Posts Tagged ‘AHCCCS’

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Cory Goes Permanent

May 3rd, 2013

I’m happy to announce that I’ve permanently appointed Cory Nelson as our official Deputy Director for Behavioral Health.  He’s been serving in the Acting capacity since August of ‘12 and has shown great skill and leadership in the position.  He’s been very successful working with our leadership and our Agency team as well as our behavioral health stakeholders and colleagues at AHCCCS and ADES.  His administrative and leadership skills are perfect for where we’re headed in the State’s behavioral health system.    

In his permanent role as Deputy for Behavioral Health, Cory will continue to provide oversight of the Arizona State Hospital, as statutorily, the Hospital CEO reports to the Behavioral Health Deputy Director.  We’ll begin a national (and local) recruitment for a new CEO at the Hospital shortly.  Donna Noriega has also been doing a very good job administering the Hospital in an acting capacity since last August, and we thank her for continuing to serve in that role while we conduct the recruitment. 

Thanks and Congrats…

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Posted in Behavioral Health

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Hitting Our Mark at Showtime

February 28th, 2013

Last Saturday our Licensing team hit the mark at Showtime- when it matters most.  After hearing that the Fountain Retirement Hotel had put residents on notice it was closing, we immediately became concerned that staff would stop showing up, food and medication would not be given out, and the residents would be turned out into the streets to live. Many of the residents have significant medical and behavioral health needs, and need a caregiver to assist them with things like taking medication and preparing food.  

Our licensing team arrived at the facility immediately after hearing of the situation from the Sheriff’s Office…  and our licensing team pretty much right away called an “immediate jeopardy” (meaning that there was the potential for a real threat to health and safety of the residents).  Our team stayed all afternoon and into the night, working with the facility’s owner and manager to ensure all residents would be safe.  We maintained a strong presence at the facility throughout the weekend, making sure there were proper caregivers, enough food, and that residents were receiving their medication. 

We’re still sending surveyors out twice a day and are working with many other agencies, including AHCCCS, the VA, Adult Protective Services, Magellan, Partners in Recovery, and the Long Term Care Ombudsman’s Program to make sure the residents are finding new homes that will be able to meet their needs.  A huge thanks to Dr. Cara Christ, Kathy McCanna, Richard Young, Ellie Strang, and Jim Tiffany, for responding so effectively and ensuring the Health and Wellness of these Arizonans.  Thanks!

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Posted in Licensing

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KidsCare II Enrollment opens today

November 1st, 2012

Starting today, AHCCCS is reopening enrollment in the KidsCare II program.  Arizona’s Temporary Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is accepting applications again.  Enrollment was suspended in September and many people were put on a wait list – those kids will be automatically enrolled and do not need to reapply.  KidsCare II criteria include income guidelines of up to 175% of the federal poverty level.

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National Vaccine Policies in Flux

October 5th, 2012

The next 2 years will be a time of transition for how vaccines are delivered and paid for in the US- as national policy shifts to the new order under the Affordable Care Act.  In the short-term there’ll be some transition challenges- but in the long run- it should be easier to keep up our vaccination rates. 

In a couple of weeks, the CDC will stop allowing federally purchased vaccines to be used for immunizing privately insured kids.   They’re doing this to ensure that federal vaccine only go to those who have no other options for vaccination… and to assure that all insured children are vaccinated through their insurance policy rather than taking advantage of free federally purchased vaccine. 

In the past, county public health clinics that get federally purchased vaccine through our Immunization Program have used federally purchased vaccine to ensure that any child who has not been able to access vaccine elsewhere is able to get immunized, even when the child is insured.  Because not all counties will have a mechanism to bill private insurance companies for services- some might not be fully ready to immunize privately insured children next week… meaning that insured children will need to receive all of their immunizations in their medical home.  The second policy change will be implemented mid-year 2013… when the CDC will stop allowing underinsured kids to get immunized for free with federal, except at specified locations.  “Under-insured” means that a child has insurance, but the insurance doesn’t cover one or more immunizations.  Those are the short-term challenges. 

The good news is that there’s still plenty of federal vaccine for Vaccines for Children eligible kids (including kids on AHCCCS), the uninsured and Native Americans.  The best news is that it’ll be easier to maintain high vaccination rates starting in January of 2014 because the Affordable Care Act provides for “first dollar” coverage for vaccines for all kids…  plus there’ll be fewer under-insured children.  So, the real key is to get over the 2013 hump- because beginning in January of 2014 things will get easier.

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Posted in Affordable Care Act, Prevention

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The Future of Health Care in AZ

September 5th, 2012

AHCCCS will host public meetings across the state to provide additional information regarding the future of Arizona’s Medicaid program.  Here’s the Public Meeting Schedule and more information.

 

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Posted in Behavioral Health, General

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Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program Expansion

August 14th, 2012

More good news…  starting last week- more uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer will be eligible to receive comprehensive treatment through Arizona’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program (which is administered by AHCCCS).  In the past, only women diagnosed through Well Woman HealthCheck were able to access treatment through the Program.  

The American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure, Phoenix and Tucson Affiliates, worked hard to support this change.   Funding for the expanded version of the Program was included in this year’s state budget.   For more information on the Well Woman HealthCheck Program or the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program please visit the wellwomanhealthcheck.org.  This is a great community resource- and will save lives.

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Posted in Prevention

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Affordable Care Act Info

August 7th, 2012

Now that the Supreme Court has spoken regarding the Affordable Care Act- States have a lot more clarity around the decisions they’ll need to make and what they need to do to implement the law.  The Governor kicked off a process to review the options and engage Stakeholders for their input this week. Additional meetings are being scheduled in the coming weeks including public meetings toward the end of August and into September.  You can see the PowerPoint Presentation to Stakeholders and the AHCCCS Cost Summary on the AHCCCS website. 

Those of you that work in behavioral health (and anybody in the Agency really) should take some time to review the PowerPoint- as it provides a sketch of the background information.  There are clearly lots of decisions yet to be made- but the materials provide some interesting insight.

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Posted in Behavioral Health

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AZ Kicks off the “No Place Like Home” Campaign

March 16th, 2012

Kathy McCanna, Alan Oppenheim, and Connie Belden (from Licensing) and Kristy Benton (from Behavioral Health) recently jumped head-first into a new Arizona health-care initiative called No Place Like Home which is Arizona’s approach to the Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs project.  The project aims to prevent hospital-acquired conditions and hospital re-admissions.  The name No Place Like Home means that it’s better to be at home than back in a hospital. 

The (public-private) Partnership for Patients brings together leaders of major hospitals, employers, health plans, physicians, nurses, and patient advocates along with State and Federal governments in a shared effort to focus on preventing hospital-acquired conditions and decreasing hospital re-admissions.  The No Place Like Home Campaign engages hospitals, rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, hospices, home health agencies, community pharmacies, clinician offices, community-based organizations and other care providers in an intense collaborative to: 

  • Prevent 4,000 readmissions within 30 days of hospital discharge by June 30, 2013;
  • Reduce the overall readmission rate for Medicare beneficiaries by 20%; and
  • Decrease health-care expenditures related to these re-admissions. 

Our partners are the Health Services Advisory Group, Inc. (HSAG), the Arizona Partnership Implementing Patient Safety (APIPS),  the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) & AHCCCS.  HSAG will manage the day-to-day operational aspects of the Campaign by providing staffing and resources to support participants. Our Licensing team (in their role with Medicare Surveys and Certification) will be an asset in providing assessment data that can be used for quality improvement strategies in Arizona. This Campaign is totally in keeping with the ADHS Vision of “Health and Wellness for all Arizonans” as well as our Strategic Map overarching goal to “Achieve targeted improvements in health outcomes”.

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Posted in Behavioral Health, Licensing

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Peer & Family Behavioral Health Report

February 28th, 2012

We recently held a series of focus groups and interviews to obtain input from persons with Serious Mental Illnesses (peers) and their family members regarding the integration of physical healthcare and behavioral healthcare services in partnership with St. Luke’s Health Initiative and AHCCCS, and several behavioral health peer-run organizations and peer and family members.  The full report is now available online and is titled: “Summary of Input from Peers and Family Members Regarding the Planned Integrated Healthcare System for Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses”.  It’s on our Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care website under the NEWS area along with a link where to submit additional input and the latest information regarding integration. 

I won’t spoil things by saying too much about the results- but I’ll give you some “key words” from the report: Listen, Voice, Respect, Individualized, Skilled, Quality, Outcomes, & Equity.

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Posted in Behavioral Health

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Doing the Right Thing

February 1st, 2012

Our Assisted Living Licensing shop received a complaint about physical and verbal abuse of vulnerable adults in an assisted living facility in Casa Grande a couple of weeks ago.  Surveyors Matthew Deise and Doris Laidlaw responded to the facility and interviewed several residents and caregivers at the home, who confirmed that some employees treat the residents disrespectfully.  Some of the residents appeared fearful and unwilling to talk, which can also be a warning sign of abuse- and a signal to dig deeper.  

Although the investigation is still ongoing, our team notified AHCCCS, Adult Protective Services, and the Ombudsman’s office of these concerns to coordinate needed services for the residents and ensure that their safety is protected.  Right after our call- AHCCCS placed 24-hour supervisory staff in the home and another home owned by the same person.  Our team called the owner and manager of both facilities for a meeting the next morning to ensure that they were aware of their responsibility to protect not only the health and safety of the residents, but also the resident’s rights, including the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to express grievances without constraint or fear of retaliation. 

Our team is still working through the details of this case- but it shows how important our licensing work is…  our team is on the front lines of not only keeping people safe- but making sure that they’re treated with dignity and respect.

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