Developmental Disabilities Health Services is receiving an award to test a developmental disabilities health home model, using care management/primary care teams of nurse practitioners and MDs to improve the health and care of persons with developmental disabilities in important clinical areas. The health homes will serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive Medicaid and/or Medicare benefits in New Jersey, the Bronx, and Little Rock, Arkansas, and are eligible for services in each state's Home and Community-Based Services waiver program, as well as individuals who are commercially insured and uninsured. All of these patients are considered high-risk and many have co-morbidities. By integrating care using nurse practitioners as care coordinators and health care providers, the health homes will improve primary care, mental health care, basic neurological care, and seizure management for these beneficiaries, resulting in reduced emergency room visits and lower out-of-home placement and institutionalization.
