Tobacco Use Documentation with Medicaid Recipients: A Quality Improvement Project (C2524) FY22

Recent legislation has ensured Kentucky Medicaid recipients have access to all cessation medications and counseling. Despite this progress, tobacco use prevalence in those covered by Medicaid remains close to twice that of persons with private insurance, and quit rates remain low. This project will build on findings from our recent focus groups with the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) that revealed challenges they perceive in ensuring tobacco users receive treatment. Concerns remain regarding both the communication about these benefits and the effect that limited awareness can have on treatment utilization. Compounding this concern is a noted gap in the ability to provide and evaluate tobacco treatment outcomes with Medicaid recipients, as quality data are not consistently available on the type, quantity, frequency and trajectories of tobacco use at baseline and over time. The purpose of the project is to analyze tobacco use data in the Medicaid dataset and compare this with clinic data we have collected in our current project, Enhancing Tobacco Dependence Treatment for Kentucky Medicaid Recipients. The goal is to improve and enhance clinician documentation of tobacco use and treatment among Medicaid recipients. We will explore potential correlations between these data and our recently collected survey data regarding clinician practice and training in tobacco treatment. We will collaborate with a selected MCO and process map their existing treatment delivery in a vulnerable population and develop Best Practice Advisories to improve standardization of documentation and treatment interventions.