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HMA Insights puts the vast depth of HMA’s expertise at your fingertips, helping you stay informed about the latest healthcare trends and topics. Below, you can easily search based on your topic of interest to find useful information from our blogs, webinars, case studies, reports and more.

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Webinar

Webinar replay: youth mental health access: school-based intervention strategies

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This webinar was held on June 14, 2023.

The youth behavioral health crisis has resulted in a cascade of federal funding, advisories, and overall opportunities to improve resources to help kids. This webinar presented the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) STEPS for Adolescents model, which is a low cost, high impact approach that empowers schools to intervene and support well-being and resiliency before students are in crisis, self-harming, or suicidal. Attendees learned how to fund and implement this approach to promoting mental wellness as a strategy to reduce the burden on clinical resources designed to treat mental illness.

Whether you are a plan looking to develop value added services, a provider looking to better integrate with schools, or a school team looking for new approaches, this discussion offered information about available funding, highlight research demonstrating evidence for the model, and offer Q&A with one of the developers of the DBT model.

Learning Objectives

  • Credentialing Not Required – Why DBT is a preferred model to address the youth BH crisis.
  • Ease of Implementation – How DBT has been adapted for current school personnel to deliver.
  • Financing Options –How to finance enhancements to school-based mental health services including, but not limited to DBT-STEPS-A.

Featured Speakers

Webinar

Webinar replay: opportunities for state payers to improve & align incentives for treatment of substance use disorder

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This webinar was held on June 6, 2023. 

Health Management Associates (HMA) is proud to offer a 3-part series of webinars looking at the effect of proposed regulations on delivery of opioid treatment services to the population facing addiction issues. In this second webinar, HMA consultants highlighted opportunities for state payers to improve & align incentives so that providers can expand access to treatment enabled by new federal regulations that encourage patient-centered care.

Patients seeking SUD treatment stand to truly benefit from the changes presented in the forthcoming SAMHSA regulations. However, payers need to restructure the reimbursement model to incentivize person-centered care and allow opioid treatment providers to remain fiscally viable without putting undue burden on patients.  The change in regulations present a unique opportunity to advance value-based payment models in the SUD treatment system and expand access to treatment that meets patients where they are.

Learning Objectives:

  • How Payers Can Benefit – Understanding the opportunity for payers to close important gaps in current approaches to SUD treatment.
  • Innovation Inspiration – Learning from other programs to better deliver whole person care.
  • Tackling Challenges – Identifying the likely obstacles and how they can be overcome.

Featured Speaker:

  • Chris Regal, Director, Clinical Innovation, America’s Health Insurance Plans​

Watch the replay of Part 1 of our Opioid Treatment Providers webinar series.

Stayed tuned for information on part 3 of our Opioid Treatment Providers series: Opportunities for State Regulators to Shape Policy and Regulation of Treatment for Substance Use Disorder

Webinar

Webinar replay: Behavioral health: moving access to care and network adequacy into the 21st century

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This webinar was held on September 7, 2023.

States, counties, health plans, and providers are asking how to meet the growing demand for behavioral health (BH) services. HMA teamed with experts to discuss these challenges at our recent Quality Conference where we crowdsourced ideas for how to redefine and measure network adequacy, examining provider selection, community need, and measurement.

This webinar reconvened those panelists to continue this critical conversation, shared feedback on factors that lead to “adequate” provider capacity, and discussed the impact of new federal network adequacy standards.

The conversation won’t stop with this webinar. We’ll use our continuously crowdsourced information and material for our BH workshop on Oct. 29, (the day prior to the start of the 2023 HMA Conference), making the connection between how large system reform in BH will shape how we think about network adequacy. We hope you’ll join us.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand widely varying state standards for BH network adequacy and metrics — and validity concerns about how provider volume is assessed.
  • Consider the true impact of BH provider shortage on care. (Reality check: we do not have enough BH providers and will not catch up at the current rate of training.)
  • Learn about treatment engagement challenges and the need to establish criteria for discharge or discontinuation of treatment.
  • Understand how extending BH workforce capacity with peer networks might ease shortage concerns.
  • Hear about Delaware’s challenges and innovations to build an end-to-end ecosystem of care, shifting toward a journey rather than an episode of care.
  • Learn about recent federal reform and new standards around network adequacy.

Speakers

Nazlim Hagmann, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Commonwealth Care Alliance 

Rhonda Robinson Beale, MD
Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealth Group

Claire Wang, MD, ScD
Associate Deputy Director, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Delaware State Department of Health and Social Services

Webinar

Webinar replay: Medicare policy changes impacting behavioral health services workforce and population health

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This webinar was held on September 12, 2023. 

Continuing our discussion from Part 1 of this series, recent rule changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will enable regulatory and statutory expansion of behavioral health services and providers. This webinar focused on how those changes will impact the already strained workforce, and the corresponding impacts on population health, value-based care, and the needs of special populations. Experts dove deeper into approaches health systems may adopt to handle workforce shortages while expanding access.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how CMS rule updates on behavioral health services will help expand needed care for Medicare recipients and dual eligible populations.
  • Create strategies for addressing the 2023 CMS rule updates to benefit employers and delivery systems toward improving whole health outcomes and reducing behavioral health workforce shortages.
Webinar

Webinar replay: Medicaid 1115 justice waivers and special populations: meeting the needs of justice-involved youth

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This webinar was held on August 17, 2023. 

HMA’s webinar series, 1115 Medicaid Justice Demonstration Waivers: Bridging Healthcare, focused on helping stakeholders optimize care for persons in carceral settings and during their transition back to the community.

Youth in juvenile correctional settings often have complex medical, behavioral health, developmental, social, and legal needs. Many youth have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences, unsupervised home environments and have lacked access to behavioral health services. Transitioning youth from correctional facilities require high quality transition planning services for successful reentry into the community.  Part 5 of this webinar series delved into the types of care and services needed for youth, so that a whole-person approach can be applied to facilitate successful reentry to the community.

Learning objectives:

  • Understand the unique needs of juveniles in correctional settings
  • Discuss opportunities under CMS State Medicaid Director Level 1115 guidance to support reentry for justice involved youth
  • Discuss effective state models for justice-involved youth
  • Learn how to create a whole-person approach to health needs of juveniles in the justice setting

Other webinars in this series:

Webinar

Webinar replay: new tools for Medicare policy changes impacting behavioral health services

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This webinar was held on July 26, 2023.

In light of the recent Medicare regulatory and statutory expansion of behavioral health services and providers, this webinar focused on how those changes will impact the demand, delivery, and availability of behavioral health services. Experts covered how changes in Medicare coverage will affect different behavioral health provider types, improve access to opioid/SUD treatment, and improve flexibility with telehealth/digital service delivery. At a time when behavioral health access is strained, and workforce shortages are reported nation-wide, this new Medicare coverage (expected rules to be announced soon) presents both a significant opportunity as well as a challenge to the delivery system.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the recent Medicare regulatory and statutory changes impacting behavioral health providers, services, and reimbursement.
  • Anticipate changes in demand for behavioral health services and the impact on your local market.
  • Plan for the impact of regulation changes on demand for opioid/SUD treatment and telehealth/digital service delivery.
Webinar

Webinar replay: Medicaid 1115 justice waiver opportunities- medication assisted treatment for substance use disorder in carceral settings

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This webinar was held on July 13, 2023.

HMA’s webinar series, 1115 Medicaid Justice Demonstration Waivers: Bridging Healthcare, focuses on helping stakeholders optimize care for persons in carceral settings and during their transition back to the community.

Part 4 focused on access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorder (SUD) during and after transition from a carceral setting into the community, to ensure continuity of care for those leaving incarceration to reduce overdose and recidivism.

Learning Objectives:

  • MAT Trends: Understand benefits of MAT for incarcerated individuals and related risk management for correctional facilities, providers, counties, and health plans.
  • Building Connections to Community-Based SUD Care: Discover approaches to release planning for successful community re-entry for those on MAT to support recovery and reduce recidivism.
  • Integrated and Coordinated Care: Understand the role of community-based and health plan care managers and persons with lived experience in supporting access to MAT and successful community re-entry.

Other webinars in this series:

Watch a replay of Part 1: Medicaid Authority and Opportunity to Build New Programs for Justice-Involved Individuals

Watch a replay of Part 2: 1115 Justice Waivers to Improve Carceral Healthcare Delivery Information

Watch a replay of Part 3: 1115 Justice Waivers: Connecting Community Partners to Improve Transitions of Care

Save the Date – Thursday August 17, 2023, 2 p.m. ET: Part 5: 1115 Justice Waivers and Special Populations: Meeting the Needs of Justice-Impacted Youth

Webinar

Opportunities for state regulators to shape policy and regulation of treatment for substance use disorder

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This webinar has been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Health Management Associates (HMA) is offering a 3-part series of webinars looking at the effect of proposed regulations on delivery of opioid treatment services to the population facing addiction issues. In this third and final webinar, HMA consultants will highlight opportunities for state regulators to shape policy and regulation of SUD treatment.

New federal regulations encourage significant changes to how opioid treatment is provided, with the goal of expanding access and improving patient-centered care. State regulators will need to adapt their regulatory practices and work closely with Medicaid agencies and treatment providers so the new regulations can achieve their intended goals. This webinar will discuss how State Opioid Treatment Authorities (SOTAs), licensing entities, and state Medicaid agencies will need to work together to craft updated regulations, facility licensing, and reimbursement practices that advance person-centered care.

Learning Objectives:

  • New Regulatory Requirements – Overview of state rules around opioid treatment vs the new requirements.
  • How to Improve SUD Treatment Access – Specific recommendations on statutory and regulatory changes that could lead to more patient centered treatment options.
  • States Leading the Way – Examples from states that are leading the way to expand access and reduce stigma.

Other webinars in this series:

Watch the replay of Part 1 on Opioid Treatment Providers

Watch the replay of Part 2 on Opioid State Payers Aligning Incentives for Treatment

Webinar

Webinar replay: connecting community partners to improve transitions of care

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This webinar was held on June 15, 2023.

HMA’s webinar series, 1115 Medicaid Justice Demonstration Waivers: Bridging Healthcare, focused on helping stakeholders optimize the continuity of care for persons in carceral settings and during their transition back to the community.

Part 3 focused on optimizing key partnerships before, during and after transition from a carceral setting into the community to ensure the best outcomes for individuals eligible for 1115 approved waiver services.

Learning Objectives:

  • Health Assessments and Transition Planning: Understand the health and resource needs of returning citizens (health, behavioral health and social issues).
  • Collaboration with Community Providers: Identify key partners and formalize collaborations to strengthen the quality of transitions care and support provided to individuals transitioning to the community.
  • Insurance Enrollment Strategies: Develop Medicaid enrollment strategies that apply to your state and local framework.

Other webinars in this series:

  • Watch a replay of Part 1: Medicaid Authority and Opportunity to Build New Programs for Justice-Involved Individuals
  • Watch a replay of Part 2: 1115 Justice Waivers to Improve Carceral Healthcare Delivery Information
  • Part 4: 1115 Justice Waivers and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) – July 13 at 2pm ET
  • Part 5: 1115 Justice Waivers and Special Populations: Meeting the Needs of Justice-Impacted
Webinar

Webinar replay: opportunities for opioid treatment providers to improve patient outcomes

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This webinar was held on May 23, 2023.

HMA’s 3-part New Rules in Treatment of Opioid Addiction webinar series is aimed at helping stakeholders prepare for new federal rules that will change how medications are delivered to persons with opioid use disorders. Reducing daily visits will allow persons served to engage in work, family and community activities that sustain recovery, but programs have historically relied on daily visits for revenue. With the new rules, opioid treatment centers (OTPs) have a unique opportunity to advance person-centered care. In part 1 of this series, we addressed changes in clinical and business practices, as well as payment structures that will enable OTPs to implement new treatment programs and other flexibilities to improve patient outcomes. Other parts of the webinar series examine policy and incentives in the new system.

Learning Objectives

OTP Regulatory Changes – Understand expected changes from the point of view of clinicians and providers.

Critical Action Steps – Identify what OTPs will need to do next to comply.

State Variation – Consider how to navigate new rules across states with different approaches to treatment.

Featured Speaker

Nick Stavros, CEO, Community Medical Services

Mark your calendars for other webinars in this series:

Opportunities for State Payers to Improve and Align Incentives – June 6, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET

Opportunities for State Regulators to Shape Policy and Regulation – June 20, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET

Webinar

Webinar replay: using 1115 justice waivers to improve carceral healthcare delivery information

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This webinar was held on May 18, 2023.

HMA’s five-part 1115 Justice Waivers: Building Bridges of Health for Persons Leaving Carceral Settings webinar series is designed to help plans and other stakeholders improve the long-term health outcomes of individuals leaving carceral settings. This webinar focused on the carceral settings operational healthcare practices, including intake screenings to aid in risk assignment and facilitate community re-entry. The 1115 justice waivers allow Medicaid programs to support in-carceral care, but to optimize resources, systems need information to translate transition in care best practices to carceral places of service.

HMA consultants with lived leadership experience working inside and outside jails and prisons provided plans and state agencies with a unique perspective on opportunities for transformation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Establishing Health Care Transitions Across Providers: Methods to improve transitions in care through recognizing carceral facilities as a place of service in the continuum of care.
  • Health Risk Assessments to Improve Continuity of Care: Utilizing health screening and risk assessments done at intake and throughout incarceration so Medicaid can improve healthcare transitions from jail into the community.

Other webinars in the “1115 Justice Waivers: Building Bridges of Health for Persons Leaving Carceral Settings” series: 

Part 1 – Webinar replay: Medicaid authority and opportunity to build new programs for justice-involved individuals
Register now for Part 3 – June 15, 2pm ET – Transitions of care: identifying and connecting the key partners
July 13 2 p.m. ET – Part 4 – 1115 justice waivers and medication assisted therapy (MAT)
Upcoming Part 5 – 1115 justice waivers and special populations: meeting the needs of justice-impacted youth

Webinar

Webinar replay: Medicaid authority and opportunity to build new programs for justice-involved individuals

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This webinar was held on April 6, 2023.

This webinar was designed to help states and other stakeholders understand the section 1115 parameters and that will provide insight to states, local government, carceral care settings and providers on how to best plan for implementing such services.

Why this is important:

On January 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved California’s (CA) section 1115 request to cover targeted healthcare services for incarcerated individuals 90 days before release. This historical partial rollback of the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy empowers the CA Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to collaborate with state agencies, counties, and community-based organizations to create coordinated community reentry services focused on persons transitioning from incarceration to community that provide physical and behavioral healthcare services.

Fourteen states have pending section 1115 demonstration requests:

These requests include specific healthcare services for justice-involved individuals. CMS has indicated it will be issuing guidance on the coverage parameters for healthcare services for individuals transitioning from carceral settings.  These efforts allow states, counties, and cities to build coordinated systems of healthcare care to support reentry.  Building such systems requires infrastructure development and enhancement, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and project and change management across justice partners, health plans, and community-based organizations.

Additional resources: