Policy Implications and Next Steps—Advocacy for Arizona’s Children

Facilitators: Dana Wolfe Naimark, MPP; John A. Pope, MD

Breakout Group: “Autism”

  • Working together with Autism
  • Advocacy
  • Transition to Adult
  • Policy
  • Bridging education/health
  • Expanding network of diagnosticians
  • Job placement improvements
  • ALTCS Gap
  • No support
  • (lot of support)
  • Centralized changes come through legislation
  • Three united messages to legislators
  • 1. AZEIP Medical Home payment model incentives to medical providers
  • 2. Web based communications
  • 3. Parent to Parent support & Ed.
  • More open access to supports
  • Common-information resource “warehouse” (lots of groups)
  • Central Care Coordinator (too many coordinators)
  • Incentive for doctors is quantity rather than quality (medical complexity)
  • Value based care in one place
  • Medical home coordinates records
  • Advocacy to secure funding for needs to centralize
  • Involve more family members
  • Reallocation of treatment money to early intervention

Breakout Group: “AHCCCS/Medicaid”

  • Unified message with facts, with addressing money concerns
  • Void of ideology
  • Highlight-educate-clarify what/who is Medicaid
  • Integration of behavioral/physical health
  • Address social determinants of health
  • Prevention:
  • On-boarding early intervention
  • Long-term/short-term outcomes
  • Changing models of payment related to outcomes
  • Investing early to see higher outcomes with less support long-term
  • AHCCCS image dispelling myths/stigma
  • Share stories
  • “Market” the message
  • Transparent/ more user-parent friendly system that is accessible and equipped with adequate provider capacity
  • Based on individual need
  • Care coordination:
  • Physician-patient streamline health plan
  • Medicaid Ambassadors
  • Consumers, members, families, caregivers
  • Legislative advocacy ambassadors
  • Bring PURPOSE/MEANING to families resilient stories (pride)
  • Necessary-life saving
  • Medical Services unaffordable
  • Financial implications

Breakout Group: “Transitions”

  • Integrated care with behavior
  • Vision & Dental
  • Mindful early planning with the whole team
  • From the individual standpoint
  • From the medical standpoint
  • Portal available with healthcare professionals are willing to take the young adults transitioning
  • Video/Visual of educational content for the youth
  • VR
  • Watching the content during appointments
  • Using what other states are already doing
  • Sharing of ideas
  • Get a “customized” email list going
  • Schools need to be involved to help include the child
  • How would this help rural areas with limited services?
  • Bridge the gap and advocate with legislature to move the date for applying for adult SSI moved up from 17 ¾ to 17 and 16
  • Make sure all covered services carry over “no gap”
  • Clear information, timeline clear for all age groups