Evaluation of the Medicaid Managed Care Program of the Center for Health Care Strategies: Overview of Results

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) established the Medicaid Managed Care Program (MMCP) in 1995. RWJF sought to improve care for Medicaid populations. The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), an arm of the MMCP, has evolved from a grant program focused on providing funding to programs caring for chronically ill populations, into a technical assistance program that works with three core groups: states, health plans, and consumers, to encourage innovation. The MMCP goal is to help states become informed purchasers of Medicaid managed care and to assist plans in improving the quality of clinical and administrative practices.

To evaluate the impact of the MMCP, Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) surveyed the three core groups. The questions evaluated how well the targeted groups knew the program, and how each group assess the program, and its importance to state goals. MPR conducted interviews and reviewed program data to document the program's evolution. 

Major findings of the study: 

• MMCP has reached a substantial share of states and health plans. At least 75% of states have participated in Purchasing Institutes, grants, and /or technical assistance activities. 30% of MMC plans 
  
  
• 50% of all MMC program directors have made improvements in their plan offerings after participating in MMCP activities. Support data from Harvard University shows that Medicaid programs have become more sophisticated purchasers
  
  
• Health plans report that participation has helped them improve care delivery
  
  
• Consumer groups are less influenced. Consumer Action grants have been too small, too localized, or too short in duration to produce lasting changes in consumer health care purchasing behaviors. Consumer groups would like more support
  
  
• Grants have been successful and contribute to the success of specific planned changes that have leadership support, but no access to improvement capital

Recommendations:

MMCP has become a successful program that users regard as a resource. Without continued support from RWJF or other external funding, MMCP will face difficulties in continuing its work. State level and health plan users feel MMCP to be important and are willing to contribute funding and manpower, but they face difficulty fully funding or administering MMCP projects.