SENATE DOCKET, NO. 460        FILED ON: 2/1/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 415

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jason M. Lewis

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to improve Alzheimer's and dementia care in Senior Care Options program.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

 

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

2/25/2021

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

3/1/2021

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

3/8/2021

Susan L. Moran

Plymouth and Barnstable

3/15/2021

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

3/15/2021

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

3/18/2021

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

3/18/2021

Adam J. Scanlon

14th Bristol

3/18/2021

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

3/23/2021

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

3/23/2021

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

3/25/2021

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

3/25/2021

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

4/7/2021

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

4/7/2021

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

4/7/2021

Julian Cyr

Cape and Islands

5/17/2021

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

6/22/2021

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

9/2/2021


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 460        FILED ON: 2/1/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 415

By Mr. Lewis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 415) of Jason M. Lewis, Michael J. Barrett, John H. Rogers, James B. Eldridge and other members of the General Court for legislationt to improve Alzheimer's and dementia care in Senior Care Options program.  Elder Affairs.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 367 OF 2019-2020.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

 

An Act to improve Alzheimer's and dementia care in Senior Care Options program.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 118E of the general laws is hereby amended by adding the following new section:

Section 78. (a) Definition: “Dementia Care Coordination”, a proactive care consultation service.

(b) To ensure that members of Senior Care Options (SCOs) plans receive cost effective, quality dementia care, MassHealth shall require that all Massachusetts Senior Care Options plans provide Dementia Care Coordination (DCC) to SCO members that have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. 

Upon a referral from a clinician, a patient with dementia and their care consultant will receive an outgoing call from a trained clinician, who shall provide care consultation services to the family, resulting in an individualized family care plan and a companion summary to the referring clinician for inclusion in the permanent medical record.

The Care Plan shall provide guidance in dementia caregiving strategies, including  symptom management strategies, communication techniques, legal and financial issues, safety recommendations, and referrals to appropriate community support services.

(c ) In order to meet the requirements of this Section, SCO plans may contract with community partners, or directly provide DCC services to their members.