Human Services to host presentation on primary care management reform for ND Medicaid; featured speaker shares information on SD’s Health Home program

The North Dakota Department of Human Services is hosting an informational presentation on primary care management reform for North Dakota Medicaid on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 9 to 10 a.m. Central Time in the Brynhild Haugland Room at the state Capitol. The presentation will also be available through Skype video conferencing at https://bit.ly/2FgwOA0. North Dakota Medicaid providers and other stakeholders are invited to attend.    

North Dakota Medicaid is considering a new primary care management model as an alternative to its Primary Care Case Management program that was established in the 1990s. This program helps connect Medicaid members with health care providers who provide and coordinate their care on a consistent basis.  

The event’s featured speaker is Kathi Mueller from the South Dakota Department of Social Services. She will share information on South Dakota Medicaid’s Health Home program that offers enhanced health care services to Medicaid members with chronic conditions. The program aims to reduce inpatient hospitalization and emergency room visits, increase the integration between physical and behavioral health services, and enhance transitional care between institutions and the community. In 2018, South Dakota Medicaid estimated it avoided $7.3 million in costs due to the program. Information about the Health Home program is online at https://dss.sd.gov/healthhome/.

Mueller’s presentation will last about 45 minutes with time reserved at the end for questions and answers. This event is the first of several informational presentations planned this year to learn from other state Medicaid programs that have implemented care management models.

“The department has placed a high priority on implementing initiatives that simplify how we deliver services that benefit both our clients and providers,” said Caprice Knapp, director of the department’s Medical Services Division. “As part of this effort, we are exploring ways to incentivize providers to better manage care for people with chronic conditions and improve their quality of life. There are states that have great success with this through various care models, and we want to learn from them.”

Knapp said the state’s Primary Care Case Management program is not going way, but instead the department is trying to identify an alternative program that providers can choose to participate in.

The public should enter the Capitol through the south (tunnel) public entrance. Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations, including appropriate auxiliary aids to participate, can contact Stacey Koehly at 701-328-4807, toll-free 800-755-2604, 711 (TTY) or skoehlynd [dot] gov

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For more information on North Dakota Medicaid’s Primary Care Case Management program, visit www.nd.gov/dhs/services/medicalserv/medicaid/managedcare.html.