Improving Access to Specialty Care for Medicaid Patients: Policy Issues and Options - The Commonwealth Fund (Harvard)

The Commonwealth Fund

Executive Summary

Many Medicaid patients face problems finding specialty physicians to treat them in a timely manner. Low Medicaid payment rates typically are the main barrier, although administrative burdens, patients’ nonmedical needs and challenges keeping appointments and adhering to treatment plans play a role as well. Lack of timely specialty care can result in adverse medical outcomes and potentially higher costs from avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Safety-net hospitals, community health centers, specialists, state Medicaid programs and Medicaid health plans are partnering to improve access to specialty care. This report examines six such models in Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Tennessee....

Citation

L. E. Felland, A. E. Lechner, and A.Sommers, Improving Access to Specialty Care for Medicaid Patients: Policy Issues and Options, The Commonwealth Fund, June 2013.