Don’t Miss Out! ANCOR Notes from CMS National EVV Stakeholders Call

Responding to a Congressional directive laid our in H.R. 6042, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a national call for stakeholders of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) on Wednesday, November 7, 2018. ANCOR and many of its members joined the call, which had over 1,000 participants. CMS recorded the call and shared the transcript online (it may take a few more days to post). Overall, the call identified much pushback and many questions on the scope and applicability of EVV, including whether day services are covered. Participants highlighted some very good challenges, including:

• GENERAL PROVIDER CONCERNS: Concerns laid out by providers on cost, guidance, scope of application were generally directed by CMS to the state. (However, please see next bullet below for confusion by states)
• LACK OF INFORMATION: States sought more information on what are challenging issues with EVV and how to address them. States also requested guidance on who, if anyone, to exempt.
• CONSUMER CONCERNS: Many consumers expressed concern about the implication of EVV for self-directed programs. Consumers also shared the challenges surrounding telephone systems, which could be time-consuming, inaccurate, and could lead to intrusive questioning such as on bathroom use. People with environmental disabilities in particular resisted EVV technology, citing their avoidance of cell phones or computers for health reasons.
• FAMILY CONCERNS: Family members, particularly from parents who offer round-the-clock support to their children, expressed frustration at the amount of oversight they already receive, questioning the potential implications of EVV for family caregivers.
• CHALLENGES FOR DSPs: Some commentators flagged that DSPS might struggle with more complex programs, either because of skill or language challenges.

Generally, CMS responded to these concerns by encouraging stakeholders email the CMS EVV mailbox ([email protected]), which will continue to receive messages after the call and to contact Congress to ask them to clarify the statute.

If you wish to engage on this issue, please contact Esme Grant Grewal at [email protected] for information on CMS’ efforts and Sarah Meek at [email protected] for information on Congress’ efforts.

In response to the need for more information on EVV, ANCOR is launching an exciting resource soon. Stay tuned to ANCOR Capitol Correspondence this month for the latest!