State of Illinois - Money Follows the Person Demonstration Expansion - PROJECT ABSTRACT The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Expansion funding grant will afford the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), the State Medicaid Agency, to support the State’s goals for rebalancing initiatives; to promote and grow opportunities that align with our vision to address social and structural determinants of health; empower customers to maximize their health and well-being through choice; provide consistent and response services; and make equity the foundation. Illinois has laid some of the groundwork to be proactive, rather than reactive, in building the workforce and housing capacity, the infrastructure for referrals and timely communication, and the framework for charting quality and responding with impactful solutions. During the Planning Phase, HFS will foster cross-agency collaboration with other state agencies, managed care health plans, providers, advocates, and most importantly the customer. This collaboration is key to develop strategies and opportunities to increase home and community-based services (HCBS), eliminate barriers to receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS), maximize the utilization of resources for successful transition to the community, maintain LTSS for customers to be successful and remain in the community, minimize disparities, and enhance or establish quality performance measures and continuous quality improvement tools. The total estimated budget for the Planning Phase is $ 5,951,145. HFS seeks $4,970,023 through the MFP Demonstration Expansion in combination with the State’s funding of $981,122 to support the efforts of the Planning Phase. The funding will be used to conduct gap analyses to determine the capacity and needs of the LTSS systems available to the elderly and adults with disabilities, through the lens of advancing health equity. HFS will assess the current and future demand for HCBS including the supply and demand of the provider workforce and complete an inventory assessment of affordable and appropriate housing. HFS will continue to build systems and operations to improve equitable access by examining differences in outcomes for various populations and working to mitigate negative impacts. This standard of equity and inclusion drives continuous improvement; innovative models of equitable care, service and supports based on best practices; and improves quality outcomes leading to maximum independence for our customers to avoid/delay a more costly nursing home placement. Additionally, funds will be used to build the project team; increase access to HCBS; build a collaborative network of local providers that can offer needed services that are outside the HCBS array; develop a web-based system for referrals, that will also serve as a resource database, aid transition coordination efforts and support reporting requirements. Our overall goal during the Planning Phase is to foster support with what is working within the current HCBS landscape and respond in areas that need additional resources.
