These rates are based on the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) IET access to care measure. Substance induced mental disorders were not included. Excludes beneficiaries with Medicare or other medical insurance due to incomplete Medicaid claims history.

In Vermont Medicaid, medication assisted treatment (MAT) is currently billed as one unit per month. The HEDIS IET specification looks for one service within 14 days of index event to count as initiation and two services within 30 days of initiation for engagement. An adjustment to the IET rate was used to count the multiple visits each week occurring at the MAT opioid treatment programs. Also, VT billing codes for behavioral health residential treatment do not match the IET measure, but for this measure are counted as sub-acute facility visits.

This measure assesses the degree to which Vermont Medicaid initiates (starts) and engages (continues) treatment for members identified with a need for alcohol and other drug dependence (AOD) services. Two rates are reported for this measure:

• Initiation – the % of Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with AOD dependence who start treatment through an inpatient AOD admission or an outpatient service for AOD abuse or dependence within 14 days. (See previous scorecard.)
• Engagement – the % of Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with AOD dependence who then received two (2) additional AOD services within 30 days after the start of AOD treatment. (The data represented in the chart here is the DVHA's Engagement Total rate (13-17 years combined with 18+ years. Separate engagement rates for those population sub-sets are also tracked.)

The need for Vermont to work on our increasing opioid use epidemic is well documented and has garnered media and public attention over the past few years. Possibly less well known, is the fact that alcohol abuse, on its own, still represents the larger percentage of substance abuse for Vermonters. Please read further under “What Works” and “Strategies” to learn more about what Vermont Medicaid is doing to help Vermonters prevent and treat substance abuse.

• Vermont Medicaid beneficiaries and families
• Community Providers – such as Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselors (LADCs), primary care physicians and mental health practitioners
• Hospitals
• Other Agency of Human Services Departments –
  • Vermont Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP)
  • Department of Children and Families
  • Department of Mental Health
  • Department of Corrections

Hub and Spoke Links coming soon.

Initiation and Engagement of Alcohol and Other Drug Dependence Treatment (IET) Performance Improvement Project (PIP) information coming soon.