Columbus, Georgia

NEW HORIZONS COMMUNITY SERVICE BOARD



July 8, 2002 Health and Human Services Building, Conference Room B, 2100 Comer

Avenue, Columbus, Georgia



Members Present: Anne Hopp, Linda McElroy, Nancy Schroeder, Wesley Shorter,

Lawrence Young



Guests: Dexter Barrows (Developmental Services), Jean Holt (Region 9),

Charlotte Ingram (Nursing), KuWonna Ingram (Utilization Management), Merisha

Johnson (Utilization Management), Andrea Winston (The Millennium Center)



1. Call to Order: Nancy Schroeder, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at

3:30 p.m.



2. Recognition of Guests: All guests attending today?s meeting were recognized.



3. Secretary?s Minutes: M/S/P Nancy Schroeder/Anne Hopp to amend the June 10,

2002 meeting minutes to reflect? ?the board moved into Executive Session to

consult with legal counsel to discuss legal issues of the American Psych

Systems? audit.? M/S/P Lawrence Young/Wesley Shorter that the June 10, 2002

minutes are approved, as amended.



4. Financial Report: Valerie Bowden reported that New Horizons Community

Service Board?s total Medicaid billing for the month of June did impact our

fiscal year-end budget status as we had only 20 working days in the month.

However, we were successful in meeting our revenue per day billing for June

2002. Also, New Horizons Community Service Board received some additional

grant-in-aid funding at the end of the fiscal year. New Horizons Community

Service Board ended the fiscal year with a year-to-date surplus of $4,991.



Anne Hopp requested that future financial reports reflect line items of

expenditures. We will provide a full financial report to the board after the

auditors have completed their annual financial audit of New Horizons Community

Service Board that is scheduled during the week of August 12, 2002.



5. DACE: Valerie Bowden reported that New Horizons Community Service Board was

under our allowable DACE for the month of June 2002 by five days. We were over

our allowable DACE for the Fourth Quarter by 83 days. For the year, we were

494 days under our allowable DACE. New Horizons Community Service Board?s

contract with Region 9 for FY2003 reflects that DACE will be computed on an

annual basis and on a quarterly basis. We are unsure of whether a per diem

would be withheld should we exceed our allowable DACE of if we would receive

additional funding should we be under our allowable DACE. It is noted that the

closing of Phenix Medical Hospital in Phenix City, Alabama has negatively

impacted New Horizons Community Service Board?s allowable DACE.



6. American Psych Systems? Report/Findings: Perry Alexander reminded board

members that the American Psych Systems? audit of May 21 ? 23, 2002 indicated

that New Horizons Community Service Board did not consistently provide quality

documentation of the care and treatment consumers received. Our challenge has

been and continues to be to provide consistent, quality documentation of the

services we are providing to consumers.



Sherman Whitfield provided information of how New Horizons Community Service

Board compared with other community service boards in the Third Quarter

throughout the state of Georgia on the following:



? Quality of Documentation: New Horizons Community Service Board was on the

positive side of the standard deviation

? Programmatic Score: New Horizons Community Service Board was on the negative

side of the standard deviation due to the number of Community Support

Individual contacts not being made (we did not meet the minimum standard)

? Billing Score: New Horizons Community Service Board was on the positive side

of the standard deviation with an overall score of 86 percent

? Combined Score: New Horizons Community Service Board was on the positive

side of the standard deviation



In the Fourth Quarter, we focused our concerns on Community Support Team as

Documentation received a score of 82 percent.



New Horizons Community Service Board?s Programmatic Score was 74 percent and

the Billing Score was initially reported as 54 percent. During the May 21 ?

23, 2002 American Psych Systems? audit, the auditors stated that we were

incorrectly billing for Methadone take home doses. We had previously

identified this incorrectness through internal audits and have paid the money

received back to Medicaid. We have provided verification/remittances from

Medicaid regarding what Medicaid paid for and what our payback was. This

verification/remittance has increased the Billing Score from 54 percent to 62

percent.



New Horizons Community Service Board has completed a Corrective Action Plan on

our Community Support Team that has been submitted to Greg Hoyt, Region 9, and

addresses that:



? New Horizons Community Service Board discontinued Community Support Team

billing as of May 23, 2002

? New Horizons Community Service Board staff has audited all Community Support

Team records to identify deficits/problem area. Upon completion of audit,

consumers were re-evaluated for appropriate level of care. Those that needed a

less intensive service were stepped down. Community Support Team billing was

resumed on those consumers who met criteria.

? New Horizons Community Service Board has restructured the Community Support

Team and placed professional staff to provide treatment/documentation (MHP,

Peer Specialist, LPN, and a SAP)



Sherman Whitfield reported that she visited the Community Support Team Program

at Pinelands Community Service Board in Statesboro, Georgia and learned that

their Community Support Team experiences the same struggles as New Horizons

Community Service Board regarding consistently documenting correctly.



Merisha Johnson provided training to board members on how a correct G-I-O

(Goal, Intervention, Outcome) should be written on the consumer?s treatment

plan. The treatment plan and the progress note must match. The Intervention

on the progress note is to indicate what the staff does during a visit with a

consumer. The Outcome is the consumer?s response to what the staff?s

Intervention was.



New Horizons Community Service Board is providing remedial training to staff on

Community Support Team, Community Support Individual on Intervention and

writing progress notes.



American Psych Systems will return to New Horizons Community Service Board in

August 2002 to provide another review and New Horizons Community Service Board

continues to conduct internal audits of Community Support Team medical

records. Every progress note is read before billing is submitted on all

Community Support Team consumer charts.



7. Corporate Compliance Report: Susan Gallagher reported that during the month

of June 2002, 19 new employees attended compliance training. Thirteen received

a score of 100 percent on the compliance quiz, three received a score of 90

percent and three received a score of 80 percent.



Follow-up audits of medical records continue. Corrections and errors are being

corrected at a rate that puts the organization at 93 percent overall. When

broken out into separate categories, however, this financial area scores below

the 90 percent threshold established by the organization as acceptable. A

report comparing annual trends with June monthly data was provided for board

member review. This data is based on initial audit findings. Areas with

improvement have been noted. Recommendations have been made to the Staff

Executive Committee regarding training in areas of continued weakness.



No reportable calls to the Hotline have been received for the month of June

2002.



No new hires match against the Excluded and Debarred List provided by the

Office of Inspector General for the month of June 2002.



8. House Bill 498: Perry Alexander pre-mailed information to board members on

the comparison of House Bill 100 and House Bill 498. Nancy Schroeder reported

this would be an agenda item for the next work session.



9. Coordinated Transportation: Valerie Bowden reported that Coordinated

Transportation began on July 1, 2002. Albert Parker has been hired as New

Horizons Community Service Board?s Transportation Coordinator. We have hired

the drivers from Direct Services and have acquired the Department of Human

Resources? vans from the Area Agency on Aging. We have contracted with most of

the Department of Family and Children Services transportation providers.



10. Fifth Annual Conference of the Georgia Association of Community Service

Boards, Inc. The Fifth Annual Conference of the Georgia Association of

Community Service Boards, Inc. will be held on October 7 ? 9, 2002 at Sea

Palms in St. Simons Island, Georgia. If any board member is interested in

attending, please notify Joyce Milner at 706-596-5583.



11. Public Comments: There were no public comments.



12. Executive Session: M/S/P Lawrence Young/Anne Hopp that the board members

move into Executive Session to discuss a confidential personnel matter. M/S/P

Lawrence Young/Wesley Shorter to close the Executive Session.



13. Adjournment: M/S/P Lawrence Young/Wesley Shorter that the July 8, 2002

meeting is adjourned at 5:40 p.m.







____________________________________

Nancy Schroeder, Chairperson



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