Publications

Sufficient access to needed services for children with medical complexity is not assured and varies considerably by payer, many of whom who face pressures to control health spending. This article reviews the rights of children with medical complexity in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and various forms of private health insurance to receive services that are necessary to promote optimal health, development, and family functioning.

Families authentically involved at every level of health care systems are critical partners in designing policies and systems that will improve care for children with medical complexity. Written by a group of parents, this article provides an overview of the demands of managing care from their unique perspective.

Novel care delivery models in which care coordination and other services to children with medical complexity are provided are a focus of national and local health care and policy initiatives. This article explores the rapid proliferation in the creation of new models and examines their unique advantages and disadvantages.

Increased attention to children with medical complexity has occurred because these children are growing in impact, represent a disproportionate share of health system costs, and require policy and programmatic interventions that differ in many ways from broader groups of children with special health care needs. As an emerging field, pediatric care systems should thoughtfully and rapidly develop evidence-based solutions to improve care.

Dedicated care coordination is increasingly seen as key to addressing the fragmented care that children with medical complexity often encounter. Authors discuss the need for infrastructure building, design and implementation leadership, use of care coordination tools and training modules, and appropriate resource allocation under new payment models.

Designing clinical programs for children with medical complexity often includes the need to implement a system of risk stratification. Authors use the framework of an ethical evaluation of a health care program to examine what the task of risk stratification might entail and provide recommendations to help ensure that programs avoid potentially ethically problematic situations and practices.

Self-management improves health outcomes in chronic illness not only by improving adherence to the treatment plan but also by building the individual’s capacity to navigate challenges and solve problems. This article discusses the need for clinicians to have standardized approaches and tools to assess and promote self-management for youth and adolescents.

This conversation describes current tiering practices and uses, and makes recommendations for policy and research, particularly as the process relates to children with special health care needs. 

Children and youth with special needs are best served through a coordinated approach across the myriad programs and agencies whose services they need.  In two new reports, Health Management Associates highlights how six programs in five states have made progress in overcoming the frustrating barriers to interagency collaboration among programs that serve these children and their families. The reports offer recommendations on how states might foster efforts to improve communication and coordination across programs and reduce fragmentation and duplication of services.