Medicaid waiver expands addiction treatment options

Opportunity

In July 2015, CMS announced an opportunity for states to use 1115 waivers to develop streamlined treatment and coordinated care strategies targeting substance use disorders (SUD). With exponentially rising opioid abuse rates amongst its citizens, a state Medicaid agency asked BerryDunn to assist in developing such a waiver.

Solution

BerryDunn’s experts worked with the Medicaid agency to:

• Develop a comprehensive assessment of the opioid epidemic’s impact across the state by gathering and synthesizing clinical data
• Convene stakeholders from across the State to develop a strategy to serve as the foundation for the waiver and establish an innovative service delivery model
• Assemble the approach, data, and budget neutrality statement into a waiver application for submission to CMS
• Implement waiver services, support valuation, and provide performance measurement of the waiver

Outcome

The approved waiver has opened access to SUD treatment program resources to provide increased access to care, improved coordination of care, and improved quality of life. The Medicaid agency will continue to receive BerryDunn’s continued support as they implement the waiver’s services.