CMS Releases Medicaid and CHIP Scorecard

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released the first Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Scorecard, intended to drive improvement in state and federal alignment, beneficiary health outcomes and program administration. The scorecard includes certain voluntary state quality measures related to postpartum care, well-child visits, adolescent immunizations, treatment for alcohol and drug dependence, and follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness, as well as state and federal measures related to how long it takes to review state plan amendments, managed care capitation rates and Section 1115 demonstrations. CMS said the scorecard will be updated annually with new metrics and functionality, including metrics related to opioid and home and community-based services and the ability to compare spending patterns.