Learning + Resources: Reports + Research

MeHAF’s Access to Quality Care (A2QC) program was established to help health care and social services providers implement transformation of care delivery in ways that are informed by and address the needs of individuals who are uninsured.  As new payment and quality improvement strategies are put into place for all patients, the program sought to ensure coordinated, high quality services for uninsured individuals and those with particular barriers to care such as homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders.  One of the A2QC projects, the Mercy Hospital-led “Medical Neighborhood,” developed new ways of sharing patient data to support a new, patient-centered and holistic approach to delivering a broad array of services to some of Portland’s most vulnerable residents.  

Access to health care services is critically important to individuals’ health and well-being, yet Maine residents’ ability to obtain needed health care or maintain an ongoing relationship with a personal doctor are not uniform across different population groups. In Maine, access to care may be affected by factors such as financial resources, education, age, race/ethnicity, and other characteristics. Individuals with mental health conditions or poorer mental health status may be at heightened risk of access barriers because of more limited financial resources or other challenges in obtaining needed services. Using the Maine Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the years 2012-2014, this brief examines disparities in access to health care services for Maine adults based on self-reported mental health status.

This series of briefs was produced in conjunction with the Maine Rural Health Research Center to describe robust and innovative models and strategies from Maine and other parts of the country related to the areas of health finance and payment, governance, workforce, and service delivery that have the potential to be replicated or adapted here in Maine.

Maine Rural Health Profiles offers a detailed look at the status of rural health and the rural health system, both statewide and in each of the state’s 16 counties. Prepared by the Maine Rural Health Research Center, the report provides critical data and information to apprise stakeholders and inform conversations about developing a more sustainable, high-performing rural health system for Maine’s rural communities.

Maine Rural Health Profiles uses a combination of narrative and maps to discuss and illustrate both the degree of rurality in each county and how the data reported reflect rural health challenges and opportunities. The report is based on existing secondary data and includes data published by the Maine Shared Health Needs Assessment & Planning Process (SHNAPP) and the County Health Rankings.

This report highlights information about access to insurance and health care services from the ongoing federal/state public health survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).  The BRFSS surveys a random sample of Maine people throughout the year.  Results from 2013 and 2014 surveys are included in the report.

This report summarizes results from the Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS), which samples panels of respondents nationally and in Maine to follow trends in insurance coverage as well as access to health care services, unmet health care needs, and difficulty paying medical bills.  This point-in-time survey was completed in December 2013 and December 2014.

MeHAF-funded December 2013 state-wide survey results using a Maine oversample from the national Health Reform Monitoring Survey focused on coverage, affordability, and access barriers.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services contracted with Deloitte Consulting for an actuarial analysis to determine whether childless adults covered under Maine’s Section 1115 waiver would be eligible for enhanced Federal Matching Assistance Percentage expenditures under the Affordable Care Act.

The Maine Oral Health Funders contracted with the State University of New  York Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) to study the distribution and type of oral health professionals in Maine relative to access to oral health care in the state. Dentists, Registered Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants responded to surveys about their practices and work.