Measuring Progress in Care for 'Dual Eligibles'
<p>Looking to control costs, reduce administrative barriers, and improve quality of care, a number of states are trying out innovative managed care models for their 'dual eligible' populations—low-income elderly or disabled adults enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Under a federal grant program launched in 2011, states have a unique opportunity to test ways of integrating acute care, behavioral and mental health services, and long-term services and supports for these vulnerable beneficiaries.</p><p>A new <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2014/mar/assessing-care-integration-dual-eligible-beneficiaries-review">Commonwealth Fund issue brief</a> explores one of the central challenges these states face in designing their demonstrations: choosing and applying measures that accurately track changes in quality over time. In reviewing the quality measures chosen by eight states, authors Sabiha Zainulbhai, Lee Goldberg, Weiwen Ng, and Anne Montgomery of the National Academy of Social Insurance find that while some quality domains are well represented, others—such as standardized measures of long-term services and supports—are notably lacking. </p>
<p>With appropriate, standardized quality measures, state officials will be able to rapidly identify effective innovations that ultimately could benefit dual eligibles receiving services from accountable care organizations and from traditional fee-for-service providers. </p>
<p>Visit <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2014/mar/assessing-care-integration-dual-eligible-beneficiaries-review">commonwealthfund.org</a> to learn more. </p>