Complete Story
10/10/2008
Ohio to pay for RDs for home health nutritional consultation services
Pat McKnight, Ohio Dietetic Association State Policy Representative and Chair of ADAPAC, has reported that Ohio's "Money Follows the Person" demonstration project titled "Helping Ohioans Move, Expanding Choice (HOME Choice)" will pay for nutritional consultation services. These services are for HOME Choice participants with special dietary needs and "must take into consideration the participant?s cultural and ethnic background and dietary preferences and/or restrictions."
Money Follows the Person is a Medicaid program that is designed to provide more cost-effective care by moving beneficiaries from institution to home- or other community-based care. States were asked to design their own program and submit a proposal to Medicaid for funding. Congratulations to Pat McKnight for taking the challenge and advocating to have RDs included in Ohio's HOME Choice program.
The HOME Choice regulations require that consulting staff must be licensed by the Ohio Board of Dietetics and be a dietitian registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration. HOME Choice Demonstration Program rules are available at http://jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/consumers/homechoice.stm and the provider fact sheet on Nutrition Consultation Services is posted below.
