State Health Watch 2010-03-01

Will Medicaid take full advantage of HITECH funding—or not?

Will funding from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), propel state Medicaid programs forward with the use of electronic health records (EHRs)? Or will state fiscal crises or other unforeseen problems prevent the hoped-for progress?

Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Arizona's Medicaid program struggles to maintain itself in face of 'fiscal challenge'

Thomas J. Betlach, director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona's Medicaid program, says he has these goals for the program: To keep providers in the system, to keep an integrated model, to maintain competition among health plans, to pay appropriately, and to ensure access to care.

HIEs used by Medicaid must coordinate with others

Any Health Information Exchange (HIE) system utilized by Medicaid will need to coordinate with others in the state, including those developed by public health programs and private health plans. "Medicaid can't operate in a vacuum, and neither can the other programs...

Break barriers to incentives: Ask providers what they need

Medicaid providers may be eagerly awaiting incentives to purchase electronic health records (EHRs) for their practice, as a result of funding from the HITECH Act. However, at this juncture, some troubling questions remain.

Vermont puts long-term care on level playing ground

Vermont Medicaid has been able to make some important changes to the delivery of long-term care services, thanks to its unique Choices for Care waiver.

Zero in on cost containment for kids with chronic conditions

Just 10% of enrollees, two-thirds of whom have a chronic condition, account for 72% of spending on children in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program(CHIP), according to a study published by Genevieve M. Kenney, PhD, Thomas Selden, and Joel Ruhter in Health Affairs, "Containing Costs And Improving Care For Children In Medicaid And CHIP."

Program targets high-cost, high-risk Medicaid clients

In Oklahoma, a health management program targets high-cost and/or high-utilization Medicaid clients, both adults and children. "Through predictive modeling, we identify our members, adults and children, at risk for higher costs or utilization. If they are within the targeted top 5,000 at highest risk and agree to participate, we enroll them in our health management program," says Marlene Asmussen, RN, director of SoonerCare Medicaid care management and health management.

Medicaid faces obstacles to integrating care for duals

Integrating care for dual-eligibles clearly presents many opportunities for state Medicaid programs. Unfortunately, progress has been slow, according to The Commonwealth Fund's November 2009 policy brief "Supporting Alternative Integrated Models for Dual Eligibles: A Legal Analysis of Current and Future Options."

Reduce ED wait with lean management

Lean management techniques helped Lahey Clinic Medical Center, North Shore, in the city of Peabody, MA, boost patient satisfaction and reduce emergency department (ED) waiting times.

State Health Watch Archives – March 1, 2010

March 1, 2010