Brief

Information Sharing to Improve Care Coordination for High-Risk Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan Enrollees: Key Questions for State Implementation

Starting January 1, 2021, Coordination Only (CO) Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) are required to notify the state Medicaid agencies that they contract with (or the states' designees) of hospital and skilled nursing facility admissions for at least one specified group of high-risk full benefit dually eligible individuals. This ICRC technical assistance tool provides key questions and considerations for states as they develop contract requirements for these D-SNPs.

Preventing and Addressing Unnecessary Medicaid Eligibility Churn Among Dually Eligible Individuals: Opportunities for States

People who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid benefits often have multiple chronic physical and behavioral health conditions, and many use long-term services and supports (LTSS).1 Unfortunately, a relatively high proportion of dually eligible individuals cycle in and out of Medicaid eligibility, often due to lack of response to state Medicaid renewal notices. This creates disruptions in coverage and care, which can result in adverse health outcomes and increased costs for individuals and states.

State Approaches to Developing and Operating Ombudsman Programs for Demonstrations under the Financial Alignment Initiative

Ombudsman programs can offer beneficiary protections as part of Medicaid managed care programs. These programs are particularly important for beneficiaries with complex physical and behavioral health conditions, including many dually eligible individuals. For the demonstrations under the Financial Alignment Initiative, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) and states incorporated ombudsman programs to help to resolve enrollees’ problems and alert Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs), states, and CMS of emerging trends and issues.

Promoting Information Sharing by Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans to Improve Care Transitions: State Options and Considerations

This brief examines the approaches used by three states – Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee – to develop and implement information-sharing processes for their Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) that support care transitions. The brief includes examples of contract language and strategies to encourage plan collaboration and problem solving around information sharing.

An Exploration of Consumer Advisory Councils within Medicare-Medicaid Plans Participating in the Financial Alignment Initiative

The Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation released a report The Biggest Value is Getting the Voice of the Member describing its findings on the composition, function, and impact of the Consumer Advisory Councils operating within Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) operating in capitated model demonstrations under the Financial Alignment Initiative. The report covers topics including, recruitment and training of consumer members, accommodations to help consumers participate, and ensuring representativeness and diversity.

Building a Stronger Foundation for Medicare- Medicaid Integration: Opportunities in Modifying State Administrative Processes

This brief describes several administrative changes that state Medicaid programs can make to: (1) support integration efforts; (2) improve beneficiaries’ experience of care; (3) decrease beneficiary out-of-pocket costs; and (4) reduce provider burden. Taking the steps described in this brief may help states build stronger, more effective integrated care programs and better position them to implement larger-scale integration efforts for their dually eligible populations.

Serving Adults with Serious Mental Illness in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly: Promising Practices

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations now serve a greater number of older adults with serious mental illness (SMI) than ever before, and increasingly include behavioral health providers in their care teams to meet the complex needs of this population.

Facilitating Access to Medicaid Durable Medical Equipment for Dually Eligible Beneficiaries in the Fee-for-Service System: Three State Approaches

This brief describes how three states – California, Connecticut, and Illinois -- promote dually eligible beneficiaries’ access to durable medical equipment (DME) in a fee-for-service environment through the use of provisional prior authorization policies and online lists of DME that Medicare generally does not cover.

Value-Based Payment in Nursing Facilities: Options and Lessons for States and Managed Care Plans

This brief describes value-based payment approaches currently used in select states and managed care plans, including the quality and performance measures they use, benchmarks or targets for those measures, and incentives that reward facilities. It also describes approaches to designing, administering, and evaluating state programs.

Using Lessons from Disease Management and Care Management in Building Integrated Care Programs

This brief highlights best practices in disease management/care management programs and considers ways in which states can incorporate them into integrated care models like CMS’ Financial Alignment Initiative for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees and other state initiatives for high-cost, high-need Medicaid beneficiaries.