Affordable Care Act Webinar: Care Transitions: Making the Programmatic Case

 On Wednesday, February 9, the Administration on Aging (AoA) will continue its series of webinars focused on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) and its impact on the aging network, delving further into the topic of care transitions. 

Title:
Care Transitions: Making the Programmatic Case

Date:
Wednesday, February 9, 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern

Description:
Integral first steps in developing a care transition program in your community include: gather and analyzing the data to support your efforts, determining whether and why hospital readmission rates may be high (also known as root cause analysis), and building the necessary partnerships to implement a program. This session in our ACA webinar series will explore these steps and help you to build a solid foundation for a care transitions program in your community.

Speakers:
Cathie Berger, Area Agency on Aging, Atlanta Regional Commission

Jane Brock, The Colorado Foundation for Medical Care

Alicia Goroski, The Colorado Foundation for Medical Care

Abigail Morgan, Office of Policy, Analysis and Development, Administration on Aging

Moderator:
Marisa Scala-Foley, Office of Policy, Analysis and Development, Administration on Aging
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To register for the online event
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1. Go to https://aoa-events.webex.com/aoa-events/onstage/g.php?d=660124537&t=a&EA=marisa.scala-foley%40aoa.hhs.gov&ET=014126fd08134c088ded8683cc041791&ETR=8a19232ca6896c4c21b4e21fc6b8f3ce&RT=MiMxMQ==&p
2. Click "Register".
3. On the registration form, enter your information and then click "Submit".

Once your registration is approved, you will receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.

Please note: Space is limited, so please register as early as possible.  This webinar will also be recorded and posted on the AoA web site (www.AoA.gov) soon after the webinar.   

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program

AoA has added a new page to www.aoa.gov that provides information about a new role for Aging Network professionals in working with HUD HECM reverse mortgage holders who may be delinquent with certain property cost payments. 

Beginning in January HECM mortgagees who are delinquent in property cost payments will receive a letter from their lender regarding payment of these costs.  Many of these older mortgagees may turn to the Aging Network for assistance.  This new web page is designed to assist Aging Network professionals in understanding the issue and how they may assist.  Resources available on the web page include background information, summary information, and an FAQ that may be used with consumers.  As new resources become available, the AoA HECM web page will be updated to include them.

The new web page can be found under AoA Programs, Special Projects at http://aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Special_Projects/index.aspx   

Transportation: The Silent Need

Transportation: The Silent Need provides the results of a survey of the nationwide network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and reflects their knowledge and opinions about senior transportation.

The survey of Area Agencies on Aging was undertaken by the National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST) as a first step in our efforts to identify the extent to which the Aging Network, including AAAs, Title VI Aging Services Programs, State Units on Aging, and Aging Transportation Services Providers, is involved in the delivery, administration and coordination of transportation services for senior citizens.

Summary The survey’s particular focus from the AAAs’ viewpoint should be considered when interpreting the survey results; nevertheless, we believe the report is useful and will enhance understanding of senior transportation. AAAs’ perspectives and knowledge of transportation are informed by their work on behalf of older people. A total of 367 Area Agencies, 58.3% of AAAs nationwide, responded to the survey. As the survey indicates, AAAs play a variety of roles in senior transportation - advocating, planning, administering, coordinating and providing services.

Of particular note are the following survey findings:
More

Public Policy and Aging Report: Aging Services Network

Four articles provide an update of where the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the Aging Network stand in the face of demographic, economic, and health care issues. The first two cover the history of the legislative and budgetary developments of the network and report on a national survey of Area Agencies on Aging. The third summarizes political vagaries that network agencies encounter. The last advocates that civic engagement efforts must expand to cover disadvantaged and vulnerable older adults.

H.R. 6331: Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

This bill has passed the House and Senate and is now awaiting the President's signature.

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services.

• Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services.
• Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans.
• Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies.
• Extends the qualifying individual program.
• Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program.
• Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals.
• Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers.
• Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas.
• Permits rebasing for sole community hospitals.
• Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties.
• Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals.
• Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments.
• Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for: (1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine; (2) expanded access to primary care services; (3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services.
• Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs.
• Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.
• Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation.
• Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services.
• Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease.
• Revises requirements for renal dialysis.
• Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS).
• Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014.
• Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals.
• Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates.
• Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals.
• Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs.
• Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D.
• Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs.
• Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and (2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities.
• Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund.
• Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid).
• Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF).
• Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend special diabetes grant programs.