Exciting News in CMS Announcement of First Innovation Model Grants in Medicaid Aimed at Children and Youth
August 29, 2018 Tricia Brooks CMS has announced that it will launch a new innovation model funding opportunity this fall as part of a multi-prong response to the opioid crisis. The Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model aims to reduce expenditures and improve the quality of care for children under 21 years of age covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through prevention, early identification, and treatment of behavioral and physical health needs. This is a really big deal – not only because the innovation model is focused on kids, but it is also intended to address one of the existing gaps in health care for children. Details about the program note that the current health care system faces challenges in the early detection of behavioral health conditions because the earliest signs may present outside of clinical settings, in schools, or when child welfare and foster care systems become involved with chaotic family situations. I