This report from the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), authored by Suzanne Gore of the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), outlines opportunities for Massachusetts to explore new innovations in care delivery and program design for MassHealth beneficiaries.

Innovations in Medicaid: Considerations for MassHealth draws from interviews with key Medicaid stakeholders from across the country to summarize cutting-edge program design strategies. The increasing complexity of care, tightening of budgets, and growing enrollment have forced MassHealth as well as other state Medicaid programs to look for innovations and more efficient ways to deliver care. The resulting paper identifies a range of strategies to enhance the effectiveness of Medicaid including: purchasing strategies to optimize delivery systems; payment strategies to leverage existing funds; integrated models of care to improve services for complex populations; and opportunities for improved organizational capacity.

This report is the first product of a new partnership between MMPI and CHCS to support the conversation in Massachusetts around ways to improve the effectiveness of the MassHealth program by bringing in lessons learned from other states. It includes a list of preliminary program innovation opportunities for the state to explore. While the report was written specifically for Massachusetts, it offers lessons for other states looking to advance innovations in Medicaid program design.