Medicaid update

The Medicaid Council workgroup developing quality measures to use in reforming Medicaid’s payment system has held a couple of meetings – one very constructive, the first not so much. The first meeting was hastily called, dominated by SIM representatives, and contentious. However, the comforting bottom line from that meeting was that DSS will make the final decisions about how payment reform is structured for Medicaid. The second meeting was more friendly and productive, with better representation by Medicaid stakeholders and committee members who’ve worked over the years to improve the program. At the second meeting we worked through an impressive list of quality measures already being used by the program including typical quality measures, consumer and provider satisfaction surveys, and provider profiling. The committee explored what is now being measured, how that data is used, and is soliciting additions to fill gaps.

In Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting we watched a new You Tube video from DSS highlighting the program’s recent progress in improving access to quality care and controlling costs. The video is part of the department’s efforts to better communicate policy decisions and accomplishments. We also heard more about the extensive array of available Long Term Supports and Services that allow fragile people to live in their communities while saving the program money. We also heard an update on the enrollment dashboard and consultants the department is hiring to help improve processes.