Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This document summarizes research on peer support for children and adolescents with significant mental health challenges, physical health challenges, or both. Topics include the benefits of family and youth peer support (FYPS), increased use of FYPS, families' roles, work force and sustainability, and areas needing further research.

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Keywords: Adolescents, Children, Family support services, Health services delivery, Literature reviews, Mental disorders, Peer support services, Physical disabilities, Special health care needs

Annotation: This report and chartbook examines the use and costs of behavioral health services for children on Medicaid, particularly those who are in foster care and those with developmental disabilities. The report analyzes the types of services that drive the costs for these high-risk populations, including patterns of psychotrophic medication use and expenditures. It presents a description of the study methodology and data findings in key areas such as behavioral health care penetration and service use; mean behavioral and physical health expenditures; utilization and expenditures by service type; and expenditures by state medicaid payment and delivery structure. Key findings are presented in 66 exhibits throughout the report. The chartbook contains data graphs from the study to use in presentations or other resource materials.

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Keywords: Children with developmental disabilities, Data, Evaluation, Foster children, Health care costs, Health care utilization, High risk children, Medicaid

Annotation: This tool summarizes authorization requirements for psychotropic medications to ensure appropriate medication use for children and youth covered by Medicaid. Contents include a table highlighting prior authorization parameters used by 14 states to reduce the inappropriate use of psychotropic medications among children and youth covered by Medicaid including those in foster care.

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Keywords: Adolescents, Children, Drug therapy, Foster care, Medicaid, Mental health, Quality assurance, State programs, State regulations

Annotation: This fact sheet identifies key challenges related to oral health care access and utilization for adults with low incomes, including pregnant women, and outlines states’ coverage of dental benefits for adults who participate in Medicaid. It also suggests opportunities for states to increase oral health care coverage and access for this population. The fact sheet includes an overview of Medicaid adult dental benefits.

• Most Recent Version
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Keywords: , Access to health care, Health care utilization, Health insurance, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, State programs

Annotation: This brief describes a pilot project to integrate preventive oral health care for women with low incomes and children from families with low incomes through local sites of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in New Hampshire. The brief also explores alternative channels for bringing oral health care and education to populations with low incomes. Topics include administrative procedures, technology, capacity, funding, lessons learned, and next steps.

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Keywords: Children, Consumer education, Health education, Infants, Low income groups, New Hampshire, Oral health, Oral health care, Pilot projects, Policy development, Preventive health services, Program development, Service integration, State initiatives, WIC Program, Women

Annotation: This guide outlines a step-by-step approach to improving the equitable impact of oral health programs in a given state, region, or other locale using logic models. Each section is dedicated to one component of the logic model, including examples and considerations for each step. Topics include identifying the intended impact of strategies, describing the sequence of outcomes (or changes) that demonstrate progress toward impact, describing all the activities necessary to achieve these outcomes, identifying the resources and inputs needed to execute the activities, and determining the tangible outputs that will result from completion of activities.

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Keywords: Equal opportunities, Models, Oral health, Program development, Program improvement, Program planning

Annotation: This fact sheet outlines strategies for incorporating community-based doulas into Medicaid to improve maternal health outcomes. It describes how doulas provide emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy and can help reduce high-risk pregnancies, low birthweight babies, and cesarean section rates, particularly benefiting communities with high maternal mortality rates. The document presents three key strategies for state Medicaid agencies and managed care organizations to support doulas in becoming Medicaid providers: engaging doulas in benefit design and implementation, allowing diverse doula training organizations to meet community needs, and simplifying the Medicaid enrollment process. Examples from states like Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia illustrate successful approaches such as creating advisory groups, hosting stakeholder meetings, accepting both national and BIPOC-led training organizations, and providing enrollment guidance. The resource emphasizes the importance of a diverse workforce that meets the needs of birthing individuals.

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Keywords: Childbirth, Community health services, Doulas, Financing, Health insurance, Maternal mortality, Medicaid, Prevention, State initiatives

Annotation: The Evidence-to-Action Hub is a resource feature provided by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) that spotlights demonstrated and emerging evidence on priority topics of interest to stakeholders working to improve care for people served by Medicaid. Through curated Collections and Roundups, the Hub offers evidence, case studies, tools, and policy insights designed to support on-the-ground implementation and builds on the Better Care Playbook initiative. The Hub organizes its information across numerous focus areas, including Adults with Complex Health & Social Needs, Health-Related Social Needs, Mental Health & Substance Use, Aging & Disability, Child & Family Health, Women's & Maternal Health, and Health Equity. Specific resources, such as Collections and Roundups, cover specialized topics like Medically Tailored Meals, Community Health Worker Programs, Behavioral Health Integration in Medicaid Managed Care, and Mobile Crisis Teams for Adults with Complex Needs. Additionally, the Hub features profiles and interviews that showcase real-world efforts to put evidence into practice.

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Keywords: Case studies, Evidence based medicine, Low income groups, Medicaid, Policy development

Annotation: This brief explores opportunities presented by State Innovation Model projects and other state innovation efforts to include oral health in delivery system and payment reform. It outlines opportunities in the following areas: Medicaid benefit design and expansion, practice-level oral health reform, and statewide delivery-reform models.

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Keywords: Financing, Health care delivery, Health care reform, Medicaid, Models, Oral health, Oral health care, Reimbursement, Service integration, State initiatives, State programs, Statewide planning

Annotation: This brief describes a framework for assessing social determinants related to oral health and creating partnerships to improve oral health among children from families with low incomes. It discusses identifying the social determinants of oral health in a community, mapping and mobilizing community resources through partnership, selecting approaches to take action, and evaluating implementation and impact. Example indicators potentially related to oral health, intervention metrics, and a description of how the framework was applied to select an intervention are included.

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Keywords: Case studies, Collaboration, Community coordination, Community participation, Low income groups, Models, Needs assessment, Oral health, Outcome evaluation, Process evaluation, Program planning, Public private partnerships, Relationships, Resource allocation

Annotation: This policy brief summarizes state decisions to include dental benefits for populations newly eligible for Medicaid. It details emerging strategies to ensure access to oral health care for adults, including pregnant women. Topics include tailoring outreach to the targeted population, developing stakeholder engagement, improving network adequacy through financial and non-financial incentives, and expanding the dental work force.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Dental insurance, Financing, Medicaid, Model programs, Oral health, Oral health care, Outreach, Policy development, Pregnant women, Public private partnerships, State initiatives, Work force

Annotation: This policy brief examines options that charity care programs (CCPs) are considering as they take into account the ramifications of the Affordable Care Act on the needs of the uninsured for access to preventive, primary, and specialty care. The brief provides background on the role of CCPs, discusses state Medicaid expansion decisions and the implications for CCPs, and reviews the need to consider shifting demographics and expected declines in the number of uninsured. Case studies are included.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Case studies, Eligibility, Health insurance, Legislation, Low income groups, Medicaid, Preventive health services, Primary care, Programs, State programs, Uninsured persons

Annotation: This report examines the characteristics, quality of care, and quality improvement activities of Medicaid-contracted pediatric and obstetric practices in the fee-for-service or primary care case management delivery systems in Iowa, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. Although drawn from the experiences of just three states, the study findings presented in the report suggest opportunities for quality improvement in Medicaid pediatric and obstetric care in states across the country. Measures reported by states and pediatric preventive care scores (compared to national averages) are displayed in exhibit tables, and key data findings from individual states are presented as spotlights.

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Keywords: Arkansas, Case management, Comparative analysis, Iowa, Measure, Medicaid, Obstetrical care, Pediatrics, Pennsylvania, Program improvement, Quality assurance, Service delivery systems, State initiatives, data

Annotation: This brief for states describes a stepwise approach to meeting goals for improving use of oral health services improvement for children enrolled in Medicaid. It describes critical elements of the strategic-planning process, drawing from state experiences. A template that Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs can use to create a state oral health action plan is included.

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Keywords: Children, Children's Health Insurance Program, Health care utilization, Medicaid, Oral health, Program improvement, Program planning, Quality assurance, State programs, Strategic plans

Annotation: This brief presents contract-based options for improving access to oral health care for children and adolescents enrolled in Medicaid. It describes how states with managed-care-delivery systems can use contracting mechanisms and incentives to engage plans and health professionals in improving access to children's oral health care oral health outcomes.

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Keywords: Access to care, Children, Contract services, Medicaid managed care, Oral health, Program improvement, Service delivery systems, State programs

Annotation: This brief describes the role that school-based oral health programs can play in addressing access to oral health care for children and adolescents from families with low incomes. It highlights opportunities for state Medicaid agencies and public health programs to support school-based efforts to improve oral health among students. Contents include an overview of school-based oral health programs, a discussion of how to engage school decision-makers and other key stakeholders in advancing school-based oral health, and information about challenges and considerations related to working to engage schools and students and their families in oral health.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Adolescents, Children, Health care utilization, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Program improvement, Program planning, Quality assurance, School based clinics, School health programs, School health services, School role, Schools, State programs, Students

Annotation: This brief describes the role of stakeholder engagement in adult oral health improvement and key steps that states and others can take to engage stakeholders in advancing oral-health-improvement goals. Topics include assessing engagement history, capacity, and potential; defining engagement objectives, scope, and outputs; identifying stakeholders; analyzing identified stakeholders; identifying engagement strategies; engaging with stakeholders and communicating activities; and evaluating and reporting on the engagement.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Adults, Collaboration, Dental insurance, Medicaid, Needs assessment, Oral health, Outcome and process assessment, Program development, Program evaluation, Program improvement, Program planning, Public private partnerships, State programs

Annotation: This brief presents findings from a survey and small group consultation with Medicaid oral health stakeholders and thought leaders to identify areas of need and promising practices for improving oral health access and outcomes. The brief describes the following five areas of opportunity for innovation in adult oral health coverage and care: the Medicaid oral health business model, return on investment models for oral health coverage and care, consumer outreach and engagement, work force and training, and oral-health-care access and delivery. Several innovations delivered via mobile devices are described.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Adults, Barriers, Health care delivery, Health status, Low income groups, Medicaid, Models, Oral health, Program improvement, Service delivery systems

Annotation: This Medicaid Policy Cheat Sheet explores new initiatives for maternity and reproductive health care in California. The state of California is seeking to advance more whole-person care for pregnant and birthing people, and to ensure and expand access to reproductive health care. The programs described in the document can serve as models for other states.

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Keywords: California, Health equity, Maternal health, Medicaid, Policy development, Pregnancy, Pregnant women

Annotation: This policy cheat sheet outlines the ways in which state Medicaid agencies can obtain federal approval to fund health-related social services such as food assistance and housing support. Included are links to related documents and federal guidance, including a table of 15 concrete interventions and four pathways for federal approval. Examples of promising strategies in the states of New York, Minnesota, and Massachusetts are also provided.

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Keywords: Funding, Health care reform, Medicaid, Policy, Social services, State initiatives