Bigger Picture: Articles on EVV in Disability Supports, Telehealth During COVID and Re-opening for Nonprofits

Readers seeking to stay abreast of or influence policy discussions on strengthening Medicaid-funded disability supports might find the content shared below informative, as it highlights emerging topics and trends in the broader health care field.

• Telehealth during COVID-19: The National Health Law Program (NHELP) broke down the benefits and limitations of the expansion of telehealth in Medicaid recently authorized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In summary: “Despite the technological and logistical challenges of remotely connecting patients to their health care providers, studies indicate that for people with disabilities – particularly those in rural areas – telehealth provides many benefits for people with disabilities. However, the technology needs to be accessible and appropriately matched to the needs of the patient. This relevant both during the COVID-19 pandemic and for care delivery in the future.”

• Guidelines for nonprofits re-opening during COVID-19: “The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits in partnership with a number of other state organizations has put together this set of guidelines to use for reference as nonprofits begin to emerge back into open operations. These are guidelines and recommendations – certainly not edicts. It will be up to the decisions of leadership and boards of directors on how quickly you resume your general operations.”

• Electronic Visit Verification (EVV): Disability and Health Journal article on how the disability community is viewing EVV: “Qualitative interviews suggest that EVV is intrusive, reduces flexibility from the consumer/worker relationship, has technical difficulties, but may help certain consumers. Our results suggest that EVV interferes with the standard way PAS [personal assistance services] is provided and raises fears about EVV negatively affecting recruitment and retention of PAS workers”.