CISWH Project Resources

We have created a one-page overview of the medical home model used in the initiative Building a Medical Home for Multiply Diagnosed HIV-Positive Homeless Populations, both for the initiative overall and for each individual site.

The Catalyst Center and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) produced a special supplement to Pediatrics on value-based purchasing (VBP) and value-based insurance design (VBID) and their potential implications for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Read the supplement, available to all free of charge.

In this June 13, 2017 webinar, Catalyst Center staff along with colleagues from the AAP presented an overview of VBP/VBID and their potential implications for CYSHCN, the perspective of families of CYSHCN on value and quality, key highlights from each of the Pediatrics supplement papers, and recommended resources.

In this webinar, which took place on April 26, 2017, Catalyst Center staff introduced the updated edition of Breaking the Link Between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship. They presented about the impact that health care financing and coverage gaps have on the lives of real families and highlighted innovative policy solutions that can improve the system of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). 

Slides from this webinar are available below.

Through interviews and focus groups, clinic and program staff from nine organizations nationwide provided insights about the role of patient navigators in building a medical home for people living with HIV who are homeless/unstably housed and co-diagnosed with substance use and/or mental health disorders. Results of this qualitative research are presented in this peer-reviewed article which will be published in the Journal of Public Health Management Practice and is available online ahead of print publication. Researchers identified ten key responsibilities of patient navigators as part of the HIV care team that seeks to engage this population in care and treatment. The article concludes that patient navigators may be a key component in creating an effective patient-centered medical home for this population.

In 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) launched a project to develop an acuity tool to assess the severity of needs of clients living with HIV. The CAHPP team worked with MDPH and BPHC staff to create an acuity tool that assesses client needs in 13 areas of functioning and four categories of severity. The CAHPP team conducted a pilot test of the tool with medical case management providers in 38 agencies across MA and NH and evaluated the results. A link to the tool and final evaluation report appears below. The report provided MDPH Office of HIV/AIDS with the credibility and information to talk with providers about necessary modifications and finalize the tool for dissemination in HIV CM programs. The MDPH Office of HIV/AIDS has required the use of the acuity tool in funded case management programs. It has also been used to assess the acuity of patients in other organizations throughout the country.

To request an Excel version of the report and sample of the guidance provided by MDPH on the use of the tool, please fill out our contact form with a subject line “Acuity tool and guidance.”

The Catalyst Center created two interactive worksheets for Title V program staff, family leaders, and other stakeholders. These worksheets provide an overview of Title V, and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Each worksheet includes resources you can use to find and insert state-specific information to help demonstrate the importance of Title V, Medicaid and CHIP for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The worksheets were created as companion materials to the Catalyst Center’s Public Insurance Programs and Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Tutorial on the Basics of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Every state has a Newborn Screening (NBS) Program which screens newborns for a variety of health conditions, including selected inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) and other genetic disorders. Individuals with genetic conditions identified through NBS programs often require Modified Low Protein Foods (MLPFs), medical foods, dietary supplements, or other dietary treatments as well as enteral feeding supplies. Due to the wide-ranging funding mechanisms across states, coverage for these categories of products and supplies varies based on type of insurance coverage (e.g., public or private), type of health plan (e.g., individual, group, HMO), and any coverage and or related services that Title V or other state programs may fund.

This resource provides information about state-specific legislation that mandates the coverage of medically necessary foods by employer-sponsored health insurance and Medicaid, and coverage and related services funded by other state programs such as Title V or relief funds. It also details the covered services as well as any benefit limits or age and income restrictions. This report builds on a 2008 report of the same name by Alissa Johnson, and an update to that report from the Catalyst Center and the National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Networks (NCC) published in 2016.

In English
Desarrollado por el National Center for Medical Home Implementation de la Academia Americana de Pediatría y el Catalyst Center de la Escuela de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Boston

Results from a randomized control trial–As part of the Minority AIDS Initiative Retention and Re-Engagement in HIV Care Project, CAHPP staff evaluated the effectiveness of a peer-enhanced intervention at three clinic locations. They presented their findings at the Ryan White 2016 conference. Staff from partner Brooklyn PATH Center presented about their experience implementing the intervention and incorporating it into their clinic practice.

Staff from CAHPP and partner AIDS United shared results to date of the Dissemination and Evaluation Center (DEC) in a presentation at the Ryan White 2016 Conference.