The CNS project is evaluating outcomes, effective medication usage, quality of care and cost-effective treatments for Medicaid clients with mental illnesses. The APS project, piloted in Hudson County, uses the same markers for Medicaid clients who have diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and/or congestive heart failure.

“We are pleased that because of provider intervention and client education, these projects have demonstrated improvements in patient care as well as cost avoidances for the state,” said DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez. “While these projects are in their infancy and will show greater benefits as they continue, we anticipate that the success of these programs could eventually translate into significant financial savings for the state.”

Since implementation less than two years ago, the CNS mental health program has distributed about 14,000 prescriber intervention mailings involving more than 45,000 clients. These mailings educate physicians by sharing best-practice prescribing patterns.

The CNS program is funded through April 2009.

The APS project, focusing on Hudson County, began in March 2007. The 500 Medicaid participants were identified to help DHS providers more effectively manage their chronic conditions. Using outreach efforts, such as various health education initiatives and select community resources, overall self-management skills and clinical indicators, DHS has seen improvements in the number of clients monitoring their diabetes.

The APS program is funded through December 2008.

“To encourage area providers to participate in its on-going disease management project program, our Medicaid division sponsored an event June 5 at Jersey City Medical Center,” said Commissioner Velez. “Even on this moderate scale, we’ve seen positive results so we would like to get more providers and funders involved in the process to expand our disease management efforts.”

Under NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid, DHS provides more than 1 million New Jerseyans with health care coverage.