AAHSA Welcomes New HCBS Director
We are pleased to introduce Peter Notarstefano as our new Director of Home and Community Based Services. Peter has worked in adult day services, home health care and nursing homes for many years, and is extremely knowledgeable on the many programs that fund the services you provide. Please contact him with any questions you may have on public policies that affect HCBS providers. He is also anxious to hear from you about innovative programs in HCBS that you have put into effect in your organization, so we can spread the word on how HCBS programs are making it possible for older Americans to remain healthy, safe and independent in their homes. You may contact Peter at pnotarstefano@aahsa.org or (202) 508-9406.

Explore HCBS Policy Issues at AAHSA's March Conference
Learn about the status of recent HCBS legislative initiatives during an HCBS Policy Forum to be held this March at AAHSA's Future of Aging Services Conference & Exposition. The conference takes place March 19-21 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Additional conference sessions will help you develop strong state adult day advocacy, assess your organizational readiness and capacity for change, and safeguard your not-for-profit status. A Capitol Hill Forum and Caucus will help participants analyze AAHSA's priority advocacy issues and present these critical issues to legislators. Arrive a day early and attend our Leadership Summit on March 18. There, you can explore the latest leadership theories with your staff and other providers like you. Learn more at the conference Web site.

Home Health Payments Should Not Increase in 2008, says MedPAC Staff
Staff at the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) have recommended that payments to home health care providers and skilled nursing facilities should not increase in 2008. The staff recommendations were made at the commission's December meeting, and are likely to be contained in MedPAC's full report to Congress in March. AAHSA will urge your legislators to support a full market basket update for both home health care providers and nursing facilities next year. The report also noted the significant growth in the home health field, with 500 new home health services programs having started since 2002. The MedPAC analysis also showed slight improvements in quality measures. Learn more about the recommendations by reading the proceedings of the commission meeting.

President Bush signs the Lifespan Respite Care Act
Family caregivers received a welcome holiday present on Dec. 21 when President George Bush signed the Lifespan Respite Care Act. The new law will provide $30 million in the first year and almost $300 million over five years for competitive grants to states and local agencies. The funds will help grantees increase the availability of respite care services for family caregivers, regardless of age. It is now up to Congress to appropriate funds to carry out the new program. Read how the new law will affect HCBS providers, or contact Peter Notarstefano, (202) 508-9406, for more information.

Home Health Quality Campaign Strives to Reduce Hospitalizations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on January 11 the creation of the "Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign 2007" which is a 12 month united effort between home health agencies, quality improvement organizations and other stake holders. The goal is to reduce the acute care hospitalization rates across all participating home health agencies by 5 percent over the next year. According to CMS, more than one in four home health patient's episodes result in hospitalizations. The Campaign staff will provide your home health agency with free tools, resources, guidelines, success stories, best practice education materials, and supporting data. There is no charge to participate in this program to help your Home Health agency provide quality patient care. Get more information.

HHS Releases Report on Adult Day Services
A new report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that adult day services (ADS) may delay or prevent institutionalization and reduce health expenditures. The report, "Adult Day Services: A Key Community Service for Older Adults," calls for more research to document the cost-saving features of these programs. It also outlines the current and potential role of ADS in the health care and long-term care systems, identifies operational and regulatory issues facing ADS providers, and provides information that can guide future research and policy analysis of ADS. The full report and the executive summary are available online.

AAHSA Magazine Offers Tips for Adult Day Start-ups
Consumer demand for adult day health programs is increasing, but current providers caution that establishing such programs involves "a lot of homework" and many challenges. In the January/February issue of AAHSA's FutureAge magazine, providers from New York, Connecticut, Indiana, Ohio, and Washington offer advice on starting adult day programs, including tips on building census and recognizing unmet community needs. FutureAge subscriptions are free to AAHSA members. Contact the magazine for more information.

NADSA to Hold Public Policy Institute
Providers of adult day services will gather in Washington, D.C., on March 19-20 for the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) Public Policy Institute. The two-day education program, held in conjunction with the AAHSA Future of Aging Services Conference & Exposition, will feature sessions on "How to Develop a Strong State Adult Day Advocacy," and "The Role of the VA in Adult Day Care." View the institute's schedule for more information.

CMS Grants Will Help Create Care Alternatives
Seventeen states will receive more than $23 million in grants for FY 07, and up to $900 million over five years, to build Medicaid long-term care programs that keep people in the community and out of institutions. The awards are part of the Money Follows the Person "rebalancing" initiative, which was included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Grantees will be designing programs that increase the use of home- and community-based services and eliminate barriers that prevent Medicaid-eligible recipients from receiving long-term care services in the setting of their choice. Read more about the grant program or contact Peter Notarstefano, (202) 783-2242.

CMS Waives 2007 Penalty for Late Enrollment in Medicare Part D
Medicare recipients who have not yet signed up for prescription drug coverage won't pay a late enrollment fee in 2007 if they are eligible for the low-income subsidy offered through Medicare Part D. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has waived the penalty through December 31, 2007 in an effort to encourage more low-income individuals to sign up for drug coverage. Contact the Social Security Administration for more information about how you can help the people you serve get the benefits they deserve.

New Web site Makes Long-Term Care Planning Easier
Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services combined their resources to design and implement "The National Clearinghouse for Long-term Care Information Website". This website is a comprehensive source of information on long-term care planning, services and financing options. It clearly shows the public the risks and costs of long-term care services from state to state. HHS has recently announced a new federal-state partnership with several states as part of the "Own Your Future" education campaign. Get help with your long-term care planning

Grant Awarded For Rural Health Providers To Develop PACE
The new Rural PACE Provider Grant Program will provide 15 grantees with $500,000 to support the development of a rural PACE program for areas of the country that have high percentage of "at risk" low income elderly. Awardees include AllCare of Arkansas, Volunteers of America(CO), Hale Makua of Hawaii, Hospice of Siouxland (Iowa), Billings Clinic Foundation (Montana), Community Care of Western New York, Piedmont Health Services (NC), Northland Healthcare Alliance (ND), Geisinger Health System (PA), The Methodist Oaks(SC), PACE Vermont, Appalacian Agency for Senior Citizens(VA), Mountain Empire Older Citizens(VA) and CAMC Health Ed and Research. This grant stemmed from the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 which allocated $7.5 million to this project. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) fuses adult day health, home health services and case management to provide a means for older adults to remain independent at home. In 2000, 23 percent of older Americans lived in rural areas. The population in rural America is proportionately older than urban America. This grant will make it easier for older Americans who live in rural areas to better manage their health conditions and have vital in-home services as well as the opportunity for recreational activities and socialization. Many older adults in rural America have no means of transportation to non-medical activities. The adult day care and transportation within the PACE will provide this needed service. Learn more about this grant.

Iowa: Medicaid Recipients Can Control Their Medicaid Spending
Medicaid beneficiaries in Iowa can now hire friends and relatives to provide personal care services, buy a microwave with meal allotments, or hire neighbors to drive them to doctor appointments. The Consumer Choices Option, unveiled in December, is available to older or disabled Iowans who are eligible for Medicaid and choose to receive "waiver" services. The program is voluntary. Participants will develop an individual budget plan, directly hire employees, and work with a local credit union to pay for goods and services. Seed money for the Consumer Choices Option was provided by a $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). View materials describing the Iowa program, or visit the RWJF Web site for more information about the foundation's Cash and Counseling Model of Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services.

New York: Commission Calls for More HCBS
A Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century has recommended that New York reduce the number of nursing home beds in the state and increase home- and community-based long-term care options. The commission was charged by former New York Governor George Pataki and the New York State Legislature with conducting an independent review of the state's health care capacity and resources. The commission's report, "A Plan to Stabilize and Strengthen New York's Health Care System," states that New York has an insufficient supply of non-institutional alternatives to nursing homes, and calls for "many additional slots" of adult day health care, long-term home health care, and supportive housing.

AARP Profiles the State of Long-Term Care and Independent Living
How is your state spending its Medicaid dollars? And how do those spending levels compare with spending in other states and the nation as a whole? This and other long-term care data can be found in the latest edition of AARP's "Across the States: Profiles of Long Term Care and Independent Living." The 350-page report contains a variety of data for each state and the District of Columbia, including population characteristics, needs for long-term care, HCBS resources and use of HCBS, Medicaid spending by type of long-term care service, and long-term care financing. View the report online.

Home Health Providers Featured in AAHSA Magazine
As home-based services become more popular among older people, providers must bring their quality measures to bear in increasingly dispersed settings. Home health providers are meeting this challenge through staff training, intensive use of technology, and stronger staff recruitment and retention efforts. Read about their efforts in the January/February 2007 issue of AAHSA's FutureAge magazine. FutureAge subscriptions are free to AAHSA members. Contact the magazine for more information.