HF 2136

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/11/2021 02:44pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; directing the commissioner of human services to enter into a
contract with a public-private African-American community-driven partnership
to support the integrated care for high-risk pregnant women grant program;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.79.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.79, is amended to read:

256B.79 INTEGRATED CARE FOR HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN.

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given them.

(b) "Adverse outcomes" means new text begin chronic and acute stress related to new text end maternal opiate
deleted text begin addiction deleted text end new text begin use new text end , other reportable prenatal substance abuse, low birth weight, or preterm birth.

new text begin (c) "Partnerships" means the public-private African-American community-driven
partnership under contract with the commissioner as provided in subdivision 2, paragraph
(b), and any indigenous community-driven partnership that is established.
new text end

deleted text begin (c) deleted text end new text begin (d) new text end "Qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative" or "collaborative" means a
combination of (1) members of community-based organizations that represent communities
within the identified targeted populations, and (2) local or tribally based service entities,
including health care, public health, social services, mental health, chemical dependency
treatment, and community-based providers, determined by the commissioner to meet the
criteria for the provision of integrated care and enhanced services for enrollees within
targeted populations.

deleted text begin (d) deleted text end new text begin (e) new text end "Targeted populations" means pregnant medical assistance enrollees residing in
geographic areas identified by the commissioner as being at above-average risk for adverse
outcomes.

Subd. 2.

Grant program established new text begin ; contract with African-American
partnership new text end .

new text begin (a) new text end The commissioner shall implement a grant program to improve birth
outcomes and strengthen early parental resilience for pregnant women who are medical
assistance enrollees, are at significantly elevated risk for adverse outcomes of pregnancy,
and are in targeted populations. The program must promote the provision of integrated care
and enhanced services to these pregnant women, including postpartum coordination to
ensure ongoing continuity of care, by qualified integrated perinatal care collaboratives.

new text begin (b) The commissioner shall contract with a public-private African-American
community-driven partnership to support the grant program by:
new text end

new text begin (1) collaborating with the commissioner in awarding grants to qualified applicants;
new text end

new text begin (2) assisting qualified integrated perinatal care collaboratives by providing technical
assistance with program development, performing administrative functions, and providing
opportunities for professional development and training;
new text end

new text begin (3) coordinating the work of grantees; and
new text end

new text begin (4) conducting research by analyzing and reporting grantee outcome data and issuing
reports and publications.
new text end

Subd. 3.

Grant awards.

The commissioner new text begin , in collaboration with the partnerships, new text end shall
award grants to qualifying applicants to support interdisciplinary, integrated perinatal care.
Grant funds must be distributed through a request for proposals process to a designated lead
agency within an entity that has been determined to be a qualified integrated perinatal care
collaborative or within an entity in the process of meeting the qualifications to become a
qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative, and priority shall be given to qualified
integrated perinatal care collaboratives that received grants under this section prior to January
1, 2019. Grant awards must be used to support interdisciplinary, team-based needs
assessments, planning, and implementation of integrated care and enhanced services for
targeted populations. In determining grant award amounts, the commissioner new text begin and the
partnerships new text end shall consider the identified health and social risks linked to adverse outcomes
and attributed to enrollees within the identified targeted population.

Subd. 4.

Eligibility for grants.

To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity
must meet qualifications established by the commissioner new text begin , in collaboration with the
partnerships, new text end to be a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative. These qualifications
must include evidence that the entity has policies, services, and partnerships to support
interdisciplinary, integrated care. The policies, services, and partnerships must meet specific
criteria and be approved by the commissioner. The commissioner new text begin and the partnerships new text end shall
review the collaborative's capacity for interdisciplinary, integrated care, to be reviewed at
the commissioner's discretion. In determining whether the entity meets the qualifications
for a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative, the commissioner new text begin , in collaboration
with the partnerships, new text end shall verify and review whether the entity's policies, services, and
partnerships:

(1) optimize early identification of drug and alcohol dependency and abuse during
pregnancy, effectively coordinate referrals and follow-up of identified patients to
evidence-based or evidence-informed treatment, and integrate perinatal care services with
behavioral health and substance abuse services;

(2) enhance access to, and effective use of, needed health care or tribal health care
services, public health or tribal public health services, social services, mental health services,
chemical dependency services, or services provided by community-based providers by
bridging cultural gaps within systems of care and by integrating community-based
paraprofessionals such as doulas and community health workers as routinely available
service components;

(3) encourage patient education about prenatal care, birthing, and postpartum care, and
document how patient education is provided. Patient education may include information
on nutrition, reproductive life planning, breastfeeding, and parenting;

(4) integrate child welfare case planning with substance abuse treatment planning and
monitoring, as appropriate;

(5) effectively systematize screening, collaborative care planning, referrals, and follow
up for behavioral and social risks known to be associated with adverse outcomes and known
to be prevalent within the targeted populations;

(6) facilitate ongoing continuity of care to include postpartum coordination and referrals
for interconception care, continued treatment for substance abuse, identification and referrals
for maternal depression and other chronic mental health conditions, continued medication
management for chronic diseases, and appropriate referrals to tribal or county-based social
services agencies and tribal or county-based public health nursing services; and

(7) implement ongoing quality improvement activities as determined by the commissioner,
including collection and use of data from qualified providers on metrics of quality such as
health outcomes and processes of care, and the use of other data that has been collected by
the commissioner.

Subd. 5.

Gaps in communication, support, and care.

A collaborative receiving a grant
under this section must identify and report gaps in the collaborative's communication,
administrative support, and direct care, if any, that must be remedied for the collaborative
to continue to effectively provide integrated care and enhanced services to targeted
populations.

Subd. 6.

Report.

By January 31, 2021, and every two years thereafter, the commissioner new text begin ,
in collaboration with the partnerships, new text end shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members
of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services policy and
finance on the status and outcomes of the grant program. The report must:

(1) describe the capacity of collaboratives receiving grants under this section;

(2) contain aggregate information about enrollees served within targeted populations;

(3) describe the utilization of enhanced prenatal services;

(4) for enrollees identified with maternal substance use disorders, describe the utilization
of substance use treatment and dispositions of any child protection cases;

(5) contain data on outcomes within targeted populations and compare these outcomes
to outcomes statewide, using standard categories of race and ethnicity; and

(6) include recommendations for continuing the program or sustaining improvements
through other means.

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $500,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $500,000 in fiscal year 2023 are appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of human services to enter into a contract with the
African-American Integrated Care for High Risk Pregnancies (ICHRP) initiative to provide
support to the integrated care for high-risk pregnant women grant program as provided
under Minnesota Statutes, section 256B.79, subdivision 2, paragraph (b).
new text end