State Policy Improvements that Support Effective Identification of Children At-Risk for Developmental Delay
The success of the ABCD Initiative provides lessons for states and other entities wishing to improve the quality of health care while controlling costs and improving efficiency. Identifying and implementing key processes to improve state policies affecting screening in primary care are the focus of this brief. ABCD states changed state statutes, state regulations, contracts, provider manuals, Web sites, and other documents that define state policies designed to improve the delivery of child development services. They also changed eligibility and claims processing systems to implement the policies described in the documents, conducted quality improvement projects designed to assess performance and foster change, and helped providers better understand new and existing policies through workshops, letters to providers and other means. These states made changes not only to Medicaid policies, but also to those governing related programs, such as early intervention and maternal and child health programs.
The briefing was prepared by Neva Kaye and Jennifer May and was produced with the support of the Commonwealth Fund. This briefing is first in a series of Findings from the ABCD Screening Academy.
| Findings of the ABCD Screening Academy, first in series | 274.6 KB |
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. 
