Services

Medication Administration Quality Assessment Review (MAQA)

In addition to nurse consultation and quality assessment oversight, SOCOG’s quality assessment registered nurse completes mandated reviews of each individual receiving medication administration or the performance of health-related activities by DD personnel at least once every three years. Each review is designed to evaluate and ensure that medications and health-related activities are being delivered in a safe manner and includes:

Observation of administering prescribed medication or performing health-related activities;
Documentation review for completeness and appropriate actions;
a review of all prescribed medication errors from the past twelve months;
A review of the system used by the provider to monitor and document completeness and correct techniques used.
Recommendations sent to the county board and the provider including steps to take to improve the functioning of the trained DD personnel and maintain compliance.

Investigative Agent Services

Develop and implement Investigative Services to respond to, and assist in averting threats to the health, safety, and welfare of individuals with disabilities.
Acquire the services of Investigative Agents certified through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). Agents will be on-call 24 hours per day.
Provide the County Board with a primary Investigative Agent and a secondary (back-up) Agent.
Conduct MUI Investigations according to SOCOG’s policies and procedures.
Complete Investigative reports for assigned MUI’s, including recommendations for prevention as applicable.
Track timelines and DODD requests through the statewide Incident Tracking System (ITS).
Search out and utilize available resources to fund investigation activities.
Provide training for County Board staff, providers, and others regarding compliance with pertinent law, accurate incident reporting, preventative measures, and other issues related to Major Unusual Incidents (MUI) and Unusual Incidents (UI).
Serve as a liaison between County Board and DODD in regards to MUI investigations, reporting, compliance reviews, abuser registry reviews, etc.
Review allegations of MUIs and recommend appropriate action to be taken.
Provide technical assistance for County Boards on accessing the ITS as requested.
Pursue effective working relationships with local law enforcement officials, ODJFS, Children Service Boards, County prosecutors, and other appropriate entities.
Maintain official investigative file for each MUI case investigated by SOCOG.

Provider Compliance Reviews

Provider Compliance Reviews are completed according to OAC 5123:2-9-05. Every HCBS waiver provider is required to have a compliance review conducted at least once every five years to assure compliance with certification standards.

The Southern Ohio Council completes compliance reviews, as determined by DODD. The Provider Support Specialist completes approximately 30 reviews per year. In addition to standard compliance reviews, special and look-behind reviews also may be conducted. A special review is where there has been reported a concern in a particular area of provider compliance. It is not a full review, the review specifically targets one area. A look-behind review is usually conducted by DODD, and they are ensuring two things: first, that the Southern Ohio Council reviewer completed the initial provider compliance review satisfactorily, and second, that the provider is implementing the strategies and recommendations listed in the plan of correction.

Provider Billing

HCBS Waiver providers are required to submit claims to DODD in order to receive payment. The Southern Ohio Council offers billing services to independent and small agency providers. This service includes data entry into Gatekeeper and transmitting the claims through the e-MBS (electronic Medicaid Billing System). Some technical assistance and monthly billing histories also are provided as part of this service.

The cost for this service is an initial $10.00 set-up fee per individual being served (both Level I and IO). For Individual Options Waiver providers there is a monthly charge of $30.00 per individual. For Level I Waiver providers there is a quarterly charge of $30.00. This amount is not based on number of individuals, it is a set fee. For additional information regarding provider billing services please contact our office at 740-775-5030.

Supported Living Services

The Southern Ohio Council provides two levels of Supported Living Services.

The first level is primarily a financial function for the County Board. This is called Supported Living Fiscal Services. For this service, the Southern Ohio Council completes payment of supported living claims, allocation monitoring, financial investing, and emergency check-writing services.

The second level of Supported Living Services includes all of the above supports as well as contracting with providers, monitoring of compliance, technical assistance, and Payment Authorization for Services (PAS).

Fiscal Administration

Southern Ohio Council can provide a variety of services to our members for funds deposited with our organization. Among those are direct payment to Supported Living and Family Resource providers along with any associated expenses of those programs and payment of Waiver Match invoices received from the department.

Checks are prepared twice per month to assure that all invoices are paid in a timely manner. In addition, funds deposited through Southern Ohio Council are eligible to accrue interest which can be credited back into your account.

Quality Assurance

The Southern Ohio Council performs Quality Assurance Reviews (QA) in accordance with OAC 5123:2-12-01. QA is a required process to ensure individuals are empowered to exercise choice and enhance the quality of their lives through the promotion of services, supports, and activities providing a valued lifestyle. Through personal interviews and documentation reviews, our QA reviews consider the quality indicators health and safety. With consent, the QA review also considers the following quality indicators as applicable to the individual: Choices and Options; Personal Income; Housing, Community Membership; and, Personal Satisfaction. SOCOG performs QA reviews in conjunction with CB routine monitoring to ensure a continuous Quality Assurance process. QA services include:

Quality Assurance Policies and Procedures
A written report with areas of concern and recommendations
A three year Quality Assurance rotation schedule
Annual Trends and Patterns Identification Reports
Participation in the annual “Excellence in Quality” Award program
Provider Compliance Reviews
Quality Assurance Technical Assistance

If you are interested in receiving Quality Assurance services please contact our office at 740-775-5030.

SOCOGnitive Developments

SOCOG began publishing a newsletter in June 2011. SOCOGnitive Developments will be published twice a year.

Issues:
June 2011

Training

Southern Ohio Council of Government offers monthly training for Provider Certification, MUI, Rights, Medication Administration Refresher and SSA 101. The course descriptions, fees and schedule are available by clicking on the green bar "Training" above.

In addition, Medication Administration (2-day, 14-hour trainings and CPR/First Aid are offered quarterly. Click on "Training" above for the course descriptions, fees and schedule.

Holidays - office closed

The Southern Ohio Council of Governments office is closed on the following days.

2011 Holidays
o New Year's Day – 12/31 (Observed)
o Martin Luther King Day – 1/17
o President's Day – 2/21
o Memorial Day – 5/30
o Independence Day – 7/4
o Labor Day – 9/5
o Columbus Day – 10/10
o Veteran's Day – 11/11
o Thanksgiving – 11/24
o Christmas – 12/26 (Observed)

2012 Holidays
- New Year's Day – 1/2 (Observed)
- Martin Luther King Day – 1/16
- President's Day – 2/20
- Good Friday - 4/6
- Memorial Day – 5/28
- Independence Day – 7/4
- Labor Day – 9/3
- Columbus Day – 10/8
- Veteran's Day – 11/12
- Thanksgiving – 11/22
- Christmas – 12/25