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2017 Session

Budget Amendments - SB900 (Member Request)

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Chief Patron: Hanger
Develop and Incentivize Use of Electronic Visit Verification System

Item 306 #15s

Item 306 #15s

First Year - FY2017 Second Year - FY2018
Health and Human Resources
Department of Medical Assistance Services FY2017 $0 FY2018 $1,887,203 GF
FY2017 $0 FY2018 $16,984,823 NGF

Language
Page 284, line 40, strike "$9,714,745,576" and insert "$9,733,617,602".

Page 311, after line 41, insert:

"WWWW. Effective July 1, 2017, the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) shall work in cooperation with personal care and home health services providers, industry associations and technology vendors to comply with federal Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) law. The department shall develop an open system platform to allow integration by various EVV systems to ensure providers are able to utilize technology vendors of their choice. Personal Care and Home Health agencies choosing to utilize HIPAA compliant EVV systems may do so by using a system that records and contains the same elements as the DMAS 90 and permits the system to verify the location from which the services are provided and the individual for whom the services are provided. DMAS may require EVV systems to: (i) ensure daily back-up for all data collected; (ii) protect data securely and reliably; (iii) demonstrate a disaster recovery mechanism allowing for use within twelve hours of disruption to services (subject to exceptional circumstances such as war and other disasters of national scope); (iv) be capable of producing reports of all services and supports rendered, the individual's identity, the start and end time of the provision of services and supports and the date/s of service in summary fashion that constitute documentation of service that is fully compliant with regulation; and (v) ensure each aide and individual/family receiving services will have a unique personal identification number or a biometric identification system and ensure the aide shall not be able to enter or modify the time and date. To incentivize the transition to EVV, the department shall increase the rates for agencies providing personal care, respite and companion services in the Elderly and Disabled with Consurmer Direction waiver, the Developmentally Disabled waiver programs and the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment program or home health services by five percent from current levels. Such rate increase shall only be effective for agencies after their implementation of a functioning EVV system."



Explanation

(This amendment adds $1.8 million from the general fund and $17.0 million in enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds to assist in the development of an Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system which allows for integration by various EVV systems used by Medicaid personal care and home health services providers to verify home- and community-based visits to Medicaid recipients. The Federal CURES Act requires EVV for home- and community-based visits these services by January 1, 2019 or states will face a reduction in their federal reimbursement. The federal government provides a 90 percent match for state funds implementing an EVV system for the first year, dropping to a 75 percent federal match thereafter. Language also requires the agency to increase payment rates by five percent for personal care, respite care and companion services in several Medicaid programs to incentivize the use of Electronic Visit Verification (“EVV”) systems by personal care and home health agencies. The Federal 21st Century CURES Act will require use of EVV by January 1, 2019, or states will face a reduction in their federal reimbursement.)