Quality and Measurement
FEATURED ARTICLE
Community Health Worker Resources for States
/in Policy Minnesota, New York, Utah Reports Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Long-Term Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health, Value-Based Purchasing /by Tina KartikaAs states transform their health systems, many are turning to community health workers (CHWs) to improve health outcomes and access to care, address social determinants of health, and help control costs of care. While state definitions vary, CHWs are typically frontline workers who are trusted members of and/or have a unique and intimate understanding of […]
State Health Policymakers Look to Washington and Each Other to Fight the Opioid Epidemic
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Healthy Child Development, 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, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Lyndsay Sanborn and Kitty PuringtonIn the last two weeks, there has been a flurry of federal and state activity focused on the nation’s opioid epidemic that currently kills more Americans than guns or car accidents. In Washington, the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis released its final report featuring 56 recommendations to stem opioid and […]
Better Together: How Cross-Agency Data Sharing Can Improve the Care Continuum for People Living with HIV/AIDS
/in Policy Georgia Blogs Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, HIV/AIDS, Medicaid Managed Care, Quality and Measurement /by Erin Kim and Lyndsay SanbornSharing health data about people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) across state agencies can be challenging, but evidence shows working through the related legal and technical barriers can be worth it. Successfully sharing data allows states to assess how well clinical and supportive care services are addressing the needs of their population. Virologic Suppression: When antiretroviral […]
States Share Innovations to Tackle their Opioid Epidemics
/in Policy Annual Conference, Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Quality and Measurement /by NASHP StaffPORTLAND, OR – State health officials shared wide-ranging innovations in their uphill battle against the opioid epidemic that is sweeping their states at the opening day of the National Academy for State Health Policy’s (NASHP) 30th State Health Policy Conference. Officials explained they are experimenting with new strategies that use data, new treatment approaches, and […]
2017 Using Evidence to Inform Policymaking EBook
/in Policy Annual Conference Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Quality and Measurement /by NASHP Writers2017 Using Evidence to Inform Policymaking Preconference EBook
State Medicaid Payment Reform Strategies Promote Improved Birth Outcomes
/in Policy Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin Blogs Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Derica Smith and Carrie HanlonImproving birth outcomes, including reducing infant mortality, is a priority for state Medicaid agencies that finance nearly half of all births each year. Three states have proven to be creative and effective laboratories in developing initiatives that use Medicaid payment and delivery reform strategies to lower costs, improve access to postpartum care, reward high-quality care, […]
Engaging Stakeholders in FQHC Value-Based Alternative Payment Methodologies
/in Policy Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Value-Based Purchasing /by NASHP StaffThe National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) designed this toolkit to support states interested in developing a value-based alternative payment methodology (APM) for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The following section on stakeholder engagement discusses key considerations and promising strategies based on lessons learned from states during NASHP’s Value-Based Payment Reform Academy. Key considerations […]
It Is Time for a Thoughtful, Bipartisan Discussion About What Kind of Health Care America Wants
/in Policy Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Trish RileyThe Graham-Cassidy amendment represented a radical overhaul of how health care coverage is financed and delivered, raising anew the question of federalism – what should the federal government guarantee and how much state variation should be supported? The legislation tossed most critical health care coverage and policy decisions to states without giving them sufficient time or […]
SIM Round One Test States Expand Value-Based Payments in Medicaid, and in Some Cases, Beyond
/in Policy Maine, Minnesota, Vermont Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Jennifer ReckThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its third annual evaluation of the State Innovation Model (SIM) Round One Test States, which analyzes the ability of states to use policy and regulatory levers to drive statewide health care transformation. The evaluation, completed by a team of researchers from RTI International, the Urban […]
State Medicaid Agencies Venture into Value-Based Purchasing with Federally Qualified Health Centers
/in Policy Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Value-Based Purchasing /by Rachel DonlonState Medicaid agencies have generally found it challenging to include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in value-based purchasing initiatives because of a federal law passed in 2000 that regulates how state Medicaid programs pay FQHCs for the care they provide. State Medicaid agencies are required to reimburse FQHCs through the Prospective Payment System (PPS), a […]
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. 
Hospital Transparency: State Efforts Reveal More Comprehensive Financial Data than Current Federal Requirements
/in Health System Costs Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Hospital/Health System Oversight, Making the Case for Action, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Amanda Attiya and Maureen Hensley-QuinnFederal efforts to increase hospital price transparency are falling short as hospitals fail to fully comply with requirements. However, states with transparency laws that give them access to comprehensive hospital financial data are using the pricing information to more fully analyze hospitals’ fiscal health and inform states’ cost containment efforts.