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Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

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Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

Find your local number: https://umassboston.zoom.us/u/acwRDO3msK

 
Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcwdESp0V

Speaker(s):

Robyn Grant, MSW, Director, Public Policy and Advocacy, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

Topic:

Chronic understaffing has been a serious problem in nursing homes for decades, and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research indicates that inadequate staffing contributes to lower quality of care and poor health outcomes for residents. Yet no federal staffing standard exists, and only one state requires a minimum research-backed standard of 4.1 hours per resident day.

Our speaker(s) will provide an overview of a new report documenting staffing standards in each state and analyzing the contrast to research-based standards recommended by medical and healthcare professionals to ensure quality of care. The session will discuss the research and data supporting the need for a federal minimum staffing standard.

About the Speaker(s):

Robyn Grant

Robyn Grant is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the Consumer Voice’s public policy agenda and growing and mobilizing the grassroots network to support the organization’s policy work.  Prior to assuming this role, Robyn was the Director of Advocacy and Outreach. Before joining the Consumer Voice, she served as the Long Term Care Policy Director at United Senior Action, an Indiana senior advocacy organization, and a consultant with the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center. She has a Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in aging. She was the Indiana State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for eight years and president of the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs for two terms. Robyn has also served on the Consumer Voice Board of Directors.

The meeting materials will also be posted (once available) on the PRESENTATION MATERIALS page.

Long Term Care Discussion Group meetings are intended as forums for candid discussion. Dialogue and comments made during these meetings should be treated as off the record.

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, and for materials and information relating to previous meetings, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

SAVE THE DATE NOTIFICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED COURTESY OF AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS (AHIP). If you are not on the e-mail distribution list and wish to be added to it, please contact us at ltcdiscussiongroup@gmail.com

Zoom Information:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://umassboston.zoom.us/j/98624555415

Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

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+13017158592,,98624555415# US (Washington DC)

+13126266799,,98624555415# US (Chicago)

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  +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

Find your local number: https://umassboston.zoom.us/u/acwRDO3msK

 
Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 986 2455 5415

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcwdESp0V

Speakers:

Robyn Grant, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

Charlene Harrington, Ph.D., RN, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco

Richard Mollot, Long Term Care Community Coalition

Topic:

Chronic understaffing has been a serious problem in nursing homes for decades, and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research indicates that inadequate staffing contributes to lower quality of care and poor health outcomes for residents. Yet no federal staffing standard exists, and only one state requires a minimum research-backed standard of 4.1 hours per resident day.

Our speakers will provide an overview of a new report documenting staffing standards in each state and analyzing the contrast to research-based standards recommended by medical and healthcare professionals to ensure quality of care. The session will also discuss the research and data supporting the need for a federal minimum staffing standard.

About the Speaker(s):

Robyn Grant

Robyn Grant is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the Consumer Voice’s public policy agenda and growing and mobilizing the grassroots network to support the organization’s policy work.  Prior to assuming this role, Robyn was the Director of Advocacy and Outreach. Before joining the Consumer Voice, she served as the Long Term Care Policy Director at United Senior Action, an Indiana senior advocacy organization, and a consultant with the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center. She has a Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in aging. She was the Indiana State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for eight years and president of the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs for two terms. Robyn has also served on the Consumer Voice Board of Directors.

Dr. Harrington is a gerontologist who has been a professor of sociology and nursing at the University of California San Francisco since 1980.  She was elected to the American Academy of Nursing and the National Academies of Medicine.  Her research has focused on long term care consumer information systems; home and community-and service programs and policies; nursing home quality, staffing, regulation, ownership and financing; and international nursing home research with colleagues in 6 countries. Dr. Harrington is a member of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Technical Advisory Committee for the Medicare Nursing Home Compare website, serves on editorial boards, has testified before Congress, and has written more than 250 articles and books. During the pandemic, she has conducted research on nursing homes and Covid-19 infections and written commentaries on staffing, transparency, financial issues, and nursing home redesign.

Richard Mollot is the executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC), a U.S.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving care for individuals in nursing homes and other residential care settings through legal and policy research, advocacy, and education.  Richard has researched and published on a variety of long-term care issues, including: dementia care; nursing home and assisted living standards; the rights of older adults in residential care; abuse, neglect, and crime in nursing homes; nursing home financing; and the imposition and use of penalties for substandard residential care. He is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and a member of the Maryland Bar.

The meeting materials will also be posted (once available) on the PRESENTATION MATERIALS page.

Long Term Care Discussion Group meetings are intended as forums for candid discussion. Dialogue and comments made during these meetings should be treated as off the record.

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, and for materials and information relating to previous meetings, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

SAVE THE DATE NOTIFICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED COURTESY OF AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS (AHIP). If you are not on the e-mail distribution list and wish to be added to it, please contact us at ltcdiscussiongroup@gmail.com

Zoom Information:

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Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 868 3739 9444

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Meeting ID: 868 3739 9444

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Speaker(s):

Jennifer Bowdoin, Director, Division of Community Systems Transformation, CMS

Topic:

As the pandemic continues to impact health care, it is important that Medicaid beneficiaries needing long-term services and supports (LTSS) receive the assistance required to live in the setting of their choice; for many this means care at home. Additional federal funding made available under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 allows states to tailor home and community-based services (HCBS) enhancements based on the needs and priorities of their residents, while protecting and strengthening the HCBS workforce, safeguarding financial stability for HCBS providers, and accelerating LTSS reform and innovation.

During this meeting, Jennifer Bowdoin will discuss activities that states are implementing to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS under ARP section 9817, which provides qualifying states with a temporary 10 percentage point increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for HCBS beginning April 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2022. States have until March 31, 2024 to spend the additional funding they draw down. This increase of almost $13 billion in funding represents a rare opportunity for states to identify and implement changes aimed at addressing existing HCBS workforce and structural issues, expand the capacity of critical services, and begin to meet the needs of people on HCBS waitlists and family caregivers.

Additional information is available on a newly recently CMS webpage: Strengthening and Investing in Home and Community Based Services for Medicaid Beneficiaries: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Section 9817 Spending Plans and Narratives | Medicaid that describes how CMS will approach this. See also a report by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) at https://www.nashp.org/states-use-american-rescue-plan-act-funds-to-strengthen-home-and-community-based-service-workforce/

About the Speaker(s):

Jennifer Bowdoin, CMS

Jennifer Bowdoin is the Director of the Division of Community Systems Transformation in the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group in the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, she is responsible for programs and initiatives that promote community integration, increase access to services, and improve quality of care and outcomes for older adults, people with disabilities, and people with substance use disorders. Prior to joining CMS, Jennifer served as a consultant to the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services where she focused on the design and implementation of new initiatives to improve outcomes for people receiving long-term services and services and people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Previously, Jennifer was the Manager of New Initiative Development for the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a non-profit organization with a mission to improve the quality, safety, and value of health care in Rhode Island, as well as the manager of Rhode Island’s multi-payer patient-centered medical home initiative. Jennifer has a PhD in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges.

The meeting materials will also be posted (once available) on the PRESENTATION MATERIALS page.

Long Term Care Discussion Group meetings are intended as forums for candid discussion. Dialogue and comments made during these meetings should be treated as off the record.

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, and for materials and information relating to previous meetings, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

SAVE THE DATE NOTIFICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED COURTESY OF AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS (AHIP). If you are not on the e-mail distribution list and wish to be added to it, please contact us at ltcdiscussiongroup@gmail.com

Zoom Information:

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Meeting ID: 978 8188 8121
Passcode: OCTLTC21

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Speaker(s):

Robert Espinoza, PHI

Topic:

Direct care workers have struggled for decades in poor-quality jobs that threaten their livelihood and push many of them out of this field. As a result, long-term care employers struggle every year to meet growing demand. Recent federal developments, including a proposed $400 billion investment in HCBS, offer a window of opportunity to improve these jobs nationwide. But how should this funding be strategically invested? And what else should federal leaders do to strengthen this essential workforce and improve care for everyone?

This discussion will describe the key challenges facing direct care workers in this country, the potential impact of recent federal proposals on this job sector, and key policy recommendations for the White House, Congress, and key departments and agencies to transform the direct care workforce once and for all.

About the Speaker(s):

Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy, PHI

Robert oversees PHI’s national advocacy, research, and public education division on the direct care workforce, including its strategic direction and federal advocacy. In 2020, he was selected for the first-ever CARE 100 list of the most innovative people working to re-imagine how we care in America today and as one of Next Avenue’s 2020 Influencers in Aging. In 2021, he testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor on the need to improve funding nationwide for workforce interventions in direct care.

Robert is a nationally recognized expert and frequent speaker on aging, long-term care, workforce, and equity issues. For more than 20 years, he has spearheaded high-profile advocacy campaigns and written landmark reports on aging and long-term care, LGBT rights, racial justice, and immigration, among other topics. He has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, Forbes, and The Washington Post, and his writing has been published in The Huffington Post, The Hill, and POLITICO, among others.

Robert received his MPA from New York University, and his BA in English and BS in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a 2013 graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Institute, and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

The meeting materials will also be posted (once available) on the PRESENTATION MATERIALS page.

Long Term Care Discussion Group meetings are intended as forums for candid discussion. Dialogue and comments made during these meetings should be treated as off the record.

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, and for materials and information relating to previous meetings, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

SAVE THE DATE NOTIFICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED COURTESY OF AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS (AHIP). If you are not on the e-mail distribution list and wish to be added to it, please contact us at ltcdiscussiongroup@gmail.com

Zoom Information:

Join the Zoom Meeting:
https://ahip-org.zoom.us/j/85098932283?pwd=Ti9SdzdwSkV3M09EaVNHUTJFNE5zZz09

Meeting ID: 850 9893 2283

Passcode: 92821

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Meeting ID: 850 9893 2283

Find your local number: https://ahip-org.zoom.us/u/kcjN4gy9hM

Speaker(s):

Vince Bodnar, Chief Actuary Bain Capital Insurance

Peter Goldstein, CEO, LTCG

Afik Gal, Co-Founder and CPO, Assured Allies

Topic:

HOW WELLNESS PROGRAMS CAN ENHANCE CARE FOR LONG-TERM CARE (LTC) INSURANCE POLICYHOLDERS

LTC insurance pays benefits when policyholders need help with two or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) or have a severe cognitive impairment. But, waiting until the onset of chronic illness or severe cognitive impairment may be too late for some. Wellness benefit programs that utilize technology and evidence-based interventions are being used and studied by LTC insurance companies to potentially delay, prevent, or lower the severity of LTC claims, improve health outcomes, and allow older adults to live with dignity, choice, and independence in the place they call home.

The speakers will provide an overview of wellness programs with a potential to benefit LTC insurance claims experience. They will also discuss the market potential and regulatory barriers to the increased adoption of these new approaches and how these barriers may be addressed. Specifically, the activities of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) as they review developments in this area will be covered as well.

This session will also highlight an actual LTC insurance wellness program in progress. LTCG and Assured Allies have teamed together to offer program participants case management services, fall prevention support, caregiver training and other support services. The goal of this program is to improve participants’ quality of life in the short term, reduce the risk of rapid decline, and consequently, lower aging-related costs.

About the Speaker(s):

Vince Bodnar is an actuary with Bain Capital Insurance. He has 37 years of experience with a broad array of insurance products. Mr. Bodnar has led projects related to product and distribution strategy, in-force management, capital optimization, reinsurance strategy, operational reviews and diligence, company rehabilitations and liquidations, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Bodnar had senior leadership roles at Genworth and GE Capital and led actuarial consulting practices at Milliman, Willis Towers Watson, Oliver Wyman and KPMG.

Peter Goldstein is CEO of LTCG, a leading provider of administrative and clinical services within the LTC insurance industry. His 25 years of leadership have helped LTCG adapt to a changing industry environment and have transformed the organization into a premier partner for LTC insurers. LTCG serves all of the top LTC carriers and is the largest third-party claims payer in this space. Peter’s strategic vision for the company has transformed LTCG from a TPA focused on processing capabilities into an organization dedicated to proactive, holistic risk management for its customers. Peter is a recognized thought leader on topics ranging from next-generation claims management to the public policy changes needed to ensure a sustainable future for this industry. He has been featured in a variety of wide-reaching business publications including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Mergermarket, Think Advisor, Business Week and many others. 

Afik Gal is a physician and a co-founder of Assured Allies, an insur-tech company dedicated to making longevity sustainable. Afik has spent over 15 years bringing innovative technological care management solutions to life across healthcare and financial insurance industries. Prior to founding Assured Allies, Afik served as VP of Product Innovation at EviCore healthcare where he revolutionized prior authorization as a benefit to payers, providers, and patients. He also led the innovation lab at PwC’s healthcare advisory practice helping clients design and implement advanced analytics solutions with great impact on their business models. Afik has also served as a partner and advisor to numerous hospitals and startup companies developing technologies to improve patient care.

The meeting materials will also be posted (once available) on the PRESENTATION MATERIALS page.

Long Term Care Discussion Group meetings are intended as forums for candid discussion. Dialogue and comments made during these meetings should be treated as off the record.

For more information about the Long Term Care Discussion Group, and for materials and information relating to previous meetings, visit www.ltcdiscussiongroup.org

SAVE THE DATE NOTIFICATIONS ARE DISTRIBUTED COURTESY OF AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS (AHIP). If you are not on the e-mail distribution list and wish to be added to it, please contact us at ltcdiscussiongroup@gmail.com