[NYAPRS Enews] DOH Health Home Consent Process Update

[Harvey Rosenthal]

Update on the Health Home Consent Process

NYS Department of Health Medicaid Update  December 2012

 

The Health Home consent process is an essential component to patient
engagement and program success. The Health Homes care management service
model, in which a Medicaid individual's caregivers communicate with one
another to address a recipient's needs, is done mainly through a "care
manager". The care manager directs and provides access to all services
an individual might need to make certain they receive everything
necessary to stay healthy. Health records are shared among providers so
that services are not duplicated or neglected. The health home services
are provided through a network of organizations - providers, health
plans and community-based organizations. 

 

The original Health Home consent process was changed in response to
concerns regarding the difficulty of implementing the consent as
designed.  The main goal continues to remain the same - a single Health
Home consent that ensures compliance with state and federal regulations
on privacy and confidentiality while allowing Health Home providers to
share appropriate information about their members including through the
use of health information technology (HIT) through a health information
exchange (HIE). 

 

While the prior consent form required that the Health Home identify and
list all of its core partners, the revised consent form allows the lead
Health Home to list only the partners relevant to the individual member.
Additional care partners may be added as needed to the consent form as
an addendum, which the member initials and dates. The withdrawal of
consent form has also been redesigned to be consistent with this format.


 

The new consent serves as the Regional Health Information Organization
(RHIO) HIE consent for the lead Health Home.  It allows the lead Health
Home to collect and share information through the RHIO HIE.  NYSDOH
Office of Health Insurance Programs, Office of Health Information
Technology Transformation and the AIDS Institute, along with the Office
of Mental Health (OMH) and Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Services (OASAS) worked together on this redesign and each state agency
has signed off on the new forms as meeting the same standards for
privacy and confidentiality as the prior forms.  

 

Health Homes are reminded that the member does not have to sign this
consent for active care management to begin.  While it will limit data
exchange among the care providers, the care manager may begin to work
with the member.  Because many Health Home eligible members are
disenfranchised from the healthcare system, they may not be immediately
comfortable signing the consent.  The goal is to work with the member so
he/she understands the value of the consent, feels comfortable with the
intent, and signs the consent. 

 

Updated instructions and frequently asked questions will be available on
the Health Home website.  The new forms will be posted upon completion
of translation into the required languages.  Health Homes that have
successfully been able to operationalize the original consent form DO
NOT need to have members sign another consent form.  

 

The original consent is still valid and can remain in effect.

 

For more information about the Health Home Consent Process, visit the
following websites:

 

Health Home Consent Forms and FAQs at: 

 

Forms and Template section at:

http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/medicaid_health_ho
mes/forms/ 

 

Health Home Main Page at:

http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/medicaid_health_ho
mes/ 

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