This week, our In Focus sections reviews the Missouri HealthNet Pharmacy and Clinical Services Management Solution request for information (RFI) and the Kentucky Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) Pharmacy Benefit Manager request for proposals (RFP).
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Webinar Replay – Health Performance Accelerator Webinar Series: Strategies to Integrate Health and Human Services Systems
This webinar was held on September 22, 2020.
State and local governments face a common set of challenges to implementing well-coordinated, fully-integrated health and human services (HHS) programs. From multiple information systems that cannot exchange data to overlapping funding streams and workflows, fragmented and siloed HHS systems create inefficiencies which jeopardize the health and wellbeing of the populations which they seek to serve. During this webinar, experts from HMA and HealthEC shared recommendations that states and localities can adopt to achieve greater coordination of HHS programs.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about practices being employed across the country to improve coordination of health and human services, including the critical role of improved information management and systems in enabling service coordination.
- Learn how HMA can support state and local government agencies on HHS coordination/ integration initiatives.
- Find out how IT solutions such as HealthEC’s can dramatically improve processes such as data aggregation, synthesis, transformation and validation that enable HHS agencies to have greater visibility into the needs of individual residents and tailor interventions that more effectively address those needs.
Speakers
Laura Zaremba, MA, Principal, HMA
Sita Kapoor, HealthEC, Chief Information Officer
Webinar Replay: Expert Guidance and Support for Effective and Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination
This webinar was held on September 18, 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the country and new “hotspots” emerge daily, multiple research labs are working at an extraordinary pace to develop a viable vaccine. However, prior to the release of a vaccine, or more likely multiple vaccines, the public health and health care delivery systems must be ready. We need protocols for vaccine storage and handling for different vaccine types, as well as measured plans for rapid and efficient vaccine distribution and administration. Myriad factors must be considered to ensure safe and effective transport, storage, management, distribution, and tracking of millions of vaccine doses. Many states, cities, counties, and local communities are struggling to keep up with current public health needs, including contact tracing, preparation for a seasonal flu campaign and ensuring that school-aged children do not fall behind on important immunizations.
In this webinar, HMA experts presented practical guidelines and tools to help public health professionals, health plans, community organizations, and others plan for effectively distributing and managing COVID-19 vaccine(s) in their jurisdictions. Presenters also touched on issues ranging from physical infrastructure needs for vaccine storage and distribution to meeting tracking requirements, and the importance of using an equity lens across all aspects of vaccine campaign planning.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of what is needed to prepare for managing a COVID-19 vaccine from acquisition to distribution.
- Explore tools designed to help identify the number of vaccinators needed and the costs to meet desired coverage levels.
- Learn practical insights for planning and preparing for a mass vaccination event on a local level
- Understand how to ensure an equity lens is used when determining priority populations for distribution
- Identify the roles of various stakeholders participating in vaccine delivery
HMA Speakers
Michelle Parra, PhD, Principal, Los Angeles, and former director of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Greg Vachon, MD, MPH, Principal, Chicago, Board Certified in Internal Medicine with expertise in digital health solutions and information technology for integration and population health management
Margaret Kirkegaard, MD, MPH, Principal, Chicago, Board Certified in Family Medicine with expertise in practice transformation and population-based health care delivery for vulnerable and underserved groups.
Webinar Replay – Health Performance Accelerator Webinar Series: Making the Most Out of Opioid Use Disorder Funding
This webinar was held on September 17, 2020.
With access to billions of dollars in federal funding aimed at battling the opioid epidemic, state and local governments are working with health plans and providers to build the most efficient and effective programs to help individuals struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD). During this webinar, experts from HMA and HealthEC touched on best practices for the design, implementation, and evaluation of OUD prevention and treatment programs that help maximize the return on investment on OUD program funds.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about practices being employed across the country to design, implement, evaluate and continuously improve OUD prevention and treatment programs.
- Learn how HMA can work with state and local government agencies, health plans and providers on OUD prevention and treatment programmatic initiatives.
- Find out how IT solutions such as HealthEC’s can dramatically improve processes such as data aggregation, synthesis, transformation, validation and comparative analysis in support of program design, ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement efforts.
Speakers
Jim McEvoy, MA, Principal, HMA
Jenifer Leaf Jaeger, MD, MPH, MS, Health EC, Senior Medical Director
CMS Finalizes Policy to Use Hospital Negotiated Charge Data to Set Payment Rates
This week, our In Focus section reviews the policy changes included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Final Rule (CMS-1735-F). This year’s IPPS Final Rule includes several important policy changes that will change hospitals’ administrative procedures and may alter hospitals’ Medicare margins, beginning as soon as October 1, 2020.
Webinar Replay – Health Performance Accelerator Webinar Series: Maximizing the “Value” of Value-Based Payment Arrangements
This webinar was held on September 15, 2020.
Provider-based organizations – particularly groups of providers such as accountable care organizations (ACOs), independent practice associations (IPAs), and clinically integrated networks – are in a unique position to create value for patients. Moreover, payers are increasingly being called upon to enter into value-based payment arrangements with providers. During this webinar, experts from HMA and HealthEC discussed ways in which providers can maximize the “value” of their value-based payment arrangements through careful contract design, robust performance measurement systems, and an orientation toward population health management.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about strategies provider-based organizations should employ to design, negotiate and administer value-based payment contracts.
- Learn how HMA can work with provider-based organizations to succeed in a value-based payment environment.
- Find out how IT solutions such as HealthEC’s can dramatically improve processes such as data aggregation, synthesis, transformation, validation and comparative analysis in support of value-based payment contract negotiation, administration and continuous optimization.
Speakers
Greg Vachon, MD, MPH, Principal, HMA
Sanjay Seth, MD, MPH, MS, HealthEC, Executive Vice President
Resources referenced in this webinar can be found here.
Webinar Replay – Health Performance Accelerator Webinar Series: How Health Plans Can Meet Competing Performance Demands of Stakeholders
This webinar was held on September 10, 2020.
Health plans face complex and competing demands from a wide variety of stakeholders for measurable improvements in performance. That’s especially challenging for small and mid-sized health plans that don’t have the resources of larger entities. During this webinar, experts from HMA and HealthEC outlined ways in which health plans can use data and robust analysis to prioritize performance management efforts, improve key business functions, and meet the varied needs of state and federal regulatory agencies, enrollees, providers, advocacy groups, and other constituencies.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about how health plans should approach improvements in business functions and overall performance to address the needs of various stakeholders.
- Learn how HMA can work with health plans on process and performance improvement initiatives.
- Find out how IT solutions such as HealthEC’s can dramatically improve health plan processes such as data aggregation, synthesis, transformation, validation and comparative analysis in support of process and performance improvement initiatives.
Speakers
Glenda Stepchinski, RN, BSN, Senior Consultant, HMA
Frank Persinger, Vice President, Strategic Development, HealthEC
California Releases Medi-Cal Managed Care RFI
This week, our In Focus section reviews the California request for information (RFI) regarding the Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan (MCP) contract and the upcoming Medi-Cal MCP procurement. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is seeking information to update boilerplate contracts and develop the request for proposals (RFP) scheduled for release in 2021.
