Message from DHH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein

As we move forward in transforming our state's Medicaid program, I am committed to sharing information across the state and continuing the dialogue with providers, enrollees, community leaders and advocates. Next week, I will begin traveling around the state to hold a series of Making Medicaid Better forums in different regions through mid-December.

We held the first Making Medicaid Better forum Nov. 17 at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. This was a great experience, and I received many insightful comments and questions from those who attended. And I look forward to the forums in other regions of the state to get more ideas on how we can provide better health care for Louisiana's Medicaid recipients.

I cannot stress enough the urgency for action. We continue to lag behind in health care rankings. The people of Louisiana who rely on us deserve better, and our taxpayers deserve more value for their investment. Already, 41 other states are managing care for Medicaid recipients. In January, Mississippi will join that list. Our time is now. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch others improve health care for their citizens while we maintain the status quo.

We know that making these changes takes all of us working together. That is why I want as many people as possible involved in the process. We are committed to ensuring that everyone is fully informed on the changes coming. To help, we have compiled a list of questions from the first Making Medicaid Better forum, which DHH staff addressed. These questions and answers, along with video, speaker presentations and other resources from the forum, are available online at www.MakingMedicaidBetter.com.

As these meetings continue around Louisiana, we will continue providing these materials online. The Making Medicaid Better Web site also includes a schedule of the regional forums. This site is updated frequently, and I encourage you to check here often for the latest details on meetings in your area. You can also submit your questions or comments through the Web site, or e-mail them directly to coordinatedcarenetworks@la.gov.

Our state health care system affects all of us, and as we make changes, I want the effort to be collaborative and constructive. I hope people will keep asking questions and engaging in this important process.

Sincerely,
Bruce D. Greenstein
Secretary, DHH

Featured Question

The major areas for projected savings are not in decreases in reimbursement rates to providers, but the result of decreases in utilization through shorter hospital stays, reduced use of the ER for non-emergent conditions, and less need for health care resources as a result of improved disease management activity.

Helping recipients
Why Does Managing Care Matter?

FACT: Louisiana has the highest rate of death from breast cancer in the nation, but only 40 percent of eligible female Medicaid enrollees are screened for this condition. Managing care in Medicaid can increase screenings for chronic diseases such as breast cancer.