This article examines the impact of a 2-year stepwise initiative to reduce utilization and therapy costs of long-acting opioid analgesics by addressing issues of high dose, daily dose, and preferred therapeutic alternatives. The study demonstrated that a state Medicaid program initiative can result in a significant decrease in opioid class utilization specifically for the targeted, more costly agents.

A presentation exploring how health reform will impact access to interpreters for individuals with Limited English Proficiency and individuals who are deaf.

This report summarizes findings from the 2012 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS) commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This presentation provides an overview of the innovative approaches and lessons learned from the Massachusetts Personal and Home Care Aide State Training (PHCAST) grant, a project managed by UMass Medical School for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. PHCAST defined core competencies for direct care workers, and developed a standardized training in those competencies.

Implementing the ACA's health insurance mandate will require states to reach, educate, and successfully enroll individuals and families who have had little experience with health coverage. As states prepare to enroll millions of low-income uninsured Americans, the experience of Community Health Workers in Massachusetts can inform efforts across the country.

An assessment of the health needs of people with disabilities on behalf of the Health and Disability Program within the Massachusetts Department of Public Health provides comprehensive information on the unmet public health needs and priorities of the disability community.

This article highlights the positive aspects of the Basic Health Program by discussing the opportunity, how the program works, and challenge to implementation in Connecticut. The pogram, an Affordable Care Act (ACA) option, gives states the opportunity to make health care more affordable to lower income people who do not qualify for Medicaid.

Clinical care management (CCM) of the highest risk, most complex, and costly patients is an integral component of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) but a new service for many primary care practices.

This poster details a study that examined satisfaction with finances, worries about meeting monthly expenses, and overall life satisfaction among working and non-working adults with disabilities using a 2010 Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System follow-up survey. The results indicate that employment contributes to enhanced economic well-being and decreased financial worries among people with disabilities.

This article describes the work mental health peer specialists play in improving the way mental health services are approached.