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- Access and Managed Care Final Rules
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- Medicare-Medicaid Integration
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Unlocking Medicare Savings Programs’ Potential: State Policy Approaches to Health Care Affordability
Mark Your Calendar: Implementing the Medicaid Managed Care Rule
The Countdown Has Started: Implementing the Medicaid Access Rule
Medicaid Managed Care Rule: What’s Next for States and Managed Care Plans?
New Methadone Flexibilities Can Help States Respond to the Opioid Crisis
New Peer Support Services Benefit to Leverage Providers’ Lived Experience to Support Medi-Cal Members
Sowing Seeds of Change: Promising Early Results from California’s Medication Assisted Treatment Program
California’s Efforts to Facilitate Access to Medi-Cal Mental Health Services
Californians, like the rest of the country, are facing significant mental health challenges in the aftermath of the pandemic. The need for new and enhanced behavioral health supports and interventions has come into strong focus in recent years and states are leveraging their Medicaid programs to respond.
Effective Communication Strategies that Built and Strengthened the ACEs Aware Initiative
REPORT: Billing Better in CalAIM: How to Improve Reimbursement for Enhanced Care Management and Community Support
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports are core components of CalAIM, a multiyear initiative led by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that take a person-centered approach to social service delivery and care management for individuals with complex health and social needs.
Strengthening the System of Behavioral Health Care in the District of Columbia
CalHOPE: A New Sustainable Model of Care
Thanks to tireless advocacy combined with impressive outcomes data, funding was allocated in the California state budget to support the continuation of the program. This is a prime example of how initial federal investments can ultimately lead to long-term sustainability of successful programs.
New Video Series Tells Stories of ACEs Aware in Action
When Aurrera Health launched the ACEs Aware initiative on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) in late 2019, we knew we were on the forefront of change.
Leveraging Robust Evaluation Principles to Make Medicaid Better
A core element of all Medicaid Section 1115 “research and demonstration” waivers is an evaluation of the demonstration program and its efficacy in meeting the demonstration’s goals. Historically, however, Section 1115 waiver evaluations have been an afterthought for states and CMS, limiting their ability to inform future Medicaid policy and financing approaches.
ARPA Funds are Helping States Shore Up the Health Care Workforce
States are leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to support a multi-faceted policy approach to strengthening state health care infrastructure and the health workforce.
Supporting Medicaid Providers in CalAIM Implementation
Last year, Aurrera Health Group teamed up with the California Department of Health Care Services to provide early education and targeted technical assistance for providers on implementing Enhanced Care Management and Community Support services, two key parts of the CalAIM initiative. This experience revealed several promising practices for other states pursuing whole-person approaches to health care delivery.
California Pursues Addition of Peer Support Specialist Services to List of Med-Cal-Covered Behavioral Health Services
Strategies for Implementing ACE Screening and Trauma-Informed Care in Clinical Practice
Holding On: Community Health Centers’ Critical Role During the Pandemic
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a critical provider of health care, particularly for communities of color and Medicaid beneficiaries. It is vital that health centers are financially and operationally stable so they can continue to effectively provide patients with primary care, behavioral health, and dental services.
California is Becoming ACEs Aware: 130,000 Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Screened in Year 1
Since the fall of 2019, Aurrera Health Group has been working closely with the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to launch the ACEs Aware initiative – a first-in-the-nation, statewide effort to promote screening for early detection of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mitigate against the health and societal impacts of ACEs and toxic stress.
REPORT: Holding On: How California’s Health Centers Adapted Operations and Care for Patients During the Pandemic
Prepared for the California Health Care Foundation by Aurrera Health Group and Capital Link, this paper identifies several key factors that enabled California’s health centers to manage the financial strain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to serve patients at a time when accessing health care involved new and unanticipated challenges.
REPORT: Improving California’s Health Care Delivery System for the Child Welfare-Involved Population: Concepts and Considerations
Prepared for the DHCS and CDSS CalAIM Workgroup, this report explores ways to better integrate services, provide a single contact for children, and ensure access to specialty care in the child welfare system.