Meeting Summary: January 12, 2006
Chair: Paula Armbruster
(Next meeting: Thursday February 2, 2006)

Women's Health Forum
The QA sub-committee of the Medicaid Managed Care Council will be convening a Woman's Health Forum at the Capitol, Room 310 on February 28^th from 8:30 – 12 Noon. Registration will be from 8:30 - 9:15 and the presentations will begin promptly at 9:15. The forum will address both oral health and depression during the perinatal period with a specific focus on the 2 generational affect and the Medicaid population.

Each topic will be addressed separately with brief presentations by an expert panel. The presentations will be followed by a policy panel and a Q&A period. For example the Perinatal Depression presentations will be followed by a policy panel and Q&A). The purpose of the Forum is to educate and present evidence based findings that may have policy implications.

Discussion about the Forum and content: Brenda Kurtz, UCONN School of Social Work reviewed some of the material for the perinatal depression portion and Margaret Drozdowski D.M.D. Dental Director of Community Health Centers, spoke about the significance of oral health care as part of prenatal care and the potential to reduce a percentage of preterm births through reducing oral infections. Donna Balaski, D.M.D (DSS) noted that the literature shows that about 35% of underserved pregnant women have severe periodontal disease that requires deep scaling and root planning, an uncovered service in Medicaid (although services may be covered for children/youth under EPSDT if medically necessary). In reviewing some of the Medicaid data, Dr. Balaski noted that only about 6.8% of women have any dental care during pregnancy.

It was suggested that an OBGYN practitioner be included in the panel discussion. Amy Gagliardi will organize the content of the topics with the presenters and finalize the Forum details by the Feb. 2 QA Subcommittee meeting.

Department of Social Services Update

ü The format for the final EPSDT revised form is being worked on and may be ready early in February.
ü Two new managed care liaisons have been added to the DSS HUSKY program staff, freeing up existing staff to do more program quality work.
ü The HUSKY MCO dental care reports are being revised to include the number receiving urgent dental care (child/adult). High use of urgent dental care suggests lack of adequate preventive/non-urgent restorative dental care.
ü Dr. Balaski reported that LAMPP (lead prevention program) has received a $750,000 housing grant from the DECD to remediate lead in a large apartment complex. The HUSKY MCOs are working with DSS on the DPH/DSS lead data match; the data will be available at 6 month intervals for the MCOs to review, contact their members and/or providers as needed, based on the lead levels in the reports.

Subcommittee February Agenda
Two main topics on the agenda:

• Final plans for the Women's Health Forum.
• Managed Care Organizations presentation on Emergency Department utilization trends, reasons and internal programs and program changes that address increasing ED use.

Subcommittee Focus Areas
There was general agreement on the following areas that will be more clearly defined in future meetings:

• Obesity and diabetes:
o DPH will send the SC the executive summary of the DPH State Obesity Plan for reference.
o The CT AAP is applying for an AAP CATCH grant to support obesity prevention through assisting parents in early childhood autonomous eating within the structure of optimal nutrition. (Shortly after this meeting the Medicaid Council & SC Chairs sent a letter of support for such a grant).
• Emergency Department use. There was continued interesting organizing a forum in the spring or fall 2006 on ED utilization patterns, opportunities to change the patterns.
• Dental care: identifying outcomes of the multiple projects funded throughout the state, defining the number of screens and number of treatments provided. There are many screens, but the treatment/restorative care rates are low.
• Women's health: appropriate resource use, access to key services.