EPSDT
FEATURED ARTICLE
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 […]
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 […]
Oklahoma Promotes Healthy Child Development through Increased Well-Child Visits and Screenings Using Innovative Funding
/in Policy Oklahoma Reports Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, EPSDT, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Megan LentStates Take Action to Improve and Expand Early Childhood Education
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Megan LentParticipation in early childhood education programs has been linked to better health, higher educational achievement, and higher socioeconomic status in adulthood. Given that programs have been shown to yield a $2 to $4 return for every $1 invested, many states are looking upstream and investing in the education of their youngest residents. What governors are […]
New Medicaid Funding Could Help States Better Integrate Care for Children with Medical Complexity
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care /by Hannah Eichner and Kate HonsbergerEarlier this month, the Senate passed the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R. 1839), which contains funding mechanisms and reforms that allow states to improve care coordination for children enrolled in Medicaid. As of early this week, the bill was on the President’s desk awaiting his signature. This legislation significantly gives states […]
How the President’s Proposed Budget Impacts Critical State Health Programs
/in Policy Blogs Administrative Actions, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP WritersThe President’s 2020 budget request proposes a 12 percent reduction in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget, compared to 2019 federal fiscal year (FFY) funding levels. The following highlights some of the key components of the President’s proposed $87.1 billion HHS budget proposal that could impact state health programs. Affordable Care […]
Considerations for States Crafting Budgets to Support Children’s Coverage
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care /by Anita CardwellAfter months of uncertainty and a three-month federal funding lapse, in early 2018 Congress passed the HEALTHY KIDS and ACCESS Acts, which appropriated federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through federal fiscal year (FFY) 2027. While the HEALTHY KIDS and ACCESS Acts’ long-term funding stabilizes CHIP programs and helps states develop forward-focused […]
States Use Policy Levers and Emerging Research to Address Antipsychotic Use in Children in Foster Care
/in Policy Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Quality and Measurement /by Johanna Butler, Jennifer Reck and Maureen Hensley-QuinnState policymakers must often take action during an emerging crisis even when evidence identifying the best policy approach is not be available. This report, Evidence-Based Policymaking Is an Iterative Process: A Case Study of Antipsychotic Use among Children in the Foster Care System, explores successful state responses to dramatic increases in antipsychotic prescription rates in Medicaid-enrolled children […]
CMS Releases State Funding to Improve Integrated Care for Children and Pregnant and Postpartum Women Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, 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, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by NASHP WritersLast week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two highly anticipated initiatives — the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model and the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model — which will provide multi-year funding to states to improve integrated care for maternal and child health populations enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health […]
How States Use Medicaid Managed Care to Deliver Long-Term Services and Supports to Children with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Reports Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by Kate Honsberger, Erin Kim and Karen VanLandeghemAn increasing number of state Medicaid agencies are using managed care to provide long-term services and supports to children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). This new NASHP issue brief explores the strategies and critical contract language and policies that states are using to implement these Medicaid managed care programs to provide long-term […]

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. 
























































































































































Through Coordination and Investment, Arizona Substantially Increases Access to School-Based Behavioral Health Services
/in COVID-19 State Action Center, Policy Arizona Blogs, Featured News Home Back to School, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, COVID-19, EPSDT, Health Equity, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Anita Cardwell and Gia GouldBy leveraging federal Medicaid funding and state investment while simultaneously clarifying complex billing procedures and enhancing engagement with providers, Arizona has made remarkable progress in increasing student access to critical school-based behavioral health services. Arizona’s efforts to improve school behavioral health services began in 2018 when its state legislature allocated $3 million from the state’s […]