This week our In Focus section reviews the Delaware request for proposals (RFP) for Diamond State Health Plan (DSHP) and Diamond State Health Plan Plus (DSHP Plus), the state’s Medicaid managed care programs. The RFP was released by the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) on December 15, 2021.
Alyson Kechkaylo
Former South Dakota Medicaid Director Joins Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company
Bill Snyder, former South Dakota Medicaid director, has joined Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company as a principal with the firm. He is the third former Medicaid Director to join the Health Management Associates (HMA) family of companies this year.
Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation Benefit: Stakeholder Perspectives on Trends and Innovations
This week, our In Focus section reviews key takeaways from the report, Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation Benefit: Stakeholder Perspectives on Trends and Innovations, prepared by Health Management Associates (HMA) for the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC).
HMA Opioid Experts Are in Demand
As the national opioid epidemic continues, HMA experts are sharing their vast knowledge and experience related to substance use disorders (SUD) and addiction treatment systems with providers, policymakers and other stakeholders addressing this crisis.
Managing Principal Jonathon Blum Breaks Down Trump Administration’s Agenda for Pharmacy Rebates
Medicare policy expert and HMA Managing Principal Jonathan Blum weighed in on the Trump administration’s recently proposed rules for pharmacy rebates and plans to reduce prescription drug prices in a blog post for Health Affairs.
Blum provided insight to questions about implementation of the proposed drug rebate reforms and whether they will lead to lower drug prices. The fundamental changes proposed would govern how pharmaceutical manufacturers pay rebates to pharmacy benefit managers and managed care plans contracted with Medicare, as well as state Medicaid programs.
He also addressed the variables outlined in the administration’s 2018 plan, American Patients First, which aim to reduce out-of-pocket costs and lower drug prices.
Blum joined HMA in 2018. In his previous leadership role at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2009-2014 he had direct responsibility for administration of the Medicare program.
Will Hospitals Serving Racial and Ethnic Minorities Lose Out in a Value-Based Payment World?
HMA Principal Madeleine Shea, with her partners from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and American Hospital Association, recently authored the Health Equity article, Explaining the Relationship between Minority Group Status and Health Disparities. While federal policy has moved in the direction of adjusting for poverty and disability as proxies for social risks, this article keeps the focus on race and ethnicity as a major explanation for health disparities in the United States.
HMA Input, Analysis Identify California Provider Shortage
A team of HMA colleagues, including Carrie Cochran, Helen DuPlessis, Jon Freedman, Kelly Krinn, Nora Leibowitz and Ryan Mooney conducted impact assessments of recommendations developed by the California Future Health Workforce Commission.