The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care Affinity Group State Spotlights Webinar

The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care Affinity Group State Spotlights Webinar

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to invite all interested individuals from state Medicaid and CHIP agencies, child welfare agencies, health plans, and their quality improvement (QI) partners to join us as we feature state projects from our Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care affinity group. Please register here for the State Spotlights: Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care Webinar on Thursday, August 31, 2023, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET.

While children and youth in foster care represent less than two percent of all children enrolled in Medicaid, they have higher rates of physical and behavioral health care needs compared with children without a history of foster care involvement. A variety of opportunities exist within Medicaid to address the unique health care needs of youth in foster care, including dedicated managed care plans, care coordination models, and enhanced provider rates. CMS provided states who participated in the affinity group with resources, tools, and expert support needed to undertake quality improvement projects to improve care and outcomes for children and youth in foster care.

From July 2021 through July 2023, the CMS Medicaid and CHIP quality improvement technical assistance program supported 11 states participating in the Improving Timely Health Care for Children and Youth in Foster Care affinity group. This webinar will feature state QI projects from the affinity group, highlighting state strategies, partnerships, and lessons learned.  The recording of the webinar will be posted on the quality improvement initiatives page of Medicaid.gov.