And so it begins. Almost a decade in the making, the field of services for the developmentally disabled is changing from a system of direct payments by New York State to provider agencies into a system in which care is operationally and financially managed by a health insurance-type organization. July 1, 2018 saw the first step in this change. Medicaid Service Coordination performed by provider agencies ceased to exist and was replaced by an improved arrangement known as Care Coordination performed under the auspice of an entity independent of any provider. The purpose of Care Coordination is to improve service delivery for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by developing a life plan that enables families and individuals to have greater choice when selecting a care environment.
The independent entities, of which there are several throughout New York State, are known as Care Coordination Organizations/Health Homes (CCOs/HHs), and are not-for-profits. ILA Executive Director Arthur Palevsky was appointed to the Board of Directors of one of the CCO/HHs, the Advance Care Alliance of New York (ACANY).
ACANY, an association of three provider organizations, was launched to assume an active role in the transition to care coordination and has succeeded to do so. ACANY has enrolled 24,000 Individuals within the lower portion of New York State. ILA Medicaid Service Coordinators are now functioning as Care Managers and will be employed by ACANY before July 1, 2019.
Mr. Palevsky’s work with the ACANY’s Board of Directors will enable ILA to be involved in the State’s full transition to Managed Care, while keeping the Agency in the loop about future developments and ensuring the new system continues to benefit the hundreds of Individuals ILA serves.
