About CHRT

Strategic planning for long-term care and MI Health Link’s transition to an integrated D-SNP

October 2021 – September 2024
Client(s): Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Need:

In 2019, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) engaged CHRT 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 by developing sample mission and vision statements and a true north diagram.

Now, MDHHS has asked CHRT to further support strategic planning for long-term care and the MI Health Link program’s transition to an integrated dual eligible special needs plan (D-SNP).

CHRT’s role:

For this project, CHRT will conduct and analyze interviews with 16 advocacy groups, service providers, and other stakeholders to inform MDHHS’s LTSS strategic plan. CHRT will organize a meeting with MDHHS’ Behavioral and Physical Health and Aging Services Administration (BPHASA) leadership and LTSS program leads to share and discuss the key findings. Other activities to advance the state’s LTSS agenda may include topic-specific analyses to support key state decisions regarding its American Rescue Plan Act plan.

For the MI Health Link program, CHRT has been asked to create a standardized Level I Health Risk Assessment tool, gather stakeholder input on the program’s transition to a D-SNP, and develop a D-SNP transition plan for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

In collaboration with MDHHS, Health Policy Matters, and MI Health Link’s managed care plans, CHRT will create 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.

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.

Through nine stakeholder interviews, CHRT will gather feedback regarding the different integrated D-SNP models that MDHHS could pursue and stakeholders’ thoughts on consumer protections, data and information sharing, nursing facility transitions, and other policies under the new model. CHRT will summarize key findings in deliverables for MDHHS leadership. CHRT will also gain insights into national best practices by conducting interviews with experts in four other states.

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 D-SNP landscape in Michigan, and identify key features and considerations for Michigan’s integrated D-SNP model.

Other work may also include developing a timeline for the MI Health Link and D-SNP transitions, reviewing the necessary components for current D-SNPs to transition to integrated D-SNPs, continuing stakeholder engagement, additional research on national best practices, and other activities.