Insights

Jun 2, 2026 – By Meghan Harris, President and Chief Operations Officer Mental Health Burden According to the World Health Organization, an estimated one billion people[1] live with a mental health or addictive disorder. That’s one out of every eight people on the planet. In the U.S., estimates suggest that only half of people with mental illnesses receive treatment.[2] And according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only a small proportion of individuals who need substance use treatment receive it, leaving approximately 90% who go without treatment.[3] The burden of mental health disorders and the associated economic costs are enormous — to individuals, the economy, and society.

May 15, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions States have developed a wide range of services to help individuals who have disabilities or chronic conditions and need long-term care. Over 30% of Medicaid expenditures go toward long-term services and supports (LTSS) for both institutional and home-based care.

May 13, 2026 – By Nirav Dalal, Senior Vice President of Sales Leadership With more Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS) moving to modular, multi-vendor models, vendor selection is no longer just about technology; it’s about building a network of partners who work together to deliver better outcomes for priority populations. The shift is reshaping Medicaid operations and demands a more strategic, deliberate approach to vendor selection.

Mar 19, 2026 – By Ryan Bosch, MD, FACP, Chief Health & Informatics Officer As state Medicaid agencies adopt modular, specialized systems to meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements, they gain flexibility but lose a single, unified view of their data. Each module stores and organizes data in its own way, which makes it efficient for generating reports from that specific system, but harder to combine and use data across systems.

Mar 6, 2026 – By Amanda Ramsey, Marketing Director Acentra Health returned from the 16th Annual State Healthcare IT Connect Summit energized by the urgency and scale of change facing Medicaid and Health and Human Services (HHS) leaders nationwide. Held February 24–26, 2026, in New Orleans, the well-attended conference brought together state and federal leaders, technologists, and industry partners at a pivotal time for health IT transformation. Across sessions and conversations, several themes consistently surfaced: Artificial Intelligence (AI), rural health transformation, community engagement requirements under H.R. 1, interoperability, and the operational impact of sweeping federal policy changes. At its core, this year’s Summit reinforced a simple reality: policy change and technology modernization are no longer separate efforts; they must move forward together.

Dec 12, 2025 – Case Study: Utah’s Medicaid Modernization Journey Utah has recently completed a groundbreaking initiative to modernize its Medicaid system. The state’s vision was to create a streamlined, efficient system that improved care delivery and health outcomes while optimizing administrative processes. Utah faced numerous challenges that are common across Medicaid programs, including outdated legacy systems, complex regulations, and the need for real-time data analytics to support decision-making. In June 2020, Utah Medicaid went live with its first updated release, the provider enrollment and management module. Then, in April 2023, Utah Medicaid went live with its last release which fully implemented a new system called Provider Reimbursement Information System for Medicaid (PRISM). Utah Medicaid now annually processes approximately six million provider claims plus managed care encounters, paying approximately $5 billion to more than 65,000 active Medicaid providers and managed care organizations.

Nov 26, 2025 – By Marnie Keogh, Senior Vice President, Marketing Reflections from the National Association of Medicaid Directors 2025 Conference: Challenges, Changes, and Opportunities Acentra Health returned from NAMD 2025 energized by the dedication of our nation’s Medicaid Directors and their teams. The conference, held November 18-21 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, was the largest to date, giving us the opportunity to speak with many Directors. In a nutshell, here’s what we heard: the challenges brought on by market constraints will force them to change how they operate, giving them opportunities to do new things.

Aug 5, 2025 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions Acentra Health applauds the steps taken by private health insurance leaders, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) leadership to collaborate on accelerating care decisions and enhancing transparency around the prior authorization (PA) process. As this process with private insurers moves forward, we welcome the opportunity to contribute to this national discussion with our perspectives and highlight the work we are doing on behalf of our clients.

Jun 12, 2025 – By Todd Stottlemyer, Chief Executive Officer At Acentra Health, innovation isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a commitment to driving real change in how government healthcare programs serve the American public. Three of our executive leaders are being recognized by WashingtonExec for their pioneering work in government healthcare technology innovation.