CHANUTE — The Area Agency on Aging’s role is changing in the realm of managed care for the elderly and the physically and mentally disabled. THE AGENCY’S responsibilities have expanded to include the physically and mentally disabled, along with the frail elderly. Greene said the demographics of their clientele are changing as well. Many of their services include people of all age ranges, not just those over the age of 55.
The changes have come at the hand of Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration. Formerly, the agency was responsible for case management for the three groups. Now, under KanCare, three major companies have taken on that responsibility — Amerigroup, Sunflower State and United Healthcare.
“This is a really significant change,” Executive Director John L. Greene said.
The state’s motivation for the changes, according to Greene, is to save $5 billion over the course of five years from switching from a state-run operation to private enterprise.
He described the agency’s new services as “wrap-around services,” meant to consolidate efforts to give the elderly and disabled the services they need.
As for the AAA, things are starting to change around their offices.
Instead of managing the care of the elderly and disabled, the agency is now responsible for the assessment of eligible candidates for care from the three companies. With the responsibility changes, the agency has also had to cut its staff in half, from 20 employees to 10. All of the employees no longer working with the AAA found positions with the new case management groups, Greene said.
[title] Stacy Dickerhoof and Financial Officer Cindy Lane said the responsibilities has been stretched thin around the office, trying to complete more tasks with fewer staff.
“We need to provide quality service in the right amount of time,” Dickerhoof said. “We are pitching in where we can.”
From the financial side of the changes, Greene is skeptical about how revenue will keep coming in the door. Though the agency is a non-profit, he said there is still a significant amount of money required to keep the operation running smoothly.
“Just because we are not-for-profit, doesn’t mean we can operate at a loss consistently,” Greene said. “This next year will be a challenge to break even.”
Lane said the workers have a good reputation with the elderly, and they hope to maintain those relationships. Though she said there is some confusion surrounding the change of services.
“We get a lot of calls from people confused about the process,” Lane said. “But when it came to case management, it was the trust factor.”
Now she said all the agency can do is give the best information possible to their clients, to direct them where they need to go.
Dickerhoof is currently working on a four-year comprehensive plan that will outline the future of the agency. It will be completed, by state order, around the beginning of April. She said the changes in services will weigh greatly on the plan, and she is interested to see how they will weigh on the state as well.
“Medicaid costs have always been a problem in the states, basically we are waiting and seeing,” Dickerhoof said. “In a way, we are kind of excited to share our knowledge and experience.”
Greene said KanCare is only a part of what the agency does, and several aspects of what they do are not changing at all. They still contract services surrounding attendant care, legal services, transportation, respite services and nutritional services.
He said the future of the Area Agency on Aging is in the balance, and they will be relying on new ways — and new attitudes — to bring revenue in the door. As for the state, they will have to prove themselves as well.
“If quality continues to remain high and is cost effective, that is good for every Kansan,” Greene said. “We’ll have to see, time will tell us.”
Area Agency on Aging faces changes from state
