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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions are used to provide additional information and/or statutory guidance not found in State Medicaid Director Letters, State Health Official Letters, or CMCS Informational Bulletins. The different sets of FAQs as originally released can be accessed below.

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Do the data elements comprising the falls risk assessment need to be documented as part of a comprehensive assessment?

No. Although a comprehensive assessment may include falls risk assessment elements, this measure does not require the risk assessment elements to be documented as part of a comprehensive assessment. For this measure, a falls risk assessment is considered complete if the member record includes any documentation of a balance/gait assessment, and documentation of assessment of postural blood pressure, vision, home fall hazards, and/or medications.

FAQ ID:88961

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Do the components of the risk assessment need to be completed during a single encounter?

No, the components can be completed during separate encounters, provided they are documented in the member record as having been performed between August 1 of the year prior to the measurement year and December 31 of the measurement year.

FAQ ID:88966

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Is a standardized tool required for assessment of balance/gait?

No, a standardized tool is not required, although documentation of use of a standardized tool (for example, Get Up & Go, Berg, Tinetti) would meet the balance/gait assessment component of the measure.

FAQ ID:88971

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Can the same standardized tool be used to conduct screening (Part 1) and risk assessment (Part 2)?

Yes, the same tool may be used to conduct the screening and risk assessment for the Screening, Risk Assessment, and Plan of Care to Prevent Future Falls measure.

FAQ ID:88986

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Do the data elements comprising the plan of care to prevent future falls need to be documented as part of a comprehensive care plan?

No. Although a comprehensive care plan may include the elements comprising a plan of care to prevent future falls, the measure does not require the plan of care elements to be documented as part of a comprehensive care plan. For this measure, a plan of care is considered complete if the member record includes any documentation of exercise therapy or referral to exercise between August 1 of the year prior to the measurement year and December 31 of the measurement year.

FAQ ID:88991

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Should the rate of required exclusions be reported with the Screening, Risk Assessment, and Plan of Care to Prevent Future Falls measure's Part 2 performance rate?

Yes, the rate of exclusion for members who refused an assessment and/or a plan of care needs to be reported with the measure’s performance rate.

FAQ ID:88996

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Can the same sample for Part 2 of the Screening, Risk Assessment, and Plan of Care to Prevent Future Falls measure be used for other measures?

No, the sample for Part 2 of the Screening, Risk Assessment, and Plan of Care to Prevent Future Falls measure is different from the systematic sample used for the LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update, LTSS Comprehensive Care Plan and Update, LTSS Shared Care Plan with Primary Care Practitioner, and Part 1 of the Screening, Risk Assessment, and Plan of Care to Prevent Future Falls measures. Members included in the sample for Part 2 of this measure must have a documented history of falls (at least two falls or one fall with injury in the past year), including documentation of plan member self-reported history of falls.

FAQ ID:89001

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Will there be any automatic updates coming through the Federal data services hub? Or will we always need to make a call to the Federal data services hub in order to get any information back? If a change is likely will the state need to send ongoing, frequent requests through the Federal data services hub?

Generally, information from the Federal data services hub will only be sent in direct response to a call from the requesting entity. However, in the case of verifications conducted by DHS, there can be up to three steps to a verification, the second and third of which will not be in real time. If the step 1 query fails, the Federal data services hub will automatically invoke step 2, and the response may take up to several days. If step 2 fails, the Federal data services hub will notify the requesting entity which will need to submit additional documentation from the applicant for step 3. The step 3 response can take weeks. During this time, the Federal data services hub will regularly poll DHS to see if the response has come back.

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FAQ ID:93316

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Our state covered institutions for mental disease (IMD) under the inpatient hospital and nursing benefit. Should we conduct a separate UPL for these facilities?

No, facilities that are licensed, covered, and paid under the Medicaid state plan as inpatient hospital or nursing facilities should be included in the UPL calculated for those services. There is no regulatory requirement to conduct separate calculations for designated facility "types" within each of the applicable service categories. States do not need to provide separate UPL demonstrations for IMDs covered under the inpatient hospital or nursing facility services benefit.

FAQ ID:92381

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Is a level of care assessment eligible for the 75% match?

No. The 75%/25% matching rate for eligibility systems is limited by the statute to activities directly related to an eligibility determination. A level of care assessment is not directly related to the eligibility determination. Although the assessment itself is not eligible for the 75% match, the entry of the level of care result into the eligibility system may be matched at 75%.

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FAQ ID:92646

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