Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Families and agencies tell committee private duty nursing shortages leave parents unpaid; Massachusetts and Montana models presented
Summary
At a work session following executive business, Washington officials, DSHS, providers and family caregivers described persistent PDN staffing shortages, unmet authorized hours (about 36 children authorized through DDCS and 234 through MCOs), and models from Montana and Massachusetts that compensate family caregivers under defined rules.
Olympia — Lawmakers spent the latter portion of the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee's Feb. 4 meeting on private duty nursing (PDN) in the Medically Intensive Children's Program (MICP), hearing agency briefings, family testimony and out-of-state policy models.
The Health Care Authority's Heather Zager described MICP as a Medicaid benefit for children with complex medical needs and explained that services come through managed care organizations and a fee-for-service route administered by DSHS. She said HCA oversees funding, authorizations and policy oversight and that MCOs perform prior-authorizations and clinical reviews. Zager told the committee PDN authorizations are approved for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 6 hours per day, and that claims paid rose notably between 2022 and 2024, with some increase tied to exceptional-hour contracts and rates.
Bea Rector of DSHS' Home…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
