LeadingAge New York Meets with DOH on UAS-NY and the ALP

In a meeting with DOH's UAS-NY staff and leadership last week, LeadingAge New York raised several questions and asked for a regular forum for us to address future issues in real-time.  DOH has taken the feedback received through beta and pilot testing and from early adopters to refine and improve the assessment tool and related processes.  We anticipate that DOH will be issuing FAQs and clarification on various UAS-NY issues shortly.  

At our request, DOH is also conducting provider-specific UAS-NY education sessions, and an ALP session is scheduled for July 31 at 11 a.m.  DOH invites questions to be sent to uasny@health.state.ny.us by Friday, July 19.       

A remaining challenge for the ALP is that the transition from the UAS-NY Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs) to the existing PRI RUG categories requires condensing categories.  It is unknown at this time how that will impact the actual scoring and subsequent reimbursement, and whether trends may be positive or negative for the ALP.  For example, the UAS-NY has a greater sensitivity to capturing the needs of individuals with cognitive impairment, which could be beneficial for ALP reimbursement.  LeadingAge New York will work with members to analyze these trends. 

As implementation of the UAS-NY moves to other parts of the state, it is likely that new issues and questions will arise.  We encourage members to let us know of your experiences and your questions as you proceed, so we can ensure you get the answers you need.  If you are interested in participating in a member advisory group regarding the transition to the UAS-NY, please let us know.     

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828