News From Rhode Island

AARP in Your State

September 2009

Investing in care — With an increasing shortage of health care professionals to meet the needs of an aging population, AARP supports efforts to expand nursing education.

In July, at the request of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, state lawmakers enacted a measure to establish the Center for Health Professions. The center is charged with finding solutions to the shortage of nursing instructors at state colleges and universities and reducing the backlog of students seeking admittance to the state's nursing programs.

AARP supported the state effort and is working with the Center to Champion Nursing in America to bolster nursing education nationwide. To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/nursing.

June 2009

Follow-up care — Safe Transitions, a federally funded project sponsored by Quality Partners of Rhode Island, aims to reduce Medicare costs by improving follow-up care for patients discharged from hospitals.

Of patients hospitalized for conditions such as cancer or heart disease, one in six is readmitted within 30 days of discharge, an AARP study found. The program aims to reduce readmissions by ensuring that patients take their medications and receive follow-up care as they move from one setting to another.

A team of transition coaches are working with patients in five of the seven statewide hospitals in the program, with plans to expand to the other two in coming months.

To learn more visit www.qualitypartnersri.org or www.aarp.org/health.

April 2009

Medicaid overhaul — A recent agreement between Rhode Island and the federal government—called the "global Medicaid waiver"—gives the state an unprecedented opportunity to shift funds from nursing homes to services that can help people remain in their own homes as they age. In exchange for that flexibility, the state agreed to strict spending limits, with no more than $6 billion in federal funds over five years. If the money runs out, the agreement could lead to tighter eligibility requirements and cuts in services.

"AARP has long advocated for better balance in the long-term care system, but we're concerned about the waiver's spending cap," says AARP state director Kathleen Connell.

If the cap makes Rhode Island ineligible for federal stimulus funds, some lawmakers have vowed to pull the state out of the deal or renegotiate its terms.