Scott Dillingham’s Post

Policies are constantly changing, while the basic needs of vulnerable populations remain unchanged. How can we ensure that high-need populations still have access to long-term support under evolving systems of care? By expanding our relationship with Medicaid officials and improving access to Medicaid services. Learn more about our Medicaid goals: https://heyor.ca/tQf18O #SpecialNeedsPlan #Healthcare

On the Centauri Health Solutions, Inc blog, I talk about the effects of the Medicaid unwinding in terms of health outcomes. Get in touch if you'd like to know more about how Centauri helps organizations stay focused on health outcomes related to access and coverage.

A growing number of states are covering housing-related services under Medicaid. 🏘️ Check out NASHP | National Academy for State Health Policy's latest report to learn more about how states are leveraging their contracts with managed care organizations to support housing-related interventions.

In 2023, after opposing Medicaid expansion for years North Carolina’s General Assembly changed their minds. Conditions shifted. Arguments evolved. New coalitions emerged. And, suddenly change was possible. Kody Kinsley, North Carolina's Secretary of Health & Human Services, joins #TheOther80 to talk about North Carolina's historic moves to expand Medicaid and invest in mental health. This is our first episode recorded in person at our fabulous Berkeley Public Health studio. Kody and I discuss: ▶How to get stuff done in a politically divided state ▶The surprising coalition that backed Medicaid expansion in NC ▶One move that would dramatically increase access to healthy food in America - automatically enroll all Medicaid beneficiaries in SNAP ▶Why NC Medicaid has gone deep on peer-to-peer support for prenatal care and mental health ▶The importance of building a better narrative about the role and value of public health 🎙Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eN5CT_2U 🎙Or wherever you access podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eyjzAH68

Interested in state strategies to support housing-related services under Medicaid? Our new resource highlights examples of how state Medicaid programs are leveraging manage care contracts and policies to align a variety of health and housing supports and services, including behavioral health services, pre-tenancy services, tenancy sustaining services, home remediations, and home/environmental accessibility modifications. Check out the resource to learn more: https://loom.ly/FEUdTQU

An amazing story indeed, Secretary Kinsley. As hospital week comes to end end, let’s not forget the unsung heroes of this story, our State’s hospitals. North Carolina hospital worked tirelessly with our elected leaders in the House and Senate to get HB 76 across the finish line. Hospitals made significant contributions to make Medicaid Expansion a reality. 🎯 Funding the non-federal share of expansion (10% of the total cost) saving North Carolina tax payers hundred of millions of dollars 🎯 Providing tens of millions of additional dollars to the NC general fund 🎯 Making concessions to modernize the CON law (many of these changes go into effect in 2025) 🎯 Creating HASP, which allows the state to draw down additional federal dollars to support local hospitals to help offset new taxes and obligations and to support the work that hospitals do every day to support their communities and the people they serve. (Note: HB 76 requires the state to draw down these dollars, annually, to make it all work - a win-win arrangement) Thank your home town hospital and the amazing people who work there

This is a peronal victory. Why? Well, as usual, there’s a story… I am a person sustaining recovery who has a graduate degree in Counseling, obtained prior to losing so much of who I am to opioid dependence. I got my M.Ed. in Counseling in 2006, right before beginning a decade of declining mental illness and increasing dependence on substances that would almost end my life multiple times. During a TDO for psychosis related to opioid withdrawal in 2017, I was asked by the attending doc what I did for a living. I replied that I was a mental health therapist hoping to get a fresh start and achieve my LPC credentials. The doctor laughed at me and said I’d NEVER work in the behavioral health profession again. Three years and a lot of recovery and healing later, I became a Peer Recovery Specialist as a way to get back some of what I considered my life’s purpose in the healing arts. I am so proud to be a member of the Peer Workforce today. I have long considered myself a Peer first and at times, even glossed over my educational history. My inner narrative remains fueled by what that doc said years ago, that I will never be enough. I am not licensed and not valid, I’m too focused on mutuality and empathy to be clinical, yet I’m not “peer” enough by sheer virtue of a framed piece of paper. Yet lots of awesome CPRSs hold the ultimate goal of becoming CSACs or licensed clinicians. Apparently, being a Peer Professional is somehow still “less than” and not only to me (but that’s a post for another day). Soon after entering the CSB world, I saw how vast the divide is between clinical/treatment and recovery/peer support. This started my wheels turning. “Am I a Peer or am I a clinician? There is absolutely no way I could be both, right? Wait… could I be both?” Then I began organically trying to build relationships on both professional sides along with integrating both sides of myself. Through this process of increasing understanding, bridging the divide, and creating authentic connection, I discovered that both sides do actually value the other and view us as spokes in a wheel. The one thing that keeps us separated is money, specifically Medicaid reimbursement rates. That’s where we learn to put a value on our own professional worth and that’s where even the most confident of Peers are reminded of our discounted worth in the behavioral health system. I kept dreaming of my ideal role, one that combined all parts of me. Last month, I found it and I am thrilled to be in a position currently where I am valued for my education in all its forms: from both Longwood and the University of Life. Even today, I longed for a way to leverage my book knowledge in a way that would bring value to my agency and wondered if I could ever actually bill for clinical services. This new inclusion for educated recovery professionals who are not licensed is great news for not only me, but also for the strained behavioral health workforce. We do have value and are ready to help.

CCA has provided crucial operational insights for the new report titled Enhancing Palliative Care Access for Dual Eligible Individuals with Serious Illnesses, released by ATI Advisory in collaboration with the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). This report delves into enhancing access to palliative care for dual eligible individuals with serious illnesses, offering actionable recommendations for CMS, state Medicaid agencies, D-SNPs, and palliative care champions to address barriers for this vulnerable population. #Healthcare #PalliativeCare #HealthPolicy

We applaud the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for its work to address health-related social needs like homelessness and food insecurity by establishing consistent definitions and measurement methods. One of CMS’ recommendations is to standardize the definition of drivers of health (DOH). As we know from our work in performance measurement, aligning measurement standards across the industry is critical to improving health outcomes, reducing disparities, and lowering costs. Read more about CMS’ DOH definitions and measures in a new blog post from The Commonwealth Fund: https://hubs.li/Q02gHpg50

Peter Gordon hosts an episode of "Organizing Life's Daily Demands" where he interviews Colin Sandler, a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Medicaid Solutions. Colin specializes in assisting families and caregivers in developing a long-term care strategy and providing guidance on managing expenses. Tune in to the episode for these key insights from Colin Sandler: * The importance of social workers * Different types of Medicaid * Common myths about Medicaid * What is pooled income trust? * Is a professional needed through the Medicaid process? https://lnkd.in/e_RBJdNU Are you trying to get covered by Medicaid?