Inclusa

The meeting involved department updates from the Department of Medicaid Services (DMS) concerning Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) systems testing, Home and Community Based Settings (HCBS) compliance, and progress on the DHS-MCO contract amendment which will include details on Direct Care Workforce Funding (DCW) and Pay for Performance (P4P). DMS also reported on the IRIS waiver renewal submission. The Department of Public Health (DPH) detailed the implementation of new federal COVID-19 funding through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act, allocated to support elder nutrition programs, ADRCs, and Independent Living Centers (ILCs). DPH also reviewed policy development adjustments due to programming moving online. Jie Gu presented the 2019 Pay for Performance Results. A significant portion of the meeting was a COVID-19 Roundtable where council members shared organizational responses, including managing PPE shortages, shifting to virtual service delivery, addressing social isolation, and concerns over the viability of small residential providers due to financial stressors. Additionally, proposed revisions for the 2021 ADRC contract scope of services were implicitly discussed, focusing on updates to client tracking software (WellSky replacing SAMS IR), timelines for Options Counseling appointments, and the addition of an Emergency Preparedness and Response section.