MassHealth Training Forum: A Vehicle for Communicating Medicaid Policy Changes During Implementation of Massachusetts Health Care Reform Legislation

Across the United States, State Medicaid programs face significant program and policy changes as States struggle to meet the rising costs of health care. In Massachusetts, the MassHealth Training Forum (MTF) was developed to offer community and State partners a timely, accurate source of information about current and emerging Medicaid polices and programs. The program was developed in 2004 through the collaborative efforts of MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid program) and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The MTF program offers several training opportunities for community providers each year including 20 regional MTF meetings held in 5 communities across state. Meeting sessions include formal presentations by Medicaid experts, extensive resources materials, and roundtable discussion sessions that allow meeting participants the opportunity to talk and problem solve with presenters.

More recently, following Massachusetts health care reform legislation in 2006, MTF has provided a needed platform for MassHealth and other State agencies to introduce new and emerging state programs to their community partners. With the magnitude of changes in the Massachusetts health care system, MTF is a direct and accurate source of needed information.

The presentation will include 2007 evaluation results which show the effectiveness of the program including meeting attendance data which shows an 87% increase in MTF meeting attendance from FY06 (n=829) to FY07 (n=1,552). Information will also be shared about how MTF provides a needed feedback loop for MassHealth representatives by providing an opportunity to hear about emerging programmatic concerns from community providers who work closely with MassHealth members.