NASHP Webinar: Oral Health – Evidence and Strategies to Improve Care and Reduce Costs

Webinar: Oral Health – Evidence and Strategies to Improve Care and Reduce Costs
Friday, April 24, 2:00-3:00 PM EST
Register Here

"Oral health is linked to overall health, and mounting evidence suggests that addressing oral health can improve patient care, improve population health, and reduce costs. In this webinar hosted by the National Academy for State Health Policy, a leading researcher will share findings from a study of private insurance claims linking treatment of gum disease with significantly lower costs for individuals with diabetes and other chronic conditions.  You will also hear about a program under way at Hennepin Health in Minnesota to connect patients with regular dental care and prevent costly visits to hospital emergency departments. And NASHP will provide an overview of a new brief and online toolkit that explore these topics and draw out lessons for state policymakers.” [Source: NASHP]

September 11th Webinar: All Hands on Deck – State Plans for Consumer Assistance

“All Hands on Deck: State Plans for Consumer Assistance webinar is offered Wednesday, September 11th from 1:30-3:00pm EDT.  Register Here.

States are working hard to make sure consumer assistance is available for individuals enrolling in coverage through health insurance exchanges in October. In this webinar, we'll hear how different exchanges, and different exchange types, are approaching this mission.

Three panelists will offer state perspectives on the scope and format of training for Navigators and in-person assisters; strategies for managing hand-offs among call centers, Navigators, Medicaid agencies and others; and plans for monitoring the effectiveness of assistance provided. Other experts will give an overview of key features of consumer-assistance strategies generally, including roles for Navigators, In-Person Assisters, certified application counselors, call centers, websites, agents and brokers. Our knowledgeable panel will take questions from webinar listeners as well, so sign up to participate.

Featuring:

• Adela Flores-Brennan, Connect for Health Colorado
• Dan Van Sant, MNSure
• Sandra Cook, Arkansas Health Connector     
• Heather Howard, Princeton Univ. and RWJF's State Health Reform Assistance Network
• Rachel Dolan, National Academy for State Health Policy
• Anita Cardwell, National Academy for State Health Policy”  

[Source:  NASHP]

August 29th Webinar: Connecting Two Worlds – States Integrating Primary & Behavioral Health Care

“The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is pleased to announce a new webinar, Connecting the Two Worlds: States Integrating Primary and Behavioral Health Care," on August 29, 2013, from 12:30-2:00 pm (EDT).

As states pursue payment and delivery reform to yield a more integrated delivery system, stronger connections between primary and behavioral health care are essential. This webinar will explore challenges and opportunities to building linkages and care models that meet the needs of patients with physical and behavioral health care needs. It will also examine strategies for blending disparate funding streams from different payers and exchanging data needed to support care coordination and working relationships between varied providers. The webinar will feature the experiences of Washington state, Minnesota, and an innovative community mental health center that is leveraging a Health Care Innovation award from the CMS Innovation Center to integrate care. Register now here.

This webinar is the final installment in a multi-part NASHP series to help states that are ready to take the next step in thinking about multi-payer approaches to payment and delivery reform, moving beyond the medical home. Previous webinars in the series can be viewed here.

Following the webinar, a small group of participating states will be invited to join in a virtual consultation with our featured faculty and project staff around the issues raised in this webinar.

For more information please contact Mike Stanek at mstanek@nashp.org."  [Source:  NASHP]

Webinar: The Future of CHIP and Children's Coverage

Monday, May 14, 2012; 2:00 - 3:00 pm (EDT)

The National Academy for State Health Policy is hosting a two-part May Webinar series on children’s coverage and health reform. In this first webcast, Catherine Hess, Managing Director at NASHP, will present key considerations outlined by CHIP Directors that policymakers should take into account when making health policy decisions that may affect children’s coverage now and into the future. Next, Stan Dorn, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute Health Policy Center will outline future coverage options for low-income children based on findings from research conducted in California.

For more information, please contact Hannah Richardson: hrichardson@nashp.org.

New Report: Building a Consumer-Oriented Health Insurance Exchange

As states develop insurance exchanges, their decisions have profound implications for consumers. This new report covers three main areas where consumers intersect with the exchange:

1. Consumer participation in exchange governance, such as directly serving on governing boards;
2. Consumer input into policy and implementation decisions, and the various avenues states are using to gather this input, such as workgroups and town hall meeting participation; and
3. Early planning for the consumer-serving functions of the exchange, such as navigator programs and the web portal.

Download the report and other additional NASHP publications about Health Insurance Exchanges.

Affordable Care Act: Opportunities for Safety Nets

The Affordable Care Act has the potential to help safety-net providers deliver more accessible, higher-quality care to vulnerable populations. Read about the provisions of the law that will help safety-net providers in a new blog post by The Commonwealth Fund. In a related blog post, the National Academy for State Health Policy explores how these providers will be affected by participation in accountable care organizations.

Also available from The Commonwealth Fund is a podcast exploring what health reform means for safety-net providers.