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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
ALTCS; preadmission screening; cognitive impairment
Purpose
Requires the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), subject to available monies, to update the Arizona Long Term Care System's (ALTCS's) preadmission screening instrument to assess cognitive needs regarding prompting, monitoring and supervising activities of daily living for applicants who are elderly or adults with physical disabilities.
Background
ALTCS is the
management and delivery system of hospitalization, medical care, institutional
services and home and community-based services to members through AHCCCS,
program contractors and providers, together with federal participation under
Title XIX of the Social Security Act. ALTCS program contractors must provide
certain services to ALTCS members who are determined to need institutional
services, including: 1) nursing facility services, other than services in an
institution for tuberculosis or mental disease; 2) behavioral health services
that are not duplicative of prescribed long-term care services and that are
authorized by the program contractor through the long-term care case management
system; 3) hospice services;
4) case management services; 5) health and medical services covered by AHCCCS;
and 6) dental services (A.R.S. §§ 36-2932
and 36-2939).
The Director of
ALTCS must adopt rules establishing a uniform statewide preadmission screening
program to determine if a person who meets the ALTCS eligibility requirements
is also eligible for institutional services. To be eligible for institutional
services or home and
community-based services, the person must have a nonpsychiatric medical
condition or have a developmental disability that, by itself or in combination
with other medical conditions, necessitates the level of care that is provided
in a nursing facility or intermediate care facility. These rules must establish
a uniform preadmission screening instrument that assesses the functional,
medical, nursing, social and developmental needs of the applicant (A.R.S.
§ 36-2936).
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimates that H.B. 2182 may increase costs for the ALTCS Elderly and Physically Disabled Program in AHCCCS and the Developmental Disabilities Program in the Department of Economic Security if changes to the ALTCS preadmission screening tool results in an increase in the number of eligible individuals. However, the magnitude of this impact cannot be determined in advance (JLBC fiscal note).
Provisions
1. Requires the ALTCS preadmission screening instrument to assess cognitive needs regarding prompting, monitoring and supervising activities of daily living for applicants who are elderly or adults with physical disabilities.
2. Specifies that the preadmission screening instrument must weigh cognitive impairment and physical impairment at the same weight if the impairment produces a similar level of functional disability.
3. Requires AHCCCS, subject to available monies, to update the elderly and adults with physical disabilities preadmission screening instrument and staff training manuals for assessing cognitive needs as outlined.
4. Makes technical changes.
5. Becomes effective on July 1, 2027.
House Action
HHS 1/27/25 DPA 12-0-0-0
3rd Read 2/26/25 58-0-2
Prepared by Senate Research
March 10, 2025
MM/KS/slp