Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein today welcomed an endorsement from Blueprint Louisiana to transform Medicaid by implementing a system of coordinated care.

In unveiling its recommendations for next fiscal year, Blueprint urged the adoption of a coordinated care system as proposed by the Department for implementation next year.  The Making Medicaid Better initiative transforms Medicaid by moving away from a pure fee-for-service system to a system of networks charged with coordinating the care of enrollees and ensuring access to care.

Blueprint Louisiana Chairman Bill Fenstermaker noted: “Coordinated care will provide both savings to taxpayers and better outcomes to Louisiana’s most vulnerable population.  Secretary Greenstein, his staff, health care providers and consumer advocates across the state have worked hard to share ideas and feedback to create the best proposal for Louisiana. A sense of urgency should guide the state and providers as they work together to implement a managed care system this fiscal year that benefits taxpayers and patients.”

In its recommendation, the group noted the state’s recent ranking of 49th in the United Health Foundation America’s Health Rankings Report, and advised that CCNs would emphasize preventive care and could help the state improve its standing in critical areas such as obesity, infant mortality and avoidable hospitalizations. In addition to increasing Medicaid recipients’ quality of life, the group noted that coordinated care would reduce state costs to support the health care delivery system.

Secretary Greenstein concurred with Blueprint Louisiana’s sense of urgency toward implementing coordinated care, and expressed his appreciation for the organization’s acknowledgement that the state’s health care delivery system must change.

“We have repeatedly said that we must favor quality over quantity, value over volume in our Medicaid system. These are common sense principles, many of which you find in the business world. That’s why I am so proud that this group of the state’s top business leaders from every sector, including health care, is supporting this effort as a priority for our state moving forward,” Greenstein said. “Louisiana has languished in national health indicators for far too long, and we all want to change this dismal outlook. I thank Blueprint Louisiana for joining us, and I look forward to further engaging with them and other groups as we transform Medicaid in Louisiana.”

Blueprint Louisiana is a community-focused, nonprofit organization of civic leaders and others who identify and recommend changes that will make Louisiana a better place to live and work. Blueprint Louisiana looks specifically at government-level reforms in several areas, one of which is health care. For more information on Blueprint Louisiana, please visit http://blueprintlouisiana.org.

To read more about the Making Medicaid Better Initiative, visit www.MakingMedicaidBetter.com.

The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about LDH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH’s blog at www.myhealthla.org, Twitter at http://twitter.com/La_Health_Dept and search for the Louisiana Department of Health on Facebook.