Decision 3: Preparation of NY Connects, Care Coordinators & Educational Support

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Guidelines for Decision Making

  • NY Connects will perform functions that are essential to nursing home diversion/Medicaid spend-down  activities.  At minimum this will involve screening and identifying optimal candidates for the program, assessing need, working with families and caregivers in the development of service plans, linking consumers to needed services, and monitoring to ensure services are being provided and needs are being met.
  • AAA Care coordinators (support brokers/case managers) will work with eligible individuals and caregiver (if so designated by the eligible individual) in the development and management of service plans and the associated budget.
  •  Participating consumers will make decisions about how they want support services configured.  This will require a reorientation for staff and traditional providers accustomed to the traditional service model, entitlement programs, and governmental regulation. 
  • Enrollment in the program assumes a consumer (or their representative) is ready to exercise choice and control over the budget, planning, and management of care services.  Although many consumers and/or representatives will be able to manage these functional responsibilities, intensive educational support is generally needed initially, particularly as it relates to the recruitment and management of “workers.”

 Preparation of NY Connects staff for Program

Do NY Connects Staff have the resources needed to conduct intake and assessment for this program?  How support will they be of the new program?

How will candidates (including Veterans) for the program be identified via the NY Connects intake process?

  • Herr, A. (2007). How ARDCs Can Effectively Assist Veterans. Aging and Disability Resource Center Technical Assistance Exchange.
  • Ohio Aging and Disability Resource Network. (2008). ADRN Intake Form and Referral Form. Aging and Disability Resource Center Technical Assistance Exchange.

In what way can the NY Connects infrastructure be used to support the NHD program operations (e.g., outreach & marketing, referral protocols, IT/MIS systems, data collection, and management)?

  • Cheek, M. (2004). Stratgies for Building Collaboration. Aging and Disability Resource Center Technical Assistance Exchange.

What role will NY Connects staff have in providing options counseling to and after enrollment in the program?

Preparation of AAA Care Coordinator for Program

Do care coordinators have the training and orientation to (1) explain the difference between consumer direction and traditional approaches to services, (2) listen to both needs and desires for service provision, (3) present service options in ways that offer choice and illustrate implications for overall service budget, (4) link consumers to fiscal intermediaries , (5) support consumers in their development of back-up plans, and (6) ensure compliance with program and regulatory requirements?

 Preparation of Consumers and Caregivers

How will consumers be trained and assisted in recruiting, hiring, managing, evaluating, and dismissing workers?

What follow-up mechanisms will be established for participants? What frequency?

Preparation of Provider Network

What outreach and training tools and approaches will be used to prepare the provider networks for the NHD Program?

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