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National Council for Mental Wellbeing and HMA have partnered to create a three-part series that examines behavioral health workforce crisis
As demand for behavioral health services continues to grow, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing and workforce capacity to deliver services has not kept up with demand. In a three-part series of issue briefs, colleagues from ºÚÁÏÍø (HMA) and the (the National Council) offer immediate steps states can take to increase capacity and build a more stable workforce.
The first brief in the series focuses on Policy, Financial Strategies and Regulatory Waivers, and outlines solutions that can be implemented quickly to reduce administrative burden and maximize existing provider resources.
Several HMA and the National Council colleagues, contributed to the briefs and surrounding research.
Highlights from 21st annual Kaiser/HMA 50-state Medicaid director survey
This week, our In Focus section reviews highlights and shares key takeaways from the 21st annual Medicaid Budget Survey conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and ºÚÁÏÍø (HMA). Survey results were released on October 27, 2021, in two new reports: States Respond to COVID-19 Challenges but Also Take Advantage of New Opportunities to Address Long-Standing Issues: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022 and Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2021 & 2022. The report was prepared by Kathleen GiffÂord, Aimee Lashbrook, and Sarah Barth from HMA; Mike Nardone; and by Elizabeth Hinton, Madeline Guth, Lina Stolyar, and Robin Rudowitz from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD).
Webinar Replay: The future of healthcare quality improvement
This webinar was held on November 2, 2021.Â
The future of quality improvement is continuously changing, especially within the clinical and member experience space. New and emerging technologies like Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) certification, Natural Language Processing (NLP), digital measurement, member engagement platforms, and new health disparities stratifications are entering the Medicare and Medicaid quality space at a growing rate. This webinar looked at trends in Medicare/Medicaid quality and addressed how new and emerging quality technologies are positioned to help organizations improve their quality scores at multiple levels.
Learning Objectives
- Find out how new and emerging quality concepts can be used to improve quality scores and better engage within the health plan and provider space.
- Learn how to take advantage of trends within the Medicare and Medicaid quality space to position your organization for success.
- Understand key factors impacting quality improvement scores such as HEDIS and CAHPS.
- Identify emerging technologies like DAV certification, NLP, digital measurement, new member engagement platforms, and new health disparities stratifications.
Speaker
New issue brief recommends strategic shifts for CMMI’s future: insights on Medicare innovation, balancing goals, and enhancing model success
This week, our In Focus highlights a recent issue brief, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Recommendations for Future Direction, revisits questions raised in a previous HMA report and offers potential answers to guide progress and changes for demonstrations within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) or the Innovation Center.
Study examines Austin LGBTQIA+ community, quality of life
A new report summarizing the ShoutOut Austin Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) Quality of Life Study, has been released. The report summarizes research conducted by HMA Community Strategies (HMACS) which included town hall meetings, surveys, stakeholder interviews, and focus group responses from a diverse group of community members.
2022 Star Ratings, An Historical Year
This week, our In Focus provides an analysis of 2022 Medicare Advantage (MA) Star Ratings, including a look at how regulatory changes during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a record number of Medicare plans receiving historically high scores. HMA Managing Director Anthony Davis and Principal Sarah Owens rely on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to take a deep dive into ratings for nearly 500 Medicare plans serving 26.8 million members.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Recommendations for Future Direction
A recent issue brief, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Recommendations for Future Direction, revisits questions raised in a previous HMA report and offers potential answers to guide progress and changes for demonstrations within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) or the Innovation Center.
The brief examines options for how CMMI could refine their approach to testing ideas for improving the Medicare program. HMA colleagues Jennifer Podulka, Yamini Narayan, and Lynea Holmes wrote the brief which was supported by Arnold Ventures.
±á²Ñ´¡â€™s earlier brief examined the progress the Innovation Center has made in learning from Medicare-focused models during its first decade and raised questions to guide policymakers as they plan for the next phase of the Innovation Center’s work. In the new report, the team returns to those questions and offers potential answers.
The brief outlines seven pairs of competing goals and offers four recommendations that may, in part, help to balance these competing goals, as they are designed to increase the transparency of Innovation Center efforts and improve the likelihood that more models succeed in decreasing spending or improving quality. The recommendations include:
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should establish a National Healthcare Transformation Strategy
- CMMI should articulate a vision for how different models work together
- CMMI should tailor models to test ideas that address the largest areas of spending growth and key areas of quality concerns, including
- Include Part D in models
- Include Part C in models
- Promote primary care as a counterbalance to excessive low-value care
- Address social determinants of health and other drivers of quality and access disparities
- Congress and HHS should revisit the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC)