Iowa “Program Evaluation and Analysis for Iowans with Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Needs” by Mathematica

“In support of Iowa HHS, Mathematica conducted an evaluation of community-based behavioral services for health, disability, and aging needs to understand how Iowan’s access and use services through Medicaid and other programs.
We assessed the Medicaid waiver structure, how people access community-based services (CBS) through Medicaid and other programs, and barriers and facilitators of transitions from institutions to community-based settings. We summarized key findings and recommendations for Iowa HHS in an evaluation report: Recommendations for Strengthening Iowa’s Community-based Services System.

Building on the results of the CBS evaluation, we are developing a Transformation Plan to support Iowa HHS to guide system change as they implement the recommendations. The Transformation Plan includes activities to help the state achieve three goals (1) implement streamlined screening and improved processes to better align services with people’s needs, (2) align CBS, including Medicaid home- and community-based waivers, to the needs of Iowans, and (3) maximize access to Medicaid HCBS and other CBS support for people with long-term supports and service needs. We will support Iowa to prioritize these activities based on existing state-wide initiatives and priorities.”