The University of New Mexico's College of Population Health established the Center for Health Policy in 2020 to offer policy consultation to the Medical Assistance Division (or NM Medicaid) in the New Mexico Human Services Department. Medicaid is a federal-state program that provides health coverage to eligible adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. In New Mexico, Medicaid covers 873K+ people or 41% of the state’s population. Federal participation in Medicaid varies by the mean income in a state. In New Mexico, $73 of every Medicaid dollar is paid by the Federal government. The Center's layout adheres to a tried-and-true model that has been used by 27 other universities in the US to advise Medicaid agencies on health policy. Overall, Medicaid pays more to doctors than any other insurance source including private insurance.
The Center is staffed by university faculty, mostly from the College of Population Health, but also including faculty from Pharmacy and the College of Arts and Sciences. The Center is directed by Dr. Bob Frank, a professor in the College of Population Health.
For the Center for Health Policy's work phase two plan, further initiatives have already been identified. These initiatives were chosen when Dr. Alanna Dancis was chosen as the Medicaid Medical Director. Her collaboration with the Center for Health Policy has led to the consideration of a number of new projects, generally labeled Phase II Projects.
Our Mission
To improve health outcomes for all communities in New Mexico and throughout the United States by providing innovative, data-driven, inclusive solutions for healthcare’s most complex problems.
Our Vision
New Mexico Center for Health Policy will be the pre-eminent resource for state, federal, and local policymakers to understand and facilitate affordable, accessible, high-quality health services for all New Mexicans.
The Center is involved in several priority areas, in consultation with the Human Services Department Medical Assistance Division:
1. Health Care Access Survey
A one-month randomized, stratified survey in May 2023 concluded that the majority of residents support using Medicaid dollars to address some of the biggest social issues facing the state, including: early childhood services, homelessness, domestic violence, and economic development through job training opportunities. Another round of this survey is scheduled for Spring 2024.
2. Preferred Drug List
With only one pharmacist on staff, Medicaid needed help creating a preferred drug list to ensure the best drug benefit at the best prices. The Center tapped into resources at the College of Pharmacy, asking Associate Dean Melanie Dodd and Professor Melissa Roberts, who has extensive experience in the drug industry, to work on the project. The Center is currently working with the College of Pharmacy to facilitate stakeholder groups to help inform the development of an aligned formulary for all of the MCOs for NM Medicaid.
3. Maternity Care or Obstetric (O.B.) Deserts
A severe issue for New Mexico is the problem of OB Deserts. Many pregnant people in New Mexico lack access to obstetric care. They may be forced to drive many miles for care and not be able to get care in an emergency. This project looks at how other states have addressed this problem and what might be done in New Mexico to address postpartum mortality, particularly from substance use disorder and serious mental illness. Dr. Claudia Díaz Fuentes is leading this project.
4. Behavioral Health Core project
The objective of this project is to work with state agencies to identify priority areas for Medicaid Claims data analysis and policy briefs on various facets of behavioral health in New Mexico, including how Medicaid recipients interact with the criminal justice system. This project is a collaboration with the Division of Community Behavioral Health in the UNM School of Medicine. Dr. Caroline Bonham leads this effort.
5. Workforce Development
Most New Mexican counties face a shortfall in healthcare providers and these shortages are most severe in less populated counties. The shortfall is particularly notable among Primary Care Providers, Physician Assistants, Emergency Medical Technicians, Physical Therapists, Psychiatrists, and Registered Nurses and CNS’s according to the 2022 New Mexico Health Care Workforce Report. Although there are national issues with the health care workforce, New Mexico faces additional challenges as a minority-majority state with significant income inequality, a large percentage insured by Medicaid, other social determinants of health, and the rural and frontier setting present in most of the state. Dr. Lexi O’Donnell is leading the effort to understand the Direct Care Worker shortage better, while Dr. Robert G. Frank is exploring novel approaches to the Primary Care Provider shortage. This project will examine if military medics, many of whom have worked in challenging situations in combat, can be certified as “primary care technicians” or some other role allowing them to be direct service providers. The last project in this area, is a review of Nursing Home Quality Metrics, directed by Dr. Bob Frank. This project reviews quality metrics for nursing home care.
UNM-CHP, under the leadership of Dr. Grace Chung, is collaborating with HSD to develop a hospice-like community palliative care benefit to cover New Mexico Medicaid beneficiaries. A palliative care benefit, currently lacking from New Mexico Medicaid offerings, seeks to provide relief from the stress and symptoms of serious illness through pain management, care planning, and care management while still accommodating curative treatments. The creation and implementation of such a benefit can increase patients' quality of life while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs within the state through decreased hospitalizations and the promotion of holistic and interdisciplinary care.
I am thrilled to be working at the Center for Health Policy, where I have the opportunity to engage in policy and research – two areas that I am truly passionate about. My role involves identifying critical challenges and opportunities and providing essential support to principal investigators to ensure the successful completion of their projects. I take great pride in contributing to the Center's goal of supporting HSD in improving public health outcomes for New Mexicans, and I am committed to making a positive impact in the field of health policy.
For the Center for Health Policy's work phase two plan, further initiatives have already been identified. These initiatives were chosen when Dr. Alanna Dancis was chosen as the Medicaid Medical Director. Her collaboration with the Center for Health Policy has led to the consideration of a number of new projects, generally labeled Phase II Projects.
1. Behavioral Health Core project
The objective of this Phase II project is to develop the capability to eventually have a data warehouse where data from all state agencies providing behavioral health services may be kept and integrated to let state departments know the range and quality of services an individual has received. Policy briefs on various facets of behavioral health in New Mexico, including how it interacts with the criminal justice system, are being developed as a short-term objective.
2. Maternity Care or Obstetric (O.B.) Deserts
A second project that is part of Phase II, but has been pushed forward because it is some a severe issue for New Mexico examines OB Deserts. Many women in New Mexico lack access to obstetric care. They may be forced to drive many miles for care and not be able to get care in an emergency. This project looks at how other states have addressed this problem and what might be done in New Mexico. Dr. Shannon Sanchez Youngman is also leading this project.
Amber Dukes, PhD, MPH
Sr. Program Manager
505 277-4121
Robert Frank, PhD
Center for Health Policy Director