Strategic planning for long-term care and MI Health Link’s transition to an integrated D-SNP
In 2019, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) engaged in preliminary preparation for strategic planning activities around long-term services and supports (LTSS). MDHHS asked CHRT to facilitate a comprehensive process to inform a statewide LTSS strategic plan. In 2019, CHRT began to support MDHHS’s LTSS strategic planning and shared sample mission and vision statements and a true north diagram.
Now, MDHHS has asked CHRT to further support this transition. Specifically, CHRT has also been asked to provide targeted support for the MI Health Link program to create a standardized Level I Health Risk Assessment tool, gather stakeholder input on the program’s transition to a dual eligible special needs plan (D-SNP), and develop a D-SNP transition plan for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
For this project, CHRT will conduct and analyze interviews with 16 advocacy groups, service providers, health plans and other stakeholders to inform MDHHS’s LTSS strategic plan. Other activities to advance the state’s LTSS agenda may include continuing prior work on long-term care strategic planning and topic-specific analyses to support key state decisions regarding its American Rescue Plan Act plan.
In addition, in collaboration with MDHHS, CHRT will prepare the state’s transition plan for the MI Health Link program. CHRT will identify key successes and lessons learned from MI Health Link, examine the current dual eligible special needs plan (D-SNP) landscape in Michigan, and identify key features and considerations for Michigan’s integrated D-SNP model.
CHRT will conduct research for MDHHS on dually eligible individuals, D-SNP policy, national trends regarding D-SNPs, and different D-SNP models and share strategic considerations for the state to contemplate as it decides which D-SNP model to implement in Michigan.
To further support the MI Health Link transition, CHRT will create and pilot a standardized Level I Health Risk Assessment which will gather information about respondents’ functional statuses, medical conditions, goals, relevant social determinants of health, and other information. To do this, CHRT will research best practices, review the state’s requirements and address feedback from Integrated Care Organizations.
Other work may also include a review of the necessary components for current D-SNPs to transition to integrated D-SNPs, continued stakeholder engagement, additional research on national best practices, and other activities.