NAMD Survey Shines Spotlight on MMIS Modularity

September 26, 2018

Categories: Thought Leadership

image_pdfimage_print

It is well-known in the health industry that the inner-workings of Medicaid are complex—at best. In an attempt to identify and improve on these complexities, the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) issues an annual survey. For the fiscal year of 2017, 45 states participated, with the results recently published by NAMD. This report highlights the common issues in Medicaid that span across state lines. When all is said and done, there were four key challenges that Medicaid programs face:

* Addressing the increased public scrutiny, pressure and accountability
* Managing the transition to value-based care
* Combating high leadership turnover
* Operating a program that relies heavily on sister agencies and external contractors

The entire report provides high-value insights into the country’s single largest source of public health coverage. However, here at CNSI, we were particularly interested in “Strategic Priorities of Medicaid Directors”.  In this section, NAMD uncovered through the state’s responses the top priorities that will shape the agency work, with delivery system and payment reform, data systems and IT, and behavioral health being the top three.

As the first company in the nation to build a fully modular, compliant Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), we know the value of modularity and incremental modernization. So, it came as no surprise that nearly 58% of respondents indicated that their state is in the modular procurement process. Two additional themes that spread across all mentions of MMIS Modularity were as follows:

“First, Directors voiced a desire to have their agencies work with an array of public and private partners to make modularity a reality. Some of the partners most often named by Directors included client service centers, pharmacy operations managers, benefit managers, and contract administrators for special populations. Second, Directors expressed commitment to a staggered, piecemeal approach to implementing modularity.”

And the upcoming NAMD Fall Conference will provide the perfect platform for states to discuss Medicaid modularity and other key topics. With a jammed packed agenda, we look forward to listening to your challenges and your success stories. See you in November!