This week, we reviewed the independent evaluation of Texas’ Uncompensated Care Pool submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The evaluation, which was required under the Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) of the State’s Section 1115 waiver, was completed by Health Management Associates (HMA).
419 Results found.
Illinois Releases Draft 1115 Waiver for Behavioral Health Redesign
This week, we reviewed the draft Section 1115 Research and Demonstration waiver, released on August 26, 2016, by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS). The 1115 waiver is proposed as part of the state’s broader initiatives around the State Innovation Model (SIM) design grant awards, the State Health Assessment (SHA), and the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), with goals of strengthening the state’s behavioral health care system, reducing silos in behavioral health care, and promoting greater integration of physical and behavioral health. The waiver specifically proposes the inclusion of a package of new benefits for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD), as well individuals nearing release from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) and Cook County Jail systems. DHFS estimates $1.2 billion in federal savings over the five-year waiver term, equaling a 2 percent spending reduction across all Medicaid spending compared to without-waiver spending estimates. DHFS is accepting comments on the draft 1115 waiver through September 26, 2016.
Prepare Now: New Codes for Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health
Integrating primary care and behavioral health is a central focus in health care delivery reform for many states and payers as they work towards addressing quality and cost containment. Significant research demonstrating the effect of co-morbid behavioral health conditions on overall health outcomes, and the subsequent cost increases, has led to exploring the implementation of new models of care.
HMA Tool Helps MCOs Implement Medicaid Managed Care Rules
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final Medicaid managed care rules to modernize federal Medicaid managed care regulations. Many of the new rules go into effect July 2017. The hard work of implementing the new Medicaid managed care regulations will fall squarely on the shoulders of states and Medicaid managed care health plans. For managed care plans, they must step up their operational, administrative, and reporting capabilities to accommodate new state oversight requirements across all aspects of the contract performance.
30-plus Speakers Slated for HMA Conference on Integrated Care Delivery
HMA’s inaugural conference “The Future of Publicly Sponsored Healthcare: Building Integrated Delivery Systems for Vulnerable Populations” is slated for October 10-12 in Chicago. This premier event, presented by HMA and HMA’s Accountable Care Institute, will address key issues facing health systems, hospitals, clinics and provider practices seeking to integrate care in an environment of rising quality and cost expectations. More than 30 speakers have been confirmed to date. Early Bird registration is now open. Click here for complete conference details.
HMA Authors Explore New Models of Care in Correctional Health
HMA Principals Donna Strugar-Fritsch and Linda Follenweider are featured authors in the spring edition of CorrectCare, the magazine of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).
Based on a presentation at the NCCHC’s 2015 Leadership Institutes, “A Call for New Models of Care in Correctional Health” takes a look at components of new primary care models, how they’ve advanced care – and how they can be used in correctional settings.
MACRA: Will these carrots and sticks work?
The comment period for MACRA proposed rules started a couple of weeks ago and ends June 26, 2016. CMS is to be commended for valiantly translating MACRA legislation into specific rules that will apply at the start of the first performance period scheduled to be January 1, 2017 (wow!). However commendable though, we should all be clear about the inherent problems, of which there are a number. I’ll briefly outline one central problem: behavioral economics.
New Leadership, Team Building Workshop for Those Serving Vulnerable Populations
Transformation of healthcare delivery is requiring those of us who serve vulnerable populations to cultivate new leaders and form new kinds of teams inside and outside of our organizations.
HMA and Rush University Medical Center-Chicago are launching a new, one-day intensive workshop that will introduce proven strategies for developing a deep bench of collaborative leaders and empowered providers.
Future of APCDs in the Wake of Gobeille
As many states continue to utilize all-payer claims databases (APCDs) to help improve the quality, cost and effectiveness of care, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company will present some hurdles for states using (or thinking about using) APCDs moving forward.
New Value-Based Payment Assessment Tool
The shift from volume-based to value-based payment (VBP) requires primary care providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and behavioral health providers to make fundamental changes to the delivery of care, operations, and financial management.
Our new web-based, self-assessment will help evaluate your readiness across multiple domains and identify critical care delivery, financial, and operational elements that will help you become ready to succeed under existing and emerging value-based payment models. We offer two versions of the tool: one for primary care providers and one for behavioral health providers.
HMA is launching a new blog
Change is the new normal for healthcare today. The industry is in constant flux. Healthcare reform is prompting us to reimagine what we do and how we deliver healthcare. It seems many public, private and nonprofit stakeholders are taking different approaches, sparking a daily stream of research, studies and trends to inform your next move.
But who has time to sift through all that data? Keeping current with the latest developments alone is a full-time job. That’s where HMA can help.
You’ve counted on us for decades to provide clear insights into policy, programs and financing to get the job done. We provide counsel, research, whitepapers, webinars and weekly updates.
And now, we’re writing a blog.