This week, our In Focus section comes from HMA Medicaid Market Solutions (MMS) Managing Director Matt Powers and Senior Consultant Desmond Banks. On January 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened an event titled, Transforming Medicaid: A New Opportunity for Better Health, in Washington, DC, during which CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced the Healthy Adult Opportunity (HAO), an optional Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration initiative. Commonly referred to as, “block grant” or “spending cap” model, the HAO seeks to provide states with enhanced flexibility to design and administer parts of their Medicaid program. Administrator Verma articulated the HAO to be an important step to support the fiscal sustainability of Medicaid and invited state Medicaid directors to submit waiver applications.
Public Health
Life Plan Communities and Value-Based Payments
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.
Highlights from Kaiser/HMA Study on Access to Reproductive Health for Low-Income Women
This week, our In Focus section reviews highlights and major findings from the study, Beyond the Numbers: Access to Reproductive Health Care for Low-Income Women in Five Communities, conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Management Associates (HMA). The report, published in November 2019, was prepared by Sharon Silow-Carroll, Carrie Rosenzweig, Diana Rodin, and Rebecca Kellenberg from Health Management Associates; and by Usha Ranji, Michelle Long, and Alina Salganicoff from KFF.
HMA Colleagues Lead Health Reproductive Care Access Study
Health Management Associates (HMA), working with the Kaiser Family Foundation, recently conducted research and completed five case studies to identify distinct challenges that low-income women face in obtaining reproductive healthcare in five diverse communities, and the key factors contributing to them.
Indiana Releases Hoosier Care Connect Managed Care RFP
This week, our In Focus section reviews the Indiana Hoosier Care Connect request for proposals (RFP), issued by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) on October 18, 2019. Hoosier Care Connect is the state’s Medicaid managed care program for approximately 90,000 aged, blind, and disabled (ABD) Medicaid beneficiaries. Implementation is expected April 1, 2021, with contracts worth $1.4 billion annually.
Highlights from Kaiser/HMA 50-State Medicaid Director Survey
This week, our In Focus section reviews highlights and shares key takeaways from the 19th annual Medicaid Budget Survey conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Management Associates (HMA). Survey results were released on October 18, 2019, in two new reports: A View from the States: Key Medicaid Policy Changes: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020 and Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2019 & 2020. The report was prepared by Kathleen Gifford and Aimee Lashbrook from HMA; Eileen Ellis and Mike Nardone; and by Elizabeth Hinton, Robin Rudowitz, Maria Diaz, and Marina Tian from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors.
Highlights from this Week’s HMA Conference on The Next Wave of Medicaid Growth and Opportunity
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.
Strategies to Support Postpartum Visits for Women in Medicaid
This week, our In Focus section comes from HMA Community Strategies (HMACS) Senior Associate Diana Rodin and HMA Managing Principal Sharon Silow-Carroll who authored a recent article in the Journal of Women’s Health drawing on data from the recently completed five-year evaluation of the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns II Initiative to identify promising approaches to support women in Medicaid to attend postpartum visits. Nationally, less than 60 percent of women enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program attend a scheduled postpartum medical visit, and some states have much lower rates.[1],[2]
HMA Colleagues Author Journal Article on Strategies to Support Postpartum Visits for Women in Medicaid
HMA Community Strategies (HMACS) Senior Associate Diana Rodin and HMA Managing Principal Sharon Silow-Carroll have authored an article drawing on data from the recently completed five-year evaluation of the Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns II Initiative to identify promising approaches to support women in Medicaid to attend postpartum visits.
National Jail-Based Opioid Treatment Program Expands
A successful approach to expanding access to jail-based opioid treatment, that began in California, will grow to 16 additional counties across the country. Health Management Associates (HMA), a leading healthcare consulting firm, developed the program blueprint which was successfully deployed in 29 California counties and resulted in better access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for those in the criminal justice system.