The Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO) model for people with physical disabilities uses the Chronic Care Model to treat persons with disabilities throughout all stages of their medical condition.

In step 1, the patient is encouraged to be an informed, active patient, advocating for the services they need.

In step 2, the patient works with a health care coordinator to personalize a treatment plan for receiving the services needed.

Step 3 is where communication takes place of the treatment plan to all health care providers, ensuring proper care for the patient.

And finally in step 4, the plan is implemented, with final revisions made, augmenting the plan to best meet the patient’s current and/or changing medical needs.

As of December 2003 there are 260 members enrolled in MnDHO.  The participants have high health care needs and often more than one type of disability.  The causes of the disability ranges from spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, other congenital diseases, and/or diabetes.  In patients with diabetes it is often had to diagnose if the cause of the diabetes is the cause of the disabling disease or if the diabetes is a side effect of the disability.

The current members of the MnDHO feel that the quality of interactions with their Health Care Providers (including doctors, nurses, therapist and other providers) have improved over the Fee For Service system in getting their questions answered and receiving the correct information and amount of time from their care provider that they need to manage their health care issues.

Why choose managed care over the current fee for service health plan that most insurance companies offer?  Some of the experiences that the MnDHO system can state are that while almost 28% of the members enrolled while in Nursing Facilities, and 70% of those enrolled members transitioned into the community within 4 months after enrollment.  These patients now have better quality care and are active in taking care of themselves.

While managed care is not for every patient, it could be for you. There is no cost to you, but you must be:

• a person with a physical disability
• eligible for Medical Assistance with or without Medicare
• over 18 but under 65 years of age
• meet other enrollment criteria