Skip to content
elderly man in a wheelchair with a dog in his lap

Onward Means Consumer Protections

Onward Means Consumer Protections THE VBP Blog Over the last few decades, advocates and regulators have worked tirelessly to build in significant protections in the way services are delivered. We’ve been fighting for things such as independent living in the community, smaller group homes, privacy in each room, and community integration. In the current COVID-19 crisis, we see many of these regulations being waived, in the name of emergency flexibility and the ability to provide services efficiently.  We’re also seeing individuals with disabilities being pushed to the back of the line in some states. We see three ways to look at this abrupt change. One, there are a number of burdensome regulations we should reconsider. The pandemic is just exposing… Read More »Onward Means Consumer Protections

Onward Takes on New Meaning!

ONWARD Takes On A New Meaning THE VBP Blog Our blog has focused on the quality of services and how you can leverage measuring performance to continuously improve satisfaction, support our consumers, and keep you ahead of the game.  Today, the challenges you face are monumental, so we will focus on supporting you and live by our mantra, ONWARD! With hourly updates on the COVID-19 situation, having resources you can rely on is paramount. We want to make sure that you have resources for not only your consumers, but your staff and your business to ensure you make informed decisions. With that in mind, we have compiled both news articles and resources for you to reference. Here are a few… Read More »Onward Takes on New Meaning!

Pay for Performance – An Opportunity for Self-Direction in HCBS

Break Through Value-Based Payments Pay for Performance – An Opportunity for Self-Direction in HCBS THE VBP Blog Roughly a year ago we did a blog on Payment for Performance that took a look at the second step in the Value-Based Continuum. Pay for Performance (P4P) is the model that sets metrics to incentivize providers to achieve, advance, and exceed through their quality of care. We talked about the pros – sustainable metrics can lead to higher quality care – and the cons – lower social-economic status areas will have inevitable bad outcomes and thus receive less funding. The P4P model is undoubtedly the longest standing and fastest growing[2] above its counterparts in shared savings, bundling, and shared risk models.  In… Read More »Pay for Performance – An Opportunity for Self-Direction in HCBS

Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Kansas and Texas

Break Through Value Based Payments Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Kansas and Texas THE VBP Blog Happy New Year! Let’s start 2020 where we left off in our last blog. We will review two of the ten states that currently are supporting the I/DD population with managed care programs. Using the Ancor 2018 White Paper, combined with our own research, we opted to break down Texas and Kansas. Both contract with Multi-state Commercial MCOs to administer their programs. Kansas’ fully capitated, MCO-based, state-wide program is called KanCare, started in 2013 with the I/DD enrollment portion starting in 2014. As of the end of 2017 there were 8954 people on the KanCare I/DD Waiver program. The initial goals for KanCare… Read More »Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Kansas and Texas

Hipster son walking with disabled father in wheelchair at park.

Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Iowa and Tennessee

Break Through Value Based Payments THE VBP Blog Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Iowa and Tennessee Managed care has been a slow mover for the I/DD population in multiple states. As of 2019, there are 229,817 Medicaid consumers with an intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) enrolled in Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs. In fact, only ten states have adopted a policy for populations with special needs at all. As stated in our last blog, managed care for the I/DD population is the largest challenge to date.  The need for lifelong care, high levels or care, and the Managed Care Organization’s (MCO’s) lack of experience with this community has made transitions difficult. In this blog, we are going to… Read More »Looking at States’ Managed Care Programs: Iowa and Tennessee

Quality Measures for the I/DD and MLTSS Communities

Break Through Value Based Payments Quality Measures for the I/DD and MLTSS Communities THE VBP Blog In our last blog we anticipated breaking down the current state models for I/DD communities. However, we attended the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) conference and presented to the MAX Group, where we learned that many providers aren’t as attuned to the quality measures available in this area. So, acting on the counsel from many of you, we adjusted course, flexed a little and decided to spend a little time sharing the state of measures of quality being developed and used in this area. Once we have covered this fully, we’ll return to our discussion of state models. Our Advocate’s Perspective may surprise… Read More »Quality Measures for the I/DD and MLTSS Communities