FRIENDSHIP CARE LLC

A private or public agency usually under local government jurisdiction, responsible for assuring the delivery of community based mental health, intellectual disabilities, substance abuse and/or behavioral health services to individuals with those disabilities. Services may range from companion care, respite, transportation, community integration, crisis intervention and stabilization, supported employment, day support, prevocational services, residential support, therapeutic and supportive consultation, environmental modifications, intensive in-home therapy and day treatment, in addition to traditional mental health and behavioral treatment.

Individuals certified to perform peer support services through a training process defined by a government agency, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or a state mental health department/certification/licensing authority.

A Foster Care Agency is an agency that provides foster care as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as "24-hour substitute care for children outside their own homes." Foster care settings include, but are not limited to, nonrelative foster family homes, relative foster homes (whether payments are being made or not), group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities, and pre-adoptive homes.

A public agency or private organization, or a subdivision of such an agency or organization, that is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing services and other therapeutic services, such as physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, or occupational therapy, medical social services, and home health aide services. It has policies established by a professional group associated with the agency or organization (including at least one physician and one registered nurse) to govern the services and provides for supervision of such services by a physician or a registered nurse; maintains clinical records on all patients; is licensed in accordance with State or local law or is approved by the State or local licensing agency as meeting the licensing standards, where applicable; and meets other conditions found by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be necessary for health and safety.

A person who provides case management services and assists an individual in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational, and/or other services. The person has the ability to provide an assessment and review of completed plan of care on a periodic basis. This person is also able to take collaborative action to coordinate the services with other providers and monitor the enrollee's progress toward the cost-effective achievement of objectives specified in the plan of care. Credentials may vary from an experience in the fields of psychology, social work, rehabilitation, nursing or a closely related human service field, to a related Assoc of Arts Degree or to nursing credentials. Some states may require certification in case management.

Individuals that are specially trained to assist patients living at home with urgent/emergent situations. These individuals must be able to perform CPR and basic first aid and have sufficient counseling skills to allay fears and assist in working through processes necessary to resolve the crisis. Functions may include transportation to various facilities and businesses, contacting agencies to initiate remediation service or providing reassurance.

An In Home Supportive Care Agency provides services in the patient's home with the goal of enabling the patient to remain at home. The services provided may include personal care services such as hands-on assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), e.g., eating, bathing, dressing, and bladder and bowel requirements; homemaker services and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), e.g., taking medications, shopping for groceries, laundry, housekeeping, and companionship; and/or supervision or cuing so that a person can perform tasks themselves.

Early intervention services are an effective way to address the needs of infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities. The services are made available through a federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA provides states and territories with specific requirements for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with special needs. In turn, each state and territory develops its own policies for carrying out IDEA and its requirements. Broadly speaking, early intervention services are special services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families. These services are designed to identify and meet children's needs in five developmental areas. These areas are: physical development, cognitive development, communication, social or emotional development, and adaptive development.

A provider of service/function that assists participating individuals to make informed decisions about what will work best for them is consistent with their needs and reflects their individual circumstances. Serving as the agent of the individual, the service is available to assist in identifying immediate and long-term needs, developing options to meet those needs and accessing identified supports and services and may include assistance with recruiting, screening, hiring, and training in-home support providers. A family or person-centered planning approach is used. Supports Brokerage offers practical skills training to enable families and individuals to remain independent. Examples of skills training include providing information on recruiting and hiring personal care workers, managing personal care workers and providing information on effective communication and problem solving. The service/function provides sufficient information to assure that individuals understand the responsibilities involved with self-direction and assist in the development of an effective back-up and emergency plan. Plans may elect to fulfill the requirement of this service/function using a self-directed case manager or creating a distinct service. The Supports Brokerage documents the need for assistive services, planning for and documenting the use of excess funds and locating and maintaining services.

Source: NUCC, CMS