ADA National Network Learning Session: The Provider Accessibility Initiative (PAI)

According to a 2017 CMS analysis, Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities receive less preventive care than beneficiaries with no disability because health care providers lack accessible exam rooms and/or diagnostic equipment. The purpose of the Centene Provider Accessibility Initiative (PAI) is to increase the percentage of Centene's providers who meet minimum federal and state disability access standards. During this webinar, representatives from Centene and the National Council of Independent Living (NCIL) will provide an overview of the PAI, results to date, and recommend best practices to create a health system that promotes universal access for all.

Learning objectives:

• Increase their knowledge of the disability access provisions in the 2016 Medicaid/CHIP Managed Care Final Rule
• Learn ways consumers, disability rights organizations, and health plans can partner to increase physical and programmatic access in doctor's offices

Presenters:

Sarah Triano is the Director of Complex Care Policy and Innovation for Centene Corporation. Prior to joining Centene, Triano served in California Governor Jerry Brown's administration as the disability policy advisor to the Secretaries of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and Health and Human Services Agency. Triano was a student participant at the first annual California Youth Leadership Forum for High School Students with Disabilities in 1992, and from there became a nationally known disability justice activist as the Program Director at Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago and the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center. She co-founded the nation's first annual Disability Pride Parade in Chicago and has spoken before the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Kelly Buckland is a person with a disability who has been actively involved in disability issues since 1979. Kelly is currently employed as the Executive Director of NCIL. Kelly started his career as an employee for Idaho's Protection and Advocacy system. He served for over twenty years as the Executive Director of the Boise CIL, Living Independence Network Corp. and the Idaho State Independent Living Council. He has worked on issues affecting people with disabilities, including passage of the Personal Assistance Services Act and the Fathers and Mothers Independently Living with their Youth (FAMILY) Child Custody Laws. In recent years, Kelly has been honored with numerous state and national awards, including the University of Idaho President's Medallion, the United Vision for Idaho Lifetime Achievement Award, the Hewlett-Packard Distinguished Achievement in Human Rights Award, and induction into the National Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Kelly has testified before Congress several times on issues such as universal health care, Fair Housing and appropriations for centers for independent living. He has been closely involved with the direct-service and systemic change aspects of the Independent Living movement.