BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 117
          Author:   Corbett (D), et al
          Amended:  9/4/09
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE  :  10-1, 4/1/09
          AYES:  Alquist, Strickland, Cedillo, Cox, DeSaulnier, Leno,  
            Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Pavley, Wolk
          NOES:  Aanestad

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  10-1, 5/28/09
          AYES:  Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, DeSaulnier, Hancock,  
            Leno, Oropeza, Wyland, Yee
          NOES:  Walters
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Runner, Wolk

           SENATE FLOOR  :  33-6, 6/3/09
          AYES: Alquist, Calderon, Cedillo, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa,  
            Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Florez, Hancock,  
            Harman, Hollingsworth, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal,  
            Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley,  
            Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Wiggins,  
            Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
          NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Benoit, Dutton, Huff, Walters
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  51-26, 09/08/09 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Adult day health care services

           SOURCE  :     California Association for Adult Day Services
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           DIGEST  :    This bill extends the deadline by which the  
          Department of Health Care Services is required to establish  
          a new Medi-Cal rate reimbursement methodology for adult day  
          health care services (ADHC), from August 1, 2010 to August  
          1, 2012.

           Assembly Amendments  (1) deleted provisions amending Section  
          1570.7 of the Health and Safety Code defining "Core staff"  
          to include social workers; (2) specifies beneficiaries be  
          eligible for adult day care health services; (3) make  
          technical/clarifying changes; (4) extend the deadline for  
          the Department of Health Care Services to establish the  
          reimbursement methodology to 2012 instead of 2011.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Defines adult day health care services (ADHC) as an  
             organized day program of therapeutic, social, and health  
             activities and services provided to elderly persons with  
             either physical or mental impairments, for the purpose  
             of restoring an individual's ability to provide  
             self-care, maintain independence, and avoid  
             institutionalization in a long-term health care  
             facility.  ADHC is provided at ADHC centers, which are  
             licensed by the Department of Public Health (DPH), and  
             certified for the Medi-Cal program by the California  
             Department of Aging (CDA).

          2. Establishes the Medi-Cal program administered by DHCS,  
             to provide comprehensive health care coverage to certain  
             categories of low-income eligible individuals and  
             families, including children, the aged, the blind, the  
             disabled, nursing home residents, refugees, and pregnant  
             women.  ADHC centers may qualify for Medi-Cal  
             reimbursement for specified services provided to certain  
             persons who are eligible for Medi-Cal

          3. Requires DHCS, by August 1, 2010, and in consultation  
             with specified stakeholders, to establish a Medi-Cal  
             reimbursement methodology for ADHC services that is  

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             based on the cost of services provided to an ADHC  
             client.

          4. Sets forth various timeframes associated with the  
             establishment and implementation of the new  
             reimbursement system, including timeframes for DHCS to  
             establish new ADHC cost reports, train ADHC providers on  
             the new methodology, and adopt regulations to implement  
             the new methodology. 

          This bill extends the deadline by which DHCS is required to  
          establish a new Medi-Cal rate reimbursement methodology for  
          ADHC services, from August 1, 2010 to August 1, 2012 and  
          makes conforming changes to other timeframes associated  
          with the establishment and implementation of the  
          reimbursement methodology.  Specifically, this bill: 

          1. Requires DHCS to produce a cost report for a core rate,  
             a methodology and documentation necessary to estimate  
             the rates for separately billed services and for  
             transportation services by 2010 (was 2007). 

          2. Requires DHCS to establish facility peer groupings in  
             consultation with the California Association of Adult  
             Day Services (CAADS), by 2011 (was 2008).

          3. Requires DHCS to facilitate training of providers in  
             collaboration with CAADS on the use of the new  
             methodologies and documentation by 2011 (was 2008). 

          4. Requires DHCS to establish a preliminary estimate of a  
             reimbursement limit, the rates for individual services  
             and the rates for separately billed services by 2012  
             (was 2010), including a comparison to the rate  
             methodology in effect in 2011-12.

          5. Requires DHCS to adopt regulations by 2015 (was 2013).

          6. Changes the title of social worker to social services  
             director in the list of ADHC core staff.

          7. Makes technical amendments to AB 4x 5 (Evans), Chapter  
             5, Statutes of 2009, Fourth Extraordinary Session, the  
             Budget Health Trailer Bill related to ADHC.

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           Background
           
          ADHC is a licensed community-based day care program  
          providing a variety of health, therapeutic, and social  
          services to those at risk of being placed in a nursing  
          home.  Each ADHC center has a multidisciplinary team of  
          health professionals who conduct a comprehensive assessment  
          of each participant in order to determine and plan the ADHC  
          services needed to meet an individual's specific health and  
          social needs, pursuant to an individual plan of care.  

          ADHC centers must provide a set of "core services" to each  
          participant which includes professional nursing services,  
          personal care and/or social services, therapeutic  
          activities, and at least one meal per day.  In addition to  
          core services, ADHC centers often provide other specialty  
          services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy,  
          speech and language pathology, dietetics, and mental health  
          services.  

          ADHC centers also must provide transportation for  
          participants to and from the center.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                          Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions                2009-10     2010-11     2011-12     
               Fund
           
          DHCS staffing costs      $0$144 - $393   $287 - $785      
          General
          for development of            $144 - $393   $287 - $78       
           Federal
          methodology

          Up to 3 Years higherunknown, but in the tens of millions     
               General
          reimbursement due        of dollars                Federal
          to delayed savings

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           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  9/9/09)

          California Association for Adult Day Services (source)
          Aging Services of California
          American Federation of State, County, and Municipal  
          Employees
          California Association of Health Facilities
          Commonwealth Adult Day Health Care
          Graceful Senescence Adult Day Health Care, Inc.
          Hope Adult Day Care Center
          Sunny Day Adult Health Care
          Yolo Adult Day Health Center


           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The California Association of  
          Health Facilities (CAHF) states that the development of the  
          new reimbursement system has been complex and relies on the  
          collection of valid data.  CAHF states that it is critical  
          that reliable and comparable data be collected from all  
          ADHCs in order to calculate new reimbursement rates, which  
          is why the revised implementation dates set forth in this  
          bill are necessary.

          According to the author's office, DHCS has been unable to  
          meet the current timeframes required by existing law for  
          developing a new ADHC rate methodology.  The author's  
          office further states that this bill provides additional  
          time for the establishment and implementation of the new  
          rate methodology to ensure that the methodology is  
          established through a collaborative process between DHCS  
          and ADHC stakeholders that preserve the integrity of the  
          program model.

          The federal government has recently indicated substantial  
          compliance issues with respect to the current reimbursement  
          methodology for payment of ADHC in the Medi-Cal program.   
          SB 1755 (Chesbro), Chapter 691, Statutes of 2006, requires  
          the Department of Health Services, (now DHCS), to establish  
          a cost-based Medi-Cal reimbursement methodology for ADHC  
          services, establish new eligibility criteria for ADHC  
          services for the purposes of Medi-Cal reimbursement, and  
          establish daily core services to be provided by ADHC  
          centers to each participant.  The requirements of SB 1755  

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          of 2006 addresses the federal compliance issues.  According  
          to CAADS, sponsor of the bill, the dates for implementation  
          of the new ADHC reimbursement methodology were overly  
          ambitious for such a complex endeavor, and that DHCS has  
          not met the timeframes set forth by SB 1755. 

          The recently enacted 2009-10 ADHC budget was reduced by $28  
          million GF associated with reforms to ADHC administration  
          and funding including limiting services to no more than  
          three-days per week for a period of time, a rate freeze,  
          establishing a definition of medical acuity, on-site  
          treatment authorization requests and establishing a  
          stakeholder work group to assist with implementation.  This  
          bill also corrects erroneous references in ABX4  5 (Evans)  
          of 2009, the Health Trailer Bill that implemented the  
          reforms.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  
          AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,  
            Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans,  
            Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez,  
            Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones, Krekorian, Lieu, Bonnie  
            Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, John A. Perez, V.  
            Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana,  
            Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,  
            Tran, Yamada, Bass
          NOES: Anderson, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Conway, Cook,  
            DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Fletcher, Fuller, Gaines,  
            Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight,  
            Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva, Smyth,  
            Audra Strickland, Villines
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Bill Berryhill, Furutani, Vacancy


          RJG:do  9/9/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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