Shared Measurement and Joint Accountability Across Health Care and Non-Health Care Sectors: State Opportunities to Address Population Health Goals
Health care leaders are well-positioned to use cross-sector approaches to drive improvements in population health in collaboration with state leaders. Through the use of joint measurement and accountability tools, policymakers can help to improve health outcomes to an extent not possible through isolated, medical-centric efforts. This issue brief, developed by Dana Hargunani, MD, MPH, outlines how state agencies can use shared measurement and joint accountability across sectors as tools for improving population health outcomes.
The Buying Value Measure Selection Tool: Strategies for Selecting Measures and Developing Aligned Measure Sets
The “Buying Value Measure Selection Tool” was developed to assist state agencies, private purchasers and other stakeholders in creating aligned measure sets, and was first released in 2014. A recent webinar explained this tool and recent updates for state officials and other stakeholders involved in developing and maintaining aligned quality measure sets for health care entities and programs including for health plans, accountable care organizations, and patient-centered medical homes.
Integrating Health Care and Social Services: Moving from Concept to Practice
Social factors, including economic stability, housing, education, relationships, neighborhood, and other environmental influences, can have a significant impact on individuals’ health status. In order to make improvements to the health of both individuals and their communities, an integrated approach is critical. Policymakers need to bridge the gap between social services and health care delivery in their efforts to make these improvements, and several states have begun to develop innovative approaches toward this integration, which might provide valuable lessons for others.
Tricky Problems with Small Numbers: Methodological Challenges and Possible Solutions for Measuring PCMH and ACO Performance
With health care providers increasingly being rewarded based on changes in cost of care, it is critical that sufficient statistical safeguards are in place to ensure that payment arrangements fairly reflect provider performance rather than random variation in medical utilization. The underlying changes in cost of care for populations served by patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and accountable care organizations (ACOs) are difficult to accurately assess when there are a small number of attributed patients.
Integrating Public Health and Health Care: Getting Beyond the Theory
Changes in population-based payment models in health care delivery have spurred enhanced efforts toward closer integration between state purchasers of health care and state, county, and local public health officials. This issue brief, developed by Bailit Health Purchasing LLC and Dr. Karen Hacker, investigates approaches that state agencies might employ in order to better integrate public health and health care delivery as a means of improving health and the value of health care, and it is organized according to seven features of integration. The issue brief is accompanied by three case studies providing additional detail to some of the examples cited in the brief.
1332 State Innovation Waivers: States Seek to Preserve Small Group Market Practices Through 1332
The State Network 1332 Waivers Affinity Group continued with a presentation from the team at Manatt Health Solutions. This webinar included an overview of the small group market requirements in the ACA, and the efforts of three states to preserve their innovative pre-ACA programs.
Safety-Net Provider ACOs: Considerations for State Medicaid Purchasers
With states increasingly moving to develop population-based payment arrangements with provider organizations, the critical role of safety-net providers has become a challenging consideration for states. While safety-net providers typically lack the capital, experience, and/or scale to operate as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), their role in state Medicaid programs underscores their integral role in the implementation of a population-based payment strategy with ACOs.
1332 State Innovation Waivers: HHS and Treasury Guidance on 1332 Waivers
The State Network 1332 Waivers Affinity Group continued with a presentation from the team at Manatt Health Solutions. This webinar included a review of the basics around 1332 waivers, including what is allowed to be waived and the guardrails that apply to waivers. Following recent joint agency guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Treasury, the team at Manatt reviewed the ways in which the guardrails are further defined, and the standards that will apply to them.
Developing a State-based Quality Measurement Program Using an Episode-of-Care Framework: Recommendations for State Purchasers
In attempting to move toward value-based payments, there exist the inherent challenges posed by the availability of data. States wishing to accelerate the transformation of the existing delivery system into one that delivers high quality and affordable health care have to take action to develop a comprehensive data collection and reporting mechanism. Such an approach can be taken using episodes of medical care as the central unit of measure.
Implementing State Payment Reform Strategies at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) traditionally provide health care services primarily to low-income individuals who are covered by Medicaid or who are uninsured. As state Medicaid programs increase their focus on value-based payment, it is important to consider how FQHCs may participate in payment reform strategies. This brief provides an overview of FQHC cost reporting, delves into state payment reform strategies that Include FQHCs, and offers considerations for states and FQHCs alike.