Wednesday, September 27, 2023
9/27/2023
The State of Ohio proposes to build upon the proven success of the Ohio Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Office) and Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) in the initial years of the demonstration. The Office and OSHIIP will continue to support the objectives of Ohio’s financial alignment model- to improve the beneficiary experience in accessing person-centered care, promote independence, improve quality and make improvements in care and coordination. The Office proposes to utilize demonstration resources to provide funding to support personnel in each of the seven multi-county demonstration regions and one state position. The state MyCare Ohio Ombudsman Coordinator (Coordinator) will be responsible for providing focused training to each MyCare Ohio regional ombudsman, facilitating stakeholder relationships, outreach planning, and providing technical assistance to regional ombudsman representatives. The Coordinator will continue to lead the Office in compliance with reporting requirements and proposing system recommendations based on data analysis and beneficiary experience. The Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring coordination with OSHIIP, including joint trainings, outreach and education events, and oversight of demonstration activities. Regional ombudsmen will engage stakeholders locally, participate in beneficiary advisory committees, and provide ombudsman services to beneficiaries including: outreach, consumer empowerment through education, complaint investigation, and person-centered resolution. Each regional MyCare Ohio ombudsman will compile required reports and assist the coordinator in system analysis. OSHIIP will provide one-on-one counseling to Medicare-Medicaid eligible Ohioans regarding their eligibility, enrollment, plan options and benefits. Funding from this opportunity will be used to drive MyCare Ohio enrollees, their caregivers and those assisting them to OSHIIP and the Ombudsman for benefits and options counseling, enrollment guidance and complaint resolution. OSHIIP will use a multi-media campaign, targeting the needs of each unique MyCare Ohio region, and will provide sponsorship to and attend events hosted by organizations frequented by MyCare Ohio enrollees and their caregivers. OSHIIP will capitalize on past successes, such as televised phone banks and direct mailings, and continue to look for innovative means of educating this hard to reach population. OSHIIP will use this opportunity to employ project dedicated positions to focus on outcomes and deliverables for this funding opportunity. Ohio’s financial alignment demonstration shows current enrollment of over 123,000 beneficiaries in seven multi-county demonstration regions and spanning 29 Ohio counties. Through this joint application, the Office and OSHIIP are requesting $1,061,994 for each or the three full years of the grant and $632,646 for the final year based on our previous award and availability of supplemental funding.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
