Safety Net Providers and Rural Health
FEATURED ARTICLE
The Kentucky ‘Wrap’: Decreasing Administrative Costs for Medicaid and FQHCs in MCO Payment Reconciliation
/in Policy Kentucky Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by Lesa RairStates that have implemented managed care in their Medicaid programs face the complex and time consuming task of reconciling managed care payments to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to ensure they are at, or above, their Prospective Payment System (PPS) rates. Several senior Medicaid officials raised this issue during a recent NASHP meeting on the […]
Improving Behavioral Health Access & Integration Using Telehealth & Teleconsultation: A Health Care System for the 21st Century
/in Policy Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Workforce Capacity /by Lesa RairIndividuals with medical and behavioral health comorbidities often receive fragmented care, resulting in higher costs and poorer outcomes. States, the federal government, and providers have all made significant investments to build and expand evidence-based integration models, such as the collaborative care model, to reduce fragmentation and improve care. However, workforce shortages and limited resources may hinder […]
Health Centers’ Role in Affordable Care Act Outreach and Enrollment: Experience from Kentucky and Montana
/in Policy Kentucky, Montana Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP, Najeia Mention and Alice WeissThe Affordable Care Act created new opportunities for health centers and primary care associations (PCA) to play a leading role in supporting outreach and enrollment into new and expanded health coverage programs. Health centers and PCAs received new funding, sometimes from multiple state and federal entities, new training and tools, and a new mandate to find and […]
A Conversation with State Officials on Medicaid Adult Dental Coverage
/in Policy Colorado, Iowa, Washington Webinars Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Oral Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Workforce Capacity /by NASHPOral health is an important part of overall health, however, access to dental coverage for low-income adults remains a challenge, particularly since these benefits are optional for state Medicaid programs. In this webinar, Medicaid officials from Colorado, Iowa, and Washington—three states that have recently taken action on their adult dental benefits—will share insights on important factors in the decision to add, reinstate, or introduce adult dental benefits; how adult dental benefits fits into the larger health reform discussion in each state; successes and challenges each state has faced since implementation; and future policy considerations.
Adult Dental Benefits in Medicaid: Recent Experiences from Seven States
/in Policy Reports Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Oral Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Workforce Capacity /by NASHP and Keerti KanchinadamOral health is an important part of overall health, however, access to dental coverage for low-income adults remains a challenge, particularly since these benefits are optional for state Medicaid programs. This brief summarizes policy lessons from seven states (California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington) that have recently added, reinstated, or enhanced their Medicaid […]
States Use Technology to Go the Distance for Rural Populations
/in Policy Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHP and Kaitlin SheedyStates with large rural populations face unique challenges in ensuring access to care. While approximately 16 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural America, only about 11 percent of physicians practice in rural locations. Additionally, individuals in rural areas face long travel distances to see primary care providers and specialists. Many states are using […]
Cross-Systems Collaboration: Working Together to Identify and Support Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Webinars Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHPTuesday, March 3, 2015: Multiple state agencies and organizations are working to identify and support children with special physical, emotional and developmental disabilities. Coordination and collaboration across systems, including the sharing of data, increases the ability for states to identify children at risk and ensure they are receiving the appropriate health, mental health and developmental services. This webinar features three states discussing collaborations across state programs that impact the identification and treatment of children in need of specific services.
Integrating Community Health Worker Models into Evolving State Health Care Systems
/in Policy Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Workforce Capacity /by NASHPMonday, February 23, 2015 Moderator: CDR Thomas PryorUnited States Public Health Service, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Project Officer Presenters: Gail Hirsch Director, Office of Community Health Workers, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Kari ArmijoHealth Care Reform Manager, Medical Assistance Division, New Mexico Human Services Department Allie Gayheart Manager of Health Initiatives, South Carolina […]
Opportunities for Enrolling Justice-Involved Individuals in Medicaid
/in Policy Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by Anita CardwellHealth insurance options now available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) offer new opportunities to enroll individuals involved in the criminal justice system into coverage. In states that have expanded Medicaid, many newly eligible will be young, low-income males, some with involvement with the criminal justice system. Justice-involved individuals especially could benefit from coverage as […]
Financing Prevention: How States are Balancing Delivery System & Public Health Roles
/in Policy Reports Accountable Health, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health, Value-Based Purchasing /by Carla Plaza, Abigail Arons, Jill Rosenthal and Felicia HeiderThis report, developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy and produced by ChangeLab Solutions, highlights leading states’ approaches to support community-based prevention initiatives by bridging the health care delivery and public health systems. It examines various mechanisms – both previously existing and created through health reform – that states can leverage to implement […]
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
Q&A: How Louisiana Has Retooled its Harm Reduction Services for Vulnerable Populations during COVID-19
/in Policy Louisiana Blogs, Featured News Home Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, COVID-19, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, HIV/AIDS, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Eliza Mette, Mia Antezzo and Jodi ManzAs drug overdose deaths accelerate during the COVID-19 pandemic, states are working to ensure that a continuum of services, including access to harm reduction programs, remain available to people with substance use disorder (SUD). The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) recently spoke to Louisiana’s Viral Hepatitis Coordinator Emilia Myers and STD/HIV/Hepatitis Program Deputy […]