Issue Briefs , Webinars | Apr 2, 2014

Realizing Rural Care Coordination: Considerations and Action Steps for State Policy-Makers

Michael Stanek, Carrie Hanlon, and Tess Shiras

Better coordination of patient care is an increasingly important part of not only advanced primary care models but also of broader strategies to create shared accountability across providers and care settings. States seeking to promote care coordination, either within Medicaid or through participation in multipayer initiatives, will run into long-standing challenges to delivering care and promoting health in rural areas. Rural areas often experience disparities in access to care, health status, and available infrastructure relative to their urban counterparts. Any strategy to coordinate care that aims to operate statewide or target rural areas must consider the needs of rural communities. This issue brief draws from the experiences of six states, Alabama, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont, to identify common policy considerations and action steps for coordinating care in rural environments.

To view the webinar slides that correspond to this resource, click here.


Expert Perspectives

September 17, 2021

The End of the COVID Public Health Emergency: Potential Health Equity Implications of Ending Medicaid Continuous Coverage

Medicaid enrollment has increased by over 10 million (or 15 percent) from February 2020 through February 2021 across all states since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. States have a clear imperative to center health equity as they plan for the end of the public health emergency (PHE) given that Black, Latino/a, and other people of color are most at risk of coverage loss. This expert perspective highlights strategies states can implement to ensure that the end of the PHE does not exacerbate already widespread racial and ethnic disparities in our health care system.

September 15, 2021

Strategies for Working with Managed Care Organizations to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

COVID-19 vaccines are now widely accessible in the United States and free to everyone over the age of 12. Given the spread of the Delta variant, there is an urgent need to increase vaccination rates, particularly among Medicaid enrollees. States across the country continue to report Medicaid enrollees are getting vaccinated at lower rates than the general population. This expert perspective explores how state Medicaid managed care programs and health plans can work collaboratively to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates for the more than 55 million Medicaid enrollees in comprehensive managed care plans.

September 9, 2021

New York State of Health Pilot Yields Increased Race and Ethnicity Question Response Rates

Many states are looking to fill gaps in race and ethnicity data for Medicaid and related agencies. Working with the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota, with support from the State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) program, New York tested multiple strategies aimed at encouraging applicants to answer the optional race and ethnicity questions. This expert perspective highlights an effort by New York’s official state-based marketplace, NY State of Health, to improve the completeness of race and ethnicity data that applicants share when applying for Medicaid; Child Health Plus, the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); the Essential Plan, New York’s Basic Health Program (BHP); or Qualified Health Plan (QHP) coverage through its Marketplace.