§ 42-7.2-5 - Duties of the secretary.
SECTION 42-7.2-5
§ 42-7.2-5 Duties of the secretary. –The secretary shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the governorfor the oversight, coordination and cohesive direction of state administeredhealth and human services and in ensuring the laws are faithfully executed, notwithstanding any law to the contrary. In this capacity, the Secretary of Healthand Human Services shall be authorized to:
(1) Coordinate the administration and financing of healthcare benefits, human services and programs including those authorized by theGlobal Consumer Choice Compact Waiver and, as applicable, the Medicaid StatePlan under Title XIX of the US Social Security Act. However, nothing in thissection shall be construed as transferring to the secretary the powers, dutiesor functions conferred upon the departments by Rhode Island public and generallaws for the administration of federal/state programs financed in whole or inpart with Medicaid funds or the administrative responsibility for thepreparation and submission of any state plans, state plan amendments, orauthorized federal waiver applications.
(2) Serve as the governor's chief advisor and liaison tofederal policymakers on Medicaid reform issues as well as the principal pointof contact in the state on any such related matters.
(3) Review and ensure the coordination of any Global ConsumerChoice Compact Waiver requests and renewals as well as any initiatives andproposals requiring amendments to the Medicaid state plan or category one (I)or two (II) changes, as described in the special terms and conditions of theGlobal Consumer Choice Compact Waiver with the potential to affect the scope,amount or duration of publicly-funded health care services, provider paymentsor reimbursements, or access to or the availability of benefits and services asprovided by Rhode Island general and public laws. The secretary shall considerwhether any such changes are legally and fiscally sound and consistent with thestate's policy and budget priorities. The secretary shall also assess whether aproposed change is capable of obtaining the necessary approvals from federalofficials and achieving the expected positive consumer outcomes. Departmentdirectors shall, within the timelines specified, provide any information andresources the secretary deems necessary in order to perform the reviewsauthorized in this section;
(4) Beginning in 2006, prepare and submit to the governor,the chairpersons of the house and senate finance committees, the caseloadestimating conference, and to the joint legislative committee for health careoversight, by no later than March 15 of each year, a comprehensive overview ofall Medicaid expenditures outcomes, and utilization rates. The overview shallinclude, but not be limited to, the following information:
(i) Expenditures under Titles XIX and XXI of the SocialSecurity Act, as amended;
(ii) Expenditures, outcomes and utilization rates bypopulation and sub-population served (e.g. families with children, childrenwith disabilities, children in foster care, children receiving adoptionassistance, adults with disabilities, and the elderly);
(iii) Expenditures, outcomes and utilization rates by eachstate department or other municipal or public entity receiving federalreimbursement under Titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act, as amended;and
(iv) Expenditures, outcomes and utilization rates by type ofservice and/or service provider.
The directors of the departments, as well as localgovernments and school departments, shall assist and cooperate with thesecretary in fulfilling this responsibility by providing whatever resources,information and support shall be necessary.
(5) Resolve administrative, jurisdictional, operational,program, or policy conflicts among departments and their executive staffs andmake necessary recommendations to the governor.
(6) Assure continued progress toward improving the quality,the economy, the accountability and the efficiency of state-administered healthand human services. In this capacity, the secretary shall:
(i) Direct implementation of reforms in the human resourcespractices of the departments that streamline and upgrade services, achievegreater economies of scale and establish the coordinated system of the staffeducation, cross- training, and career development services necessary torecruit and retain a highly-skilled, responsive, and engaged health and humanservices workforce;
(ii) Encourage the departments to utilize consumer-centeredapproaches to service design and delivery that expand their capacity to respondefficiently and responsibly to the diverse and changing needs of the people andcommunities they serve;
(iii) Develop all opportunities to maximize resources byleveraging the state's purchasing power, centralizing fiscal service functionsrelated to budget, finance, and procurement, centralizing communication, policyanalysis and planning, and information systems and data management, pursuingalternative funding sources through grants, awards and partnerships andsecuring all available federal financial participation for programs andservices provided through the departments;
(iv) Improve the coordination and efficiency of health andhuman services legal functions by centralizing adjudicative and legal servicesand overseeing their timely and judicious administration;
(v) Facilitate the rebalancing of the long term system bycreating an assessment and coordination organization or unit for the expressedpurpose of developing and implementing procedures across departments thatensure that the appropriate publicly-funded health services are provided at theright time and in the most appropriate and least restrictive setting; and
(vi) Strengthen health and human services program integrity,quality control and collections, and recovery activities by consolidatingfunctions within the office in a single unit that ensures all affected partiespay their fair share of the cost of services and are aware of alternativefinancing.
(vii) Broaden access to publicly funded food and nutritionservices by consolidating agency programs and initiatives to eliminateduplication and overlap and improve the availability and quality of services;and
(viii) Assure protective services are available to vulnerableelders and adults with developmental and other disabilities by reorganizingexisting services, establishing new services where gaps exist and centralizingadministrative responsibility for oversight of all related initiatives andprograms.
(7) Prepare and integrate comprehensive budgets for thehealth and human services departments and any other functions and dutiesassigned to the office. The budgets shall be submitted to the state budgetoffice by the secretary, for consideration by the governor, on behalf of thestate's health and human services in accordance with the provisions set forthin § 35-3-4 of the Rhode Island general laws.
(8) Utilize objective data to evaluate health and humanservices policy goals, resource use and outcome evaluation and to perform shortand long-term policy planning and development.
(9) Establishment of an integrated approach tointerdepartmental information and data management that complements and furthersthe goals of the CHOICES initiative and that will facilitate the transition toconsumer-centered system of state administered health and human services.
(10) At the direction of the governor or the generalassembly, conduct independent reviews of state-administered health and humanservices programs, policies and related agency actions and activities andassist the department directors in identifying strategies to address any issuesor areas of concern that may emerge thereof. The department directors shallprovide any information and assistance deemed necessary by the secretary whenundertaking such independent reviews.
(11) Provide regular and timely reports to the governor andmake recommendations with respect to the state's health and human servicesagenda.
(12) Employ such personnel and contract for such consultingservices as may be required to perform the powers and duties lawfully conferredupon the secretary.
(13) Implement the provisions of any general or public law orregulation related to the disclosure, confidentiality and privacy of anyinformation or records, in the possession or under the control of the executiveoffice or the departments assigned to the executive office, that may bedeveloped or acquired for purposes directly connected with the secretary'sduties set forth herein.
(14) Hold the director of each health and human servicesdepartment accountable for their administrative, fiscal and program actions inthe conduct of the respective powers and duties of their agencies.