Posted by Katie Singer
In 2016, the U.S. Congress enacted and President Obama signed into law the 21rst Century CURES Act, which mandates Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) of Medicaid-funded personal care or home health services. Intended to reduce fraud and save money, EVV will give Medicaid-funded service providers a device that tracks their location and activitiesi.e. assisting with meal preparation, bathing and money management. The device records conversations and films activities.
EVV will go into effect January 1, 2020 for most states. (Twelve states have elected to delay EVV for up to one year.) Medicaid funds personal care services for low-income and disabled people. While many people with disabilities believe that EVV will violate their privacy and 4th Amendment rights and limit their independence, states that do not comply with EVV by January, 1, 2020 could lose Medicaid funding.
Where does Sandata (the software company that operates EVV) store the EVV data that it collects? Who has access to the data? What options will families who require Medicaid-funded caregivers have to retain privacy and minimize EMR exposure? Will EVV really save money?
Here are relevant sites, a mother's 2018 blog about EVV and Facebooks groups that are trying to stop it:
https://medicaid.publicrep.org/feature/electronic-visit-verification-evv/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/34/texthttps://noahsmiracle.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-real-life-episode-of-black-mirror.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/noevv/
https://www.facebook.com/stopevv/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/stopevv/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/179836445984383/
Posted by Katie Singer