|
|
||
|
»Return to the Enough is Enough home page
Enough With the Cuts (continued from home page) To further tap home care's cost-savings potential, the Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) has developed a comprehensive bill (S.5179, sponsored by State Senator Craig Johnson during last year's session) that would mean significant savings for the Medicaid system by instituting home-care program enhancements, regulatory reform, workforce flexibility, quality and performance standards, and a realignment of financial incentives. The home care community has come to the table and offered constructive solutions. Our proposals will save dollars and will save vital programs for the elderly, chronically ill and persons with disabilities. In fact, the December Deficit Reduction Plan included one provision of our bill that both the Paterson Administration and HCA have estimated will save the state millions of dollars.The provision, part of HCA's Home Care Accessibility and Efficiency Improvement Act (HCA-EIA), changes the RN medication pre-fill limitation from the current 7-day pre-fill allowance (8 days when there are holidays) to a 14-day (15-day) pre-fill allowance, thereby avoiding the need for nursing visits for chronic care patients who are routinely visited by nurses for the sole purpose of medication pre-fill. HCA will be working to further advance these and other cost-savings alternatives as state budget negotiations continue and we hope that state leaders will resist the lure of destructive across-the-board cuts, like those contained in the Governor’s original deficit-reduction plan, when more productive approaches are available. Three other HCA provisions are included in the Governor's 2010-11 Executive State Budget. Among the array of proposals in the HCA legislation that were selected by Governor Paterson for inclusion in the proposed budget are provisions which would: increase the minimum reassessment interval — from every 120 days to 180 days — for patients in the state's Long Term Home Health Care Program, allow home care providers to collaborate under dual waivers or case management to jointly serve patients, and create a Federal-State Medicare Shared Cost Savings Partnership Program. HCA urges the Governor and Legislature to further consider the other provisions of HCA's bill that would serve to obviate the need for any of the cuts proposed by the Governor. »Learn more about HCA's bill, the Home Care Accessibility and Efficiency Improvement Act
©2009, The Home Care Association of New York State Got Questions? E-mail the webmaster. |
||
