Chronic and Complex Populations
FEATURED ARTICLE
Resources to Help States Improve Integrated Care for Pregnant and Parenting Women
/in Policy Toolkits Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by NASHP StaffRural Health Clinics
/in Policy Reports Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHP StaffDownload this report. Rural health clinics (RHCs) were established through the Rural Health Clinic Services Act of 1977[i] in order to improve access to non-physician practitioners, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners, in rural areas that lacked an adequate supply of physicians. Today, there are approximately 4,100 RHCs[ii] in 44 states.[iii] To be eligible […]
Toolkit: State Strategies to Support Older Adults Aging in Place in Rural Areas
/in Policy Toolkits Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Housing and Health, Long-Term Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health, Workforce Capacity /by Neva Kaye and Kristina LongThis toolkit highlights state initiatives to help older rural adults age in place by increasing services that help people remain in their homes, expanding and professionalizing the caregiver workforce, improving transportation access and services, and making delivery system reforms within Medicaid programs. Download the toolkit. Introduction Rural areas across the nation have higher concentrations of […]
Montana Uses Patient-Centered Medical Homes to Holistically Address Children’s Health Needs
/in Policy Montana Blogs Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Emma WatsonMontana recently expanded its Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program benefits to most children enrolled in Medicaid and the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Montana enhanced its PCMH program by: Expanding the pool of approved providers; Increasing the number of quality measures that must be tracked; and Adding complex care management (CCM) – a coordinated […]
Q&A: How Medicaid Expansion Put Naloxone in the Hands of the People Who Needed It Most
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHP StaffMedicaid expansion, which took effect as the opioid epidemic ballooned, provided insurance coverage to people at highest risk of opioid use disorder (OUD) – lower-income, younger adults. Because Medicaid covers the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, the expansion gave Harvard Medical School professor Richard Frank an opportunity to compare how Medicaid expansion impacted naloxone prescribing in expansion […]
NASHP Explores the Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage at #NASHPCONF and in a 50-State Scan
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Kitty PuringtonA growing shortage of behavioral health workers persists across the country, posing a significant obstacle for states working to address the opioid crisis and other substance use disorders (SUDs). The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has recently completed a 50-state scan to identify the full range of strategies states are using to expand […]
States Take Action to Improve Health through Housing
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Housing and Health, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Amy ClaryOn a single January night in 2018, approximately 553,000 people in the United States experienced homelessness, either sleeping on the street or in a variety of shelters, and those numbers have been gradually increasing since 2016. The risk of homeless also looms large for many who are housing insecure, including 25 percent of renters nationwide […]
Medicaid and CHIP Levers to Promote Lead Screening and Treatment: Indiana’s Experience
/in Policy Indiana, Maryland Reports Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Housing and Health, Lead Screening and Treatment, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP StaffAddressing lead hazards today generates future economic benefits and improved health outcomes for children. In partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration, NASHP is publishing a series of case studies highlighting state initiatives to promote lead screening and treatment. This study explores Indiana’s efforts to address this issue within its Medicaid and Children’s Health […]
NASHP and States Develop National Care Coordination Standards for Children with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, EPSDT, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health /by Karen VanLandeghem and Kate HonsbergerCare coordination has long been a core component of state efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce caregiver and patient burden, decrease health care costs, and strengthen systems of care for children and adults with chronic and complex conditions. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s […]
States May Soon Have to Provide Medication-Assisted Treatment to Inmates, Here’s How to Fund It
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Kitty Purington and Chris KukkaState policymakers on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic understand that treating justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) offers a critical opportunity to expand access to treatment. While there is strong evidence that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) promotes recovery, saves lives, and reduces re-incarceration, states must surmount significant policy and financial challenges to provide MAT […]

For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
























































































































































How States Are Administering Opioid Settlement Funds
/in Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD Featured News Home, Maps Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Opioid Use Disorder Chronic and Complex Populations /by Mia AntezzoNASHP Resource Hub: State Strategies to Build and Support Palliative Care
/in Policy Reports, Toolkits Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Featured Policy Home, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Palliative Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Workforce Capacity Chronic and Complex Populations /by Kitty Purington, Wendy Fox-Grage and Salom TeshalePalliative care helps individuals with serious illness better manage the symptoms and stressors of disease. These services are interdisciplinary, person- and family-centered, and can help people at any stage of a serious illness.
States are uniquely positioned to influence how Americans think about access, and experience palliative care.