Many states are currently seeking ways to advance equitable access to care and improve the coordination of health care services within their borders. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) aims to do this by partnering with Mathematica and the Harkin Institute to better understand how people in Iowa access and use services through Medicaid and other programs. HHS plans to use this information to improve Iowa’s community-based services (CBS).
HHS engaged Mathematica to help evaluate how people in Iowa utilize community-based behavioral health, disability, and aging services across the state and identify opportunities for improvement. Mathematica will release a full report with recommendations to Iowa HHS in early 2023.
“Our recommendations may include successes in Iowa that could be spread more broadly across the state, as well as opportunities to improve service delivery,” said Bailey Orshan, director of state health at Mathematica. “Our guideposts include coordinating care across programs, ensuring equitable access, and delivering high-quality care.”
As a part of the evaluation, Mathematica is analyzing Medicaid claims and waiver waitlist data to understand the use of CBS and Medicaid home- and community-based services waivers among enrollees. The team also interviewed state Medicaid administrators, engaged with invested Iowans from the community through listening sessions and an online feedback form, and is researching best practices from states.
Mathematica currently partners with 17 states to improve their state health programs through digital transformation and data insights. Visit our website for more information on this project and all of Mathematica’s engagements in state health.