The goal: Create aging and disability resource centers in every state.

The feds are making it easier for aging and disabled persons to receive information on their care options.

In support of President Barack Obama’s proclamation of the “Year of Community Living,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on June 22 a funding opportunity through Aging and Disability Resource Center Programs. ADRCs provide “one-stop shop” sources of information, one-on-one counseling, and access to programs and services that help people remain in their own homes and communities. ADRCs also partner with State Health Insurance Counseling Programs to help people with their Medicare benefits.

This funding opportunity will expand ADRCs across the country, HHS clarified. ADRCs are a collaborative effort of the Administration of Aging and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Background: Since 2003 AoA and CMS have jointly funded ADRC pilot programs in 45 states and territories. The new funding will build on and expand the existing pilots to ensure every state can offer this program and its services to their citizens.

“This program will help consumers and their families, and it can save taxpayer dollars," Secretary Sebelius said. "If people have options, they will be able to find the most appropriate and often lower-cost health-related and social services that support individuals to allow them to lead meaningful lives in their homes and communities.”

The Administration’s launch of “Year of Community Living” marked the 10^th year anniversary of the Supreme Court Olmstead v. L.C. decision. This landmark ruling supported community living options for people with disabilities to prevent discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The funding availability includes two opportunities: 

• AoA-funding opportunity for ADRC development or expansion in up to 50 states over a three-year period. The maximum award for the ADRC opportunity will be $600,000; total funds available are $10 million. 

• CMS-award opportunity to programs in California, Hawaii, Maryland, and North Carolina to strengthen ADRC partnerships with hospitals so that more people who are being discharged and need post-acute care receive that care at home rather than in a nursing home facility. The award amount per state is $1,167,000.   

States applying for ADRC grants must involve a variety of agencies, organizations, and consumers representing seniors and people with disabilities in the design and implementation of their ADRC programs, HHS said. 

Meanwhile, CMS issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to solicit input on removing federal barriers that prevent states from designing needs-based, person-centered home and community-based waiver programs. This notice also asks for comments on the characteristics of home and community-based settings. The ANPRM is at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-14559.pdf .

For more information on ADRCs, go to www.adrc-tae.org .  

In other news…

• Providers and administrative staff involved in verifying CMNs have a CEU opportunity. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced Certificate of Medical Necessity Web-Based Training is now available. More information about the course is at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo. Scroll to the "Related Links Inside CMS" section at the bottom of the page, and select Web Based Training Modules. You will find the "Certificate of Medical Necessity WBT" from the list provided. Upon completion of this course one should be able to:

1) List the items that require a Certificate of Medical Necessity (CMN);

2) Identify the responsibilities of Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, or Clinical Nurse Specialists as they relate to the CMN;

3) Define medical record documentation;

4) Identify the sections of a CMN;

5) List CMN common Errors; and

6) Identify CMN completion resources.

• Healthcare providers should keep a sharp eye on incoming faxes: On June 18, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent an email warning providers of a scam where perpetrators are sending faxes to physician offices posing as the provider's Medicare carrier or Medicare Administrative Contractor. The fax instructs physician staff to respond to a questionnaire to provide an account information update within 48 hours in order to prevent a gap in Medicare payments. The fax may have the CMS logo and/or the contractor logo to enhance the appearance of authenticity.

"If you receive a request for information in the manner described above, please check with your contractor before submitting any information," CMS advised. "Medicare providers should only send information to a Medicare contractor using the address found in the download section of the CMS.gov website found at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNGenInfo  or www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll ."

• Lab coats may be a thing of the past in hospitals -- and it's all hinging on an American Medical Association debate. Recent evidence from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention about the rate of infections contracted in hospitals raised the question of whether lab coat sleeves could be a culprit. The AMA House of Delegates is pushing to ban lab coats in hospital settings, according to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog.