How and why are social determinants of health programs making their way into the Medicaid managed care realm? To find out, Suzanne Delbanco, executive director at Catalyst for Payment Reform, recently spoke with Tricia McGinnis, MPP, MPH, executive vice president and chief program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) on its Listening In (with Permission) podcast.
The December 2018 report, “Addressing Social Determinants of Health via Medicaid Managed Care Contracts and Section 1115 Demonstrations,” developed by CHCS for the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), analyzed 40 Medicaid managed care contracts and 25 § 1115 demonstrations across the country to identify trends in this emerging area of focus. Tricia McGinnis draws on this resource, as well as CHCS’ ongoing work in the area, to answer Suzanne’s questions.
“Medicaid agencies and health plans see social determinants as part of a continuum of care management… It is really the broader part of their efforts to improve population health.” – Tricia McGinnis
Throughout the Listening In (with Permission) podcast episode, Tricia McGinnis highlights states and health plans with programs and policies in place, as well as new approaches in the field that are bringing social determinants of health investments to life. Within CHCS’ work in thinking through health equity, they have found that community-based organizations are well positioned to play an important role in bringing necessary and culturally tailored support to patients.
This blog post was originally published on Catalyst for Payment Reform’s blog and has been modified and reprinted here with permission.
