Geriatric care managers are an essential part of the planning process. Medicaid Planners work closely with Care Managers to help manage the care needs of the client. Often the care managers interact directly with the Medicaid department to facilitate benefit approval.
One of the upsides of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was the expansion of Medicaid for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), formerly known as “waiver” services because providing help at home and in assisted living facilities required a waiver of the law that forbade Medicaid to pay for such care.
The expansion of HCBS, coupled with the Olmstead decision, puts a higher emphasis on using the least-restrictive care setting possible for the patient. Money-follow-the-patient plans have become commonplace as the states seek to meet their responsibilities under Medicaid and cut costs. Many of the states have outsourced their HCBS intake assessments to the Area Agencies on the Aging.
Care managers provide the crucial tie between the necessary care levels for the patient and the appropriate benefits. Medicaid Planners work closely with the care manager and in many instances, the care manager learn Medicaid Planning through our program and wear both hats to better service their clients.
If you are a care manager and want to learn more about how to work with a Medicaid Planner who is trained and certified or if you want to lean how to learn Medicaid Planning in order to better help your patients, please click here.