A Medicaid-Funded Statewide Diabetes Quality Improvement Collaborative: Ohio 2020‒2022.

We used a collective impact model to form a statewide diabetes quality improvement collaborative to improve diabetes outcomes and advance diabetes health equity. Between 2020 and 2022, in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care Plans, and Ohio's seven medical schools, we recruited 20 primary care practices across the state. The percentage of patients with hemoglobin A1c greater than 9% improved from 25% to 20% over two years. Applying our model more broadly could accelerate improvement in diabetes outcomes. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(12):1254-1257. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307410).

Trends in Use of Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 10 State Medicaid Programs.

Importance: Federal and state agencies granted temporary regulatory waivers to prevent disruptions in access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanding access to telehealth for MOUD. Little is known about changes in MOUD receipt and initiation among Medicaid enrollees during the pandemic. Objectives: To examine changes in receipt of any MOUD, initiation of MOUD (in-person vs telehealth), and the proportion of days covered (PDC) with MOUD after initiation from before to after declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Design, Setting, and Participants: This serial cross-sectional study included Medicaid enrollees aged 18 to 64 years in 10 states from May 2019 through December 2020. Analyses were conducted from January through March 2022. Exposures: Ten months before the COVID-19 PHE (May 2019 through February 2020) vs 10 months after the PHE was declared (March through December 2020). Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included receipt of any MOUD and outpatient initiation of MOUD via prescriptions and office- or facility-based administrations. Secondary outcomes included in-person vs telehealth MOUD initiation and PDC with MOUD after initiation. Results: Among a total of 8 167 497 Medicaid enrollees before the PHE and 8 181 144 after the PHE, 58.6% were female in both periods and most enrollees were aged 21 to 34 years (40.1% before the PHE; 40.7% after the PHE). Monthly rates of MOUD initiation, representing 7% to 10% of all MOUD receipt, decreased immediately after the PHE primarily due to reductions in in-person initiations (from 231.3 per 100 000 enrollees in March 2020 to 171.8 per 100 000 enrollees in April 2020) that were partially offset by increases in telehealth initiations (from 5.6 per 100 000 enrollees in March 2020 to 21.1 per 100 000 enrollees in April 2020). Mean monthly PDC with MOUD in the 90 days after initiation decreased after the PHE (from 64.5% in March 2020 to 59.5% in September 2020). In adjusted analyses, there was no immediate change (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01) or change in the trend (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01) in the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD after the PHE compared with before the PHE. There was an immediate decrease in the likelihood of outpatient MOUD initiation (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85-0.96) and no change in the trend in the likelihood of outpatient MOUD initiation (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-1.00) after the PHE compared with before the PHE. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of Medicaid enrollees, the likelihood of receipt of any MOUD was stable from May 2019 through December 2020 despite concerns about potential COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in care. However, immediately after the PHE was declared, there was a reduction in overall MOUD initiations, including a reduction in in-person MOUD initiations that was only partially offset by increased use of telehealth.

A Medicaid Statewide Hypertension Quality Improvement Project: Initial Results.

Background Hypertension control is critical to reducing cardiovascular disease, challenging to achieve, and exacerbated by socioeconomic inequities. Few states have established statewide quality improvement (QI) infrastructures to improve blood pressure (BP) control across economically disadvantaged populations. In this study, we aimed to improve BP control by 15% for all Medicaid recipients and by 20% for non-Hispanic Black participants. Methodology This QI study used repeated cross-sections of electronic health record data and, for Medicaid enrollees, linked Medicaid claims data for 17,672 adults with hypertension seen at one of eight high-volume Medicaid primary care practices in Ohio from 2017 to 2019. Evidence-based strategies included (1) accurate BP measurement; (2) timely follow-up; (3) outreach; (4) a standardized treatment algorithm; and (5) effective communication. Payers focused on a 90-day supply (vs. 30-day) of BP medications, home BP monitor access, and outreach. Implementation efforts included an in-person kick-off followed by monthly QI coaching and monthly webinars. Weighted generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the baseline, one-year, and two-year implementation change in the proportion of visits with BP control (<140/90 mm Hg) stratified by race/ethnicity. Results For all practices, the percentage of participants with controlled BP increased from 52% in 2017 to 60% in 2019. Among non-Hispanic Whites, the odds of achieving BP control in year one and year two were 1.24 times (95% confidence interval: 1.14, 1.34) and 1.50 times (1.38, 1.63) higher relative to baseline, respectively. Among non-Hispanic Blacks, the odds for years one and two were 1.18 times (1.10, 1.27) and 1.34 times (1.24, 1.45) higher relative to baseline, respectively. Conclusions A hypertension QI project as part of establishing a statewide QI infrastructure improved BP control in practices with a high volume of disadvantaged patients. Future efforts should investigate ways to reduce inequities in BP control and further explore factors associated with greater BP improvements and sustainability.

Forming Cardi-OH: A Statewide Collaborative to Improve Cardiovascular Health in Ohio.

Background Cardiovascular risk factor control is challenging, especially in disadvantaged populations. However, few statewide efforts exist to tackle this challenge. Therefore, our objective is to describe the formation of a unique statewide cardiovascular health collaborative so others may learn from this approach. Methodology With funding from the Ohio Department of Medicaid's Ohio Medicaid Technical Assistance and Policy Program, we used a collective impact model to link the seven medical schools in Ohio, primary care clinics across the state, the Ohio Department of Medicaid, and Ohio's Medicaid Managed Care Plans in a statewide health improvement collaborative for expanding primary care capacity to improve cardiovascular health in Ohio. Results Initial dissemination activities for primary care teams included a virtual case-based learning series focused on hypertension and social determinants of health, website resources, a monthly newsletter with clinical tips, webinars, and in-person conferences. The collaborative is aligned with a separately funded hypertension quality improvement project for paired implementation. Conclusions The collective impact model is a useful framework for developing a statewide collaborative focused on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based best practices for cardiovascular health improvement and disparity reduction. Statewide collaboratives bringing payers, clinicians, and academic partners together have the potential to substantially impact cardiovascular health.

Opioid Use Disorder Among Ohio's Medicaid Population: Prevalence Estimates From 19 Counties Using a Multiplier Method.

The decades-long overdose epidemic in the United States is driven by opioid misuse. Overdoses commonly, although not exclusively, occur in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). To allocate adequate resources and develop appropriately scaled public health responses, accurate estimation of the prevalence of OUD is needed. Indirect methods (e.g., a multiplier method) of estimating prevalence of problematic substance-use behavior circumvent some limitations of household surveys and use of administrative data. We used a multiplier method to estimate OUD prevalence among the adult Medicaid population (ages 18-64 years) in 19 Ohio counties that are highly affected by overdose. We used Medicaid claims data and the US National Vital Statistics System overdose death data, which were linked at the person level. A statistical model leveraged opioid-related death rate information from a group with known OUD to estimate prevalence among a group with unknown OUD status given recorded opioid-related deaths in that group. We estimated that 13.6% of the total study population had OUD in 2019. Men (16.7%) had a higher prevalence of OUD than women (11.4%), and persons aged 35-54 had the highest prevalence (16.7%). Our approach to prevalence estimation has important implications for OUD surveillance and treatment in the United States.

A statewide quality improvement (QI) initiative for better health outcomes and family stability among pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their infants.

A collaborative led by state health and human service agencies, academic leaders, and stakeholders tested interventions to expand use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) through a maternal medical home (MMH) model that coordinated behavioral health and prenatal care with social supports for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) enrolled in Medicaid. The program was anchored in four clinical organizations with distinct models of care: community behavioral health, residential behavioral health, hospital-based obstetrical practice, and co-located obstetrical and behavioral health. A modified version of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series Model for Improvement was implemented using monthly performance data feedback to conduct small tests of change and improve care. Administrative data from the state's Medicaid, vital statistics, and child welfare systems were linked to evaluate the impact of MOMS on 252 mother-infant dyads compared to a sample of 846 Medicaid beneficiaries with OUD in the third trimester of pregnancy. MOMS participation was associated with increased likelihood of MAT in trimesters one, two and three (AOR = 2.30, 4.40, 2.75, respectively), behavioral health counseling during trimesters two and three (AOR = 3.75 and 2.07, respectively), retention in MAT during postpartum months one through three and four through six (AOR = 2.86, 2.40, respectively), and marginally lower out-of-home placement of infants born to mothers with OUD (AOR = 0.66). Within the MOMS program, greater participation in behavioral health treatment and MAT (χ2(3) ≥ 12.09) was observed in the co-located behavioral health/obstetrical care practice site compared to behavioral health-led and obstetrical provider-led sites.

Social determinants of health priorities of state Medicaid programs.

BACKGROUND: Growing understanding of the influence of social determinants of health (SDH) on healthcare costs and outcomes for low income populations is leading State Medicaid agencies to consider incorporating SDH into their program design. This paper explores states' current approaches to SDH. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach combined a web-based survey sent through the Medicaid Medical Director Network (MMDN) listserv and semi-structured interviews conducted at the MMDN Annual Meeting in November 2017. RESULTS: Seventeen MMDs responded to the survey and 14 participated in an interview. More than half reported current collection of SDH data and all had intentions for future collection. Most commonly reported SDH screening topics were housing instability and food insecurity. In-depth interviews underscored barriers to optimal SDH approaches. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that Medicaid leaders recognize the importance of SDH in improving health, health equity, and healthcare costs for the Medicaid population but challenges for sustainable implementation remain.

Prepregnancy Insurance and Timely Prenatal Care for Medicaid Births: Before and After the Affordable Care Act in Ohio.

Background/Objective: Persistent instability in insurance coverage before and after pregnancy among low-income mothers in the United States contributes to delayed prenatal care and poor infant outcomes. States that expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) make public insurance free for many low-income women regardless of parental or pregnancy status. Our objective is to analyze the effects of expanding Medicaid in Ohio on enrollment of pregnant women and receipt of recommended prenatal care. A key objective in the state is to address infant mortality as Ohio ranks above the national average and racial disparities persist. Materials and Methods: We used linked enrollment/claims/birth certificate data for women with Medicaid-paid deliveries/births, aged 19-44 years with months of last menstrual period (LMP) in calendar year 2011-2015 (N = 290,091). We used interrupted time-series analysis of enrollment prepregnancy and receipt of guideline-concordant screenings (anemia, asymptomatic bacteriuria, chlamydia, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], and TORCH) and prenatal vitamins after versus before the expansion. We stratified by parity since first-time mothers would be impacted more. Results: We found almost a 12 percentage point increase in enrollment prepregnancy among first-time mothers compared with almost a 6 percentage point increase for parous women. We found significant increases in all screens and vitamins for both groups. TORCH screening increased 8 percentage points and receipt of prenatal vitamins almost 14 percentage points, by the end of 2015 for first-time mothers, compared with 5 and 4 percentage points, respectively, for parous women. Conclusions: Early enrollment and prenatal care for low-income women in Ohio could erode if the state's Medicaid expansion is altered.

A Medicaid Quality Improvement Collaborative on Psychotropic Medication Prescribing for Children.

A Medicaid statewide quality improvement (QI) collaborative was developed to improve antipsychotic prescribing practices for children. With use of a multistrategy approach that incorporated data-driven feedback and evidence-based recommendations, improvements were seen in three measures: antipsychotics prescribed to children under age six, prescription of two or more concomitant antipsychotics for longer than two months, and prescription of four or more psychotropic medications. Challenges and complexities are reviewed, including use of ongoing QI to address factors influencing antipsychotic prescribing behaviors, engagement of providers in QI efforts, and financial sustainability of such efforts.

A Statewide Progestogen Promotion Program in Ohio.

OBJECTIVE: To promote use of progestogen therapy to reduce premature births in Ohio by 10%. METHODS: The Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative initiated a quality improvement project in 2014 working with clinics at 20 large maternity hospitals, Ohio Medicaid, Medicaid insurers, and service agencies to use quality improvement methods to identify eligible women and remove treatment barriers. The number of women eligible for prophylaxis, the percent prescribed a progestogen before 20 and 24 weeks of gestation, and barriers encountered were reported monthly. Clinics were asked to adopt protocols to identify candidates and initiate treatment promptly. System-level changes were made to expand Medicaid eligibility, maintain Medicaid coverage during pregnancy, improve communication, and adopt uniform data collection and efficient treatment protocols. Rates of singleton births before 32 and 37 weeks of gestation in Ohio hospitals were primary outcomes. We used statistical process control methods to analyze change and generalized linear mixed models to estimate program effects accounting for known risk factors. RESULTS: Participating sites tracked 2,562 women eligible for treatment between January 1, 2014, and November 30, 2015. Late entry to care, variable interpretation of treatment guidelines, maintenance of Medicaid coverage, and inefficient communication among health care providers and insurers were identified as treatment barriers. Births before 32 weeks of gestation decreased in all hospitals by 6.6% and in participating hospitals by 8.0%. Births before 32 weeks of gestation to women with prior preterm birth decreased by 20.5% in all hospitals, by 20.3% in African American women, and by 17.1% in women on Medicaid. Births before 37 weeks of gestation were minimally affected. Adjusting for risk factors and birth clustering by hospital confirmed a program-associated 13% (95% confidence interval 0.3-24%) reduction in births before 32 weeks of gestation to women with prior preterm birth. CONCLUSION: The Ohio progestogen project was associated with a sustained reduction in singleton births before 32 weeks of gestation in Ohio.

Improving Medicaid: three decades of change to better serve women of childbearing age.

Over the past 3 decades, major changes enhanced Medicaid's role in improving the health of women and perinatal outcomes. Reforms in the 1980s and 1990s had impact not only on coverage but also on current policy debates. Whether or not states expand eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid is important. Increased coverage for well-woman visits, preconception care, and contraceptive methods are opportunities in gynecology. As a critical source of maternity coverage, Medicaid can improve prenatal care, reduce preterm births, limit early elective deliveries, and increase postpartum visits. Obstetrician-gynecologists play a role in translating coverage into access to quality services.

Early elective deliveries accounted for nearly 9 percent of births paid for by Medicaid.

Reducing early elective deliveries has become a priority for Medicaid medical directors and their state partners. Such deliveries lead to poor health outcomes for newborns and their mothers and generate additional costs for patients, providers, and Medicaid, which pays for up to 48 percent of all births in the United States each year. Early elective deliveries are non-medically indicated labor inductions or cesarean deliveries of infants with a confirmed gestational age of less than thirty-nine weeks. This retrospective descriptive study reports the results of a perinatal project, led by the state Medicaid medical directors, that sought to coordinate quality improvement efforts related to early elective deliveries for the Medicaid population. Twenty-two states participated in the project and provided data on elective deliveries in the period 2010-12. We found that 75,131 (8.9 percent) of 839,688 Medicaid singleton births were early elective deliveries. Thus, we estimate that there are 160,000 early elective Medicaid deliveries nationwide each year. In twelve states, early-term elective deliveries declined 32 percent between 2007 and 2011. Our study offers additional evidence and new tools for policy makers pursuing strategies to further reduce the number of such deliveries.

Improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Maternal and infant health is critical to our nation's health. Disparities remain unacceptably high, particularly in the areas of prematurity and infant mortality. In 2012, traditionally distant partners such as federal and state governments, Medicaid and commercial payers, patients, public health and private clinicians, and multiple advocacy groups collaborated to focus on improving birth outcomes. To catalyze the alignment, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services convened an Expert Panel on Improving Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Over a year's time, the Expert Panel assimilated the best available evidence in clinical science and policy from content leaders and patients. These recommendations culminated in the present report, which challenges us as a nation to implement strategies to help all children have the best chance to survive and thrive comparable to that of other westernized nations.

Randomized prospective trial of early steroid withdrawal compared with low-dose steroids in renal transplant recipients using serial protocol biopsies to assess efficacy and safety.

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroid therapy after renal transplantation is associated with many adverse effects. Newer immunosuppressive agents may allow for safe and effective reductions in dose or early steroid withdrawal. METHODS: In this prospective, single-center clinical trial, 60 patients were randomized into 2 groups: control patients (n = 28), who received low doses of prednisone throughout, and study patients (n = 32), who were withdrawn from steroids 7 days posttransplant. Patients received a limited course of rabbit antilymphocyte globulin (rALG) induction therapy, tacrolimus (TAC), and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Patients were followed for clinical outcomes and renal function. Protocol biopsies were performed at 1, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: Clinical rejections occurred in 11% of controls and 13% of study patients. Renal function was well maintained and equivalent in both groups. In all, 111 protocol biopsies were performed without complications. Subclinical rejection was noted in only 2 protocol biopsies, and borderline changes were seen in 12 biopsies, all of which were distributed equally between both groups. Unsuspected acute TAC toxicity was seen in 8 biopsies. Protocol biopsies led to changes in therapy in 10% of patients. In both groups, serial protocol biopsies demonstrated increased allograft fibrosis over time, which was significant at 1 year in the steroid withdrawal group. CONCLUSION: The immunosuppressive combination of rALG, TAC, and MMF prevents subclinical rejection and the need for high doses of steroids after transplantation. However, continual low-dose steroid therapy may aid in preventing chronic allograft fibrosis. Protocol biopsies help define the short-term and long-term risks of steroid withdrawal therapy.

Preventive medicine teaching cases for preventive medicine residents.

Preventive medicine education is unique in that its successes are measured in groups of people. Conveying this population perspective can be difficult, even to preventive medicine residents, some of whom have been in clinical practice for many years. The Case-Based Series in Population-Oriented Prevention (C-POP) was adapted for use in the New York State Preventive Medicine Residency curriculum. Parts of two of the cases were felt to be too clinical for use in this setting, but the other cases were well received and imparted the desired population perspective. Although the C-POP series was produced for undergraduate medical education, it is generally adaptable to the needs of a preventive medicine curriculum.

Maternal mortality.

This case-maternal mortality-is one of a series of teaching cases in the Case-Based Series in Population-Oriented Prevention (C-POP). It has been developed for use in medical school and residency prevention curricula. The complete set of cases is presented in this supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Maternal mortality remains an important public health concern, even though it is a rare event. This teaching module introduces five case reports of maternal death to provide a clinical lead into discussions about data sources such as death certificates and their limitations. The students will also calculate maternal mortality rates and explore racial disparities in this health indicator. Finally, the students will develop intervention strategies to identify and prevent maternal mortality.

Women's willingness to share information and participation in prenatal care systems.

With the expanded use of computerized databases to gather information, a concomitant interest in using databases for public health purposes has developed. The authors investigated correlates of consenting to participate in such databases. The Regional Perinatal Data System combines electronic birth certificate information with questions asked of all women delivering a livebirth. Each woman is asked to consent to share information with 1) her obstetric provider, 2) her infant's pediatric provider, and 3) an immunization registry. From 1996 to 1999, women who responded to the consent question and whose livebirth did not result in death or adoption were included. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals denoted the magnitude of association for refusing consent. Women who were "self-pay" (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.7, 2.4), foreign born (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.7, 2.1), and aged 40 or more years (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.6, 2.3) were more likely to refuse to share data. Women eligible for but not participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children were significantly more likely to not share their information with others (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.3, 1.6), after controlling for confounders. Refusing to share information with other sources is not random, and women refusing consent often do not participate in publicly available programs.