- ACA Implementation & State Health Reform
- Coverage and Access
- Federal/State Issues
- Medicaid and CHIP
- Population and Public Health
- Providers and Services
- Acute Care
- Assisted Living
- Behavioral Health
- Child Development Services
- Chronic Care Management
- Community Health Centers
- Developmental Screening
- Early Childhood Services
- EPSDT
- Family Planning
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Home & Community Based Services
- Long Term Services & Supports
- Medical Homes & Health Homes
- Mental Health
- Nursing Homes
- Oral Health
- Preventive Care
- Primary Care
- Safety Net Providers
- Quality, Cost, and Health System Performance
- ACOs
- Adverse Event Reporting
- Care Transitions
- Comparative Effectiveness
- Cost Sharing
- Delivery System Reform
- Fraud and Abuse
- Health Care Workforce
- Health Information Technology
- Managed Care
- Medical Homes & Health Homes
- Medical Malpractice
- Patient Safety
- Payment Reform
- Performance Measurement
- Provider Payment Policy
- Quality Oversight
- Specific Populations
- Adolescents
- Childless Adults
- Children
- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Dual Eligibles
- Elders
- Families
- Low Income People
- Parents
- People with Chronic Conditions
- People with Developmental Disabilities
- Transitional Youth
- Vulnerable Populations
- Young Adults
- Youth
- Youth in Foster Care System
- Youth in Juvenile Justice System
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Electronic Release of Clinical Laboratory Results: A Review of State and Federal Policy
State and national initiatives to promote health information exchange (HIE) are gaining momentum in the wake of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which provides over $40 billion to promote health information technology. States face particular challenges in promoting HIE for clinical laboratory results. This paper is intended to provide policymakers with useful background on: • Policy issues related to sharing lab results with providers and patients; • The pertinent laws and how they are interpreted by various states; • How the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) laws relate to each other; and • Opportunities for reviewing, reinterpreting, and updating laws to fit with new electronic health information infrastructures and policies.January 2010 -
Analysis of State Regulations and Policies Governing the Operation and Licensure of Retail Clinics
The recent growth of retail clinics across the United States presents opportunities and challenges for states working to address access, costs, and quality issues within their health delivery systems. With more than 1,000 sites in 37 states, the emergence of retail clinics as an alternate provider has shaken up traditional health care models and can no longer be viewed as a passing trend for the following reasons: • Retail clinics are accessible. They are usually found in suburban settings within a drug store, grocery store, or mass merchandise store. They are open during evening and weekend hours, without waits or appointments. • Retail clinic services often cost less. Because clinics are mostly staffed by lower cost providers such as nurse practitioners and have lower overhead costs, prices for services can be substantially less than alternatives such as an emergency room or urgent care center.January 2009 -
Residential Care and Assisted Living: State Oversight Practices and State Information Available to Consumers
This report reviews state monitoring and oversight practices of assisted living facilities, along with information that is available on state agency Web sites to consumers and family members about assisted living.September 2006» -
Aging in Place in Assisted Living: State Regulations and Practice
The purpose of this report is to analyze the varied approaches being used in several states committed to supporting aging in place. A shifting focus to respond to consumer preferences is also supported by trends in state policy, although each state has a unique approach to regulating aging in place.February 2005» -
State Purchasing and Regulation of Health Care Services: A Snapshot of Strategies to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
As policy makers – and as purchasers of health care services for a sizable share of the market – states have unique opportunities to leverage their regulatory and purchasing power to address racial and ethnic health disparities. This study provides a snapshot of the use of purchasing and the regulation of health care services to reduce these disparities and examines the involvement of states’ Offices of Minority Health in the purchasing and regulation of health care services. The report is available here: State Purchasing and Regulation of Health Care ServicesApril 2002 -
Building Quality in Medicaid Managed Care: What Policy Makers Need to Know (and Do!)
This report is designed to help policy makers sift through the complex responsibilities states assume as purchasers, regulators, and partners of health plans. Written in plain, jargon-free language, the report both clarifies state responsibilities for quality care and identifies the tools available to policy makers to help meet those responsibilities.February 1998»
