Carter Wrenn posted on June 30, 2009 00:24
Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina CEO, Tim Rogers' Email to Senator Berger documenting flaws in his review. See Tim's email below:
From: Tim Rogers [mailto:timrogers@homeandhospicecare.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 5:41 PM
To: 'Sen. Doug Berger'
Cc: 'Melanie Bush (Fiscal Research)'; 'Lisa Hollowell (Fiscal Research)'; 'Sen. William Purcell'; 'Sen. Martin Nesbitt'; 'Amy Fulk (Pres Pro Tem's Office)'; 'Sen. Tony Rand'; 'Rep. Bob England'; 'Rep. Verla Insko'; 'Rep. Beverly Earle'; 'Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield'; 'Sen. Debbie Clary'; sharnese.ransome@ncmail.net
Subject: RE: Proposed Cuts to Personal Care Services
Senator Berger:
First, thank you for the email. Thank you for joining with us in trying to get to the bottom of the numbers that the Department has provided to you on PCS. With regard to the one page chart you sent me on Friday, is this part of a CCME report? If so, could you send us a complete copy of the report? A few weeks ago we had asked the Department to give us all written reports and summaries from the CCME reviews of PCS. We never received the document that you e-mailed us on Friday. Instead, we received two eight-page reports and neither included the one-page chart you have.
The percentages shown in the one-page chart are very misleading because there was a second level review that in most cases reversed the CCME preliminary findings. One of our member agencies reports that 10 out of 10 were reversed; another reports 7 out of 7 reversed and several others report 100% reversals. One agency reporting a 100% reversal of CCME findings told us that CCME found that a 90-year old blind man who could not bathe, ambulate or toilet himself did not meet eligibility criteria.
The Department needs to make public the percentage of patients initially found to be ineligible for PCS that are still receiving these services because the findings were reversed after a closer review. Would you please ask Secretary Cansler for this information, and share it with us? How can the Department possibly say that the percentages you have been given are reliable with the CCME findings being reversed most of the time?
Again, thank you for helping us get to the bottom of this.
Most cordially
Timothy R. "Tim" Rogers, CEO
Assoc. for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina
South Carolina Home Care Association
3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 204
Raleigh, NC 27609
919-848-3450
919-961-3555 cell
Member -State Health Coordinating Council -SHCC
Member -NAHC Board of Directors
Chairman -NAHC Forum of State Associations
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