MEDIA RELEASE

Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz has announced the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded the Hawaii Department of Human Services a five-year $9.9 million grant for the Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Program.

The funds will be used to provide supplemental services to Medicaid patients with diabetes and for incentives to the physicians who provide treatment.

The grant will fund programs to improve early detection and self-management of care for persons with diabetes. The focus will be on indigenous Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders statewide.

After inauguration, Gov. Neil Abercrombie assigned Schatz responsibility for the Hawaii Fair Share Initiative, a program instituted to secure federal and private funds for economic recovery and critical programs.

The Hawaii Association of Health Plans (HAHP), a statewide partnership that unifies licensed health plans to improve the health of Hawaii’s communities, collaborated with the Lieutenant Governor’s office and DHS to submit the grant request.

“This grant is critically needed, and wouldn’t have happened without a partnership between our administration and the private sector. We’re very thankful to HAHP for helping us to design the program. It’s an example of what we can do when we work together,” Schatz said. “Diabetes is a growing problem in our community and these funds couldn’t have come at a better time.”

As part of a mandate under the federal Affordable Care Act, CMS awarded 15 grants to states across the country to test and evaluate the effectiveness of state programs to provide financial and non-financial incentives to Medicaid members who participate in prevention programs and demonstrate changes in health risk and outcomes.

CMS requires state programs that receive these grants to address at least one of the following prevention goals: tobacco cessation, controlling or reducing weight, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and avoiding the onset of diabetes or improving the management of the condition.

Hawaii’s program will focus on patients with diabetes, and its reach will be statewide.

HAHP President Jennifer Diesman said, “Diabetes is a major concern for the people of Hawaii, and this is particularly true for our Medicaid residents. We are happy to partner with the State to support the patients and doctors in our QUEST program and look forward to moving forward with this initiative.”

DHS Director Pat McManaman said, “DHS appreciates HAHP’s support in developing this grant. It will promote our QUEST and QUEST Expanded Access clients’ ability to improve the control of their diabetes.”