Slide 1: One Care:  Implementation Council Meeting

Executive Office of Health & Human Services
MassHealth Demonstration to Integrate Care for Dual Eligibles
Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Slide 2: Reopening Massachusetts 
•	Governor Baker’s Office and the Command Center convened and are leading statewide recommendations for Reopening Massachusetts 
•	MassHealth’s role is to develop guidance based on this framework to implement reopening guidance and requirements for MassHealth services and programs. MassHealth and sister agencies have produced the following guidelines to address key areas impacted by COVID-19.
•	Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to temporarily provide funding to help shelters restore some of their pre-COVID-19 pandemic shelter capacity in new settings to allow for appropriate social/physical distancing 
o	Through partnerships with MassHealth, shelter providers will be eligible to access funding for specialized Community Support Program (CSP) services for eligible MassHealth members residing in these expanded shelter settings 
•	Telehealth Services – 
o	MassHealth has updated its Telehealth guidance for medical and behavioral health services to extend current flexibilities through December 2020 (excludes MassHealth Office of Long Term Services and Supports) 
o	Companion MCE Bulletin will provide updates for integrated care programs
Slide 3: Day Programs
•	Reopening Day Programs
o	EOHHS released guidance on July 2, 2020 to reopen day programs including Adult Day Health and Day Habilitation Services 
•	Extension of Retainer Payments for Adult Day Health (ADH) Providers
o	Retainer payments for Adult Day Health are being extended for one additional month, through July 31, 2020.
o	An updated MCE bulletin reflecting this change for integrated care will be posted soon 
•	Adult Day Health Prior Authorization Extensions
o	For prior authorizations ending between July 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020 
•	Integrated care plans should extend these prior authorizations for a period of up to 90 days
•	Except for situations where the member and the member's care team mutually agree that a different service or services will better meet the member's needs and the member's care plan is (or has been) updated accordingly
o	One Care plans should automatically extend ADH prior authorizations where possible, and otherwise communicate to contracted ADH providers any action needed to request the continuation of an existing prior authorization
Slide 4: Stop the Spread
•	On July 8, 2020, the Commonwealth launched a strategic testing program in communities across Massachusetts that have continued to see a higher number of residents testing positive for COVID-19. 
•	Residents in these communities are encouraged to get tested, even if they have no COVID symptoms:
o	Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lynn, Marlborough, and New Bedford
•	Testing will be available in these towns from July 10th – August 14th
•	Testing is free, these tests are not limited to residents of the city or town
•	Visit Stop the Spread for specific testing site details, including staff language capacity (targeted by community)
Slide 5: COVID Response to Support Vulnerable Populations

•	MassHealth has partnered with the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Mental Health (DMH), as well as with its health plans, including One Care plans, to design and implement a range of initiatives during the Coronavirus pandemic to support vulnerable members with behavioral health needs 
•	Key initiatives include:
o	Expansion of services through telehealth to increase availability of prescriptions for psychiatric medications and medication assisted treatment
o	MassHealth partnerships with DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) that support flexibilities for take-home medications for methadone, and implementing flexibilities for BSAS licensed programs to meet the needs of members with substance use disorders
o	New policies and procedures for infection control and increased patient and staff safety in behavioral health facilities
Slide 6: EOHHS Commitment to Addressing Racial and Health Equity
To address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and marginalized populations, the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Health Equity Advisory Group released new data and specific recommendations on June 19th to inform the state’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response

The group focused on four Critical Areas:
•	Data & Metrics
•	COVID-19 Mitigation
•	Community Engagement
•	Social Determinants of Health

Key Recommendations include:
•	Continuing to disaggregate COVID data across populations and sectors, such as transit usage
•	Increasing equitable distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) for essential workers and Commonwealth residents in professions most at risk
•	Implement policies that increase housing stability for populations disproportionally impacted by COVID-19
•	Prioritizing investment in multilingual outreach to communities to increase access to testing, home and workplace protections, and access to state assistance programs
•	Planning and implementing a strategy for the active engagement and representation of existing community based organizations in the most-impacted communities as part of decision-making processes related to COVID-19 response and recovery

Slide 7: Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Response to COVID-19

•	CMS and MassHealth are working with the One Care plans to begin documenting how the plans are addressing social determinants of health in their response to COVID-19. Plans were asked to identify COVID-related changes in benefits, outreach, or other strategies across specific domains:
o	Housing
o	Transportation
o	Mitigating loneliness/social isolation
o	Risk mitigation of COVID transmission (disinfectant or PPE for members with possible exposure, education on hygiene)
o	Outreach to specific groups of members (e.g. limited English proficiency, cultural or ethnic groups)
o	Alternative HCBS to reduce risk of hospitalizations (e.g. daily wellness checks)
Slide 8: One Care 
MassHealth+Medicare
Bringing your care together
VISIT US ONLINE: www.mass.gov/one-care
EMAIL US 
OneCare@state.ma.us