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NASHP 2018 Annual Health Policy Conference – Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is #NASHPCONF18?
NASHP’s 31st Annual State Health Policy Conference is Aug. 15 to 17, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, in Jacksonville, FL.
What will this year’s conference explore?
NASHP’s conference, entitled Shifting Tides in State Health Policy, addresses the most pressing and critical issues facing state health policymakers, such as health care reform and cost containment, the opioid crisis, stabilizing state health insurance markets, and social determinants of health. In fact, in 2017 more than 97 percent of attendees rated the content as either “very good,” or “excellent!”
Check out our full conference agenda to learn more about the topics covered.
Why should I attend the conference?
Planned by state health policymakers for state health policy makers, NASHP’s annual conference is a must-attend event for the state health policy community. With a carefully crafted agenda focusing on emerging issues and current best practices within states, our conference brings together the nation’s leading experts to share, learn, and discuss. This premier event offers unparalleled access to the most cutting-edge industry knowledge, the nation’s leading experts, and exceptional networking opportunities that will help take you and your state to the next level. Need more reasons to attend? Check out our Top Five!
Who usually attends the conference?
State health policymakers representing all branches and of government and all 50 states and Washington, DC, attend. Also present are federal and government officials and representatives from nonprofit organizations that focus on state health policy, advocates, consultants, foundations, health plans, private providers, trade associations, health technology firms, and more! In short, anyone invested in advancing excellence in state health policy attends #NASHPCONF18 to benefit from the educational and networking opportunities.
What is the cost of attending the conference?
The cost varies, based on your type of company or organization, and what portion of the conference you will attend (preconference only, conference only, or the entire event). Please visit the registration fees webpage for a complete breakdown of registration options and fees. Don’t forget, discounted early bird rates are available until July 20, 2018, so register soon to lock in the discounted rate!
How can I pay to attend the conference?
Registration fees can be paid by credit card when you register online, or by purchase order or check.
Please mail your conference registration payment to the following address:
Center for Health Policy Development
Attn: Accounts Receivable
PO Box 10571
Albany, NY 12201-5571
Are scholarships available?
General scholarships are not available. Through the generous support of some state foundations, limited scholarships are available to participants from those states. For more information about whether a foundation in your state is supporting scholarships, please visit the NASHP State Leaders Program webpage.
How do I register for the conference?
Registering for the NASHP 31st Annual State Health Policy Conference is easy, just visit the online registration portal.
What is the cancellation policy?
If you wish to cancel your registration before Friday, July 20, 2018, NASHP will provide a refund of the registration fee less a $50 cancellation fee. No refunds will be processed for registrations canceled after July 20, 2018. If you register and cannot attend, another person from your organization may attend in your place. Hotel cancellation policies are at the discretion of the hotel and apply separately.
Is there a conference hashtag I can use on social media?
Yes, our conference hashtag is #NASHPCONF18. Feel free to include this when talking about the conference on social media for a chance to be retweeted/shared by our official NASHP social media accounts.
Is there an official hotel for the conference?
Yes, the official conference hotel is the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel at 225 East Coastline Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32202. The hotel phone is 904-588-1234.
Is there a discounted room rate for conference attendees?
Yes! NASHP has worked with the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel to provide conference attendees with a room rate of $159/night, plus 14.13 percent tax. This room rate will only be available until July 23, 2018, or until the room block is full.
For information about how to book a room at the Hyatt Regency at NASHP’s special group rate, visit the Lodging page on our website or go directly to NASHP’s unique Hyatt Regency reservation page to book your reservation now!
Will I be contacted by NASHP and/or the conference hotel to book and pay for my stay?
No! Please be aware that third-party housing companies may contact NASHP conference attendees, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors to promote lodging for our annual conference. If you are contacted by anyone who states they are contacting you on behalf of NASHP or the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront to book reservations and obtain credit card information, please exercise extreme caution, as it is a scam. NASHP and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel will not contact you to request credit card numbers or housing reservations over the phone.
If you have made hotel reservations and provided a credit card number to any company, please call your credit card company immediately and request that they investigate the charge.
What is the conference dress code?
Please dress in business casual during conference hours. You are welcome dress casually for evening events.
Can I earn Continuing Education credits at the conference?
No, unfortunately NASHP does not offer continuing education credits for sessions attended during the annual conference.
Can I submit an idea for a session or a speaker?
Yes, NASHP’s Annual Call for Ideas starts in mid-January each year. Please check our website in January 2019 for details on when and how to submit your ideas.
Will there be food and beverage provided during the conference.
Yes, all breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks are provided during the days that you are registered for conference and preconference sessions.
Will Wi-Fi be available?
Yes, complimentary Wi-Fi will be available to all conference attendees in meeting spaces. Please watch for an email about one week before the conference with instructions detailing how to download the mobile app and utilize Wi-Fi on-site.
Will presentations be available to conference attendees?
Yes, presentations are made available approximately one week prior to the conference through the mobile app.
If I have registered but can no longer attend conference, can someone attend in my place?
Yes, follow the instructions below to change and update the attendee information.
- Go to the registration login page.
- Enter your email address and the confirmation number provided in your registration confirmation email.
- Under “More Options” select “Substitute Registration.”
- Enter the new registrant’s info as prompted. You will be asked to confirm the new registrant’s info. Hit “Confirm,” and the process is complete!
Florida – Medical Homes
In 2009, the Florida Legislature enacted Chapter 223 of the 2009 Laws of Florida, an omnibus health care bill. Section 17 of this statute required the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to develop a plan to implement a Medicaid medical home pilot project enhanced by medical home networks in two geographic areas of the state. The law also required the Secretary of Health Care Administration to appoint a medical homes task force to assist AHCA in the development and implementation of the medical home pilot project. The Medicaid Medical Homes Task Force released its final recommendations in a 2010 report.
Last Updated: April 2014
| Forming Partnerships |
Chapter 223 of the 2009 Laws of Florida required a Medicaid medical homes task force to include provider and Medicaid enrollee representation. The Secretary of Health Care Administration appointed ten members in total, adding representatives for payers, professional associations, medical schools, and advocacy groups. All five Medicaid Medical Home Task Force meetings were public, and the task force allotted time for public comment at each meeting. More information on the task force members and minutes of each meeting can be found in the 2010 report.
The Medicaid Medical Home Task Force stressed a “bottom-up” approach to developing a medical home program by soliciting input from providers, consumers, and other interested stakeholders. The task force also recommended that an advisory board assist in the planning and implementation of a Medicaid medical home pilot project.
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| Defining & Recognizing a Medical Home |
Definition: The Medicaid Medical Home Task Force has recommended that the state’s definition of a medical home specify that medical home providers (1) are available on a 24/7 basis, (2) coordinate care with other providers serving a patient, and (3) address both physical and behavioral health needs.
Recognition: The Task Force has suggested using the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a starting point for developing recognition criteria. The task force also recommended maintaining the three-tier structure of NCQA recognition.
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Florida
In Florida:
- As of July 1, 2011, there were 3,069,456 beneficiaries enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, 1,958,679 of whom were enrolled in some form of managed care. 22 commercial managed care organizations (MCOs) and 6 Medicaid-only MCOs provide physical, behavioral, and oral health services to Medicaid beneficiaries.
- For beneficiaries in counties not served by the comprehensive MCOs, the state also has four Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs) that provide medical benefits to 132,230 beneficiaries. Six mental health PIHPs provide services to 685,639 beneficiaries. Dental services are provided through two Prepaid Ambulatory Health Plans. Another PAHP in the state provides transportation benefits.
- As of August 1, 2014, children with special health care needs receive physical behavioral, and oral health services from a statewide specialty health plan, Children’s Medical Services Network.
- Children under age 21 who are medically complex/medically fragile are eligible for the state’s Medicaid Model Waiver, a home and community-based services waiver intended to prevent institutionalization.
As of 2013, 2,287,667 individuals were eligible for Florida’s Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Benefit (EPSDT), known in the state as Child Health Check-up (part of the state’s Medicaid Children’s Medical Services). According to 416 data from 2013, the state achieved an EPSDT screening ratio of 84% and a participant ratio of 57%. 604,239 children received dental services of any kind, with 497,141 receiving preventive dental services.
Last updated September 2014
| Medical Necessity |
The Florida Administrative Code (Rule 59G-1.010) states:
“ ‘Medically necessary’ or ‘medical necessity’ means that the medical or allied care, goods, or services furnished or ordered must:
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| Initiatives to Improve Access |
Florida’s Children’s Medical Services (EPSDT) provider handbook requires that primary care providers have capacity to see and “render a clinical decision” on children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The state allows physician extenders—Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants—to provide services to Medicaid-enrolled children as long as the physician is responsible for managing the overall care of a child and concurs with the extender’s findings. Payment for these services is made to the supervising physician.
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| Reporting & Data Collection |
Managed care organizations are required to report on a set of performance measures that include HEDIS measure for:
The measure set also includes measures defined by the state Medicaid agency, including measures of transportation timeliness and availability.
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| Behavioral Health |
Children enrolled in Florida’s Medicaid program have access to community-based behavioral health providers who can offer treatments such as Therapeutic Behavioral On-Site Services for Children and Adolescents, Behavioral Health Day Services for children under 5, and crisis intervention mental health services.
The state has made available (through managed care organizations) a Behavioral Health and Developmental Screening Form that can be used by providers to determine when a child should be referred for additional evaluation.
Medicaid-enrolled children on the autism spectrum can receive Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) services if they receive prior authorization. Providers must fill out an ABA review form.
Providers can also bill Medicaid for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services.
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| Support to Providers and Families |
Support to Families
Florida’s Medicaid agency hosts a website informing families about services available to children as part of Child Health Check-up (the preventive services component of the EPSDT benefit). The state provides resources and guidance for families on how to choose a Medicaid managed care plan.
A set of Frequently of Asked Questions offers families additional information on the Medicaid managed care program. Recipient notices are used to communicate with Medicaid beneficiaries on changes to the program.
The state’s Medicaid agency also offers a “Florida Health Finder” tool that allows beneficiaries to compare: the quality of managed care plans, performance data on hospital and ambulatory surgery centers, and prices at Florida pharmacies. The tool also providers information on appropriate emergency room usage.
Support to Providers
Florida’s Medicaid agency operates a provider portal that offers information on the Medicaid program, including: policy bulletins, provider handbooks, Medicaid fee schedules, forms, and training opportunities on Medicaid policies and procedures. Providers also have the opportunity to log into a secure portion of the website to view data such as claims status and provider reports.
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| Care Coordination |
Florida’s Medicaid program encourages pediatric primary care providers to serve as medical homes for children in need of care coordination services. Physicians delivering the EPSDT benefit receive support from nurses and social workers who help to coordinate care for enrolled families.
Services for Medicaid-enrolled children with special health care needs are managed the Children’s Medical Services Network, which partners with two integrated care systems:
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| Oral Health |
In Florida, DentaQuest administers the Children’s Medicaid Statewide Prepaid Dental Plan (a Prepaid Ambulatory Health Plan) and provides oral health services to Medicaid-enrolled children. The organization provides a statewide directory of participating dentists and offers a “find a dentist” tool to help families identify Medicaid-participating dentists.
A dental office reference manual offers providers guidance on covered oral health benefits and Medicaid procedures.
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Florida
NASHP’s Accountable Care Activity map is a work in progress; state activity pages will be launched in waves throughout Fall 2012.
At this time, we have no information on accountable care activity that meets the following criteria: (1) Medicaid or CHIP agency participation (not necessarily leadership); (2) explicitly intended to advance accountable or integrated care models; and (3) evidence of commitment, such as workgroups, legislation, executive orders, or dedicated staff.
If you have information about accountable care activity in your state, please email skinsler@oldsite.nashp.org.
Last updated: October 2012
Managed Care, Medicaid and the Elderly: The Florida Experience
Increasingly, states are turning to managed care to deliver health services to Medicaid recipients. In a 1994 survey of states conducted by the National Academy for State Health Policy, 16 states reported that they enroll elders in Medicaid managed care programs. A few states (Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah) require mandatory enrollment and others allow elders to voluntarily select a managed care plan. Still other states plan to include mandatory enrollment of SSI recipients in a subsequent phase of their programs (eg., Hawaii, Ohio, Oklahoma). In addition, states are in various stages of including long term services as part of a benefit package available through managed care. A number of states have developed explicit managed care initiatives – Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Other states are planning similar initiatives for elders (eg., Colorado, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas).
The studies in Arizona and Florida looked at the experience providing Medicaid acute and long term care through managed care networks.
| 1996.Jun_.managed.care_.medicaid.elderly.Florida.overview.case_.studies.pdf | 4.2 MB |
State Uses of Hospital Discharge Databases to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities
This report summarizes how leading states that participate in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) and their clients use hospital discharge data on patient race/ethnicity to inform state health care disparities reduction activities. The report features California, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin HCUP Partners, but also notes activity in Connecticut, Georgia, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Partner States’ experiences demonstrate that patient race/ethnicity data are an important tool for informing state initiatives and producing policy- and practice-relevant publications to support health equity.
| State Use of Hospital Discharge Databases to Reduce Racial & Ethnic Disparities.pdf | 204.8 KB |
Medicaid Florida
HIE Governance and decision-making authority under the Cooperative Agreement is the responsibility of the state Medicaid agency.
Florida
Florida’s HIE Strategic Plan presents a strategy that leverages the state Agency for Health Care Administration’s deep experience and participation in the state’s prior HIE development programs.
| Florida Strategic and Operational Plans | 801.9 KB |
State Experience with Enrollment Caps in Separate SCHIP Programs
This policy brief examines state policies and procedures concerning enrollment caps and freezes, wait lists, and open enrollment periods in SCHIP programs. The brief provides information from six states that have experience with these strategies.
| SCHIP_enrollment_caps.pdf | 189 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. 
