Programs You Think You Know
Numbers That Tell Stories
Alphabet Soup
Rules, Because Someone Has to
Only in Minnesota
100

This Minnesota program serves adults 65+ who meet nursing facility level of care but are not Medicaid eligible.

What is the Alternative Care (AC) program?

100

The last full system upgrade for this system was in 1994.

What is MMIS (or officially called MMIS 2)?

100

This acronym refers to Home and Community-Based Services.

What is HCBS?

100

This federal-state program is the largest payer of LTSS in the United States.

What is Medicaid?

100
This program is designed to delay or prevent nursing home placement for older adults not yet Medicaid eligible.


What is the Alternative Care (AC) program?

200

This waiver primarily serves older adults who would otherwise require nursing facility care.

What is the Elderly Waiver (EW)?

200

This measure reflects how many eligible individuals are actually receiving services.

What is utilization (or participation rate)?

200

This system is Minnesota’s primary source for Medicaid claims and payment data.

What is MMIS?

200

This requirement ensures that individuals receiving HCBS can choose among service options and providers.

What is person-centered planning (or choice of services/providers)?

200

These entities administer LTSS programs at the local level, including assessments and service planning.

What are lead agencies (counties and tribal nations)?

300

This service model allows participants to hire, train, and manage their own staff using an individualized budget.

What is CDCS (Consumer Directed Community Supports)?

300

This metric tracks the time between eligibility determination and the start of services.

What is time to service initiation (or access measure)?

300

This assessment tool is used in Minnesota to determine LTSS eligibility and service needs.

What is MnCHOICES?

300

This federal rule requires that HCBS be delivered in settings that are integrated and support full access to the broader community.

What is the HCBS Settings Rule?

300

This lead agency serves the oldest community population in Minnesota with a median age for residents being 57.

What is Aitkin County?

400

This federal authority allows states to provide HCBS instead of institutional care by waiving certain Medicaid rules.

What is a 1915(c) waiver?

400

Tableau started as a research project in 2003 by Christian Chabot, Pat Hanrahan, and Chris Stolte at this university.

What is Stanford university?

400

This review process evaluates whether lead agencies are meeting waiver and program requirements.

What is LAR (Lead Agency Review)?

400
This process refers to reassessing eligibility after the end of COVID-era continuous coverage policies.


What is unwinding?

400

This data source captures assessment results, including ADLs, level of care, and service recommendations.

What is the MnCHOICES LTC Screening Document?

500

This is the key eligibility threshold used to determine access to LTSS programs like EW and AC.

What is nursing facility level of care (LOC)?

500

This type of analysis attempts to estimate program impact by comparing similar groups with and without the program.

What is a matched comparison (or quasi-experimental design)?

500

These CMS-defined requirements outline evaluation and reporting expectations for Section 1115 demonstrations.

What are Special Terms and Conditions (STCs)?

500

This requirement ensures that services provided under a 1915(c) waiver do not cost more than institutional care.

What is cost neutrality?

500

This lead agency serves the youngest community population in Minnesota with a median age for residents being 25.


What is Red Lake Nation?