GIS 11 OLTC/006: Uniform Assessment System for New York (UAS-NY) — Computer Readiness Survey

The purpose of this GIS is to notify you that the Office of Long Term Care is conducting a computer readiness survey in conjunction with its efforts to create an electronic Uniform Assessment System for Medicaid Long Term Home and Community Based Programs in New York State. For information about the UAS-NY project, see: http://www.health.state.ny.us/facilities/long_term_care/uniform_assessment_system/

Local district participation in the project, and use of the new system when implemented, are important components of the project and will directly contribute to the project’s success. The project will include beta, pilot implementation, and an organized state-wide implementation.

Beta is the period of time when a selection of users will access and use the system, and will provide the Department of Health (DOH) with feedback on their experience. Assessment data will be used for beta purposes only. Pilot is a mini-implementation within a subset of the total population; pilot will be live and will involve live data that will be used for program purposes. Participation in these activities will improve the system.

The first step in preparing for the beta and pilot activities is a review of computer readiness of users. The results of the computer readiness survey will help the DOH identify beta and pilot participation candidates.

There are two attachments to this message which are attached to the e-mail copy of this GIS announcement. Attachment 1 provides instruction on completing the survey; Attachment 2 is the Computer Readiness survey.

Thank you for completing and returning the survey by June 3, 2011. Your input is greatly appreciated as the DOH moves forward with these efforts. When you have completed the survey, please send it to UASNY@health.state.ny.us.

UAS-NY Compute Readiness Survey Instructions
Attachment 1

The attached survey will enable the Department of Health (DOH) to plan and organize an efficient statewide implementation of the UAS-NY. It will also enable the DOH to identify beta and pilot participants, which will also contribute to the DOH's state-wide implementation planning efforts.

The purpose of the survey is two-fold:

• The survey assesses computer readiness in your office, among your general office staff, and among your staff who conduct Medicaid long term care assessments for home and community based services. This information will enable the DOH to gauge the level of effort that will be required for implementation to be successful.
• The survey also provides an opportunity for you to tell us which providers conduct assessments in your district. This information is important for the DOH to plan for an organized and efficient state-wide implementation as each of these providers will need to be contacted to determine their computer readiness.

The survey is an MS Excel spreadsheet. Save the attached survey to your desktop before completing the survey. To do this, follow your standard process of saving attachments: Save the File Name as: <your_local_district_name>_UAS_NYSurvey (example: NYSDOH_UAS_NYSurvey). After completing the survey, save your document, then attach it to an e-mail message and send to the e-mail address listed below.

To complete the survey, you are able to maneuver to each data entry field using your mouse or the tab key. The spreadsheet is set up so that you can only enter information into fields that require data entry; all other fields are locked to prevent mistakes.

"Office Staff" is defined as any staff members who conduct business processes related to Medicaid long term care assessments, but who do not themselves conduct assessments. This includes but is not limited to persons responsible for review, entry or reporting of assessment data.

"Assessment Staff" is defined as a person who conducts Medicaid long term care assessments (i.e. Nursing and/or Social Assessments).

The first four questions use drop down lists for responses. When you click on the response field, an arrow will appear on the right side of the cell. Click the left mouse bottom on the arrow and the drop down selection menu will appear. You can then select your answer.

Questions 5 and 6 require that you estimate the computer capabilities of your staff. You will provide estimations in the first two boxes and the third box will automatically calculate the difference. The total percentage for the three categories will always equal 100%.

Question 7 asks for information regarding providers who do assessments in your county. The DOH needs this information to support an organized state-wide implementation of the final UAS-NY, and your assistance and cooperation is greatly appreciated. The chart is set up so that you can key enter all cells.

Please complete the survey by June 3, 2011.

When you have completed the survey, please send it to UASNY@health.state.ny.us.

Computer Readiness Survey
Attachment 2

LDSS Name:
County:
Contact Name:
Contact Phone:
Contact E-mail:

If you have any questions regarding this survey please contact us by e-mail at UASNY@health.state.ny.us or phone at 518-408-1600.

• 1. Does your office environment include ALL of the following:

Computers

Computer Network (server where files are stored) High Speed Internet Access
• 2. Do you provide computers to your office staff?
• 3. Do you have staff who conduct Medicaid LTC assessments?
• 3a. If Yes, do you provide assessor staff with laptops or desktops?
• 4. Do you retain Medicaid LTC assessment data electronically?
• 5.Please characterize your office staff (NON-ASSESSOR) according to one of the following brackets:

NON-ASSESSOR Computer Capability Scale

Percentage of Staff

Have extensive computer experience:

whether at home, work, or both, they routinely install software, configure applications, or conduct more complex computer activities.

Have moderate computer experience as a user: whether at home, work, or both, they use computer applications, are able to open files, create files, save files, organize files, etc.

* NOTE: Exclude those who have extensive experience. Have ONLY basic computer experience as a user: they can use e-mail and browse the internet, or they otherwise have no or limited computer experience. (This value will calculate automatically based on previous values.)

• 100
• 100
• 6. Please characterize your ASSESSORS according to the following brackets:

ASSESSOR Computer Capability Scale

Percentage of Staff

Have extensive computer experience: whether at home, work, or both, they routinely install software, configure applications, or conduct more complex computer activities.

Have moderate computer experience as a user: whether at home, work, or both, they use computer applications, are able to open files, create files, save files, organize files, etc.

* NOTE: Exclude those who have extensive experience.

Have ONLY basic computer experience as a user: they can use e-mail and browse the internet, or they otherwise have no or limited computer experience. (This value will calculate automatically based on previous values.)

• 100
• 100
• 7. Please list the Corporate name of all entities that your LDSS contracts with to conduct assessments for Medicaid LTC programs. Indicate the entity type and the programs for which they conduct assessment. If you as a Local District office conduct assessments, please include your LDSS name in the list.

* if you have more than 30 providers you may continue to fill out the cells below the colored area