Maryland

An NPR story on the first year of Maryland’s experiment with hospitals receiving a “global budget” from Medicare makes the common mistake of focusing almost exclusively on the positive financial aspects of the program, recently shown to have saved $116 million in its first year, 2014. The story makes only brief note of the significant quality improvements reported by Maryland hospitals, and does not go into any depth about Maryland’s low patient satisfaction scores, which were among the worst in the country before global budgeting and remain a cause for concern, even with progress being made. The article that appears in the New England Journal of Medicine is available for purchase by non-subscribers, and provides helpful additional details on the quality improvements and patient satisfaction issues. An additional perspective on the recent savings report appears in a Health Affairs blog post by Carmela Coyle, President and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association.

Massachusetts

MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, has shared the enrollment reports for September and October for the One Care dual eligible demonstration project.

Michigan

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the latest monthly enrollment dashboard for the MI Health Link dual eligible demonstration project as of November 2015.

New York

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on November 5 that it is partnering with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to test a new model for providing Medicare-Medicaid enrollees with more coordinated, person-centered care. The state and CMS will work to create a demonstration project to better serve dually eligible individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Voluntary enrollment in the program will begin no sooner than April 1, 2016, and unlike the other dual eligible demonstrations, passive enrollment will not be a feature of this new program. In addition, the demonstration will include a benefit package tailored for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.