Medicaid performance dashboard unveiled; marked improvement with switch from HUSKY HMOs

At Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting, DSS described their new ASO accountability dashboard with performance measures for the program. From January 2012, when the HMOs left the program, to this June the number of providers participating in CT’s program has grown 32%, hospital admissions are down 3.2%, the average length of stay is down 5%, and cost per admission is down $200 (2.7%). Emergency dept. visits are down but costs per visit are up. Non-urgent care visits to the ER are down an impressive 11.7%, suggesting better access to preventive and maintenance care. Unfortunately 13 members used the ER over 100 times last year. CHN is focusing member outreach to link those patients with a primary care providers, the 24/7 nurse advice line, intensive care management, and to behavioral health services when appropriate. 61% of members are now linked to a primary care provider allowing better tracking of performance, access to care, and quality. 10,882 members accessed cultural and linguistic Medicaid services in the second quarter of this year; that number has grown every quarter. 16,836 members received intensive care management for a range of problems. It’s exciting to see that since the switch from capitated HUSKY HMOs to the ASO model costs are down slightly, the number of participating providers is up and unnecessary ER visits are down.