DignityMA hosted a webinar (watch below) to present information in support of the request to MassHealth to put aside the Request for Response (RFR) and engage in meaningful exploration with stakeholders to improve current systems on August 21. (Read more about the IAE)
Spoiler Alert: At about 1:04:40 in the video, Mike Levine, EOHHS Assistant Secretary and Director of MassHealth announced that MassHealth will NOT be moving to a single entity doing all of the assessments. You can learn more in the video or read the StateHouse News Spotlight Post. While the details of what MassHealth will do are still uncertain, our interactions with MassHealth have made a difference! And we have a commitment from MassHealth to engage with the community going forward.
Why have the Webinar? MassHealth has proposed to secure an “Independent Assessment Entity” to provide clinical assessments for approximately 240,000 Massachusetts residents who rely upon MassHealth services, support, and care to remain living in their homes and communities. The affected programs are: Adult Foster Care, Group Adult Foster Care, Personal Care Management (PCA), Day Habilitation, Adult Day Health, Senior Care Options, PACE, and OneCareHome.
The webinar, moderated Barbara L’Italien, ED of Disability Law Center
- Jenny Kaplan of Mass Law Reform Institute presents a PowerPoint presentation summarizing key points made by stakeholders in response to MassHealth’s “Request for Information” (RFI).
- Panel of clients of services and family members sharing their lived experiences (19:30)
- Diane Huggon, The Arc of Massachusetts, is the parent of an adult child who has a PCA
- Nancy Garr-Colzie is the Board President at the Center for Living and Working, and is a PCA Client
- Panel of provider representatives offering their observations about the current system and ideas for improvement (33:22)
- Matt Pellegrino, ED at Northeast Independent Living Program which is also a Personal Care Management Agency
- Sindelle Robles, Vice President of Nursing at Nonotuck Research Associates which has Family Care Programs
- Lisa Prince, CEO of Tri-Valley which is an Aging Services Access Point (ASAP)
- Michele Keefe, MA Adult Day Health Services Association
- Joseph Rizzo, Owner of Gateway and Accord Adult Day Centers
- Closing comments(1:00:50)
- Mike Levine, EOHHS Assistant Secretary and Director of MassHealth
- Leslie Darcy, Chief, Long Term Services and Supports at MassHealth.
This webinar presents an opportunity to steer the direction of change. It will provide information in support of the request to MassHealth to put aside the RFR and engage in a meaningful exploration with stakeholders to improve systems that are in place currently.
Your role in this process is crucial. This is a significant change that will have an enormous impact on consumers and on the longstanding community-based system of care in Massachusetts. Historically, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS and MassHealth) actively solicited public input and engaged with stakeholders to investigate challenges to service systems before changing policy or practices. This collaborative approach has resulted in improved programs and policies, created efficiencies, and engendered stakeholder support and public confidence. Engagement of stakeholders and other interested parties did not occur before the issuance of a “Request for Response” (RFR) in this instance.
We believe this is a missed opportunity to identify and implement needed changes to current policies and protocols without disrupting relationships with community-based organizations that have been in place for decades.