
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- Managed Medicaid Care Plan (MMC)
- Managed Long Term Care Plan (MLTC)
- Medicaid Advantage Plus Plan (MAP)
- Program for all inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
- Fully Integrated Dual Advantage Plan (FIDA)
The list of plans frequently changes, so if you’d like to find out which plans currently service of your area, contact a Special Touch Care Representative at 718-673-9288.
If you aren’t self-directing, you can designate somebody who is able and willing to be your “self-directing other” (SDO) or designated representative. The designated representative is responsible for managing your in-home care. They are also responsible for locating your personal assistant(s), interviewing them, hiring them, training them, supervising them, and if necessary, terminating them.
Recent Developments:
As of April 1, 2016, caregivers of Medicaid recipients that are not “legally responsible” for a Medicaid consumer’s care and support may qualify for payment by becoming a Personal Assistant through the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).
This direction concerns the parent of an adult child (21 years of age or older) that may qualify as an adult child’s CDPAP assistant if the following conditions apply:
- As long as the caregiver is not also the Medicaid recipient’s “designated representative.”
- In situations where the parent lives with the child/consumer, the relative must live with the consumer because the amount of home care services the Medicaid recipient requires makes the presence of the relative necessary.
- Tracheostomy care, including suctioning
- Oxygen administration
- Medication administration
- Insulin injections
A fiscal intermediary is an entity contracted to provide services under the county guidelines or managed care plan—Special Touch CDPAP is a fiscal intermediary. For logistical and record keeping purposes payment is most frequently processed and distributed by the fiscal intermediary.
One of the requirements for CDPAP is that you have Medicaid. If you do not currently have Medicaid, it may be worth checking if you qualify. The regulations for Medicaid enrollment change frequently—and you may qualify without even knowing it. One of our care representatives can also assist you in this.
Medicaid Managed Care Plans throughout New York require that the Consumer (or their Designated Representative) who will direct their care completes a CDPAP application. This application demonstrates the consumer’s (or their designated representative’s) ability to arrange and manage in-home care.
Recent studies have shown that people recover faster at home than in institutions. For example, when chemotherapy is required for treatment of cancer, the smaller doses that can be administered at home cause fewer adverse reactions than the massive doses delivered in a hospital setting.
If you need assistance that cannot easily or effectively be provided by a family member or friend, home care is the solution. Home care services benefit people who:
- Require additional assistance to live independently at home due to an illness, disability, or advanced age.
- Have a chronic or life-threatening illness and want to rest in the comfort of their home environment.
- Are able to be discharged from a hospital or nursing home but need additional care at home.
- Require short-term assistance at home because of same-day or outpatient surgery, or maternity-related incapacity.
Younger adults who are disabled or recovering from acute illness are also choosing to be cared for at home. Infants and children requiring even the most sophisticated treatments for serious childhood illnesses are often allowed to return to their loving families, and a secure home environment, thanks to advanced technology and pediatric home care services.
We are very careful in our selection of our home health aides; all aides receive thorough background checks and careful screening before they ever see a Special Touch patient. They are supervised by a nurse as well as our office team to ensure that patients receive optimal care. In addition, we continuously train and educate our field staff to keep their skills current and impactful.
Each employee’s medical profile must be complete and up-to-date, as well as their employment authorizations. When the paperwork is complete, they undergo a skills assessment, testing, and further education in providing quality patient care. Only when all of this has been completed is an employee considered ready to see a Special Touch patient.