New payment methods and delivery system reforms can support sustainable funding for community health worker services

Extensive evidence shows that Community Health Workers (CHWs) can help health systems meet the triple aim: improve population health, improve quality of care and contain costs, while also promoting health equity and community engagement. However, most CHW programs are grant funded, and when the funding ends, the program ends

Making the Case for Sustainable Funding for Community Health Worker Services: Talking to Payers and Providers

In this presentation, Katharine London of the Center for Health Law and Economics makes her case for offering sustainable funding for community health worker services. Research has shown community health workers can have a distinct impact on health systems, helping them improve population health and contain costs, while also promoting health equity and community engagement. This presentation was designed to assist CHWs and other advocates in engaging with policymakers and payers to support CHW sustainability and develop a financial plan for their CHW work. It was presented as part of a CHW Sustainability event held at the Families USA’s annual conference, Health Action 2018: Staying Strong for America’s Families, in Washington, DC. See Katharine London\u27s blog post on payment delivery methods for community health workers here

New Payment Models for Asthma

This presentation discusses new payment models for asthma and provides an overview of the Massachusetts Children\u27s High-risk Asthma Bundled Payment (CHABP) Demonstration Program. It also discusses opportunities and challenges of the new payment models

Accountable Care Organizations and Alternative Payment Methods: Opportunities for Community Health Workers

Learn the different care delivery systems and alternative payment methods that can support community health worker (CHW) services, including approaches used by the Massachusetts Medicaid program, MassHealth. The benefits of reform include improved health outcomes for patients by utilizing CHWs, and more financial flexibility for accountable care organizations through new funding mechanisms. These methods give providers and payers the flexibility to develop new approaches on their own in order to improve health outcomes

University of Massachusetts Medical School Report to Minnesota Department of Human Services Health and Incarceration Project

On behalf of the Minnesota Department of Health Services, Health Law & Policy experts from our Public and Private Health Solutions group completed a literature review of successful efforts to improve the health of previously incarcerated individuals. In addition, our experts conducted five focus groups to obtain recommendations from experienced professionals who work directly with previously incarcerated individuals regarding interventions likely to improve the health of this unique population. This study came about at the direction of Minnesota Legislature. They were interested in developing a methodology for paying higher rates to health care providers who provide services to high cost and high complexity groups such as individuals who were previously incarcerated. The goal is to ensure that populations experiencing the greatest health disparities would achieve the same health and quality outcomes as other populations in Minnesota. Accompanying the report is a list of recommendations for future policy considerations that be viewed here

Evaluating the State Basic Health Program in Connecticut

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers states many options and alternatives for tailoring national health reform to best meet their specific needs. The ACA’s State Basic Health Program (SBHP) option affords states an opportunity to design a program for low-income individuals that offers better continuity of care at a lower cost, while providing a financial benefit to the state. This issue brief examines the factors that Connecticut should take into account in assessing the potential benefits of a SBHP. This analysis relies on the parameters of a SBHP as described in the ACA. The federal government has not yet issued key regulations – delineating, for example, what is the minimum benefits package that must be covered in a SBHP, or exactly how funds will flow to states – that will affect the potential cost and coverage of the SBHP option. The analysis presented here is based on existing information, acknowledging that the federal guidance may narrow the range of options available to the state. This issue brief was presented to the Connecticut State Legislature on January 31, 2012. An update to this January 2012 Research Brief was published on April 4, 2012. Client/Partner: Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticu

The Basic Health Program: What would it mean for Connecticut?

This presentation provides highlights of a research brief released by the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut. The research brief includes more detail about the State Basic Health Program (SBHP), the analysis, and citations to data sources. Client/Partner: Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticu

Vermont Price Variation Analysis

This analysis documents price variations across the state and suggests a process and methodology that the Vermont Green Mountain Care Board could use to set standard rates. The report determined that inpatient prices among Vermont\u27s 14 hospitals and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire vary from 71 to 130 percent of the state average. The analysis identified a number of factors that explain some variation in professional prices among providers and also showed there is no consistency in the share of variation explained by each factor across health services

Sustainable Financing Models for Community Health Worker Services in Maine

UMass Medical School health policy experts have developed sustainable financing models for the state of Maine to support four community health worker (CHW) interventions that focus on patients with the greatest, and most costly, health care needs. The report examines academic literature documenting results obtained by CHW interventions in other parts of the country, calculates the outcomes that could be achieved if the same interventions were implemented in Maine, and provides budget specifications needed to achieve those outcomes Using actual population and cost data from Maine, interviews with Maine CHWs and features of CHW interventions operating in other states, the team constructed four cost-effective models that target specific health concerns in different Maine counties. These models can be used by community-based organizations, health care providers, public and private payers, and others to develop sustainable CHW interventions throughout the state of Maine

Demonstrating Return on Investment for Community Health Worker Services: Translating Science into Practice

Learn about interventions that employ community health workers to improve health outcomes for select patient groups while containing costs. UMass staff constructed models to focus on specific health issues, such as diabetes and asthma, in particular regions in Maine. The models are designed to promote widespread adoption of payment models and mechanisms that support CHWs’ work