This issue brief describes the key elements of the most recent MassHealth 1115 waiver extension, including the shift to a delivery system centered on Accountable Care Organizations and Community Partners, a Delivery System Reform Incentive Program, the redesigned Safety Net Care Pool, and the expansion of services for treatment of substance use disorders. It concludes with a discussion of implications of the new system for major stakeholder groups.

The strategies used by the Southern New England Practice Transformation Network (SNE-PTN), a collaborative led by UMass Medical School and UConn Health, to enroll more than 5,000 clinicians from a variety of specialties by the end of October 2016. The strategies led SNE-PTN to achieve 186 percent of the year one enrollment target.

Pipeline Trends is produced by the Clinical Pharmacy Services division and is distributed at least once a year. It provides an overview of promising new agents, investigational indications, projected generic entry, FDA updates and industry trends.

Hospitals face financial challenges when providing access to medical interpreters. A new study shows that access to interpreters lowers readmission rates, a key quality indicator. Greater access to medical interpreters may help hospitals facing new payment incentives to reduce readmissions.      

An overview of waivers made possible by Section 1115 of the Social Security Act and Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act. It explains spending and waiver authority and the legal considerations that may arise, the ways that states have used waiver authority, and reviews the limitations and new responsibilities that come with waivers. 

Learn the strategies required to deliver patient-centric, quality care for individuals with complex care needs. Successful coordination and management requires networking with multiple care providers and linking each intervention to the individual’s overall care.

Even with health insurance gains, access may still be an issue. State Innovation Waivers offer an opportunity to build on the Affordable Care Act and increase health insurance affordability. States can ask the federal government for authority to change parts of the ACA to achieve their goals.

The Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island (CTC), a patient-centered medical home initiative managed by UMass Medical School, explains how primary care practices can build a medical neighborhood by creating a community health team to provide behavioral health and social support services to patients with high-cost, complex care needs.

Many individuals with disabilities are interested in working, but don’t know how doing so will affect their ability to receive public benefits like Social Security and Medicare. Work Without Limits was established in 2000 to provide Massachusetts residents who receive public benefits with information to help them make informed decisions about going to work.

Our customized, results-oriented high-risk medication program dramatically reduced refills for this Medicare Part D client with targeted prescriber outreach. This indicates discontinuation of the prescription or change to a safer medication.