OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW A. Overview This document includes administrative code for MAC Centers, and does not apply to the MAC network as a whole. Rules are filed to ensure compliance by MAC Centers to standards set forth herein by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. As part of Medicaid’s (CMS) Balancing Incentive Program, there is an effort to create a fiscally responsible, person-driven system that offers a full array of choices, thereby empowering people to direct their long-term care decisions to the fullest extent possible. In order to increase Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), implementation of a No Wrong Door System is essential in order to coordinate financial and functional Medicaid eligibility and to help people navigate complex administrative and community-resource barriers to HCBS. CMS is dedicated to helping States provide quality care to people in the most appropriate, least restrictive settings. The opportunities offered under the Balancing Incentive Program are authorized by Section 10202 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148). Mississippi Access to Care Centers are one portion of a larger ‘No Wrong Door’ (NWD) network in the state of Mississippi. A successful NWD system helps people navigate to the appropriate services and supports, regardless of their entry point. This methodology rejects the ‘Single Entry Point’ approach, which relies on one “correct” location which people must access to receive assistance. In contrast, Mississippi’s NWD system will include MAC Centers, as well as many other formal and informal entry points. These may include, but are not limited to: Division of Medicaid, Department of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Mental Health, hospital or nursing home discharge planners, Area Agencies on Aging, DMH Regional Programs, case management agencies, etc. B. Mission To help Mississippians secure needed services or benefits, live with dignity and security, and achieve maximum independence and quality of life. The goal of the MAC Center is to empower people to make informed choices and to streamline access to services and supports. C. Role Role: Welcoming and accessible places where people can obtain information and assistance in locating services or applying for benefits. They provide a central source of reliable, objective, and unbiased information about a broad range of programs and services and help people understand and evaluate the various options available to them. By enabling people to find resources in their communities and make informed decisions about long-term care, MAC Centers help people conserve their personal resources, maintain self-sufficiency, and delay or prevent the need for potentially expensive long-term care. Each of these services is available regardless of income or eligibility for publicly funded long-term care. Consultation, information, and referral to needed services and supports are provided at the MAC Center, over the telephone, in the person’s home, and at other locations if requested.