Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)

The Center for Health Care Strategies has published a discussion between two tribal leaders and an Arizona Medicaid leader on the steps Medicaid agencies can take to better serve tribes. The podcast features Kim Russell, executive director, Navajo Nation Department of Health and former Director of the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care; Monica Antone, former Lieutenant Governor for the Gila River Indian Community; and Marcus Johnson, deputy director, Community Engagement and Regulatory Affairs, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.

The Center for Health Care Strategies released an article on the advancement of equitable practices and explores advancing integrated models for further inclusion of all populations in service delivery. The article explores best practices from Hill Country Health and Wellness Center in rural northern California as they work towards greater implementation of equitable practices.

A new article from the Centers for Health Care Strategies explores a new effort to improve and align care across California Medicaid. The article explores racial disparities in access to and quality of LTSS, integration of dually eligible individuals, and more.

Through support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, CHCS has published a Patient-Centered Complex Care Research Agenda to help involve people with lived experiences with complex care in the research process. The Better Care Playbook spoke to two individuals who helped develop the Research Agenda to learn how involving people with lived experience in research can help strengthen the complex care evidence base.

This blog post reviews considerations to strengthen provider networks in California to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities receive services that meet their needs. The post focuses on strategies for partnering with three key provider types: (1) community-based organizations; (2) institutional long-term care facilities; and (3) Medicare providers. Lessons from California can help inform other states and Medicaid managed care organizations across the country.

The Maximizing Independence (MIND) at Home program at Johns Hopkins University provides home and community-based care coordination for individuals and families living with dementia. Through focus groups with Black caregivers, researchers at Johns Hopkins aimed to better understand the unique needs of Black patients and families living with dementia, identify opportunities to improve care delivery, and understand caregivers’ perception of the MIND at Home program. This blog post from The Playbook explains the MIND at Home program and how dementia care coordination programs can better support Black patients and their families.

CHCS has two new tools designed to help support health care stakeholders in fostering trust between patients and providers: 1) Words Matter: Strategies to Reduce Bias in Electronic Health Records. This tool offers practical strategies for providers on how to write notes that promote patient-centered care and dignity. 2) Building Patient-Provider Trust to Help Patients Navigate a Biased System. This tool can help providers better understand the impact of their bias and better serve patients of color. It includes a handout that can be shared with patients and families to help them effectively engage with their providers.

This brief includes a checklist of eight key questions that can help state purchasers and other payers develop a robust payment and spending strategy focused on advancing health equity. Each question includes concrete state examples for adopting health equity-focused payment methods. This brief is a product of Advancing Health Equity, a national initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is working with states to pursue payment innovations that support health equity.

This brief highlights key lessons to inform data-sharing partnerships between community-based organizations, state agencies, and individuals with lived expertise. Lessons draw from the experiences of participants in Learning and Action in Policy and Partnerships, a national initiative supporting community-based data-sharing efforts led by Data Across Sectors for Health in partnership with the Center for Health Care Strategies through support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

With support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, CHCS brought together patients, providers, researchers, and clinicians to develop a Patient-Centered Complex Care Research Agenda. The agenda aims to embed a consistent focus on what matters most to patients into complex care research design and will be released in Fall 2022. This blog post shares lessons for including patient perspectives to guide research priorities, based on CHCS’ experience creating a patient and family advisory board and a research community to help inform the Research Agenda.