Archived Health Homes Serving Children Documents

Health Home Serving Children Information and Guidance

Health Home Guidance for OMH TCM Providers and Certain NYC VFCAs Regarding the "Pre–population" of the CANS–NY Assessment for Health Homes Serving Children (August, 2016)

  • Guidance is also available in Portable Document Format (PDF)

The purpose of this communication is to provide further guidance to certain Health Homes Serving Children care managers that are authorized by the Department to have access to the Uniform Assessment System (UAS–NY) to complete the CANS–NY assessments prior to the December 2016 (pre–populate) enrollment/launch date of Health Homes Serving Children. To ensure a smooth transition to the Health Home program the following care managers, which also meet the qualifications below, are authorized to add a CANS–NY assessments in the UAS–NY beginning in October 2016.

  • OMH TCM providers that will transition to the Health Home program and are currently working with a Health Home eligible child.
  • Voluntary Foster Care Agencies in New York City, that are working with a foster care child for which there is a current CANS–NY (which is identical to the modified CANS–NY tool employed in Health Homes), i.e., "VFCA/NYC w/ HH CANS–NY". See page 2 of this guidance for additional details.
  • OMH TCM providers and VFCA/NYC w/ HH CANS–NY must have Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) in place with at least one Health Home serving children.
  • OMH TCM providers and VFCA/NYC w/ HH CANS–NY must have access to the Health Commerce System (HCS) and the Uniform Assessment System (UAS–NY) to have early access to the CANS–NY for their clients. UAS–NY training will occur in September/October 2016.
  • OMH TCM providers and VFCA/NYC w/ HH CANS–NY must 1) have achieved a test score of 70 or above in Learner Nation and hold a current certification to conduct the CANS–NY AND
    2) must have completed all required training associated with using the UAS–NY
  • OMH TCM providers and VFCA/NY w/ HH CANS–NY must obtain consent from a parent, guardian or legally authorized representative (LDSS or VFCA in NYC for a child in foster care) to conduct the CANS–NY within the UAS–NY (see Consent Webinar held on August 17, 2016 for more information)

All other care managers will have access to the CANS–NY Assessment tool in December 2016. Such care managers must also have access to the HCS, must have completed all required training related to accessing the UAS–NY and be CANS–NY trained and certified with a test score of 70 or above.

OMH TCM Providers, VFCA HH CM and all other care managers, LDSS and LGU/SPOAs will have access to MAPP Referral portal in December 2016. Billing for all providers will begin with dates of service on and after December 1, 2016.

OMH TCM Providers transitioning to Health Home Care Managers to Serve Children
  • It is the intent of the Department of Health and Office of Mental Health (OMH) that the transition to Health Homes for OMH TCM children be as seamless as possible. During the Tuesday, August 30th from 10:00–11:30 Webinar the Department will provide additional detailed transitional guidance for OMH TCM providers, effective December 1, 2016, regarding 1) billing – to ensure there is no break in care management or payments to OMH TCM providers, and 2) enrolling children in Health Homes through the MAPP referral portal. Health Home enrollments will need to align with your contracts with Health Homes and if the member is enrolled in a Managed Care Plan, the Plan must also have an Administrative Services Agreement (ASA) contract with such Health Home. The Department will provide information on the alignment of Managed Care plans with Health Homes (Managed Care Plans are currently working with Health Homes to enter into ASA agreements).
  • OMH TCM providers must obtain verbal consent from a parent, guardian or legally authorized representative to make a referral for their members through the MAPP Referral Portal beginning in December 2016. It is the intent that OMH TCM providers that are transitioning to Health Homes for children will continue to provide care management to the same members they are currently servings (i.e., the transition is seamless as possible to the child and family).
  • Please note that in cases where an OMH TCM child transitioning to Health Homes care management is also currently in foster care, only the LDSS or VFCA in NYC will be able to make a referral within the MAPP Referral Portal and designate the Health Home Care Management Agency. The LDSS will provide consent to enroll the child in Health Homes and should work to provide seamless transition to the OMH TCM provider by selecting the OMH TCM Health Home Care Management Agency provider in MAPP.
Voluntary Foster Care Agencies in NYC currently utilizing the CANS–NY for Health Homes
  • VFCA/NYC w/ HH CANS–NY that are working with a foster care child for which a previous CANS–NY was already completed in the ACS´ E–CANS system and in which a CANS–NY reassessment will be due during the period of October 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016, may enter that reassessment in the UAS–NY prior to December. The CANS–NY Assessment tool in the ACS´ E–CANS system must be identical to the Health Home CANS–NY Assessment tool in the UAS–NY to have access and complete this reassessment within the UAS–NY.
  • Prior to completing the Health Home CANS–NY, the VFCA/NYC w/ HH meeting the early access to the UAS–NY (pre–population) criteria should work to determine if the child is eligible for Health Home services, meets the appropriate criteria and is most in need of Health Home care management (i.e., the Health Home prioritization list for enrolling children in Health Home).
  • Effective in December 2016, VFCA/NYC w/ Health Home CANS–NY must be referred through the MAPP HHTS Children´s Health Home Referral Portal for assignment and enrollment into a Health Home. Enrollments must align with the VFCA contracts with Health Homes.

Health Home Serving Children
Division of Program Development and Management
New York State Department of Health
Office of Health Insurance Programs