Provider Information

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) consumer surveys - AHCCCS conducts Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys on a regular basis to better understand member satisfaction with the contracted Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and/or member satisfaction with the overall AHCCCS healthcare delivery system.

You can also view other AHCCCS Satisfaction Surveys on the AHCCCS website: Provider Survey Results, Health Plan Report Card Results and AHCCCS Performance Measures.

Adult and Child Behavioral Healthcare Survey - Learn about how Mercy Care RBHA behavioral healthcare members rate their experiences and satisfaction.

Provider Satisfaction Survey - Learn about how Mercy Care RBHA providers rate their experiences and satisfaction.

To support inpatient concurrent review decisions, Mercy Care uses nationally-recognized and/or community-developed, evidence-based criteria, which are applied based on the needs of individual members and characteristics of the local delivery system.

Service authorization staff that make medical necessity determinations are trained on the criteria and the criteria are accepted and reviewed according to Mercy Care policies and procedures.

Criteria sets are reviewed annually for appropriateness to the Mercy Care population needs and updated as applicable when nationally or community-based clinical practice guidelines are updated.  The annual review process involves appropriate practitioners in developing, adopting, or reviewing criteria. 

The criteria are consistently applied, considering individual needs of the members and allow for consultations with requesting practitioners/providers when appropriate. For inpatient medical care reviews, Mercy Care uses the following medical review criteria in the order listed:

  • Criteria required by applicable state or federal regulatory agency
  • Applicable MCG as the primary decision support for most clinical diagnoses and conditions
  • Aetna Clinical Policy Bulletins (CPB’s), 
  • Aetna Clinical Policy Council Review (ad hoc)

For inpatient behavioral health care reviews, MCP uses, in the order listed:

  • Criteria required by applicable federal and state regulatory agency
  • MCG, ASAM PPC-2R, CASII, LOCUS
  • Aetna Clinical Policy Bulletins (CPBs)
  • Aetna Clinical Policy Council Review (ad hoc)

Housing

What is Permanent Supportive Housing?

Permanent Supportive Housing is housing that is decent, safe, affordable and integrated into the community. It's linked to flexible supports to help people be successful in maintaining their housing.

How does Permanent Supportive Housing help tenants?

The Permanent Supportive Housing approach is a belief that people with psychiatric disabilities should have the right to live in a home of their choice, on their own, without any special rules or service requirements. They can live just like any other member of the community.

Programs take different approaches to housing. In some, people live in units reserved for the program’s tenants, among those with and without special needs. In others, people receive help finding, qualifying for, and keeping their homes, which are located throughout the community.

All tenants have access to an array of services that help them keep their housing, such as case management, assistance with daily activities, conflict resolution, and crisis response. Tenants also receive help in becoming fully participating members of the community, through assistance with socialization and seeking employment.

How does Permanent Supportive Housing work?

  • Flexible, voluntary supports: Permanent Supportive Housing staff offers flexible, voluntary services designed to help people choose housing that meets their needs, obtain and pay for that housing, and keep the housing for as long as they choose.
  • Quality housing: Housing meets standards for safety and quality established by local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Housing is similar to what is available to others in the same income levels in the community.
  • Rental assistance or Standard lease: Tenants typically pay 30 percent of their income toward rent plus basic utilities. The remainder is paid either by tenant-based rental assistance, which tenants can use in housing of their choice, or project-based rental assistance, which is linked to a specific location.
  • Functional separation of housing and supports: Tenants sign a standard lease, just like any other member of the community, giving tenants the same legal rights. Continued tenancy is not subject to any special rules or participation in any particular services.
  • Integration: Tenants’ homes are located throughout the community or in buildings in which a majority of units are not reserved for people with disabilities. Tenants have opportunities for interactions with the community.

For more information: Contact Mercy Care RBHA's Housing Department at housing@mercycareaz.org

1. What is the Temporary Housing Assistance Program?

This program provides temporary financial assistance, combined with Permanent Supportive Housing services and Supported Employment services to members determined to have a serious mental illness (SMI) who need temporary assistance to prevent homelessness.

Mercy Care RBHA has contracted with Marc Community Resources and La Frontera/EMPACT to provide the Temporary Housing Assistance Program to a minimum of 300 members threatened with eviction or precariously housed in the community. This program will provide time-limited financial support for eviction prevention activities that include, but are not limited to: back rent, late utilities, moving assistance and deposits.

The Permanent Supportive Housing services and Supported Employment services continue to support the member's ongoing success in housing.

Referrals to the Temporary Housing Assistance Program are made by the clinical team to the service provider. Contact information for each provider is listed below.

La Frontera/Empact: Angela Sheesley, Program Manager, 480-784-1514, Angela.Sheesley@lafrontera-empact.org

Marc Community Resources: Ebbonie Montague, 480-589-4835, ebbonie.montague@marccr.com

2. What Permanent Supportive Housing does Mercy Care RBHA offer?

Permanent Supportive Housing includes housing subsidies and/or supportive services. 

The Scattered Site program provides housing subsidies that can be used in the community.  The tenant pays 30 percent of his/her income toward rent. 

Community Housing is a Permanent Supportive Housing option that includes apartments and houses from Mercy Care RBHA's inventory of housing. Some of these Community Housing locations are specialized for individuals with unique needs. 

Bridge to Permanency is another Permanent Supportive Housing option. It's partnered with Housing Authorities for a transition of the Mercy Care RBHA subsidy to a Section 8 subsidy in the future.

Permanent Supportive Housing services are available to all tenants, regardless of their housing location. The primary goal of the Supportive Housing Services is to assist the member to maintain permanent housing in the community of his/her choice.

3. Who is eligible to apply?

Permanent Supportive Housing is available for homeless adults determined to have a serious mental illness (SMI) and who are enrolled with Mercy Care RBHA.  Members are also required to have a VI-SPDAT in the range for Permanent Supportive Housing.

Mercy Care RBHA defines homeless as individuals or families who don't have a fixed, sustainable or appropriate nighttime residence. That means:

  • The primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not meant for human habitation
  • The member/family is living in a shelter designated to provide temporary living (including homeless shelters, transitional housing, hotels paid for by a charitable organization or government program)
  • The member is being discharged from an institution, such as a residential treatment center or similar facility, a behavioral health inpatient stay or a physical health hospitalization, and they were admitted to the institution as homelessHow does a member apply for a subsidy?

4. What if a member already has housing, but wants Supportive Housing Services?

  • The clinical team can reach out to one of the seven Permanent Supportive Housing service providers to request services for a member.  Services are available for members seeking housing and for members currently living independently.
  • Case managers work with members to complete the appropriate application. The applications are submitted through the Provider Deliverable Manager.
  • VI-SPDAT is the Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assistance (PDF) tool which assigns a score for members requesting housing. It assists on identifying the most vulnerable members for housing referrals.

The Permanent Supportive Housing service providers:

5. What type of services will the member receive in Permanent Supportive Housing?

  • The services are person-centered and focused on assisting the member to live independently and maintain housing. Services may include education on tenant rights, case management, financial management and budgeting, communication skills, safety and hazard recognition, health and wellness, accessing community resources and others.Services are individualized and can last as long as the member requires support to maintain housing.

6. How long will services last?

  • Services are individualized and can last as long as the member requires support to maintain housing.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Supportive Housing brouchure (12/3/2014)