UMass Medical School experts will present the historical evolution of services and supports for people with disabilities that led to the development of a Preadmission Screening Resident Review (PASRR) during a keynote on the first day of the 2017 PASRR Services in Texas Conference Aug. 9-10. The conference is being hosted by Texas Health and Human Services.
Lisa M. McDowell, MHSA, BA, and Shannon Burns, MPA, of Disability and Community Services will begin the presentation with an overview of the reforms throughout history that led to positive changes for people with disabilities, like the 1954 Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments, the Social Security Act of 1965 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Olmstead case of 1999.
The pair will also describe the purpose and major requirements of PASRR, as well as how preadmission screening promotes community placement by diverting individuals from nursing facilities.
PASRR, a federal requirement for individuals requesting nursing facility admission, aims to consider the whole person and provide placement that enhances quality of life.
McDowell is a senior consultant for long-term services and supports who provides expert advice on health and human services and Medicaid policy. Her work on issues related to Medicaid, Medicare and other public benefit systems spans over 30 years.
Burns is the associate director of program implementation and provider network. She partnered with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services in the implementation of both the Acquired Brain Injury and Money Follows the Person Waivers.
The conference will feature breakout sessions on nursing facility and authority roles as well as open panel discussions on the state of preadmission screening and resident review in the state of Texas.