Data

This memorandum and tables present data on Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver expenditures from Federal Fiscal Years 2000 through 2005. Each individual HCBS waiver is classified by population served in order to show the distribution of HCBS waiver expenditures across long term care populations.

This memorandum presents data on Medicaid long-term care expenditures in Federal Fiscal Year 2005 (Sept 2004-Sept 2005). The accompanying tables present data on Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Care services from 1993-2005. Data included for Nursing Homes, ICF-MR, Personal Care, HCBS Waivers, Home Health, Home Care, Inpatient Hospital Care, Inpatient DSH, Inpatient Mental Health, Mental Health DSH, Medicaid Managed-Care, Prescribed Drugs, Long-term Care, Targeted Case Management and PACE.

This Executive Summary and accompanying Abbreviated State Reports encapsulates the comprehensive case studies that Congress directed CMS to perform as a first year task in a 3-year study of state management practices in balancing long-term care systems. The studies were undertaken in 8 states (AR, FL, MN, NM, PA, TX, VT, WA) and examine “rebalancing” from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.

A new fact sheet and report analysis Medicaid spending and enrollment trends for 2000-2004. Medicaid trends are related to the state of the nation's economy; as the economy has strengthened, increases in enrollment and spending have slowed. Rising enrollment and health care inflation produced most of Medicaid's spending increases. Even with a stronger economy, however, Medicaid's enrollment pressures remain due to demographic trends and continued declines in employer-sponsored insurance.

United Cerebral Palsy conducted a holistic analysis to chart each state’s ranking and progress in creating a quality, meaningful and community-inclusive life for those Americans with mental retardation and developmental disabilities served by that state’s Medicaid program. This is part of a three-phase process that also will study top-performing states and then create state-specific action plans on how their state can improve.

The statehealthfacts.org had recently added a data on states who offer Individual Budget programs. Use this interactive guide to compare and review activities related to participant-directed care. Data includes the program type, program name, CMS waiver authority, includes elderly, and a status update. Current as of January 2006.

This paper outlines some of the factors program managers may need to consider in identifying strategies for integrating information to support their quality improvement activities. The focus of this paper primarily is on synthesizing information from different data sources and integrating two or more files. For the more technically minded, the Appendix provides examples of states system integration efforts.

This paper walks through different types of HCBS waiver reports and includes steps for thinking through the purpose, content and format, while tailoring report presentation to meet the needs of specific audiences. Wherever possible, state examples are provided and supplemented by sample reports that combine promising features. Seven types of reports are highlighted that guide program management, inform policy development, measure program outcomes and identify areas for quality improvement.

Presenting numbers and patterns is a critical component of data analysis. Once analyses have been completed, the next step involves sharing key findings with staff and stakeholders and using findings as a basis for decision-making. There are a number of ways to present data and the challenge is in constructing an effective visual. This paper provides an overview of the most frequently used formats and includes tips on how to select among the different types.

What do program managers need informed about with data quality management? Many rely on technical staff to actually conduct the technical aspects of data import, cleaning and analysis. Nevertheless, it is important for a program manager to understand the process and to provide the time and resources necessary to produce reliable and accurate data. This paper focuses on ways to assure the accuracy, discusses tools for analyzing trends and patterns and provides tips on interpreting results.