By Sue Schettle, CEO
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Health and Human Services (BRC on HHS) had its fourth meeting this past Thursday. To this point, much of the commission's time has been getting up to speed with the vast components, funding, and bureacracy that goes into HHS. However, this meeting to a significant dive into proposals from the public and various stakeholders for the commission to consider.
As is the usual, this meeting was jam-packed with content including very complex information ranging from the components of the DHS/MDH budgets to how forecasts are developed. The meetings move at a quick pace and all BRC members have the opportunity to offer feedback and insight into the overall narrative.
You’ll remember that there was a very ambitious turnaround time (less than 2 weeks) for individuals and organizations to submit their reform ideas to the BRC for consideration. Despite that short turnaround time, 245 proposals were submitted by various groups including ARRM. Here is the breakdown:
203 from the general public/organizations
18 from MDH
13 from DHS
11 from the consulting group supporting the work of the BRC.
ARRM submitted a total of 5 ideas to the commission, 4 of which came about from consultation with the chairs and co-chairs of ARRM’s Financial Resources and Service Innovations Committees, and one brought forward by a member. They included:
- Waivers: Support the Waiver Reimagine roll-out and take a long, hard look at the authority role that the counties have in administering the waivers now and in the future. Look to eliminate county waiver allocations so resources would not be going to the fragmented infrastructure for managing the allocations, eliminate inconsistency in how counties have been carrying out their role and addressing fairness issues recently highlighted in the media.
- Minnesota State Operated Community Services (MSOCS): Stop/reduce the substantial subsidy to the MSOCS program and overhaul it instead.
- Investigations: Streamline the investigation process currently operating within DHS, MDH and OHFC. Make it consistent so providers know what to expect. Expand the Collaborative Safety Model concept currently in a pilot phase in Hennepin, St. Louis and Blue Earth counties that works to get at the root cause and prevent maltreatment reports.
- Workforce: Acknowledge the significant crisis with finding/retaining workers, and get serious about looking toward other strategies. One strategy in particular ready for expansion is greater adoption of supportive technology. Training contracted and county case managers on how people-served could really use technology and current funding and policies must be expanded and made mandatory. The principles of ARRM's Tech First proposal should be supported. Strenghten promotion of remote monitoring, particularly useful for overnight asleep staff. And expand innovation grants.
- Medication management: Pharmaceuticals are one of the highest cost drivers in Minnesota’s HHS budgets. Putting a concerted effort into place to monitor the medications that some of our folks are taking would help to alleviate adverse medication reactions, lower costs and improve efficiencies.
The next phase of the proposal review process for the BRC will begin later this month and run into December. The consultants hired to conduct the work of the BRC are charged with taking all of the ideas submitted by the public and governmental agencies and categorizing them in ways that will streamline our conversation.
If you’re interested in following the work of the BRC, click here. This website contains information about meetings including the materials that we are reviewing.