Blog

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions Recommended Resource Download Now: Tips to Reduce Stress and Combat Burnout Stress is a normal part of life, but when it becomes chronic, it can hurt your physical and mental health. Included in this tip sheet are several, evidence-based relaxation techniques that you can use to help manage stress and improve your overall well-being, whether you are at home or in the office. Download Now The contents of this article and referenced websites, such as text, graphics, images and other material contained on the site are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance on any information provided by these websites is solely at your own risk and Acentra™ Health is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" webpage referenced from this server. Acentra Health. All rights reserved.

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions Stress and burnout are the most common struggles for employees and a driving force of the current U.S. workplace mental health crisis. In recent years, burnout has emerged as one of the primary concerns among employees across various industries. Burnout is a pressing concern for federal government agencies, with studies indicating high rates of burnout among employees. According to a comprehensive report by Gallup: 1 in 4 employees feel burned out “very often” or “always.” Unfair treatment, unmanageable workloads, unclear communication from managers, lack of manager support, and unreasonable time pressure were cited as contributing to burnout. The consequences of burnout include: Lower engagement among managers and employees. Lower productivity. Increase in unplanned absences. Missed deadlines, delays, and negativity. Addressing Burnout in the Public Sector The good news is that effective interventions can be adopted to prevent and alleviate burnout. Employers can take the following steps: Demonstrate that the organization supports employee well-being Acentra Health partners with our clients to provide counselors in the workplace for convenient onsite support to help meet the needs of their employees. Employees and managers can receive quick and effective care. Support work-life balance through flexible scheduling and telework options. Engage with your people Keeping staff engaged typically starts with the manager. In fact, managers who regularly meet with their staff one-on-one for productive conversations provide their team with meaningful engagement in the form of recognition, opportunities, clarified expectations, and a forum for feedback. Acentra Health offers comprehensive solutions, including: Equipping managers with the tools they need to successfully engage their employees. Enhancing communication and transparency between managers and employees. Destigmatizing mental h

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions Recommended Resource Download Now: Self-Service Quiz To help employees assess their risk of burnout, we've developed a simple eight question quiz that they can use to assess their well-being, seek appropriate support, and ultimately contribute to a healthier and more productive work environment. If your organization is looking for additional ways to foster a supportive environment, you may download and share the Mental Health Self-Reflection Quiz with your workplace. The contents of this article and referenced websites, such as text, graphics, images and other material contained on the site are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance on any information provided by these websites is solely at your own risk and Acentra™ Health is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" webpage referenced from this server. Acentra Health. All rights reserved.

Jun 4, 2026 – By Verlon Johnson, Chief Government & Corporate Affairs Officer Key Takeaways from the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) 2023 Fall Conference The NAMD Fall 2023 Conference brought together state agencies, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) representatives, and industry leaders for insightful discussions on the future of Medicaid. This year’s conference focused on four different themes: PHE unwinding, long-term care, maternal health, and youth health. Additional conference insights and main discussion topics from some of the NAMD sessions include the following: Member Outreach and Leveraging Data Insights The importance of multi-modal outreach to members was a key topic of discussion, as consumer literacy and response rates are lower than expected. States are increasingly leveraging data insights to develop targeted outreach strategies, with over 40 states having published dashboards to track population needs, engagement rates, and areas for improvement. Churn rate, or more simply known as the rate of members dropping out or not finishing the enrollment process, is a frequent focus of many states. CMS representatives stressed this focus with the need to “avoid the churn” in the process, citing that 25-30% of the population accepts the current churn going through the process. Supporting Youth Health and Well-being Young adults who grew up with Medicaid shared their stories, highlighting the need for additional improvements in outreach and support tactics. The group emphasized “meeting members where they are,” not just physically but also in terms of digital presence, advocating for more social media engagement and content in multiple languages. Additional care coordinators were also suggested as a potential resource to help members navigate the Medicaid system more effectively, serving as a point of contact for various circumstances and helping as children on Medicaid aged up in the system. Importance of Strengthening Partnerships S

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions What We Know About the Latest Proposed Changes In the past two years momentum behind the need to update the Prior Authorization (PA) process has been growing at both the federal and state levels. From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposing new rules to the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) raising concerns about access to care through a fair and equitable process for Medicaid beneficiaries, it's clear that changes to the PA process will be required for Medicaid prior authorizations in the foreseeable future. As planning begins for the implementation of the proposed CMS rules in January 2026, our Acentra Health experts are considering updates to four key areas: The latest CMS proposed rule is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2026, and applies to Medicaid managed care plans, the majority of Medicaid fee-for-service plans , Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care and fee-for-service arrangements, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, and Qualified Health Plans (QHP) on the federally facilitated health insurance marketplace (i.e., healthcare.gov). The new ruling focuses on improving automation of the PA process , increasing access to data , and enhancing the beneficiary and provider experiences. States may add additional requirements on top of the new CMS rules. In addition, the HHS OIG’s July 2023 report detailed variations in the Medicaid MCO prior authorization process. A significant number of states surveyed in OIG’s review reported they had limited oversight of the prior authorization process including initial decisions, appeals, and reconsiderations. The OIG is urging CMS to provide additional guidance to benefit states and to ensure Medicaid beneficiaries have equitable and timely access to all appropriate care. Leveraging Key Focus Areas for a Smoother Transition With changes inevitably on the horizon for Medicaid Prior Autho

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions Insights from the first four months of redetermination are showing impacts to the Medicaid population. According to the latest Medicaid renewal data captured in the KFF Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker, over 3.7 million Americans across 41 states have lost their coverage.1 The challenges expected from the redetermination process around completion of paperwork are yielding almost 3 out of 4 individuals reportedly dropped due to incomplete paperwork or missing required documentation. [1] Data as of August 1, 2023 As U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra stated in his June 12th letter to U.S. Governors, “as full Medicaid renewals begin, it is critically important to ensure that individuals do not lose coverage due solely to administrative processes.” If beneficiaries submit incomplete redetermination paperwork, states are required to contact the beneficiary and work through information fields that are missing. This may cause multiple rounds of submissions in order to complete the redetermination process paperwork. For beneficiaries that are non-responsive, states will have to manage multiple rounds of outreach to the individual. This overall increase in additional support for enrollment departments comes at a time when many are experiencing staffing shortages and workload capacity issues. What challenges do beneficiaries face when completing their paperwork? This is the most significant question that states need to consider when determining the best way to support beneficiaries and lower the administrative burden. Beneficiaries who do not complete their redetermination paperwork typically experience one of these challenges: They are lacking awareness of the process and are not responding to outreach notices due to not opening mail. They are lacking awareness of the process and are not receiving outreach notices due to having incorrect

Jun 4, 2026 – By Susan Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Health Solutions April 1st is upon us and states are starting the redeterminations process for Medicaid, which has been referred to as one of the “biggest administrative burdens” states have faced to date from the pandemic. From now through the end of the year, the impacts to Medicaid beneficiaries as well as internal state operations, providers, and stakeholders will come to the forefront. The early months will bring to light challenges and broader impacts than perhaps the most thoughtful and deliberate state plans could have anticipated. The good news for states, however, is that they do not have to face these challenges alone. How can partnership play a role in resolving redeterminations? States are looking to their long-term partners who currently have roles in their day-to-day Medicaid operations. These partners know the state policies and practices, have daily communications with beneficiaries, providers, and stakeholders, and are viewed as an extension of the state’s team in planning and problem-solving communication challenges, as well as other emerging challenges. Partners perform various functions for states including claims processing and enrollment, as well as a variety of clinical operations ranging from utilization management, case management, and care coordination, to clinical assessments for waiver programs, provider network credentialing and enrollment, and numerous other functions. Many partners work with numerous states and some have a national footprint, placing them in a unique position to bring ideas to the discussion, share experiences from other states, and help states plan their paths forward. Opportunities to Overcome Challenges with Awareness-Building Efforts Raising beneficiary awareness is the first of many challenges to overcome. For example, in December 2022, nearly two-thirds (64.3 percent) of adults enrolled in Medicaid or with an enrolled spouse, partner, or ch

Jun 4, 2026 – This article originally appeared in the February 11, 2022 issue of Forbes India. CNSI Managing Director Gaurav Maini uses his healthcare technology background to improve lives with a unified global team. As an executive with Epic Systems in Wisconsin, United States, Gaurav Maini was no stranger to on-site technology implementations. When his own children were due to be born, Gaurav went to the local hospital to personally test the electronic health record systems that would empower his family and their medical providers. This fundamental connection to the humanity of healthcare technology now drives Gaurav’s work as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for India at U.S.-based CNSI. CNSI delivers health information technology solutions and customizable products to state and federal agencies in the United States, where it is headquartered. With a major technology center in Chennai since 2004, CNSI employs a world-class team of engineers, program managers, and subject matter experts with large-scale technology implementation experience. When CEO Todd Stottlemyer selected Gaurav Maini to lead CNSI’s India operations in October 2020, he stated, “Gaurav knows what it takes to build and deploy solutions to help us improve health outcomes, better manage population health, and bend the cost curve.” Prior to CNSI, Gaurav Maini spent eight years as Managing Director of Philips VitalHealth Asia Pacific, establishing Philips as a leading provider of solutions focused on health data, coordination of care, and patient and clinician engagement. He is passionate about the confluence of technology and healthcare. “I get to follow that passion through CNSI’s vision: to be the market leader and most trusted partner for innovative and transformative technology-enabled solutions that improve health and social services outcomes and reduce costs,” says Gaurav. Gaurav has extensive experience with the complexities and costs of healthcare technology systems in the U.S. After earning h

May 29, 2026 – Heading Level 2 (h2) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi tristique sapien ac magna dictum, id molestie ipsum feugiat. Heading Level 3 (h3) Nullam in dui mauris. Vivamus hendrerit arcu sed erat molestie vehicula. Sed auctor neque eu tellus rhoncus ut eleifend nibh porttitor. Heading Level 4 (h4) Ut id nisl quis enim dignissim sagittis. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Heading Level 5 (h5) Donec odio tempus molestie, porttitor quis, auctor ut, ligula. Heading Level 6 (h6) Pharetra augue nec, augue. Cras risus ipsum, faucibus ut, ullamcorper id, varius ac, leo. Inline Text Elements This paragraph demonstrates various inline semantic tags. You can make text strong (bold) to indicate importance, or use bold formatting for purely stylistic emphasis. Similarly, you can apply emphasis (italics) or use italic formatting for technical terms or idiomatic phrases. If you need to show changes in text, you can display deleted text alongside inserted text , or perhaps use strikethrough for things that are no longer accurate. Highlighting text is done via the mark element. Technical elements include HTML for abbreviations (hover to see the title), Citation Titles for creative works, and inline quotations. For definitions, the definition term tag is used. Lastly, we have small formatting tools like small print (e.g., copyright text), chemical formulas using subscripts like H2O, and mathematical notations using superscripts like E = mc2. You can also generate a standard hyperlink. Lists Unordered List (ul) First list item Second list item with a longer line to test wrap behavior. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Third list item Nested list item level 2 Another nested item Nested list item level 3 Fourth list item Ordered List (ol) Step number one Step number two Sub-step alpha Sub-step beta Step number three Description List (dl) Description Term (dt) Description details (d