Newt Gingrich, New Mexico Governor Richardson Praise ValueOptions®' Path-breaking Medicaid Program
Norfolk, Virginia - September 29, 2006
A national conference on "Creating a 21st Century Medicaid System" featured ValueOptions' innovative Medicaid mental health program in New Mexico this week.
"The program provides better access for the poor and offers the prospect of saving taxpayer money," said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in an address at the conference. "It's a better use of dollars," he said, adding that the program "created more possibilities," "increases accountability," and "should lower providers' administrative costs."
"No one else has tried it," the governor said of the initiative that brings together a mix of 18 separate state agencies. ValueOptions manages public funding and delivery of care for mental health and substance abuse in the program. Under a "braided funding" model, ValueOptions has brought the state's diverse resources together to increase access to and the quality of care for people in need.
The state of New Mexico took the lead in braided funding when it passed legislation in 2004 to form the Interagency Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative. This organization brings together multiple state agencies and provides oversight for the program as a whole. In addition to the state collaborative, there are also 15 regional groups that assure a response to diverse needs throughout the state.
"It's an interesting program," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose Center for Health Transformation hosted the conference in Washington. He said that ValueOptions' program prevented people from "getting lost in the system."
Governor Richardson commended ValueOptions and spoke of its "strong partnership" with the state. He highlighted some of the program's accomplishments in its first year and underlined its path-breaking efforts with Native Americans.
ValueOptions CEO Barbara B. Hill, speaking at the conference, said "ValueOptions has spent many years serving public behavioral health. We are very proud to participate in visionary discussions such as these and share our expertise and experience with state leaders who are looking to make changes to their own system of care."
A Web cast of the conference is available at www.healthtransformation.net.
