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HOMECARE
Highlights 2018
PHA Helps Members Navigate Community HealthChoices Implementation
After many years of planning between the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) and key stakeholders like PHA, the
Commonwealth’s managed long-term services and supports program, Community HealthChoices (CHC), finally
kicked off in the southwest in January 2018. During this first phase of implementation, PHA providers encountered
some hiccups receiving service authorization data and billing in a timely manner. However, with the partnership
between PHA and OLTL and constant communication with CHC managed care organizations (MCOs), PHA helped
agencies connect to the assistance they needed to continue business as usual. The Wolf Administration declared
the implementation of CHC a success in the southwest bec ause of the providers who supported people in their
homes, sometimes without receiving reimbursement for months. PHA commends members for their commitment
to their consumers!
Under CHC, approximately 100,000
individuals who had been receiving
homecare through Medicaid waivers
were enrolled with one of three MCOs
that now coordinate all of their medical
and long-term care needs. The goal of
the program is to promote efficiency and
allow more people to stay in their homes
and communities for long-term care.
Delays & Details on Electronic Visit Ve rification (EVV) Requirements
The 21st Century Cures Act, enacted by
Congress in 2016, includes a provision for Pennsylvania’s
state Medicaid programs to require providers Plan
to use electronic visit verification (EVV) for
homecare by 2019 and for home health by DHS will use the existing
2023. This summer, a bill was signed that PROMISe contract with
delayed implementation for homecare DXC Technology, which
providers until January 2020. The legislative partners with Sandata
advocacy was spearheaded by national Technologies, to comply
groups representing providers who serve individuals with developmental or with the EVV requirement
intellectual disabilities and unions that represent individuals who provide homecare for 2020. This is an open
under a participant-directed model. system that will receive
info from existing EVV
Regardless of the federal mandate timeline, DHS has encouraged providers to move
forward with implementing EVV in their organizations. Community HealthChoices vendors. A free EVV
MCOs still have discretion to require providers to have EVV any time after the initial system will be provided
continuity of care period. PHA hosted a Techie Tuesday event in July for members to for those who do not
meet with nine different EVV vendors and view demos of their products and offerings. currently have a vendor.
