Wisconsin's Aging and

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Wisconsin's Aging and Disability Resource Centers
A Simplified System for Accessing Information
and Long Term Care
May 22, 2001
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• Resource Centers Services
• In this new simplified system for accessing
  information and assistance about community
  services and long term care, Resource Centers
  serve the general public through
• Public education
• Outreach/Information and Assistance
• Early intervention
• Prevention
• Youth transitional services

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• Population Based Activities of Resource Centers
• Marketing
• Public Information plans
• Prevention activities with special populations

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• Series of Protocols for Resource Center Contacts
  
• Tailor information for individuals, including
• Intake, to find out what it is the person wants
  and/or needs.
• Information, about programs, services or other
  community resources including, but not limited to
  Family Care.

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• Series of Protocols for Resource Center Contacts
  (contd.)
• Protocols for providing access to ongoing
  services for persons who do not express an
  interest in Family Care, including
• Assistance In getting entry level LTC services
  like snow shoveling, housekeeping, etc.
• Referral To other appropriate resources like
  congregate meals, transportation, APS, etc.

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• PAC Protocols
• Facilities are required to refer individuals
  prior to admission to all substitute care
  settings.
• Resource Centers do a follow-up contact
• 19 go on to explore Family Care
• 81 have had their needs met by the Resource
  Center or chosen other options

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• PAC Protocols (contd.)
• Protocols so that, while providing information
  and assistance
• If the person chooses to explore Family Care,
  their functional needs would be assessed, and a
  functional eligibility determination would be
  made without having to be referred elsewhere

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• PAC Protocols (contd.)
• Of persons who have accepted a functional screen
  to date
• 86 are eligible at NH LOC
• 11 are eligible at intermediate level
• 3 are not eligible

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• PAC Protocols (contd.)
• Protocols so that after the person provides
  adequate financial information
• MA Outreach occurs and a referral is made to the
  public economic support unit.
• Protocols so that if the person decided not to
  apply for MA, or for Family Care, they again
  would be offered information, assistance or
  referral for other available services, including
• Private pay services
• Other non-MA services

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• Resource Center Goals
• The goal is that the Resource Center would be a
  clearing house for consumers where information
  and access to a variety of services, including
  LTC, could occur simultaneously so that
• Functional eligibility determination could be
  integrated with other Resource Center functions,
  including
• Outreach and Intake
• Information and assistance
• LTC options counseling
• Referral

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• Resource Center Goals (contd.)
• Consumers would not experience
• Being handed-off from one worker to another
• Being asked the same questions repeatedly
• Procedures would be as efficient and
  cost-effective as possible

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• Resource Center Goals (contd.)
• The Family Care Pilot counties have been
  operating under this model, and
• Most consumers never have to go anywhere
  instead Resource Center staff go to their homes
  get a better picture of the persons functioning
  in their own environment, and the consumer has a
  level of comfort that makes the sharing of
  sensitive information much easier.

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• Resource Center Goals (contd.)
• Consumers arent on their own in figuring out
  how to get services a worker is responsible for
  facilitating access to the programs and services
  the person needs and wants
• Eligibility determination is done in 2- 4 days
  (less than 24 hours when needed)
• Eligibility information is shared so that a CMO
  or other service agency doesnt ask the same
  questions

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• Resource Center Experience
• Long term care in the community is a strange
  animal!

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• Being a Resource Center worker requires a varied
  set of skills
• Communication and interview skills
• Phone interviewing with the ability to assess and
  reframe as the conversation progresses
• Ability as a functional assessor

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• Options counseling is usually not an event, but a
  process that unfolds over time and results in
  spontaneous outreach

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Sometimes It takes Multiple Contacts
.And the paths are time-consuming and convoluted
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• In more than four out of five contacts to the
  Resource Center, the person does not want
  information about Family Care or other LTC
  services
• They just want questions answered or
• They just need information about other community
  services, or
• Referrals to other programs

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• Sometimes Response has to be Immediate.

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• And requires high degrees of cooperation between
  the Resource Center and the Service Agency such
  as the CMO

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Resource Centers can be short term care providers
as they assess and arrange for services and help
problem solve family situations.
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• Options Counseling for individuals who have their
  own resources and have long term care needs is an
  important part of the Resource Center role.

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• Current status of Resource Centers in Wisconsin
• Nine Pilot Resource Centers linked with the
  Family Care redesign initiative
• Three were created out of the county Departments
  on Aging
• One was created out of combining the county
  Public Health Department and the Department on
  Aging

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• Current status of Resource Centers in Wisconsin
  (contd.)
• Two were created from county Social Service
  agencies
• Two were created from county Human Service
  agencies
• One is split between the county Social Service
  agency and the agency responsible for
  Developmental Disabilities Services.

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• Current status of Resource Centers in Wisconsin
  (contd.)
• Number of Resource Center contacts have grown
  state wide from 4,800 in December of 1999 to A
  TOTAL OF 68,076 contacts in 2002
• In the third quarter of 2002
• 14.9 needed basic information on Medicaid, food
  stamps and other basic resources
• 29.5 were looking for LTC related services
• 18.8 were looking for basic info on other
  services

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• Current status of Resource Centers in Wisconsin
  (contd.)
• 13.9 were referrals to the LTC FS
• 6.9 were referrals to other public services
• 8.9 needed short term case management or follow
  up
• 3.7 needed a follow up contact from RC staff
• 2.1 were referred to adult protective services

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• Current status of Resource Centers in Wisconsin
  (contd.)
• 1.1 were referrals to private long term care
  services
• 0.3 were referrals to emergency services.

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Where do we Go From Here ?

• Ever growing interest from county agencies to
  begin the process of evolving into Resource
  Centers, as they recognize the advantages of a
  centralized information system for the community
• Greater collaboration between the county agencies
  and the community resources results in better
  services and information to the consumer

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Where do we Go From Here ?

• Recognition that a Resource Center is a business
  that serves customers and that customer
  satisfaction is important
• Recognition for the need for good IT systems to
  support the concept of a Resource Center that
  provides the full range of services and good
  current information for the community.

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Why we need Resource Centers?
800,000 in WI age 60 and over
Comprehensive LTC Population
Intermediate LTC Population
IA Support as a care giver ?s on LTC
insurance Prevention intervention
Brief interventions after acute care or
illness Protective services monitoring Nutrition
services
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Why we need Resource Centers?

• Look at the demographics
• Explosion of aging population
• Cant afford to have this explosion coming
  through the public systemin crisis
• Need an upstreamapproach

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Wisconsins Current Information Technology
Initiative

• A project is currently underway to build a system
  that would
• Allow authorized workers to determine functional
  eligibility for Long Term Care using Web-based
  technology
• Store information in a single data repository
  that will allow authorized CMO and RC staff to
  share information

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Wisconsins Current Information Technology
Initiative (contd.)

• Provide simple and intuitive navigation
• Present information in user-friendly screens for
  data entry
• Provide for context-sensitive help
• Enable immediate determination of Eligibility,
  thus reducing wait time

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Wisconsins Current Information Technology
Initiative (contd.) - Sample Screen
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WI FUNDING MECHANISMS

• MA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS FOR I A
• MA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS FOR ELIGIBILITY
  DETERMINATION
• MA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS FOR IT DEVELOPMENT

• MATCHED WITH BOTH LOCAL COUNTY DOLLARS PREVIOUSLY
  USED FOR INTAKE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
• AND STATE GPR PREVIOUSLY USED IN THE LONG TERM
  CARE SYSTEM

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Questions ?