Original Air Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2019 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Tobacco use is one of the greatest drivers of adverse health outcomes and costs for state Medicaid programs. To improve documentation and coverage, tobacco use status is embedded into most of the major electronic health records and evidence-based tobacco cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy covered by Medicaid. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages partnering with states to reduce smoking rates and health care costs by using Medicaid administrative funding to enhance quitlines, implementing mandatory coverage of tobacco cessation counseling for pregnant women, providing cessation services for all other Medicaid beneficiaries, and ensuring coverage of all FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications. [i] Despite these improved efforts, few providers bill for cessation services and only half of smokers who see a doctor report to have even been urged to quit. [ii] Health insurance coverage is a key driver in any effective state comprehensive tobacco control strategy.
This webinar was originally hosted as part of the NBHN 2019 State Tobacco Control Community of Practice.
Learning Objectives
By the conclusion of this webinar participants will be able to:
- Develop a basic understanding of state Medicaid benefits and coverage
- Learn how to develop strong partnerships to strengthen tobacco cessation and treatment efforts
- Gain insight from a state success story (MassHealth)
[i] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “Tobacco Cessation.’” CMMS, August 2019, https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/quality-of-care/improvement-initiatives/tobacco/index.html
[ii] Thorndike, A., Rigotti, N., Stafford, R., et al. (1998). National Patterns in the Treatment of Smokers by Physicians. JAMA, 279(8): 604- 608.