S2 E4 - Assessment

03/11/24 • 43 min

Tim Duggan, Clinical Manager, and Anya Moore-Ridley, PASSPORT Assessor, share the process of scheduling and performing in-home assessments. Learn about income and level of care requirements to understand how older adults and people with disabilities qualify for home and community-based services.

Key Takeaways

1. The assessment and enrollment team at COAAA assesses clients for their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), focusing on observing abilities rather than just medical conditions.

2. The assessment team is comprised of licensed nurses, social workers, and additional support specialists, with a focus on streamlining the enrollment process for Medicaid qualifications.

3. The enrollment team works to free up assessors from administrative tasks and streamline the enrollment process, aiming to relieve the administrative burden on assessors and improve efficiency.

4. Tim Duggan, the clinical manager, emphasizes the high volume of assessments conducted each week, with a focus on learning and managing policy changes and building a conducive culture within the organization.

5. Anya Ridley-Moore discusses the impact of the enrollment team on her work, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and collaboration in handling assessments and Medicaid approval.

"From a social worker's perspective, we have to dig more into what we're observing and not so much the medical conditions."

Anya Ridley-Moore

6. The challenge of keeping up with policy changes and communicating them across departments is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and understanding within the assessment and enrollment team.

7. Teamwork and breaking down silos between different teams are essential for the assessment and enrollment team to operate efficiently and provide positive changes in collaboration among assessors, the Roam team, and other departments.

8. The positive changes in teamwork and collaboration within the assessment and enrollment team have led to excitement about hitting their targets and contributing valuable insights to the agency.

9. The conversation underlines the importance of communication, collaboration, and team-building within the agency's large workforce, with a reminder to focus on strengths and the positive impact of their work in the community.

"For me, I would say my biggest accomplishment is just the fact that there are some great people around me. And I can take a little bit of credit for that, but, I think at best, I'm freeing them up to be the great people that they are at best."

Timothy Duggan

10. There is an emphasis on perseverance and relying on team members during difficult times, highlighting the dedication and resilience of the assessment and enrollment team.

Memorable Moments

06:46 Assessors determine care eligibility, provide support resources.

11:55 Call, assess needs, clarify, schedule assistance.

14:24 Assistance for nursing facility with enrollment process.

17:11 Medication, observations, and independence in assessments emphasized.

22:00 Complicated doctor's office enrollment process requires streamlining.

25:51 Flexibility and autonomy in assessment scheduling.

28:29 Adapting to new tasks and responsibilities.

30:14 Adapting to changing policies, ensuring cross-department communication.

35:46 Encouraging team, breaking silos, fostering greatness together.

39:18 Challenging to balance experience and humility.

41:50 Ability to see strengths amidst challenges.

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at [email protected]!

Key Takeaways

1. The assessment and enrollment team at COAAA assesses clients for their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), focusing on observing abilities rather than just medical conditions.

2. The assessment team is comprised of licensed nurses, social workers, and additional support specialists, with a focus on streamlining the enrollment process for Medicaid qualifications.

3. The enrollment team works to free up assessors from administrative tasks and streamline the enrollment process, aiming to relieve the administrative burden on assessors and improve efficiency.

5. Anya Ridley-Moore discusses the impact of the enrollment team on her work, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and collaboration in handling assessments and Medicaid approval.

"From a social worker's perspective, we have to dig more into what we're observing and not so much the medical conditions."

Anya Ridley-Moore

8. The positive changes in teamwork and collaboration within the assessment and enrollment team have led to excitement about hitting their targets and contributing valuable insights to the agency.

Timothy Duggan

10. There is an emphasis on perseverance and relying on team members during difficult times, highlighting the dedication and resilience of the assessment and enrollment team.

Memorable Moments

06:46 Assessors determine care eligibility, provide support resources.

11:55 Call, assess needs, clarify, schedule assistance.

14:24 Assistance for nursing facility with enrollment process.

17:11 Medication, observations, and independence in assessments emphasized.

22:00 Complicated doctor's office enrollment process requires streamlining.

25:51 Flexibility and autonomy in assessment scheduling.

28:29 Adapting to new tasks and responsibilities.

30:14 Adapting to changing policies, ensuring cross-department communication.

35:46 Encouraging team, breaking silos, fostering greatness together.

39:18 Challenging to balance experience and humility.

41:50 Ability to see strengths amidst challenges.

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at [email protected]!

Previous Episode

S2 E3 - Title III

The Older Americans Act mandates federal funding be used for meal, supportive, caregiving, and evidenced-based services for older adults across the U.S.

With these funds come complex service specifications, billing requirements, and annual monitoring.

Ann Bauman from Fiscal and Jackie Marchan-Rish from Provider Relations share how COAAA supports our amazing service providers in Central Ohio, ensuring we utilize the funding where and how it is needed, and describe the crucial impact that is made through Title III funding.

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at [email protected]!

Next Episode

S2 E6 - COAAA University

The mission of COAAA University is to create a confident, competent, compassionate, and connected workforce. Learn from Erica Drewry, Director of Client Services, and Carrie Oswald, Clinical Operations Analyst, about the vision and planning efforts that have gone into the creation of COAAA University.

The university, a training program developed from clinical best practices, is designed to equip staff with fundamental skills for working with the public. Katie, Erica, and Carrie dive into the implementation process, the benefits of the program, and the importance of staff development. Join them as they share their enthusiasm and pride in the success of COAAA University and their dedication to serving the community.

Key Takeaways

1. COAAA University is a comprehensive training program developed by a committee to enhance the skills and competencies of staff members working with the public.

2. The training program covers essential topics such as crisis management, documentation, assessment, and professional growth, aimed at building a connected and competent workforce.

3. COAAA University involves both internal and external speakers and is designed based on the needs of adult learners, providing interactive and relevant training sessions.

"We expect for it to always be growing. And that's really cool, and it, it helps to keep the bar high for COAAA University."

— Carrie Oswald

4. The program is focused on promoting the values of the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) and aims to create a cohesive team through discussions and interactions.

5. The potential expansion of COAAA University into a leadership track and supervisor-specific classes is being discussed, highlighting the initiative's commitment to workforce development and skill enhancement.

6. COAAA University has introduced a new supervisor group to support and train new supervisors, creating a community for sharing challenges and experiences, and is developing a new supervisor toolbox.

"So maybe right now, we're kind of in the 101 courses, and then we'll get to the 200 level courses on 300. I kinda wanna see it become the umbrella for internal staff training."

— Erica Drewry

7. The program has implemented paid student internships with a focus on onboarding orientation, and COAAA University aims to formalize paid placements to support staff and ease supervision.

8. COAAA University focuses on training social workers in competencies and provides support for field instructors, and enrollment in the program is mandatory for new hires and open to contributions from existing staff.

9. The evaluation of COAAA University courses focuses on feedback from participants about content, delivery, and applicability to the job, with positive feedback received on the interactive and relevant training.

"We are COAAA first and foremost, and who are we as COAAA? We know that we're a great place to work."

— Katie White

10. COAAA University represents the agency's dedication to its employees and the community, aiming to create a ripple effect in the community through the development and support of a dedicated workforce.

Memorable Moments

00:00 Worked closely with COAAA, medical social worker.

04:49 COAAA University, a dream based on best practices.

06:54 Formed committee, planning, curriculum development, stakeholder engagement.

10:29 Embracing COAAA identity and promoting professional growth.

13:44 Mix of clinicians share knowledge in diverse training.

18:36 University relies on students to shape programs.

20:05 Continuous planning and refinement for COAAA University.

25:00 New supervisor group discussing roles; challenges, successes.

26:11 Small group meetings for new supervisors learning.

30:14 MSW competencies guide simplified.

35:30 Excited for feedback on course content quality.

38:21 Successful launch after dedicated committee's hard work.

39:28 Balancing multiple priorities can be challenging.

42:33 Proud to be part of an impactful initiative.

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at [email protected]!

Pretend I Know Nothing About - S2 E4 - Assessment

Transcript

Katie White [00:00:11]:

Welcome to Pretend I Know Nothing About. I'm Katie White, your host, administrator of COAAA. On today's episode, we are learning about the assessment team from Tim Duggan and Anya Moore-Ridley. Our assessment team is made up of a number of talented individuals that ensure that those in the community meet level of care and Medicaid requirements in order to receive their home and community based services in their home or on assisted living. Part of our assessment t