Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy
 IEP-required special transportation services on dates of another covered IEP service

IHCP-enrolled public school corporations may submit claims to the IHCP for reimbursement of all IEP covered services identified in a student’s IEP.

complete info here: http://provider.indianamedicaid.com/media/155577…
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Indiana Medicaid adds coverage of community health worker services

Evidence shows that using community health workers (CHWs) to extend the reach of healthcare providers in underserved communities reduces health disparities, enhances provider communication, and improves health outcomes and overall quality measures. Accordingly, effective July 1, 2018, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) will provide reimbursement for services provided by CHWs. Coverage for CHW services applies to all IHCP programs subject to limitations established for certain benefit packages, for dates of service (DOS) on or after July 1, 2018.


Covered and noncovered CHW services

The IHCP will cover the following CHW services:

 Diagnosis-related patient education for members regarding self-managing physical or mental health, in conjunction with a healthcare team – This service allows a CHW to extend education efforts associated with any physical or mental health concern that a member may encounter.

 Facilitation of cultural brokering between a member and the member’s heal…
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