FEATURED ARTICLE
Comprehensive Early Childhood Mental Health Systems to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs
/in Policy Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon 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, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Karen VanLandeghemNearly one in five Americans has some type of diagnosable mental health disorder. With these disorders costing $201 billion in 2013, behavioral health is a critical issue for state health policymakers. Children, including very young children, can experience mental health problems, and addressing these issues early can improve outcomes and lessen costs. Approximately 15 percent […]
State Medicaid and Early Intervention Agency Partnerships to Promote Healthy Child Development
/in Policy Reports CHIP, CHIP, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Quality and Measurement /by Felicia HeiderFacilitating a robust system of communication and coordination between medical and community service providers, an important goal of many health care delivery system reforms, is challenging for many states. With a variety of federal and state agencies sharing responsibility for child health and development, creating effective linkages among services is critical to optimizing outcomes. This […]
Early Highlights of What the Final Managed Care Rule for Medicaid and CHIP Could Mean for Children with Chronic and Complex Health Care Needs
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health /by Karen VanLandeghem and Tamara KramerLast week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its long-awaited final rule outlining requirements for managed care organizations in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). Preliminary NASHP analyses indicate that the final rule provides states with significant flexibility in making changes designed to modernize these federal programs as part of health […]
State Strategies for Defining Medical Necessity for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Reports Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by NASHP and Barbara WirthMedicaid programs nationwide are mandated to use the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit to improve the health of low-income children with special physical, emotional, and developmental health care needs. This benefit supports children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) by ensuring they receive individualized health care when they need it—provided those services are deemed medically […]
Integrating Maternal and Child Health Data Systems
/in Policy Reports Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by NASHPWhat happens when state health programs use separate data systems to serve the same population, such as mothers and children? State policymakers know that when those data systems do not “talk” to one another, states may waste resources on duplicative data entry and system maintenance; providers and state agencies may struggle to access information important […]
Ensuring Bright Futures for Our Nation’s Children: Health Plan Strategies for Improving Pediatric Preventive Care
/in Policy Webinars CHIP, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHPEach year millions of children miss immunizations, screenings and well visits despite the lifelong benefits of preventive care in childhood. The Affordable Care Act expands coverage of all preventive services recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the Bright Futures guidelines. Yet a recent survey found that 57 percent of families are still unaware that these benefits are available free of charge through their health plans. This webinar explores private and public health plan strategies for improving parental education on preventive care and supporting and encouraging providers in ensuring their young patients receive recommended preventive services.
Sharing Information Across Physical and Behavioral Health – Debunking Myths, Developing Strategies
/in Policy Webinars Chronic and Complex Populations, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration /by NASHPIntegrating physical and mental health services requires that personal health information is shared appropriately across various settings in order to promote care coordination and better outcomes. In their efforts to support physical and mental health integration, state policymakers can sometimes face barriers to this flow of information due to federal and state laws, provider culture, technical roadblocks, and other factors. This webinar provides a brief overview by Karla Lopez from the Legal Action Center of the federal statutory framework, specifically in the context of integrating physical and behavioral health care.
Using the Bright Futures Guidelines to Promote Preventive Care for Children
/in Policy Blogs CHIP, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care /by NASHPStates have made great strides in enrolling and retaining children in health coverage over the past several years. However, once enrolled, children do not always access screenings and preventive services. A missed well-child visit or a skipped developmental screening can result in undiagnosed and untreated medical issues that when discovered can be costly to treat. […]
Promising Practices in Reaching, Enrolling, and Retaining Children in Coverage During Early ACA Implementation
/in Policy Reports CHIP, CHIP, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHPThis brief shares strategies for finding, enrolling, and retaining children in health coverage, which other states can implement relatively quickly and inexpensively. Many of these promising practices are the direct result of the strong working relationships between state officials and advocates and coalesce around several themes: Targeting outreach efforts to specific populations. Engaging and educating […]
Cross-Systems Collaboration: Working Together to Identify and Support Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Webinars Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHPTuesday, March 3, 2015: Multiple state agencies and organizations are working to identify and support children with special physical, emotional and developmental disabilities. Coordination and collaboration across systems, including the sharing of data, increases the ability for states to identify children at risk and ensure they are receiving the appropriate health, mental health and developmental services. This webinar features three states discussing collaborations across state programs that impact the identification and treatment of children in need of specific services.
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 […]