Columbus, Georgia

NEW HORIZONS COMMUNITY SERVICE BOARD





August 11, 2003 Health and Human Services Building, Nurse?s Training Room, 2100

Comer Avenue, Columbus, Georgia



Members Present: Vickie Allen, Sandra Gill, Ben Richardson, Nancy Schroeder,

Lawrence Young



Members Excused: Kittye Crockett, Lizzie Denson, Anne Hopp, Linda McElroy,

Wesley Shorter



Guests: Hope Edwards (Regional Planning Office)





1. Call to Order: Sandra Gill, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 3:35

p.m. for informational purposes only as there was not a quorum present at

today?s meeting.



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



3. Diminishing Funds Award: Paul Fike reported that New Horizons Community

Service Board received a $75,000 award through Judge Frank Jordan, Superior

Court, from the Cotton States Diminished Value Settlement. This monetary award

is to be used ?for the purchase of consumer?s household furnishings in the

living facilities operated by the entity, to purchase two new 15 passenger vans

and to apply the balance to the costs of upgrading its current computer

system?. Paul extended a special thank you to Vickie Allen and Judge John

Allen for their help in New Horizons Community Service Board receiving this

award.



4. Financial Report: Valerie Bowden reported that for the first month of FY04

(July), New Horizons Community Service Board ended the month in a break-even

status. This is remarkable especially with the 10% Medicaid rate reduction and

grant-in-aid reduction that began on July 1, 2003. There was a decrease in our

Medicaid billing but staff have been working hard to increase their

productivity and this has helped us to have a break-even financial status.



Valerie provided a graph that reflected what New Horizons Community Service

Board?s Medicaid billing and Revenue Per Day would have been without the rate

reduction along with what the actual billing and revenue per day was for the

month of July. We continue working to keep expenses under control and

increasing staff productivity.



5. DACE: The DACE methodology calculation has changed (Forensics has been

eliminated from the DACE count and the statewide DACE allocation has been

reduced) and New Horizons Community Service Board?s fair share DACE is 36.4 bed

days. New Horizons Community Service Board?s DACE for July was 29.9.



6. ITS Update: Jim Thomas reported that Phase I has been completed (securing

the computer room, building four new servers, infrastructure is in place,

etc.).



Phase II will include the deployment of applications that reside on servers to

users and bringing in outside services that are currently being provided by

other vendors. The cost of Phase II is $15,000.



Phase III?s cost is $46,000 and includes continued deployment of Windows 2000,

replacing aging equipment, looking at T1 ? VLAN ? expansion of LAN in the

Health and Human Services Building to include Harris and Randolph Counties.

New Horizons Community Service Board is learning to be more creative with our

resources and when Phase III is completed, we will have our telecommunications

system in place with four digit dialing and daily contact with all VLAN. When

Phase III is completed all we will have to do is keep our technology current.

We will have 100 users licensed under the new network and will have maintenance

only. We expect to reduce budget expenses in ITS by bringing some services

in-house that are currently being provided outside the agency.



7. Priority Ranking: Perry Alexander reported that Governor Perdue has

requested Department Heads to come up with a 2 ? percent budget cut from their

budget for this fiscal year. Also, the Governor is seeking a 5 percent budget

reduction in FY05. Board members were provided a draft program ranking

completed by Commissioner Jim Martin.



8. Crisis Stabilization Program Update: Perry Alexander reported that Dr.

Schwarzkopf has responded to the July 16, 2003 request from Sandra Gill and

Nancy Schroeder that New Horizons Community Service Board receive a

waiver/exemption from the Department of Human Resources requirement that we

establish and operate a crisis stabilization program. Dr. Schwarzkopf

maintains that establishing a crisis stabilization program is a statewide

requirement. In Dr. Schwarzkopf?s August 1, 2003 response letter, he stated

that ?in consideration of and in an effort to lessen the economic impact of

implementing this type of service, the FY2004 regional contract allows for the

graduated implementation of these programs, and shifting of funds from less

beneficial services. Dr. Schwarzkopf encourages New Horizons Community Service

Board to work closely with Greg Hoyt regarding concerns around the

implementation of a crisis stabilization program in our area. A copy of Dr.

Schwarzkopf?s letter will be provided to our local legislative delegation.



9. Work Session for September 8, 2003: New Horizons Community Service Board

will have a shortened business meeting on September 8, 2003 to take action on

outstanding issues. After the shortened business meeting, the board will go

into a work session.



10. Corporate Compliance Plan Revision: Susan Gallagher provided information on

the changes in the Corporate Compliance Plan. They are:



? In the Program Policy Statement, add, ?Additionally, the Corporate

Compliance/Privacy Officer will serve as a member of the Consumer Rights,

Responsibilities and Ethics Committee?.

? In the Education and Training section, add, ?Additionally, the Corporate

Compliance Officer will serve as the designated Privacy Officer and be

responsible for new employee awareness training on the HIPAA Privacy Rules?.

? In the Monitoring and Auditing section, add, ??trending alleged privacy

violations through consumer rights complaints??

? In the Investigation section, add, ?Additionally, the Corporate

Compliance/Privacy Officer may be required to serve on a Consumer Rights

Investigation Team as a member of the Consumer Rights Committee. In those

instances, the investigation follows the policies and procedures pertaining to

a Consumer Rights Investigation.

? In the Non-Delegation of Authority section, add, ?The Corporate Compliance

Officer will work with the Human Resources function to screen all new hires

against the Federal Excluded and Debarred List?.

? In the Responsibilities of Corporate Compliance Policy Committee, add ??the

Utilization Manager, the Billing Manager, the Human Resources Manager, the

Medical Records Manager, an Information Technology representative, and the

responsible managers across all disabilities served to include Residential

Services?.

? In the Responsibility of the New Horizons Community Service Board?s Corporate

Compliance Officer, add ??Consumer Rights Committee, Medical Record?s

Committee?? ??works in conjunction with other committees on areas of shared

responsibility?.

11. Board Representation to the Georgia Association of Community Service

Boards, Inc.: Perry Alexander asked board members to consider serving as the

board representative to the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards,

Inc.



12. National Accreditation Conversion from JCAHO to CARF: It is understood

that board action is necessary to convert the national accreditation from JCAHO

to CARF; however, we continue working on this process.



13. Public Comments: There were no public comments.



14. Employee Relations Committee: Perry Alexander reminded board members that

at the July meeting it was announced that board members would be included in

the Employee Relations Committee?s birthday card and movie tickets on their

birthday. A board member has requested that board members not be included in

the birthday card and movie ticket recognition. Therefore, we will not be

providing movie tickets to board members on their birthday.



15. Attendance at Meetings: There was a recommendation made that our board

chair write to board members regarding the importance of their attendance at

meetings.



16. Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned

at 4:45 p.m.













Sandra Gill





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