PA Long Term Care Commission makes recommendations to improve the Long Term Supports and Services system (2014)
Governor Corbett created the Long-Term Care Commission via Executive Order in January 2014 to make “recommendations [to] ensure Pennsylvania's long-term care services and support delivery system is person-centered, efficient, effective and fiscally accountable.” In January 2015, Gov. Corbett accepted the Commission's report, which contains recommendations to improve four core elements in the long-term services and supports (LTSS) system:
Care coordination
Service delivery
Quality and outcomes
Make the system more fiscally sustainable
In the Commission's report, the first recommendation is that PA should, “Develop and implement one or more demonstration programs (demonstration) in designated geographic areas to pilot service delivery and financing models that provide coordinated, integrated, person-centered physical health, mental health, substance abuse, and LTSS services.”
The North Penn Community Health Foundation has been actively focused on this issue, including funding an action plan for the county entitled, “Planning a Better Future for Dual Eligible Elderly in Montgomery County.” The report was released at a foundation sponsored event on November 7th, and a group of interested and “ready” providers met again for a more in-depth discussion on December 12th. On January 6th, the foundation launched a grant opportunity for organizations interested in working on some of the recommendations in this report.
Governor-elect Wolf may choose not to follow the Commission's recommendations, but given the consensus amongst local, regional and statewide stakeholders that demonstration projects would be helpful to informing state policy decisions, it is not unreasonable to believe that such pilots will occur in the near future. With the planning that has occurred and continues in Montgomery County, far ahead of other counties in the commonwealth, Montgomery County may be well be positioned to be chosen as a future managed long-term care services and supports pilot site.
Access the full report below.
