Implementing a Prison Medicaid Enrollment Program for Inmates with a Community Inpatient Hospitalization.

In 2011, North Carolina (NC) created a program to facilitate Medicaid enrollment for state prisoners experiencing community inpatient hospitalization during their incarceration. The program, which has been described as a model for prison systems nationwide, has saved the NC prison system approximately $10 million annually in hospitalization costs and has potential to increase prisoners' access to Medicaid benefits as they return to their communities. This study aims to describe the history of NC's Prison-Based Medicaid Enrollment Assistance Program (PBMEAP), its structure and processes, and program personnel's perspectives on the challenges and facilitators of program implementation. We conducted semi-structured interviews and a focus group with PBMEAP personnel including two administrative leaders, two "Medicaid Facilitators," and ten social workers. Seven major findings emerged: 1) state legislation was required to bring the program into existence; 2) the legislation was prompted by projected cost savings; 3) program development required close collaboration between the prison system and state Medicaid office; 4) technology and data sharing played key roles in identifying inmates who previously qualified for Medicaid and would likely qualify if hospitalized; 5) a small number of new staff were sufficient to make the program scalable; 6) inmates generally cooperated in filling out Medicaid applications, and their cooperation was encouraged when social workers explained possible benefits of receiving Medicaid after release; and 7) the most prominent program challenges centered around interaction with county Departments of Social Services, which were responsible for processing applications. Our findings could be instructive to both Medicaid non-expansion and expansion states that have either implemented similar programs or are considering implementing prison Medicaid enrollment programs in the future.

Medicaid Enrollment among Prison Inmates in a Non-expansion State: Exploring Predisposing, Enabling, and Need Factors Related to Enrollment Pre-incarceration and Post-Release.

Prison inmates suffer from a heavy burden of physical and mental health problems and have considerable need for healthcare and coverage after prison release. The Affordable Care Act may have increased Medicaid access for some of those who need coverage in Medicaid expansion states, but inmates in non-expansion states still have high need for Medicaid coverage and face unique barriers to enrollment. We sought to explore barriers and facilitators to Medicaid enrollment among prison inmates in a non-expansion state. We conducted qualitative interviews with 20 recently hospitalized male prison inmates who had been approached by a prison social worker due to probable Medicaid eligibility, as determined by the inmates' financial status, health, and past Medicaid enrollment. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a codebook with both thematic and interpretive codes. Coded interview text was then analyzed to identify predisposing, enabling, and need factors related to participants' Medicaid enrollment prior to prison and intentions to enroll after release. Study participants' median age, years incarcerated at the time of the interview, and projected remaining sentence length were 50, 4, and 2 years, respectively. Participants were categorized into three sub-groups based on their self-reported experience with Medicaid: (1) those who never applied for Medicaid before prison (n = 6); (2) those who unsuccessfully attempted to enroll in Medicaid before prison (n = 3); and (3) those who enrolled in Medicaid before prison (n = 11). The six participants who had never applied to Medicaid before their incarceration did not hold strong attitudes about Medicaid and mostly had little need for Medicaid due to being generally healthy or having coverage available from other sources such as the Veteran's Administration. However, one inmate who had never applied for Medicaid struggled considerably to access mental healthcare due to lapses in employer-based health coverage and attributed his incarceration to this unmet need for treatment. Three inmates with high medical need had their Medicaid applications rejected at least once pre-incarceration, resulting in periods without health coverage that led to worsening health and financial hardship for two of them. Eleven inmates with high medical need enrolled in Medicaid without difficulty prior to their incarceration, largely due to enabling factors in the form of assistance with the application by their local Department of Social Services or Social Security Administration, their mothers, medical providers, or prison personnel during a prior incarceration. Nearly all inmates acknowledged that they would need health coverage after release from prison, and more than half reported that they would need to enroll in Medicaid to gain healthcare coverage following their release. Although more population-based assessments are necessary, our findings suggest that greater assistance with Medicaid enrollment may be a key factor so that people in the criminal justice system who qualify for Medicaid-and other social safety net programs-may gain their rightful access to these benefits. Such access may benefit not only the individuals themselves but also the communities to which they return.

Experiences and perceptions regarding clinical breast exam screening by trained laywomen in Malawi.

PURPOSE: Despite the increasing burden, breast cancer control in sub-Saharan Africa is insufficient. Late diagnosis and lack of early detection and screening services contribute to high mortality. Clinical breast exam (CBE) screening can be valuable in low-income countries, including use of community health workers and non-health professionals to conduct exams. We assessed experiences of women who underwent CBE screening by trained laywomen in Lilongwe, Malawi, as part of a pilot program. METHODS: The pilot study invited women attending urban health clinics to a breast cancer educational talk followed by CBE screening by trained laywomen. We purposively sampled participants from the pilot study and interviewed them about the screening experience and future cancer education programs and services. RESULTS: Overall participants had positive experiences and were willing to undergo CBE screening by trained laywomen. Participants were motivated by the educational talk, shared newly acquired cancer knowledge with their social networks, and encouraged others to seek screening. Screened women suggested strategies for future interventions including combining breast and cervical cancer screening, using female providers, partnering with community leaders to increase uptake, and expanding services into the community. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic Malawian women accepted CBE screening by trained laywomen and considered breast cancer an important health issue. Women appreciated combined education and screening services and proposed further linkage of breast and cervical cancer screening. Based on our results, training laywomen to educate the public on breast cancer and conduct CBE is a feasible breast cancer control strategy in sub-Saharan Africa.

Evaluation of a Video-Assisted Patient Education Program to Reduce Blood Pressure Delivered Through the Electronic Medical Record: Results of a Quality Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: Low-cost, automated interventions that increase knowledge and skills around diet and lifestyle modifications are recommended for cardiovascular disease risk reduction. METHODS: We initiated a quality improvement program to assess the impact of a web-based diet and lifestyle intervention utilizing short animated videos in adults with high blood pressure (BP) at a primary care clinic in Saudi Arabia. We enrolled adults with elevated BP, not on BP medications, who were identified using the electronic medical record. We delivered a web-linked diet and lifestyle intervention using animated videos covering diet and lifestyle topics. Videos and reminders were sent weekly for 5 weeks. Outcomes were proportion who engaged in the program, returned for a repeat BP within 3 months, and change in BP. RESULTS: We enrolled 269 adult participants, with a mean (SD) age of 41.6 (12.4) years; 77% were male. At the conclusion of the pilot, we demonstrated a high level of engagement: overall, 69% of materials were viewed and 67% of patients returned for BP. Patients who returned had a mean (SD) baseline systolic BP of 138.0 (7.2) mm Hg and a large mean reduction in systolic BP from baseline, -10.5 mm Hg (12.4; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the feasibility of a video-assisted, web-based, diet and lifestyle intervention as a support tool for hypertension management demonstrated a high participation rate and a high return rate for reassessment of BP. These findings suggest that this low-cost, automated intervention may have a great potential as a scalable tool for blood pressure management. However, randomized trials to understanding the effectiveness of the support tools are needed.

A framework for improving early detection of breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative study of help-seeking behaviors among Malawian women.

OBJECTIVE: Many women in Africa are diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. We explored Malawian breast cancer patients' perspectives about their diagnosis and ability to access care to identify help-seeking behaviors and to describe factors influencing delay. METHODS: We purposively sampled 20 Malawian breast cancer patients to conduct in-depth interviews. Transcripts were double coded to identify major themes of breast cancer help-seeking behaviors and what delayed or facilitated access to care. RESULTS: We outlined a breast cancer help-seeking pathway describing decisions, behaviors, and interactions from symptom presentation to receipt of cancer care. Patients were largely unaware of breast cancer and did not immediately notice or interpret symptoms. As symptoms progressed, women inferred illness and sought help from social networks, traditional remedies, and medical care. Economic hardship, distance to the facility, provider knowledge, health system factors, and social norms often delayed reaching the facility, referrals, diagnosis, and receipt of care. CONCLUSIONS: Social-contextual factors at the individual, interpersonal, health system, and societal levels delay decisions, behaviors, and access to breast cancer detection and appropriate care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: A comprehensive approach to improving breast cancer early detection must address public awareness and misconceptions, provider knowledge and communication, and cancer care delivery.

The structural and rank-order stability of temperament in young children based on a laboratory-observational measure.

It is generally assumed that temperament traits exhibit structural and rank-order stability over time. Most of the research on structural and rank-order stability has relied on parent-report measures. The present study used an alternative approach, a laboratory-observational measure (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery [Lab-TAB]), to examine the structural and rank-order stability of temperament traits in a community sample of young children (N = 447). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we found that a similar 5-factor structure consisting of the dimensions of positive affect (PA)/interest, sociability, dysphoria, fear/inhibition, and impulsivity versus constraint provided an adequate fit to the data at both age 3 and 6 years, suggesting good structural stability. Moreover, all 5 latent factors exhibited significant, albeit modest, rank-order stability from age 3 to 6. In addition, there were significant heterotypic associations of age-3 sociability with age-6 PA/interest, and age-3 impulsivity versus constraint with age-6 fear/inhibition.