Uniform Assessment System for New York

The following project updates, presentations/webinars and training videos contain outdated UAS information and materials.
All current information is located on the UAS–NY main page.

What the Statewide Implementation Plan of the UAS–NY Means for Your Organization

v 2013–05–13

Document Revision History

May 13, 2013

  • Adjustments to accommodate a 90–day delay for the implementation of Managed Long Term Care.

Office of Health Insurance Programs
Division of Long Term Care


Contents

Introduction to the UAS–NY

Assessment Instruments

Statewide Implementation Plan


INTRODUCTION TO THE UAS–NY

Welcome to the Uniform Assessment System for New York (UAS–NY), a Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) project. The UAS–NY is a secure, web–based software application housed in the New York State (NYS) Department of Health’s (DOH) Health Commerce System (HCS).

The UAS–NY contains electronic adult and pediatric assessment instruments for individuals being served in New York State’s Medicaid home and community–based long term care setting.

The Purpose of this Document

The purpose of this document is to convey the DOH’s state–wide implementation plan for the UAS–NY and clarify what your role is or may be with respect to the UAS–NY and the state– wide implementation.

May 13, 2013 Update: This revision will clarify the impact to accommodate a 90–day delay for the implementation of the UAS–NY with Managed Long Term Care plans and their respective networks.

UAS–NY Support Desk

Upon reading this document in its entirety, if you have questions about if or how the UAS–NY implementation affects your organization, contact the UAS–NY support desk at:

518–408–1021

or

uasny@health.state.ny.us

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ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS

This section of this guide presents information related to the NYS Medicaid programs and plans that will be affected by the implementation of the UAS–NY, the assessment instruments that are being replaced, and the timeline for statewide implementation.

UAS–NY Assessment Instruments

The UAS–NY contains three assessment instruments:

  • Community Assessment – adults over the age of 18
  • Pediatric 4–17 – children ages 4 through 17
  • Pediatric 0–3 – children ages birth through 3

The UAS–NY Community Assessment instrument enables an assessor to review multiple domains of function, health, social support, and service use. The Community Assessment includes two supplements: The Functional Supplement and the Mental Health Supplement. The Functional Supplement captures additional information related to health, function, and support. The Mental Health Supplement captures additional information related to mental health service history, mental state, and social relations.

The UAS–NY Pediatric Assessment instruments also review multiple domains of function, health, social support, and service use within an age appropriate context. The pediatric assessments do not include supplements.

New York State Medicaid Programs and Plans Affected

The UAS–NY and its related assessment instruments will be used in the following New York State home and community–based long term care Medicaid programs.

  • Adult Day Health Care (ADHC)
  • Assisted Living Program (ALP)
  • Care at Home (CAH) I/II Waiver
  • Long Term Home Health Care Program (LTHHCP)
  • Managed Long Term Care (MLTC)
    • MAP – Medicaid Advantage Plus
    • PACE – Program for the All–Inclusive Care of the Elderly
    • PCP – Partial Capitation Plan
  • Personal Care Services (PCS) and Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP)
  • Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Waiver (NHTD)
  • Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver (TBI)

Important Note: Any organization that operates, or conducts assessments for organizations who operate, one of these Programs or Plans will eventually use the UAS–NY to conduct assessments.

Assessment Instruments Being Replaced

The UAS–NY and its related assessment instruments will replace the following instruments and forms that are currently in use:

Program Instruments/Forms Used
Adult Day Health Care Registrant Assessment Instrument (RAI)
Assisted Living Program (ALP) Hospital/Community Patient Review Instrument (PRI) Screen
DSS–4449B Identifying Information
DSS–4449D Nursing/Functional/Social Assessment
*DSS–4449C Medical Evaluation and Physician Orders
* The Medical Evaluation will be partially replaced by the UAS–NY. The physician's section will be substantially shortened.
Care At Home (CAH) I/II Waiver DSS–4362 Pediatric Patient Review Instrument (PPRI)
DSS–3139 (Home Assessment Abstract) or approved local equivalent
Long Term Home Health Care Program DMS–1 (Long Term Care Placement Form)
DSS–3139 (Home Assessment Abstract)
Managed Long Term Care Semi–Annual Assessment of Members (SAAM)
Personal Care Services/ Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) DSS–3139 (Home Assessment Abstract)
DMS–1 (Long Term Care Placement Form)
Personal Care Services – NYC M27–R (RN Assessment Task Based Assessment)
M11–S (Social Assessment)
NHTD/TBI Waivers Hospital/ Community Patient Review Instrument (PRI) Screen
The Initial Service Plan (ISP) will not be replaced until the service planning component is implemented in the UAS–NY.

Important Note: Any organization that completes these named instruments or forms, either for their own organization or for other organizations, will eventually use the UAS–NY.

Laws, Regulations, Policy, and Guidance

The implementation of the UAS–NY will not alter your obligation to adhere to existing laws, regulations, policy, and guidance for the respective Programs or Plans you operate or coordinate with.

It is important to note that the UAS–NY is not a nursing home admission tool. Nursing home admissions will still require a PRI, and staff conducting the PRI must be certified to use that instrument.

In addition, federally required assessments, such as the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), will not be replaced by the UAS–NY.

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STATEWIDE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

This section presents the statewide implementation plan so that you can understand your organization’s involvement in the context of the broader 2013 implementation. The UAS–NY implementation plan will be executed throughout 2013 and be completed by early 2014.

The statewide implementation of the UAS–NY consists of three concurrently–executed plans, each of which is described below:

  • Pilot Implementation
  • Managed Long Term Care Implementation
  • Balance of State Fee for Service Programs Implementation

Pilot Implementation

The Pilot is the first live use of the UAS–NY. Four counties who were involved in the

UAS–NY beta test in the summer of 2012 have been identified to participate in the Pilot. The four counties are Broome, Chautauqua, Otsego, and Warren. The Pilot began in mid– March 2013 with the availability of the UAS–NY application.

The Pilot will be conducted for approximately two months (ending May 31), at the end of which time all organizations in these four counties who are involved in home and community–based long term care programs – except Managed Long Term Care plans – will thereafter conduct assessments using only the UAS–NY.

May 13, 2013 Update: This implementation plan is NOT affected by the 90–day delay.

  • If your organization is one of the Programs identified on page 2, and you operate in any of the named Pilot counties, then you are included as a Pilot participant and are expected to transition according to the plan.
  • If you conduct assessments for an organization that is one of the Programs identified on page 2 that also operates in any of the named Pilot counties, then you are included as a Pilot participant and are expected to transition according to the plan.

Managed Long Term Care Implementation UPDATE

All MLTC plans throughout the entire state began in March 2013 making preparations for using the UAS–NY such that beginning July 1, 2013 October 1, 2013, all assessments conducted under MLTC will be performed using only the UAS–NY.

  • If you are a Managed Long Term Care Plan (PACE, MAP, PCP), you are included in this implementation and are expected to transition according to the plan.
  • If your organization conducts assessments for a Managed Long Term Care Plan (for example as a sub–contracted Licensed Home Care Services Agency), you are included in this implementation and are expected to transition according to the statewide plan in order to conduct assessments for the MLTC plan’s members.

May 13, 2013 Update: This implementation plan IS affected by the 90–day delay.

To ensure that MLTC Plans and their respective networks are prepared to fully implement the UAS–NY, the Division of Long Term Care (DLTC) have established the following milestones.

  • All HCS user accounts must be submitted to the Commerce Accounts Management Unit (CAMU) no later than July 1, 2013.
  • Trust Level 3 assurance and UAS role assignments must be established by no later than August 1, 2013.
  • All staff (assessors and support staff alike) must complete the required online training and begin using the UAS–NY in preparation for conducting assessments by August 15, 2013.
  • Plans must use the UAS–NY for all new members who are scheduled to enroll effective October 1, 2013. This will require Plans to use the UAS–NY as early as mid–August 2013.
  • The UAS–NY must be used for all reassessments beginning October 1, 2013.

Balance of State Fee–for–Service Programs Implementation

The remaining counties and regions throughout New York State will transition to using the UAS–NY according to the rolling implementation schedule presented in the table below. This pertains to all fee–for–service programs operating or assessing in the counties specified below.

May 13, 2013 Update: This implementation plan is NOT affected by the 90–day delay.

Region Counties Begin Transition Implementation Deadline
Region VI Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates May 1, 2013 October 1, 2013
Region V Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins June 1, 2013 November 1, 2013
Region IV Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Washington July 1, 2013 December 1, 2013
Region III Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster, Rockland August 1, 2013 January 1, 2014
Regions I & II Nassau, New York City, Suffolk, Westchester September 1, 2013 February 1, 2014
  • If your organization is one of the Programs identified on page 2, your transition to the UAS–NY will begin according to the entry in the above table that corresponds to the county in which your program operates.
  • If you conduct assessments for one of the Programs identified on page 2, your transition to the UAS–NY will begin according to the entry in the above table that corresponds to the county of operation of the Program for whom you conduct assessments.

Note: The Implementation Deadline is the latest date your organization will be allowed to use the currently administered assessment instruments, not the earliest date you may use the UAS–NY. If your organization can complete its transition activities more expediently than the amount of time afforded by the implementation schedule – but still according to the plan´s timeline for counties/regions – the UAS–NY project team welcomes and encourages you to do so.

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