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HMA Insights: Your source for healthcare news, ideas and analysis.

HMA Insights – including our new podcast – 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 podcast, blogs, webinars, case studies, reports and more.

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1808 Results found.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: FQHC Readiness for Value-Based Payments

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On November 17, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “FQHC Readiness for Value-Based Payments: Priorities for Success.”

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) continue to struggle with dramatic changes in the way in which healthcare is financed in a post-ACA world. The shift to value-based payments is the latest test. The question is whether FQHCs are equipped to accept value-based payments while remaining financially sustainable.

During this webinar, HMA Principal Art Jones, MD, Managing Principal Gaylee Morgan, Senior Consultant Rob Werner, and Principal Deborah Zahn outline a step-by-step readiness assessment that FQHCs can implement to measure their ability to successfully take on risk under a value-based payment model. The webinar also provides case studies of FQHCs that have successfully entered into a variety of risk-sharing arrangements, providing important lessons about how FQHCs are adapting to new funding mechanisms. Listen to the replay and:

  • Understand key trends driving the need for FQHCs to shift to value-based payments and explore new partnerships and collaborations.
  • Understand key components of population health management, including how to understand and stratify risk, implement targeted interventions, and consistently deliver and manage care.
  • Learn how FQHCs are playing an important role in accountable care organizations, with an emphasis on reducing the global cost of care while improving patient outcomes.
  • Find out how FQHCs are joining forces to create their own independent practice associations and ACOs, driven by a desire to shift from a fee-for-service model to value-based payments.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: Oregon and the Future of Medicaid Managed Care

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On November 12, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “Oregon and the Future of Medicaid Managed Care.”

Oregon is host to the nation’s biggest experiment in Medicaid managed care. Unlike most states, which rely on Medicaid managed care plans, Oregon has enrolled 90 percent of its Medicaid population in newly formed Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs). These CCOs are networks of local providers who care for a population of Medicaid members under a fixed global budget – with an emphasis on care coordination, integrated care, wellness, and chronic disease management.

During this webinar, HMA Managing Principal Tina Edlund and Principals Cathy Kaufmann and Sean Kolmer provide a status report on the Oregon initiative, including key components of the model, initial quality and cost results, and the likelihood that CCOs represent the Medicaid managed care model of the future. Listen to the replay and:

  • Assess the impact of the Oregon model on total cost of care for a Medicaid population and on the ability of the state to bend the Medicaid cost curve.
  • Compare the performance of CCOs based on 17 quality measures, including substance abuse screenings, hospital readmissions, and primacy care.
  • Understand the role of the Oregon Transformation Center, which works with CCOs to support delivery systems change, improve care and reduce costs.
  • Evaluate the 1115 waiver that enabled implementation of the Oregon Medicaid model, including components that might apply to states with more traditional Medicaid managed care programs.
  • Learn how Medicaid reform can impact the broader healthcare delivery system in a state, resulting in overall improvements in quality and cost.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: The Future of Community Behavioral Health

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On November 10, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “The Future of Community Behavioral Health: Leveraging the Transformation to Value-Based Health Care.”   

Community behavioral health has never been more relevant. Not only have the costs of caring for those with behavioral health needs become a focal point of delivery system reform, but the medical system has also come to value the type of person-centered health care and social supports that the community behavioral health sector provides.

Leading healthcare organizations are already taking advantage of the significant opportunities for advancing behavioral health within delivery system redesign. Their success is instructive in an array of areas, including managing organizational change, strategically building out the continuum of care, and pursuing the partnerships, mergers and acquisitions that provide scale, capacity and leverage. 

During this webinar, HMA Principals Heidi Arthur, Josh Rubin, and Meggan Schilkie highlight the opportunities available to community behavioral health providers and offer a roadmap for success. Listen to the replay and:

  • Take advantage of new and innovative payment mechanisms and successfully navigate the transition to value-based payments.
  • Learn how the behavioral health community is addressing the social determinants of health by providing supportive housing and using peer support to complement clinical care.
  • Recognize partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions as important potential vehicles for expanding service lines and building critical mass. 
  • Understand the organizational and clinical advantages to becoming a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center.
  • Assess infrastructure readiness for important functions like data warehousing, continuous quality improvement, compliance, prospective financial modeling, cost-of-care reporting, value-based payments, and managed care.
  • Develop an approach to change management that accommodates rapid transition, promotes stability, and fosters buy-in during expansion and enhancement. 

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: The Age Wave in Social Programs

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On November 11, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “Are You Ready for the Age Wave in Social Programs?”

America is aging. By 2030, approximately one in five Americans will be 65 or older. This age wave will have dramatic implications for the financing and delivery of government-sponsored social programs, including Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibles.

During this webinar, HMA Vice President Joan Henneberry and Senior Consultant Lisa Shugarman outline the challenges that an aging population poses for Medicaid health plans, state Medicaid programs, and dual eligibles initiatives. They also provide a roadmap to the type of innovative partnerships required among payers, providers and policy makers to better serve this population. Listen to the replay and:

  • Understand the importance of building relationships at the community level to best meet the needs of an aging population.
  • Obtain case studies of the types of partnerships and reimbursement models that have successfully incentivized payers and providers to serve members with complex needs.
  • Learn what health plans can expect as states begin to move Long-Term Services and Supports into a managed care environment.
  • Find out how to leverage home and community-based services to broaden the reach of preventive care and proactively assess an individual’s health needs.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: An IT Framework for Accountable Care

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On November 3, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “An IT Framework for Accountable Care: Building Information Technology Capabilities that Support All Necessary Functions in the Risk-Sharing Continuum.”

The importance of information technology continues to grow as healthcare providers venture into care coordination, accountable care, and risk sharing. A structured approach to IT planning is a critical step in any comprehensive effort to enable providers to move effectively along the risk-sharing continuum. This means developing a comprehensive IT capability assessment and planning framework specifically geared towards provider organizations engaging in accountable care. It also means identifying how IT can support each clinical and administrative function necessary to successfully manage risk and coordinate care for a population of patients.

During this webinar, HMA experts Lynn Dierker, Juan Montanez and Greg Vachon outline the steps provider organizations must take to develop a solid, actionable accountable care IT plan.  The webinar also features case studies of provider organizations that have made IT the backbone of a successful, comprehensive approach to accountable care. Listen to the replay and:

  • Understand the value and need for a structured assessment of your organization’s IT capabilities, with an emphasis on the importance of information technology in implementing a comprehensive approach to accountable care.
  • Develop an IT plan that supports each functional area impacting your organization’s ability to successfully share risk – including care management and coordination, risk profiling and stratification, population health management, data sharing, and reporting.
  • Assess various options for filling gaps in your organization’s IT capabilities, while avoiding pitfalls such as “jumping the gun” on particular technology solutions or unnecessarily adding complexity to an organization’s existing IT environment.
  • Ensure providers have access to all of the information – including social factors and determinants of health data – necessary to create and manage a comprehensive, individualized service plan for patients.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: New Models for FQHC Partnerships with Hospitals

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On November 4, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “New Models for FQHC Partnerships with Hospitals.”

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are an important part of the nation’s healthcare safety net, receiving a large share of community benefit funds from hospitals to provide primary, preventive and charity care to the poor and underserved. But the truth is FQHCs have the potential to do much more. Through a variety of new and innovative partnerships with hospitals, FQHCs are playing an expanded role in care coordination, behavioral health, team-based care, residency programs and risk-sharing arrangements.

During this webinar, HMA Principals Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, and Margarita Pereyda, MD, outline the ways in which FQHCs can bring additional value to hospitals, improving care and reducing costs. The webinar features guest presenter, Santina Wheat, MD, from Northwestern McGaw Family Medicine Residency at Humboldt Park, a Teaching Health Center, and a partnership between Northwestern University, Erie Family Health FQHC, and Norwegian American Hospital. Listen to the replay and:

  • Learn the value of including FQHCs in a team-based approach to care, allowing for improved clinical integration and care coordination with hospitals, health systems and Accountable Care Organizations.
  • Find out how FQHCs can play an expanded role in treating people struggling with depression or substance abuse immediately following a hospital discharge.
  • Understand key contracting considerations between hospitals and FQHCs, including the potential for risk-sharing arrangements.
  • Understand the role FQHCs can play in residency programs, including pediatrics, OB/GYN and family practices.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: The Residency Program of the Future

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On November 9, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “The Residency Program of the Future: How Healthcare Reform is Impacting Medical Training and Graduate Medical Education.”

Residency programs are about to change dramatically, driven by healthcare reform, Medicaid expansion, the pressing need for more primary care physicians, and the implementation of Patient-Centered Medical Homes and other population health management initiatives. The future impact of these initiatives on residency training remains unclear, but there is no shortage of ideas and proposals.

During this webinar, HMA medical education experts Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, Maurice Lemon, MD, and Jeffrey Ring, PhD, provide a status report on Graduate Medical Education (GME), outline various proposals and policy initiatives, and discuss mandated imperatives for residency training programs to directly address health disparities. Listen to the replay and:

  • Deepen your understanding of new academic and clinical pressures facing residency training, including the shifting balance between specialty training and primary care.
  • Consider strategies for residency training programs to develop in an era of Patient-Centered Medical Homes and population health management.
  • Recognize the impact of GME changes on hospitals, including the ACGME Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Standards, and explore how hospitals must be more involved in medical training programs, in light of operational changes driven by Medicaid expansion and the continued shift to Medicaid managed care from fee-for-service Medicaid.
  • Learn how Medicaid innovations and reforms – driven in part by 1115 waivers and DSRIP – impact residency programs.

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: Capitalizing on the Fast-Moving World of Digital Health Innovation

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On October 22, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “Capitalizing on the Fast-Moving World of Digital Health Innovation.”

The digital health market is quickly growing and innovating, and payers and providers have much to gain from getting on board. Emerging tools and technology for consumer engagement, population health management, telemedicine and data analytics can play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges facing payers, providers and patients. For example, these technologies can be used to engage hard-to-reach populations and expand the capacity to manage disease in a cost-effective manner.

During this webinar, members of Health Management Associates’ Health Care IT Advisory Services Team outline the trends in digital health technology – providing a roadmap for organizations interested in evaluating the strategic opportunities for growth and meeting the challenges of accountable care. Listen to the recording and:

  • Assess the emerging array of digital health products and understand what role they can play in revolutionizing the delivery of healthcare services.
  • Learn to anticipate where digital health innovations will drive change in health care delivery, such as responding to patient-driven technologies.
  • Understand how to adapt your current IT evaluation process to assess whether emerging digital health technologies are right for you and when to purchase, build, co-brand, etc.
  • Develop a sustainable approach to investing in and implementing digital health applications for payers, providers and patients.

HMA Speakers

Alana Ketchel, Senior Consultant, Denver
Donna Laverdiere, Senior Consultant, San Francisco
Don Novo, Principal, San Francisco
Margarita Pereyda, M.D., Principal, Southern California
Heidi Robbins-Brown, Principal, Pacific Northwest

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Webinar

Webinar Replay: Rethinking SBIRT

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On October 29, 2015, HMA Information Services hosted the webinar, “Rethinking SBIRT: Lessons from the Past 10 Years, Strategies for the Next.”

It’s been 10 years since the first grants for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) programs for addiction were implemented. Although underutilized and in many ways misunderstood, SBIRT still possesses tremendous potential to positively reshape and help coordinate care for people struggling with addiction.

During this webinar, HMA experts discuss the evolution of SBIRT and outline how the program is poised for a resurgence as providers, public health policy experts and funding organizations leverage SBIRT’s potential in an increasingly integrated healthcare environment. Listen to the recording and:

  • Learn why SBIRT is a far more flexible protocol than typically understood, allowing for choice of screening tools, brief interventions, and tight integration into existing care delivery systems.
  • Understand the key barriers to the implementation of SBIRT, including the tendency to silo SBIRT as a behavioral health service, provider resistance to addiction services, inadequate referral, and lack of adequate focus on the brief intervention component of the protocol.
  • Find out how to leverage the support of states, foundations and others willing to fund SBIRT as an effective protocol for addiction.
  • Learn how to overcome the myths about substance use and shift provider culture and attitudes – resulting in a rich adoption of SBIRT.
  • Understand the potential for expanding SBIRT’s reach, with the next wave likely to focus on non-traditional settings like schools, county jails, and possibly even organizations that provide housing, meals and other human services.

HMA Speakers

Margarita Pereyda, MD, Principal, Southern California
Gina Lasky, HMA Community Strategies Project Manager, Denver

The slide deck for this webinar can be retrieved by clicking the “DOWNLOAD” button below.

Brief & Report

HMA’s Smith Part of NAMD Panel Reviewing Medicaid at 50

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HMA Managing Principal Vern Smith was one of four experts who took part in the plenary panel discussion “Medicaid at 50: Past, Present and Future” at the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) fall conference Tuesday. He was joined by:

  • Thomas Betlach, NAMD President, Arizona Medicaid Director, AHCCCS
  • Deborah Bachrach, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
  • Charles Milligan, Jr., CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community & State – New Mexico

The tenures of these Medicaid agency leaders have spanned the history of Medicaid. They discussed how Medicaid has fundamentally transformed from its origins in 1965, and what the future of the program holds. Judith Moore, co-author of Medicaid Politics and Policy, and a health policy consultant, moderated the panel which followed the keynote address of Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Click here to see the discussion as it appears in the video archive of C-Span3.