Health Homes - Medicaid Members with Chronic Conditions
The West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services (BMS), the State Medicaid agency, has begun to lay the groundwork for Health Homes for Members with Chronic Conditions, Section 2703 of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA). A State Plan Amendment is required for
Health Homes and will be submitted this year.
CMS is offering guidance, technical assistance, and financial support to build a person-centered system of care that brings about improved outcomes for Medicaid members, as well as better services and value for State Medicaid programs. BMS has had several technical assistance calls with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The program is intended
improve the health of Medicaid members who may need a variety of services to address primary and acute care, behavioral health care, and long-term care services. It takes a team of health care professionals to coordinate their care.
Goals of the SPA:
- Improve clinical outcomes
- Improve care coordination
- Improve members’ experience with the healthcare system
- Increase the use of Health Information Technology
- Reduce the overall cost
After an initial Stakeholder Kick Off meeting on August 16, 2011 in Charleston, WV, stakeholders and BMS have met regularly to discuss the best way to create the Health Homes program. BMS invites anyone who has not yet become a stakeholder to do so. We value the input of stakeholders, including Medicaid members, in the development of the Health Home State Plan Amendment. To sign up, please send e-mail to: webmaster@healthimprovement.org.
Documents
Click here to visit the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute's Web site. The draft SPA and other documents are located there.