Case Study: Fiscal/Employer Agent (F/EA) services to individuals participating in the Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+) program.

The Client:
Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (FL APD)

The Projects:
Fiscal/Employer Agent (F/EA) services to individuals participating in the Consumer-Directed Care Plus (CDC+) program.

The Challenge:
Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities selected PPL to assume responsibility for F/EA services provided by another vendor. CDC+ is a long-term care program alternative to the Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waiver. Under CDC+, consumers direct their own care and develop a purchasing plan to manage their allocated monthly budgets in order to meet their long term care needs. In 2007, administration for the program moved from the Department of Elder Affairs to APD. The program required the development of a sound technology platform and implementation of a responsive and high quality customer service system.

The PPL Approach:

Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) took a number of steps to develop a system that suited FL APD’s needs,including:

• Developing program rules with FL APD program and IT staff;
• Developing an authorization system that accommodates cash, services, savings, one-time and short-term savings;
• Customizing a series of reports to suit the state’s unique program requirements;
• Providing a state-wide launch of PPL services with on-site consumer information sessions across the state to explain the transition, program requirements, and tax requirements to consumers, their employees, and representatives.
  

The Result:

• The initial program launch was a challenge for program users, the State and PPL. In response,APD and PPL management, program, IT and customer service staff have developed a close relationship involving on-site visits and daily meetings. This has facilitated the ability to react to changes with the program on a near real-time basis, making for a better consumer experience.
• As a result, the number of timesheets, invoices and requests for reimbursement paid on-time has increased with every payroll period. In conjunction, call volume to the customer service center has declined with every payroll period – a reliable indicator of program success and stability.
• PPL provides FL APD with reports that capture trends and outliers, project utilization and reflect current and historical spending.
• The program supports 1000 consumers and several hundred are on a waiting list to join.