VBP/VPID primer; A year in the life of the Catalyst Center, updated SOC Standards for CYSHCN

What have we done for you lately?

A Primer on Value-based Strategies for Improving Financing of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

Value-based purchasing and value-based insurance design are gaining increasing attention as strategies for reducing health care spending and improving health outcomes - "value" being the operative concept. However, there is not enough evidence to date regarding the effectiveness of these strategies; what does exist is primarily focused on interventions impacting adults. This primer focuses on opportunities to increase value in spending on health services for children and youth with special health care needs through select alternative payment mechanisms and delivery innovations, and potential roles for Title V and family leaders in these efforts.

Read the Primer

A year in the life of the Catalyst Center

As we begin the 5th and final year of our cooperative agreement with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, we wanted to share highlights of our work from year four.

Published 11 Catalyst Center enewsletters

Completed analysis of the 119 interviews we conducted with Title V programs, Medicaid agencies, and Family Leaders as part of our structured interview project about coverage and financing of care for CYSHCN; identified 6 new topic areas for strategies (Behavioral Health, Benefits Counseling, Family Supports, Foster Care, Inequities, and Relief Funds); added new and updated information to the Financing Strategies section of our web site

With support from the National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Networks at the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, we updated and expanded a State Statutes & Regulations on Dietary Treatment of Disorders Identified Through Newborn Screening chart

Produced 3 major publications: an update of Breaking the Link between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship, with new data, family stories, and analyses;
Leveraging Title V Partnerships to Advance National Performance Measure # 15: Adequate Health Insurance,
and the Primer described above

Created 2 interactive worksheets for Title V program staff, family leaders, and other stakeholders that provide an overview of Title V, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Presented a Family Partnerships to Address Inequities in Health Coverage and Access to Care among CYSHCN workshop at the 2017 AMCHP conference

Hosted or presented on 8 webinars, covering topics such as care coordination, medical foods, payment reform, strategies for achieving NPM # 15, and value-based purchasing and value-based insurance design and implications for CYSHCN

Presented at 4 in-person meetings, including a Congressional Briefing on pathways to Medicaid enrollment for CYSHCN

Provided individual, in-depth technical assistance to 52 stakeholders about topics such as Medicaid policy, private health insurance, managed care, care coordination, and payment reform

In collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, co-edited a special Pediatrics supplement on value-based purchasing and value-based insurance design and their potential implications for CYSHCN; contributed 3 original papers to the supplement

In collaboration with the AAP, hosted a 4th Expert Learning Community meeting on innovative financing strategies and CYSHCN; added Title V representatives to the membership and relevant topics to the meeting agenda

In case you missed it...

Standards for Systems of Care for CYSHCN, Version 2.0: Streamlined and Updated

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has released an updated version of the National Standards for Systems of Care that strive to serve the nation's 11 million children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

Read the Standards

About the Catalyst Center

The Catalyst Center, the National Center for Health Insurance and Financing for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U41MC13618, $473,000. This information or content and conclusions are those of the Catalyst Center staff and should not be construed as the official position or policy of nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
LCDR Leticia Manning, MPH, MCHB/HRSA Project Officer.