24 Jun Minnesota Medicaid Electronic Visit Verification
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Minnesota EVV Info
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused shifts in both implementation dates and enforcement in many states as the homecare world adjusts to a more challenging work reality. Compliance with the parameters set forth by the 21st Century Cures Act and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is top of mind for agencies, however, a number of states requested good faith exceptions even prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. In this edition of the home health blog, we will look at the latest news on Minnesota EVV implementation.
MINNESOTA EVV FACTS
The Minnesota Department of Health Services (DHS) chose a “Hybrid-Model” for their state’s EVV implementation. Essentially this means that agencies and providers have the option to utilize a state-provided EVV system (which is scheduled to be selected through a request for proposals process), or an alternative EVV solution of their choosing, so long as that system meets all of the state’s requirements.
The hybrid model was chosen in an effort to allow providers the option to select whatever EVV system works best for their businesses, while still maintaining accountability to the state via submission of data to a selected aggregator.
Minnesota EVV Vendor
As of May 2021, the Minnesota DHS has selected HHAeXchange to provide the electronic visit verification (EVV) system for Minnesota.
WHEN DOES EVV START IN MINNESOTA?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially approved Minnesota’s EVV good faith effort exception request based on a series of delays and hardship in meeting the initial Jan. 1, 2020, deadline. As a result of this, MN DHS will not receive federal medical assistance percentage reductions within the calendar year 2020.
As of June 2021, the current timeline for Minnesota DHS EVV implementation is as follows:
- Personal care services by Dec. 1, 2021, which includes some home and community-based waiver services
- Home health services prior to Jan. 1, 2023, (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services deadline)
About the MN EVV Good Faith Effort Exception
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Minnesota’s requested EVV good faith effort exception due to unavoidable delays in meeting the original Jan. 1, 2020 deadline. Minnesota DHS will not receive federal medical assistance percentage reductions in calendar year 2020.
The Minnesota DHS expects all care providers to implement an electronic visit verification system following the May 2021 announcement of HHAeXchange as the official state-selected verification system was announced. DHS is providing ample notice to providers, with notifications to be continually distributed via eList, other provider communications and updates to their official website, well before the deadline in order to give providers adequate lead time to implement EVV.
To visit the official DHS website click on the link.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR MINNESOTA EVV
Any approved or alternate Minnesota EVV system is required to verify:
- The type of homecare service performed
- The name of the patient who received the service
- The name of the caregiver providing service
- The location where the service was performed
- The exact date of the service
- Exact start and end time of the service
Providers are free to use either the state-provided EVV system HHAeXchange, or their own selected compatible Minnesota EVV compliant system.
MN EVV AFFECTED SERVICES
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) define personal care services as services that support activities of daily living (ADL), including bathing, toileting, mobility, transferring and personal hygiene, and/or those that support instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), including assistance with paying bills, meal preparation, shopping and telephone use.
Minnesota personal care services required to use EVV are:
- Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS) direct support
- Consumer Support Grant (CSG) direct support
- Extended personal care assistance
- Homemaker-assistance with personal cares
- Crisis respite (in-home)
- Independent community living support (in-person)
- Individual home support (in-person)
- In-home family support
- Night supervision
- Personal support
- Personal care assistance
- Respite care services (in-home)
Minnesota home health services required to use EVV are:
- Extended in-home therapies
- In-home occupational therapy
- Skilled nurse visits
- Home health aide
- In-home physical therapy
- In-home respiratory therapy
- In-home speech and language therapy
As the deadline for implementation becomes more clear, additional services may be subject to EVV. Minnesota DHS will communicate any such changes directly to providers via email and through publicly posted website updates.
About the 21st Century Cures Act
The national implementation of EVV began with the inception of the 21st Century Cures Act. The 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in December 2016, requires providers of personal care, including personal care assistance (PCA) as well as many waiver services (beginning in 2020) and home health care providers (beginning in 2023) to use an approved electronic visit verification system to document visits, in order to be eligible for full federal Medicaid matching dollars.
MINNESOTA HOME HEALTH SOFTWARE WITH INTEGRATED EVV
Alora offers forward-thinking agencies an Alternate EVV Vendor for Minnesota Home Health care. Alora features the convenience and certainty of EVV built into a comprehensive home health software system. Our goal is to empower administrators and caregivers with a simple yet powerful solution that helps agencies meet and exceed the requirements for electronic visit verification for Minnesota Medicaid patient visits.
Learn more about our Alora Home Health Software for Minnesota Agencies
The Alora Home Health Blog
Read the Alora blog for industry news, including recent news, articles and commentaries, as well as other issues that pertain to Homecare in the U.S and beyond. For more information on Minnesota EVV, Home Health Software, other blog topics, questions and feedback, please send us an email to HomeHealthSoftware@Alorahealth.com
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