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Good Morning!
My Director has asked me to turn for help with a credentialing form with Home State Health. It’s titled “Attestation Regarding Advance Directives Policy”.
The form that we are to sign states, “In accordance with Mo HealthNet program requirements and Home State Health credentialing and participation policies, all adult Home State Health members, age 18 and older, must receive information regarding advance directives that explains the definition and purpose of the advance directives as well as the right of patients to execute such advance directives. This notification must be documented in each adult patient’s medical record. Home State Health will perform medical record audits on a random sample of providers on an annual basis.”
My question to you all is, how does your health department handle this policy? Do you have literature for patients to sign? Is there verbal education? How do you flag your 18 and older patients for Home State? Has anyone ever been audited and this checked?
Recommendations, suggestions, advice, and input on your procedures for this policy are greatly appreciated!
Thank you very much!
Sarah Cook
Cass County Health DepartmentThis is a surprise to me. We’ve been with all three of these MC+ plans for years. When Home State got a contract over Aetna, I think it was, a couple of years ago, I had no notification of this instruction. I’ve not been audited on this, either. I get annual HEDIS requests, but that’s it, so far. If anyone has information on this, I’d like to know, too. Thanks.
When I asked my Home State Rep the specifics on this form, she emailed me this below, but it didn’t really answer my question; it’s kind of gray so we are turning to help here to see how other health departments follow this policy.
“Below is information from our provider manual on Advance Directives:
Advance Directives
Home State is committed to ensure that its members are aware of and are able to avail themselves of their rights to execute advance directives. Home State is equally committed to ensuring that its providers and staff are aware of and comply with their responsibilities under federal and state law regarding advance directives.
PCPs and providers delivering care to Home State members must ensure adult members 18 years of age and older receive information on advance directives and are informed of their right to execute advance directives. Providers must document such information in the permanent medical record.
Home State recommends to its PCPs and providers that:
The first point of contact for the member in the PCP’s or provider’s office should ask if the member has executed an advance directive and the member’s response should be documented in the medical record.
If the member has executed an advance directive, the first point of contact should ask the member to bring a copy of the advance directive to the PCP’s or provider’s office and document this request in the member’s medical record.
An advance directive should be included as a part of the member’s medical record and include mental health directives.
If an advance directive exists, the physician should discuss potential medical emergencies with the member and/or designated family member/significant other (if named in the advance directive and if available) and with the referring physician, if applicable. Any such discussion should be documented in the medical record.”
UPDATE:
Mo HealthNet got the answer for me from the Manager over my Home State Rep…Here it is in writing……The “Attestation Regarding Advance Directives Policy” does not apply to Health Departments after further investigation….Sorry for any confusion!……~Sarah~From Tina Bradley w/ Home State Health-
“In follow-up to our conversation this afternoon, the attestation is not applicable to LPHA’s, so you can disregard.
We are reviewing our processes and provider letters within our Credentialing/Re-Credentialing areas to ensure we don’t request this attestation from provider types when it’s not required.”
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