2011
Independence at Risk: Older Californians with Disabilities Struggle to Remain at Home as Public Supports Shrink
DEC 2011 | UCLA Center for Health Policy Research | HEALTH POLICY BRIEF
Researchers spent a year following and documenting the lives of a typical group of seniors with disabilities who are enrolled in Medicare and Medi-Cal and receive in-home and community care in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties. The seniors depend on fragile networks of paid public programs and unpaid help to live safely and independently at home. In spite of these challenges, most display resilience and fortitude, and all share a common determination to maintain their independence at almost any cost.
National Study of Long Term Care Providers
OCT 2011 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (CDC NCHS) | Study
The National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP) is a new integrated initiative sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The NSLTCP will replace the NCHS’ National Nursing Home Survey, National Home and Hospice Care Survey, and National Survey of Residential Care Facilities.
NCHS plans to field the residential care and adult day care components of NSLTCP in late 2012. Participants will be selected randomly from among all residential care communities and adult day services centers in the United States. The main goals of NSLTCP are to:
Estimate the U.S. national supply of paid, regulated LTC providers (i.e., nursing home, home health care, residential care, adult day care, and hospice).
Estimate key policy-relevant characteristics and practices of these providers.
Estimate the use of these providers.
Estimate key policy-relevant characteristics of these users.
Monitor national trends in these estimates of LTC supply and use, overall and by provider type.
Medi-Cal Provider Payment Reductions in SPAs Approved by CMS
OCT 27, 2011 | CA Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) | CHART -- Medi-Cal Provider Payment Reductions
On October 27, 2011 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved California’s request to reduce Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for providers of health care services. To view documents related to approval of the State Plan Amendment (SPA), visit: www.dhcs.ca.gov.
Additional details about implementation of the retroactive 5% and 10% rate reductions for ADHC providers in urban areas of the state are not yet available from the state. The 5% rate reduction is currently enjoined by federal court order, but the new 10% rate reduction was approved by the California Legislature in March 2011 to be retroactive to June 1, 2011 and, therefore, is not currently part of any litigation proceedings. Also see: OCT 27, 2011 | CAADS Industry Alert.
A Study of Patient Discharge Outcomes Resulting from California's Elimination of Adult Day Health Care on December 1, 2011CAADS Report on ADHC Patient Discharge Outcomes
OCT 2011 | CAADS | STUDY FINDINGS
CAADS surveyed ADHC providers for the purpose of analyzing overall services needed and services available for typical ADHC patients attending 4 or 5 days per week who will be involuntarily discharged from ADHC when Medi-Cal funding for the program ends December 1. The findings from A Study of Patient Discharge Outcomes Resulting from California's Elimination of Adult Day Health Care on December 1, 2011 - CAADS Report on ADHC Patient Discharge Outcomes, focus on:
Post-ADHC Discharge Prognosis
Multi-Disciplinary Team Recommendation for Discharge
Patient Needs
Services Needed / Available
Significant Risk Factors
In compliance with HIPAA, the ADHC Involuntary Discharge Form was developed as an e-form which transmitted the data without patient identifying information.
Stressed and Strapped: Caregivers in California
SEPT 21, 2011 | UCLA Center for Health Policy Research | POLICY BRIEF
Family members or friends caring for aging or disabled individuals in California are under both financial and emotional strain and are likely to face even greater burdens, given recent cuts in state support for programs and services that support in-home care, according to the authors of a new policy brief, Stressed and strapped: Caregivers in California, by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Elimination of ADHC as a Medi-Cal Optional Benefit
JUN 2011 | CAADS | SURVEY FINDINGS
CAADS surveyed California's ADHC providers on the impact the elimination of ADHC as a Medi-Cal optional benefit would have on their center, patients and community. The survey findings focus on:
Adult Day Health Care Providers Ability To Stay Open Without Medi-Cal Reimbursement
Nursing Facility Placements and Access to Medi-Cal Nursing Home Beds
Psychiatric Facility Placements and Access to Medi-Cal Psychiatric Beds
Consequences For Patients With Developmental Disabilities
Cost Shift to Emergency Rooms and Emergency Room Visits Over One Year
Consequences for IHSS Caregivers and Consequences for Working Caregivers
Availability of Alternative Services
Keeping Adults Free from Institutions (KAFI): Medicaid Options to Guide Program Design
MAY 10, 2011 | Health Management Associates (HMA) | REPORT
The 2010-2011 California Legislature enacted AB 97 eliminating Adult Day Health Care as a Medi-Cal covered service. The legislature is instead proposing to transition individuals no longer eligible for ADHC services to other service options including California’s In-Home Supportive Services program, (which provides personal care and related services) or to existing home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers.
The Health of Aging Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults in California
MAR 2011 | UCLA Center for Health Policy Research | POLICY BRIEF
Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Getting Serious About Delirium: Hospitalists amp up screening, treatment and prevention
JAN 2011 | Today's Hospitalist | ARTICLE by Bonnie Darves
It is important for Adult Day Services providers to be able to distinguish delirium from Alzheimer's and related dementia. This article, Getting serious about delirium, covers how to prevent and treat delirium without meds and offers insights to those working in the community setting with high risk consumers.
