The Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) has announced a plan to address placement challenges to post-acute care and to support long-term care providers with new funding during the COVID-19 emergency. MHA and its members, through MHA’s Post-Acute Care Transitions Workgroup, have been in close contact with the state over the past month and more in an attempt to resolve the challenges in the post-acute care continuum. Capacity and transfer issues, along with inadequate funding for the post acutes, have at times hampered the COVID-19 response.
The state’s plan is detailed in
this one-page summary. Included among the actions are an increased capacity for chronic ventilator-dependent patients and trach-dependent patients in specialized nursing homes. An add-on to the MassHealth nursing facility rate will support this expansion. The state is also providing additional funding of up to $4 million for LTCH/IRFs through MassHealth supplemental payments and temporarily lifting the non-payment for Administratively Necessary Days policy. And supply and demand data for LTCH/IRF beds will be tracked and triaging will be set up to assist in transitioning difficult-to-place cases during the state of emergency. Additional materials will be forthcoming, including a bulletin to formalize the Family Assistance expansion, an escalation form for patients who are "stuck" awaiting discharge, and details for the supplemental payments and the administrative day payment change.
MHA’s Vice President of Clinical Affairs Patricia Noga, R.N and Senior Director of State Government Finance and Policy Dan McHale, who both spearheaded the MHA response, said, “We very much appreciate the Baker Administration’s recognition of the unique role long-term care hospitals have in helping COVID-19 patients recover, as well as their efforts to protect and care for all patients at their facilities during these difficult times.”