News & Bulletins Archive
The Hilltop Institute has issued its first electronic Bulletin about a report it prepared for the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission on School Based Health Centers. The Bulletin is the first formal venue that Hilltop has had for news releases. It will be used to periodically disseminate information about important news from Hilltop and about reports it produces. The Bulletin is sent electronically to the health services community. To view the Bulletin, click here.
The Hilltop Institute, in partnership with the UMBC Department of Public Policy, has received a two-year grant from NIH to study the economics of antipsychotic drug use in Maryland’s Medicaid population. The principal aim of the study is to analyze Maryland’s Medicaid data to identify cost and clinical correlates to specific antipsychotic drug choices of patients with schizophrenia. The analysis will review data spanning the period from 2002-2005, and earlier as feasible for select subpopulations. Dr. Tony Tucker from Hilltop will assist the project by merging Medicare and Medicaid records in order to assess clinical heterogeneity and costs, specifically for persons receiving benefits from both programs (dual eligibles). Senior Research Analyst Michael Abrams, MPH, the project’s co-investigator, will lead Hilltop’s team. Dr. David Salkever, Professor, Department of Public Policy, is the project’s principal investigator.
Cynthia H. Woodcock, M. B. A., has been named director of Hilltop’s Long-Term Supports and Services Unit. In this capacity, she will manage Hilltop’s initiatives in long-term care policy and lead Hilltop’s work on the development of home- and community-based services waiver programs and other integrated long-term care initiatives. In addition, she will continue to manage Hilltop’s contract with the New Mexico Human Services Department, which has focused on launching a new self-directed waiver program and a Medicaid managed long-term care initiative. Under her direction, Hilltop is also assisting with implementation of Maryland’s Money Follows the Person demonstration and carrying out an evaluation of New Jersey’s federal Systems Transformation Grant in long-term care. She succeeds Wayne Smith, who retired last month, and has been with the unit since 2007. Woodcock joined Hilltop in 2004 as a senior research analyst, working with Hilltop’s executive director on strategic planning and new business development.
The Hilltop Institute, in collaboration with the New Mexico Human Services Department, has received a grant to perform an evaluation of the New Mexico State Coverage Insurance program (SCI). The grant is one of 15 nationwide that was awarded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) Initiative. The project will identify factors that have influenced employer participation in the New Mexico SCI program through surveys and analysis of administrative data. The project will not only benefit New Mexico, but will have national significance as well. Other states may face similar operational challenges related to combining public health insurance coverage with commercial-style insurance that requires employer contribution. New Mexico’s experience with its SCI program will provide lessons to other states that implement public/private partnerships or premium assistance programs requiring employer cooperation. This project is a state/university research partnership between New Mexico and Hilltop. Senior Research Analyst Anna Sommers, PhD, at The Hilltop Institute, is the principal investigator for the project. She will lead Hilltop’s project team, which includes Acute Care Policy Director Ann Volpel, MPA, Research Analyst Asher Mikow, MHA, Economic Analysis Director Hamid Fakhraei, PhD, and Research Assistant Laura Spicer. Insure New Mexico! Director Mari Spaulding-Bynon, JD, is co-principal investigator.
The Hilltop Institute is pleased to announce the success of its fifth symposium, Developing Comprehensive Oral Health Policy: Challenges and Opportunities for State Health Policymakers, convened on June 17, 2008. The symposium brought together over 130 policymakers, health services researchers, and health care practitioners, including the nation’s leading oral health policy experts, from across the country to explore three major areas of policy innovation to improve access to and utilization of oral health care: integration of dental and medical service delivery; dental workforce issues; and health education and outreach strategies. The day was divided into four sessions and highlighted by a keynote address, a luncheon address, and concluding reflections. To view the bulletin, click here.
The Hilltop Institute sponsored a day-long symposium to explore three major areas of policy innovation to improve access to and utilization of oral health care: integration of dental and medical service delivery; dental workforce issues; and health education and outreach strategies. The day was divided into four sessions and highlighted by a keynote address, a luncheon address, and concluding reflections. Over 130 policymakers, health services researchers, and health care practitioners from across the country, including the leading experts in the field, participated in the event. Learn more about the symposium.
The Center is collaborating with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and the UMBC Public Policy Department on an NIMH funded project to study the cost and quality implications of payment for psychiatric services. Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) are commonly used to pay inpatient hospitals. However, most of inpatient psychiatric care is paid per diem. The research seeks to improve psychiatric DRGs, with billing and supplemental information from medical records, so that they can be used for payment purposes. The study will also provide insight into hospital quality performance under per case payment. Dr. Hamid Fakhraei is leading the Center’s research team.
The Center’s Executive Director, Chuck Milligan, participated in a panel discussion entitled How To Determine the Minimum Set of Required Benefits at a workshop conducted by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices on March 27, 2008. The workshop, Defining Benefit Packages in Health and Medicaid Reform, addressed how states could define and develop benefit packages which address the unique needs of their Medicaid beneficiaries. Milligan’s presentation discussed how different policy approaches affect a state’s determination of the minimum set of benefits that it mandates, as well as cost implications for the state and for the beneficiaries. To view the presentation, click here.
The Center’s Executive Director Chuck Milligan and Director of Acute Care Policy Ann Volpel participated in separate panel discussions at the National Meeting for State Coverage Initiatives that was held February 6-8, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. Milligan participated on a panel addressing emerging issues in the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and gave a presentation on recent directions in broad national policy, their implications for states, trends in state activities, and reforms approved by CMS under the Deficit Reduction Act and Section 1115 Waiver programs. Volpel participated on a panel discussing how states have attempted to address access and affordability in the small group market and gave a presentation on the two reports the Center completed on marketing state coverage programs. To view the reports, click here.
In a new report prepared for the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission, the Hilltop Institute presents a financial portrait of Maryland’s school-based health centers, identifies barriers to reimbursement, and makes policy recommendations to expand access to school-based health centers, further develop the infrastructure and stabilize the financing of centers, and promote increased reimbursement. Report findings served as the basis for a Call for Proposals issued by the Commission in December 2007. To view the bulletin, click here.
The Center conducted a study to determine if the expansion of buprenorphine as a strategy for battling opioid addiction is cost-effective. Commissioned by the Baltimore City Health Department and funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the study used Medicaid data to examine health care service utilization differences between opioid addicts who were treated for their addiction versus those who went untreated, reviewed the literature, and estimated clinical and financial benefits and costs. The study’s results supported the value and effectiveness of opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), and suggested that expanding treatment access has the potential to reduce both individual suffering and the overall societal burden associated with opioid dependence without increasing the cost of medical care. The research also indicated that expanding OMT has the potential to save the publicly financed health care system money by reducing heroin-associated morbidity in Medicaid and other insured and uninsured populations. Researchers estimated the cost savings and found that Baltimore City could save over $4,000,000.00 per year if utilization of OMT were expanded. View the study’s five reports:
An Evaluation of Whether Medical Savings are Associated with Expanding Opioid Maintenance Therapy for Heroin Addiction in Baltimore City, August 28, 2007
Comparing Pre-Treatment to Post-Treatment Medicaid Utilization in Individuals who Enter Methadone Therapy, August 15, 2007
Opioid Exposure in Maryland Hospitals, July 2007
Review of Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Literature for Methadone or Buprenorphine as a Treatment for Opiate Addiction, August 29, 2007
Heroin Addiction Treatment Correlates in Maryland, March 12, 2007
The Center, in partnership with the MD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), has received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) program to conduct a two-year study on the interactive effects of Medicare- and Medicaid-provided services, particularly with respect to rate-setting for coordinated/integrated programs of care for those who are enrolled under both programs (duals). The Center’s Tony Tucker headed up the development of the grant application and will serve as a co-principal investigator. Judy Kasper of Johns Hopkins University will also serve as a co-investigator. Tricia Roddy at DHMH will serve as the formal project director, which will ensure that the grant funds will generate matching federal funds to conduct the study.
The Center’s Executive Director, Chuck Milligan, presented information on the benefits of pursuing health insurance coverage for children and adolescents in Idaho on January 9 at the Cover Idaho Kids Coalition Meeting and Research Discussion. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson State Coverage Initiatives program administered by AcademyHealth, these presentations gave an overview of research and literature that shows the positive relationship between health insurance coverage and good health outcomes. Milligan discussed the benefits of coverage to the child, the family, the community, and the system: that insurance coverage allows children and their families to access health care earlier, which can prevent more serious health problems and illnesses, thereby avoiding the need to use more expensive services, such as emergency rooms. Laura Spicer, a research assistant at the Center, reviewed the literature for the presentations.
Chuck Milligan gave a brief presentation on October 18 at the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s conference, Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans: A Beneficiary Perspective. The conference brought together beneficiary advocates, health policy advocates, researchers, SNP providers, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials, and Congressional staff. The conference proceedings were anchored by three background papers, two of which were written by Chuck Milligan and Cynthia Woodcock. Invitees discussed and framed a set of recommendations to present to Congress and CMS. To view Chuck’s presentation on connecting SNPs with state Medicaid programs, click here. To view the conference details and other materials, click here.
On June 12, 2007, the Center for Health Program Development and Management sponsored a symposium examining the evolving mental health system, how efforts to diffuse evidence-based practices and better coordinate services across agencies and branches of medicine are paying off, and the extent to which Medicaid managed care and other newer programming and financing strategies are helping transform the system. View the for the program and presentations.