Innovations in Publicly Sponsored Healthcare: How Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplaces Are Driving Value, Equity, and Growth
Pre-Conference Workshop: October 29, 2023 Conference: October 30−31, 2023 Location: Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park
Health Management Associates has announced the preliminary lineup of speakers for its sixth annual conference, Innovations in Publicly Sponsored Healthcare: How Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplaces Are Driving Value, Equity, and Growth.
Hundreds of executives from health plans, providers, state and federal government, investment firms, and community-based organizations will convene to enjoy top-notch content, make new connections, and garner fresh ideas and best practices.
A pre-conference workshop, Behavioral Health at the Intersection of General Health and Human Services, will take place Sunday, October 29.
Confirmed speakers to date include (in alphabetical order):
Jacey Cooper, State Medicaid Director, Chief Deputy Director, California Department of Health Care Services
Kelly Cunningham, Administrator, Division of Medical Programs, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Karen Dale, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, AmeriHealth Caritas
Peter Lee, Health Care Policy Catalyst and former Executive Director, Covered California
John Lovelace, President, Government Programs, Individual Advantage, UPMC Health Plan
Julie Morita, MD, Executive Vice President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Anne Rote, President, Medicaid, Health Care Service Corp.
Drew Snyder, Executive Director, Mississippi Division of Medicaid
Tim Spilker, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State
Stacie Weeks, Administrator/Medicaid Director, Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
Lisa Wright, President and CEO, Community Health Choice
Publicly sponsored programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Marketplaces are leading the charge in driving value, equity, and growth in the U.S. healthcare system. This year’s event will highlight the innovations, initiatives, emerging models, and growth strategies designed to drive improved patient outcomes, increased affordability, and expanded access.
Early bird registration ends July 31. Questions may be directed to Carl Mercurio at cmercurio@healthmanagement.com. Group rates, government discounts, and sponsorships are available.
HMA has valued recent opportunities to support public health departments to collaborate with communities working to identify and address root causes and ultimately reduce maternal and infant mortality and racial disparities in birth outcomes in Delaware and Maryland.
In partnership with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health, HMA is in its fourth year of administering a mini-grant program and providing backbone services to community-based organizations. These entities provide wraparound services and a variety of other supports to pregnant and parenting people and their families, with the goal of improving maternal and infant health and reducing racial disparities. We also lead a collective impact evaluation of the programs, working closely with the participating organizations to help them build their capacity to collect and analyze data, developing interim and annual reports, and providing frequent updates to the Division of Public Health and other stakeholders in the state that are collaborating to improve health and wellbeing. HMA provides fiscal and administrative oversight, coaching and evaluation, and convenes the participating organizations for quarterly learning collaboratives, which have contributed to stronger relationships and collaboration among the mini-grantees. In addition, we are implementing and evaluating a guaranteed basic income program as part of the Social Determinants of Health committee of the Delaware Healthy Maternal Infant Consortium (DHMIC). This project is a long-term commitment to collaborating with community-based organizations to build their capacity to address racial disparities and support their work, which is driven by the needs of the people they serve and know best. Grantees are selected through a streamlined process with low administrative burden, prioritizing community input on needed services. Through a collective impact evaluation, the participating organizations are finding positive effects on the self-reported health and wellbeing of program participants.
Launch of the first cohort of Healthy Women Healthy Babies Zones Mini-grantees in 2019. Photo Credit: Division of Public Health – Delaware Health and Social Services
With the Frederick County, Maryland Health Department, HMA conducted a study in 2022 using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to understand and articulate drivers of maternal and infant health disparities experienced by Black women in Frederick County. In collaboration with the health department and newly formed Community Advisory Board (CAB), we facilitated a series of in-person retreats to: collect, analyze, and share quantitative and qualitative data regarding disparities and the drivers of those disparities with stakeholders; understand the data and the story behind the health disparity numbers; and develop and deploy additional research methods, such as surveys, key informant interviews, and focus groups, to further explore the lived experience of Black Frederick County mothers. This iterative approach to conducting mixed-methods research uses the CBPR framework to ensure sustained and meaningful community engagement from project start to end. HMA also developed a driver diagram to illustrate how the root cause, systemic racism, directly influences other drivers of Black maternal health disparities such as historic disinvestment in Black maternal health, historical trauma navigating healthcare, low social capital, health insurance availability, and a perceived lack of emotional and physical safety in clinical settings. The diagram will be shared with relevant stakeholders and inform next steps.
In our reproductive health-related work, HMA has guided groups through decision-making processes, with transparency and without bias, and we understand the importance of group dynamics. Bringing decades of real-world public policy and community and key stakeholder facilitation experience, HMA collaborates with a variety of stakeholders and community members to develop and implement public policy at the local and state levels, as well as to evaluate these efforts. Our experience ranges from national, state, and county agencies, to private sector and community-based organizations that partner with governments to implement policy. Our team has extensive experience working with and within organizations to facilitate discussions, listen to and build consensus across sectors, develop strategic plans, and bring diverse perspectives together to promote health and wellness for communities.
As part of recognizing Women’s History Month, HMA colleagues reflected on recent work to support maternal and infant health and reduce racial disparities in birth outcomes in collaboration with health departments and communities in Delaware and Maryland. More information on our recent projects supporting reproductive health can be found here.
The holiday season is grounded in gratitude. At HMA, we are grateful for successful partnerships that have fueled change to improve lives.
We are proud to be trusted advisors to our clients and partners. Their success is our success. In 2022 our clients and partners made significant strides tackling the biggest healthcare challenges, seizing opportunities for growth and innovation, and shaping the healthcare landscape in a way that improves the health and wellness of individuals and communities.
HMA partnered with the Colorado Department of Human Services to support the planning and implementation of a new Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). HMA provided technical research and extensive stakeholder engagement, drafted models for forming and implementing the BHA, employed an extensive change management approach, and created a detailed implementation plan with ongoing support. Today the BHA is a cabinet member-led agency that collaborates across agencies and sectors to drive a comprehensive and coordinated strategic approach to behavioral health.
Wakely Consulting Group, an HMA Company, was engaged to support the launch of a Medicare Advantage (MA) joint venture partnership between a health plan and a provider system. Wakely was responsible for preparing and certifying MA and Medicare Part D (PD) bids, a highly complex, exacting, and iterative effort. The Wakely team quickly became a trusted advisor and go-to resource for the joint venture decision makers. The joint venture has driven significant market growth over its initial years, fueled by a competitive benefit package determined by the client product team.
In 2021 Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb appointed a 15-member commission to assess Indiana’s public health system and make recommendations for improvements. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) engaged HMA to provide extensive project management and support for six workstreams. HMA prepared a draft report summarizing public input as well as research findings and recommendations. The commission’s final report will form the basis of proposed 2023 legislation, including proposals to substantially increase public health service and funding across the state.
In early 2022 HMA and Wakely Consulting Group, an HMA Company, assisted multiple clients with their applications to participate in the new CMS ACO REACH model. The purpose of this model is to improve quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries through better care coordination and increased engagement between providers and patients including those who are underserved. The team tailored their support depending on each client’s needs. The application selection process was highly competitive. Of the 271 applications received, CMS accepted just under 50 percent. Notably, nine out of the 10 organizations HMA and Wakely supported were accepted into the model.
HMA, and subsidiaries The Moran Company and Leavitt Partners, were selected by a large pharmaceutical manufacturer to analyze the current pipeline of innovative therapies, examine reimbursement policies to assess long-term compatibility with the adoption of innovative therapies and novel delivery mechanisms, and make policy recommendations to address any challenges identified through the process. The project equipped the client with a holistic understanding of future potential impacts and actions to address challenges in a detailed pipeline analysis of innovative therapies.
Be sure to register for HMA’s 2022 Conference by Monday, July 11, to get the special early bird rate of $1,695 per person. After July 11, the rate is $1,895.
Nearly 40 industry speakers, including health plan executives, state Medicaid directors, and providers, are confirmed for HMA’s The New Normal: How Medicaid, Medicare, and Other Publicly Sponsored Programs Are Shaping the Future of Healthcare in a Time of Crisis conference, October 10-11, at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park.
In addition to keynote sessions featuring some of the nation’s top Medicaid and Medicaid executives, attendees can choose from multiple breakout and plenary sessions on behavioral health, dual eligibles, healthcare investing, technology-enabled integrated care, social determinants of health, eligibility redeterminations, staffing, senior care, and more.
There will also be a Pre-Conference Workshop on The Future of Payment Reform: Delivering Value, Managing Risk in Medicare and Medicaid, on Sunday, October 9.
Health Management Associates has made the decision to cancel its October 2020 conference on Trends in Publicly Sponsored Healthcare, given continuing developments concerning COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of attendees, speakers, and staff. Full refunds will be made to registered attendees and sponsors.
A team of HMA consultants have authored a peer-reviewed journal article drawing on data from the recently completed five-year evaluation of the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns II Initiative to discuss key considerations for implementing a group prenatal care model, including barriers to implementation and sustainability as well as strategies for overcoming barriers and sustaining the model.
This week, our In Focus section reviews value-based payment (VBP) opportunities for long-term care providers. HMA Principal Dana McHugh authored the article, “Life Plan Communities and Value-Based Payments: Aligning Incentives So Everyone Benefits”, for LeadingAge national magazine, discussing how life plan communities can establish value-based payment arrangements with managed care organizations (MCOs) to maximize value and add additional revenue streams.
This week, our In Focus section provides a recap of the fourth annual HMA Conference, The Next Wave of Medicaid Growth and Opportunity: How Payers, Providers, and States are Positioning Themselves for Success, held this Monday, September 9, and Tuesday, September 10, in Chicago, Illinois. Nearly 500 leading executives representing managed care organizations, providers, state and federal government, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in the health care field gathered to address the challenges and opportunities for organizations serving Medicaid and other vulnerable populations. Conference participants heard from keynote speakers, engaged in panel discussions, and connected during informal networking opportunities. Below is a summary of highlights from this year’s conference.
This week, our In Focus section reviews the Pathways HUB model, an approach designed to help coordinate outreach by specialized community health workers who are incentivized to engage high-need populations. An HMA webinar, held May 9, 2019, with Mark Redding, co-developer of the Pathways HUB model, and Heidi Arthur, HMA can be viewed here.
HMA New York colleagues Heidi Arthur and Annalisa Baker played a pivotal role in launching a forum for the Brooklyn Perinatal Network on Jan. 11.
The forum, entitled, “A Community Response to Addressing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality,” was a collaboration between a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) making up the Brooklyn Coalition for the Health Equity for Women and Families Coalition Leadership Team.
