The nearly 12 million Americans who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are among the nation’s highest-need and highest-cost populations. Integrated health plans, which combine p... more

When people with substance use disorders (SUDs) are hospitalized or visit the emergency department, there is a critical window of opportunity to connect them to recovery-related services and... more

CDC’s 6|18 Initiative is bringing together state Medicaid and public health partners to improve health and control health care expenditures for six high-burden, high-cost health conditions... more

Earlier this spring, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) convened nearly 100 health care providers, payers, researchers, and leaders from the health, education, and philanthropic se... more

If a family has no means of transportation, consistent prenatal care becomes extremely difficult. If a mother is homeless, she is less likely to attend a child wellness visit. If a one-year-... more

For many Americans, taking prescription medications is part of everyday life. Nearly 75 percent of the population takes at least one prescription medication daily, and 29 percent take five o... more

State Medicaid programs are beginning to adopt value-based payment (VBP) models to reward value — or high quality, cost-effective care — for the long-term services and supports (LTSS) th... more

The opioid epidemic is a national public health crisis, with more than 115 Americans dying daily from opioid-related overdoses. As the country’s largest health insurer, Medicaid is uniquel... more

Medicaid and other payers are recognizing that health outcomes and costs are driven by factors beyond clinical care. These factors are rooted in the community and include issues such as hous... more

Across the US, it is nearly impossible to open a newspaper and not find an article about the opioid epidemic. Its impact is ubiquitous — families, communities, and states all feel its effe... more

Georgia incorporated asthma self-management education into Medicaid health plans’ performance improvement projects. Massachusetts holds its Medicaid accountable care organizations respo... more

As the health care system moves toward more sophisticated value-based payment (VBP) models, those seeking to improve efficiency continue to look to primary care as the key to prevention and ... more

There is increasing recognition that medical care is only one of several factors affecting health outcomes. In February, a national CHCS webinar, made possible by The Commonwealth Fund, expl... more

Across the country, policy leaders are paying greater and greater attention to the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on lifelong physical, emotional, and social healt... more

Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs) are designed to improve health care quality while delivering more efficient care. But, medical care is only one of several factors affecting he... more

Opioid abuse and related deaths have reached epidemic proportions across the country, garnering attention from all levels of government, health care payers, clinicians, and the public. In 20... more

Medicaid programs are increasingly interested in strategies for engaging consumers, including the use of financial incentives to promote healthy behaviors. Steve Fitton, former Medicaid dire... more

Rising pharmaceutical costs are a concern across many health care payers, but the issue is particularly critical for Medicare-Medicaid integrated health plans serving dually eligible individ... more

In several states across the country, Medicaid accountable care organization (ACO) programs have been operating for more than five years now. Lessons from those early adopters are being used... more

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CHCS is examining how Pay for Success (PFS) can help Medicaid stakeholders achieve policy and program goals. A companion blog and a rece... more