By ,
Jul 20, 2026
Medicaid Programs
Recently, a friend of mine arrived for a routine dental appointment expecting a simple visit. Instead, he learned that because of a recent move, the state had administratively reassigned him to a different Medicaid health plan.
Insights
Perspectives from the front lines of health care improvement — on the evidence, ideas and partnerships shaping what comes next.
Behavioral HealthMedicaid Programs
The Challenges of Improving Addictions Treatment
Over the last 15 years or so, the landscape in addiction treatment has changed significantly. Treatment has evolved from abstinence-only (without medications) philosophies to more comprehensive program designs that incorporate medications and other evidence-based practices.
Health IT
Health Information Exchanges Are Valuable, but More Is Needed
Health information exchanges (HIEs) have value in four significant arenas: Public health, population health, patient and family engagement, and patient care. COVID has shown us that the top value of an HIE is syndromic surveillance.
Health IT
Integrated Data Benefits Both Patient Care and Population Health
Systems scientists have an adage that “everyone is right, but only partially so,” meaning that every person brings a unique perspective to a situation, but no one person can have the whole picture. This is true in health data systems as well.
Health IT
Health Data Interoperability: It is Time to Involve the Patient
Health information exchanges (HIEs) are increasingly successful at aggregating patients’ information for providers and hospitals . The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s Final Rule on the 21st Century Cures Act requires HIEs to allow patients to have access to all their data at no cost.
Medicaid ProgramsQuality Improvement
A Blueprint for Next Generation Utilization Management
As much as the practicing medical community recoils at the thought of prior authorization (PA), the need to address inappropriate and unnecessary medical care remains paramount. In 2012, Berwick and Hackbarth estimated the cost to society of overtreatment to be between $158 billion and $226 billion.
Behavioral Health
Celebrating National Recovery Month
By now we’ve all heard the staggering rates of overdoses — over 100,000 dead in one year. There is another side to this story.
Health IT
Health Data Interoperability: We Have the Tools We Need — Let’s Use Them
Health data interoperability can encompass different types of data: Clinical data, social determinants of health (SDOH) data, community-based organization (CBOs) services and appointments data, and claims data, to name several. Health data interoperability can involve many parties: Patients and families; providers, surgery centers, lab and imaging centers, hospitals, health systems and pharmacies; dentists; allied health personnel; public health; community-based organizations; state agencies; payers; and so forth.
Medicaid ProgramsQuality Improvement
Addressing Social Determinants of Health Through Multisector Collaborations and Community Engagement
Even before COVID-19, we knew that where a person lived impacted their health and well-being. But the pandemic has laid bare profound health disparities caused by structural inequity in communities across the U.S.
Health IT
Modernizing Data Governance to Meet Population Health Needs
Over the last two years, public health data systems have been recognized for their ability to provide valuable insight into the pandemic. However, there are many other critical data assets held within state governments.