Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

"Homelike" Characteristics Of Maine's Residential Services: A Survey Of Maine's Residential Service Settings (2010), Julie T. Fralich Mba, Eileen Griffin Jd, Catherine Mcguire Bs

Disability & Aging

To better understand the nature of the residential facilities serving more than 19 percent of Maine’s Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) population, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services commissioned the Muskie School to conduct a survey of residential facilities as part of its update to Maine’s LTSS profile. The goal of the Maine Residential Settings Characteristics Survey, conducted between July and September 2010, was to measure the "homelike" characteristics of residential settings.

The survey sample comprised a total of 636 facilities which included all licensed residential care facilities or private non-medical licensed institutions. The survey response rate …

Achieving Consensus On Measure-Driven Child Health Quality: Maine’S Improving Health Outcomes For Children Initiative, Martha Elbaum Williamson Mpa, Nargiza Fuzailova Md, Mph, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa

Population Health & Health Policy

This brief describes Maine’s process for selecting child health quality measures, including identified strengths and limitations of the CHIPRA core measures that led to the inclusion of additional state-specific measures and the factors considered for selection. Subsequent articles will describe how measures have been implemented and used to improve child health quality and how they have been integrated into systems of care (e.g. health information technology systems, policy changes).

Bright Futures As-Is Assessment: How Child-Serving Practices, Health Systems, And The State Of Maine Use And Exchange Specific Clinical Data Related To Child Health Quality Measures, Kyra Chamberlain Ms, Rn, Martha Elbaum-Williamson Mpa, Jonathan Ives Mpm, Csm, Jin Liao M.Eng

Population Health & Health Policy

The purpose of the As Is assessment is to provide a description of Maine’s current HIT environment specifically pertaining to how EPSDT and other clinical data are entered, used, and exchanged electronically through information systems at pediatric practices, health systems, the State of Maine, and HIN. This information will inform plans currently under development by IHOC for electronic data exchange and child health measure calculation.

Rural Implications Of Geographic Rating Of Health Insurance Premiums, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Zachariah T. Croll Ba, Elizabeth Kilbreth Phd

Access / Insurance

This brief examines how and to what extent states allow health plans to vary premiums by geographic rating area and, using insurance data from selected states, assesses the direction and magnitude of variations in rural and urban geographic rating factors. The authors conclude with a discussion of strategies that federal and state policymakers might use to help ensure that premium variations based on geography are justified. KEY POINTS: There is no clear pattern of geographic rating factors favoring rural or urban areas. This lack of a clear pattern suggests that health plans may use geographic rating for business purposes other …

Health Status, Service Use And Cost Among Mainecare Children In Foster Care, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Tina Gressani, Catherine Mcguire Bs, Kimberley S. Fox Mpa, Kyra Chamberlain Ms, Rn

Population Health & Health Policy

The purpose of this study was to inform IHOC program planning with baseline data on the health care use and expenditures of MaineCare children in the foster care program in general and to compare use and costs for foster care children that receive comprehensive health assessments through the Edmund N. Ervin Pediatric Center’s Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program (PREP), and those that do not. In 2011, other organizations including Key Clinic at Penobscot Pediatrics in Bangor and the Portland-based Spurwink Services program also began conducting comprehensive health assessments for children in foster care. However, because of the timing of this study, …

Pursuing High Performance In Rural Health Care, A. Clinton Mackinney Md, Ms, Keith J. Mueller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Jennifer P. Lundblad Phd, Mba, Timothy D. Mcbride Phd, Sidney D. Watson Jd

Health System Reform

Rural Futures Lab Foundation Papers are intended to present current thinking on the economic drivers and opportunities that will shape the future of rural America. They provide the foundation upon which it will be possible to answer the question that drives the Lab’s work—What has to happen today in order to achieve positive rural outcomes tomorrow?

Personal Experiences With Long Term Care Services And Supports, Julie Fralich Mba, Mark Richards Ba, Louise Olsen, Vanessa Bell, Jennifer Pratt

Disability & Aging

This report captures, in a direct way, the first hand experiences of older and disabled consumers of long term care services and supports. In addition, it includes the collective experiences of eight Maine communities regarding the long term care service delivery system in our state.