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6/18/14 CP News

Volume #20 – Issue #7

OPWDD IMPOSES NEW COST LIMITS FOR HCBS WAIVER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS

At the request of the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has agreed to modify its Comprehensive Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver agreement regarding Assistive Technology and Environmental Home Accessibility Modifications.

The State has agreed to place limits on total expenditures for these services for each person for a prescribed time period. Any requests for Assistive Technology or Environmental Modifications authorization received by the Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices (DDRO) on or after May 28, 2014 will be subject to the new limits. For Assistive Technology Services, the maximum expenditure per waiver enrolled individual may not exceed $35,000 in any consecutive two-year period. For Environmental Modifications, the maximum expenditure per waiver enrolled individual may not exceed $60,000 in any consecutive five-year period.

OPWDD does not expect these limits to create any undue hardship or limit the vast majority of planned Assistive Technology and Environmental Modification services. The new limits will not apply to projects already approved by the DDRO. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact your local DDRO, or email questions to lynda.baum-jakubiak@opwdd.ny.gov.

Al Shibley

NYS DOH REINSTATES CLINIC CUTS

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) issued a notice on May 27 that, effective May 22, 2014, the 2 percent across-the-board (ATB) Medicaid payment reduction will be reactivated pending federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approval for removal. The 2% ATB cut was eliminated in the NYS Budget effective 4/1/14.  However, it appears that the State has not yet received CMS approval to eliminate the cut, so it has been reinstated. Once DOH receives CMS approval, they will eliminate the cut.

For Article 28 clinics, the 2% ATB was taken out of the investment dollars, so those clinics have not had the 2% taken out of their remittances. Once CMS approves the elimination of the cut, the APG base rates for Article 28 clinics should be increased. For Article 16 clinics, the 2% cut was not an across-the-board cut, so this will not impact those clinics. CP of NYS will be meeting with DOH to discuss the elimination of the Article 16 cut as well.

Deb Williams

DOH RELEASES POPULATION HEALTH DASHBOARD

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) developed a Population Health Dashboard to assist providers and others with the Medicaid waiver and Prevention Agenda.  This interactive, web-based visual tool is intended to help review and analyze population health data at state and county levels.  The dashboard contains rich data related to the five Prevention Agenda priority areas, including:

•    ninety-six indicators and sub-indicators at state level;
•    sixty-eight indicators and sub-indicators at county level;
•    a comparison of data across counties and regions; and
•    data tables for individual counties.

The dashboard is an important resource for assessing, planning, and evaluating health interventions and progress made toward meeting the objectives of the health reform effort, including the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) and State Health Innovation Plan (SHIP).

Visit the DOH website for additional instructions on how to use the site.

Deb Williams

METRO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS APPOINTS NEW COO

Evette Maduro has been named Chief Operations Officer for Metro Community Health Centers. Ms. Maduro brings more than 20 years’ experience working for a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Article 28 Clinic to her new role. She has extensive experience in operations, business development, the implementation of Electronic Health Records, community outreach and advocacy.

“We are pleased to welcome Evette Maduro to CP of NYS and are confident that she will provide the kind of leadership to our four Community Health Centers that will ensure they continue to be strong community assets in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island,” said Susan Constantino, President and CEO of CP of NYS.

Ms. Maduro assumed her duties on May 27.

Al Shibley

RAISE FUNDS FOR CP OF NYS BY SEARCHING THE WEB WITH GOODSEARCH

If you have already signed up to help CP of NYS raise funds through GoodSearch, thank you! Please be sure that you designate Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State as the recipient of your searches.  And don’t forget to tell your friends and family about GoodSearch.

If you haven’t joined your colleagues and friends yet, please do it today. Register and use Goodsearch.com as your search engine. GoodSearch will donate about a penny to CP of NYS every time you do an online search. Here is the web site —http://www.goodsearch.com/.

Register your work and home computers and designate CP of NYS as the recipient of your searches, then start using GoodSearch as your preferred search engine.  It’s that simple and you can begin raising funds for CP of NYS in just a couple of minutes.

Al Shibley

ANTI-BULLYING SESSIONS PLANNED

The Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, SUNY and the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council are conducting research about bullying incidents, coping strategies, resources and supports, and intervention and prevention strategies currently being used in schools and the community to address bullying involving individuals with developmental disabilities. The goal is to use the information to develop a plan for bullying prevention.

As a part of this study the research team will be conducting focus groups and interviews across the state. If you are interested in participating contact alberticenter@buffalo.edu or (716) 645-1532 to speak with Brie Kishel.

Focus groups will be conducted in six areas of New York State during June and July. You may attend the focus group that best describes your relationship with people with developmental disabilities. The dates and locations are as follows:

Buffalo
Independent Living Center
3108 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214
Tuesday, June 24 & Wednesday, June 25

New York City
Metro DDRO
25 Beaver Street, 4th Floor, NY, NY 10004
Thursday, June 26 & Friday, June 27

Albany
SUNY Downtown Campus
Levitt Room, Page Hall
135 Western Ave, Albany, NY 12222
Thursday, July 10 & Friday, July 11

Rochester
Monroe County ARC
2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Rd., Rochester, NY 14623
Tuesday, July 15 & Wednesday, July 16

Southern Tier
Rehabilitation Center,
1439 Buffalo Street, Olean, NY 14760
Monday, July 21 & Tuesday, July 22

North Country
Southern Adirondack Independent Living Center
71 Glenwood Avenue, Queensbury, NY 12804
Thursday, July 24 & Friday, July 25

Participants in the focus groups will be invited to share their knowledge, experiences, and observations of bullying and victimization among individuals with developmental disabilities. Focus groups will be made up of 8-10 people. The groups will be videotaped for purposes of transcription and further study. All data and information collected from participants will be kept secure and will only be accessible to members of the research team. No names will be associated with any comments made in the focus group or in demographic information that is shared with the research team.

This project has been approved by the Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board at the University at Buffalo. If you have any questions about this project, please contact alberticenter@buffalo.edu or (716) 645-1532.

Al Shibley