Update on the Health Home Consent Process
NYS Department of Health Medicaid Update December 2012
The Health Home consent process is an essential component to patient engagement and program success. The Health Homes care management service model, in which a Medicaid individual’s caregivers communicate with one another to address a recipient’s needs, is done mainly through a “care manager”. The care manager directs and provides access to all services an individual might need to make certain they receive everything necessary to stay healthy. Health records are shared among providers so that services are not duplicated or neglected. The health home services are provided through a network of organizations – providers, health plans and community-based organizations.
The original Health Home consent process was changed in response to concerns regarding the difficulty of implementing the consent as designed. The main goal continues to remain the same – a single Health Home consent that ensures compliance with state and federal regulations on privacy and confidentiality while allowing Health Home providers to share appropriate information about their members including through the use of health information technology (HIT) through a health information exchange (HIE).
While the prior consent form required that the Health Home identify and list all of its core partners, the revised consent form allows the lead Health Home to list only the partners relevant to the individual member. Additional care partners may be added as needed to the consent form as an addendum, which the member initials and dates. The withdrawal of consent form has also been redesigned to be consistent with this format.
The new consent serves as the Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) HIE consent for the lead Health Home. It allows the lead Health Home to collect and share information through the RHIO HIE. NYSDOH Office of Health Insurance Programs, Office of Health Information Technology Transformation and the AIDS Institute, along with the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) worked together on this redesign and each state agency has signed off on the new forms as meeting the same standards for privacy and confidentiality as the prior forms.
Health Homes are reminded that the member does not have to sign this consent for active care management to begin. While it will limit data exchange among the care providers, the care manager may begin to work with the member. Because many Health Home eligible members are disenfranchised from the healthcare system, they may not be immediately comfortable signing the consent. The goal is to work with the member so he/she understands the value of the consent, feels comfortable with the intent, and signs the consent.
Updated instructions and frequently asked questions will be available on the Health Home website. The new forms will be posted upon completion of translation into the required languages. Health Homes that have successfully been able to operationalize the original consent form DO NOT need to have members sign another consent form.
The original consent is still valid and can remain in effect.
For more information about the Health Home Consent Process, visit the following websites:
Health Home Consent Forms and FAQs at:
Forms and Template section at:
http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/medicaid_health_homes/forms/
Health Home Main Page at:
http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/medicaid_health_homes/