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

This briefing examines Massachusetts and Oregons' experiments to improve health care quality while containing costs. Both states have established laws for accountable care entities.
This presentation discusses the impact of prior authorization on Buprenorphine dose, relapse, and cost for opioid addiction treatment for Massachusetts Medicaid members.
This report analyzes the current health insurance payment system in New Hampshire and factors affecting premium rates and health care costs. The team gathered information through interviews with 26 health care industry stakeholders, including providers, carriers, and consumers.
This report summarizes recent efforts by the Massachusetts Medicaid program, MassHealth, to address enrollment volatility and provides recommendations to mitigate remaining challenges by leveraging the opportunities presented with the transition to ACA-compliant eligibility systems and programs.
This report outlines the impact of the new budget proposal on 37,500 low-income working parents in Connecticut. Tighter eligibility requirements effective in 2014 will impact those currently insured under Medicaid (HUSKY). Higher out-of-pocket costs may prevent up to 11,000 parents from affording health insurance.
This report explains that Vermont must develop new financing mechanisms that raise $1.6 billion to fund single-payer. However, on December 17, 2014, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced that "now is not the right time" to overhaul health care financing and delivery in Vermont.
Non-English and non-Caucasian children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disorders at later ages, and with lower prevalence than their counterparts. The Massachusetts Act Early state team sought to address this gap so that at-risk families from diverse backgrounds receive more effective autism screening.
This presentation overviews the drug utilization trends of the top traditional therapy classes within the community and assesses their impact on drug utilization within correctional systems.
It is not uncommon for state university faculty to participate as part-time consultants in the administration of state Medicaid programs. However, rarely do state universities participate institutionally as public agencies in the administration of state Medicaid programs since the propriety, value and parameters of these engagements are usually not recognized.
This report provides an overview of MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, and the revenue and spending trends during the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2011.
This report examines key components of the most recent Massachusetts health reform law and how this law will affect the annual spending benchmark.
A pharmacist’s medication management skill can enhance health outcomes and quality of life for members of Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial health plans — especially for members who have serious medical conditions or need closely coordinated pharmaceutical care.
Presentation on pharmacy medication use among adults in Massachusetts.
Comparison of physical activity levels among 53 children with ASD and 58 typically developing children aged 3-11 years who participated in the Children's Activity and Meal Patterns Study (CHAMPS).
Statistics on falls amongst adults with intellectual disabilities and possible ways to reduce them.
This report provides an overview of the MassHealth, the Massachusetts state Medicaid program, eligibility and enrollment information, spending growth statistics, and cost drivers analysis.
Pipeline Trends features concise, impartial data on drugs in development and their potential place in therapy.
We analyzed the price variations present in the New Hampshire hospital market for the New Hampshire Insurance Department. This report summarizes the analyses completed and presents the relevant findings.
The MassHealth Hospice Program: Overview and Analysis study employed mixed methods to conduct a descriptive analysis of primary and secondary data, using document review, key informant interviews, and MassHealth claims and enrollment data. This report explains the structure and implementation of the hospice benefit, examines the increase in hospice benefit utilization and expenditures, assesses member and family satisfaction with the benefit, and describes end of life services provided by Medicaid programs in five states.
This presentation discusses individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities and how they often have difficulty learning auditory-visual conditional discriminations that are important for early communication and generalization may be restricted.