home- and community-based services

Conflicts of Interest Mar HCBS

States’ efforts to provide home- and community-based services to elderly and disabled Medicaid beneficiaries who need assistance to continue living independently continue to be plagued with conflicts of interest that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is not adequately addressing. Or so concludes a new study published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. According to the GAO, …conflict of interest remain in regard to HCBS providers and managed care plans. HCBS providers may have a financial interest in the outcome of needs assessments, which could lead to overstating needs and overprovision of services. CMS has addressed risks associated with [...]

States Lag in Reducing Nursing Home Utilization

States are not making adequate progress toward keeping seniors and the disabled out of nursing homes by making greater use of home and community-based services. Or so concludes a new study from AARP. According to the study, only nine states and Washington, D.C. spend more on home and community-based services and long-term services and supports than on nursing homes. Minnesota leads the nation, spending 69 percent of its long-term-care money on home and community-based services. Other leaders include Washington state (65 percent), New Mexico (64 percent), and Alaska (63 percent). Alabama pulls up the rear with only 14 percent. The [...]