Subdivision 1.Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given them.

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(b) “Adverse outcomes” means maternal opiate addiction, other reportable prenatal substance abuse, low birth weight, or preterm birth.

(c) “Qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative” or “collaborative” means a combination of (1) members of community-based organizations that represent communities within the identified targeted populations, and (2) local or tribally based service entities, including health care, public health, social services, mental health, substance use disorder treatment, and community-based providers, determined by the commissioner to meet the criteria for the provision of integrated care and enhanced services for enrollees within targeted populations.

(d) “Targeted populations” means pregnant medical assistance enrollees residing in communities identified by the commissioner as being at above-average risk for adverse outcomes.

Subd. 2.Grant program established.

The commissioner shall implement a grant program to improve birth outcomes and strengthen early parental resilience for pregnant women who are medical assistance enrollees, are at significantly elevated risk for adverse outcomes of pregnancy, and are in targeted populations. The program must promote the provision of integrated care and enhanced services to these pregnant women, including postpartum coordination to ensure ongoing continuity of care, by qualified integrated perinatal care collaboratives.

Subd. 3.Grant awards.

The commissioner shall award grants to qualifying applicants to support interdisciplinary, integrated perinatal care. Grant funds must be distributed through a request for proposals process to a designated lead agency within an entity that has been determined to be a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative or within an entity in the process of meeting the qualifications to become a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative. Grant awards must be used to support interdisciplinary, team-based needs assessments, planning, and implementation of integrated care and enhanced services for targeted populations. In determining grant award amounts, the commissioner shall consider the identified health and social risks linked to adverse outcomes and attributed to enrollees within the identified targeted population.

Subd. 4.Eligibility for grants.

To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity must meet qualifications established by the commissioner to be a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative. These qualifications must include evidence that the entity has policies, services, and partnerships to support interdisciplinary, integrated care. The policies, services, and partnerships must meet specific criteria and be approved by the commissioner. The commissioner shall review the collaborative’s capacity for interdisciplinary, integrated care, to be reviewed at the commissioner’s discretion. In determining whether the entity meets the qualifications for a qualified integrated perinatal care collaborative, the commissioner shall verify and review whether the entity’s policies, services, and partnerships:

(1) optimize early identification of substance use disorder and substance abuse during pregnancy, effectively coordinate referrals and follow-up of identified patients to evidence-based or evidence-informed treatment, and integrate perinatal care services with behavioral health and substance abuse services;

(2) enhance access to, and effective use of, needed health care or tribal health care services, public health or tribal public health services, social services, mental health services, substance use disorder services, or services provided by community-based providers by bridging cultural gaps within systems of care and by integrating community-based paraprofessionals such as doulas and community health workers as routinely available service components;

(3) encourage patient education about prenatal care, birthing, and postpartum care, and document how patient education is provided. Patient education may include information on nutrition, reproductive life planning, breastfeeding, and parenting;

(4) integrate child welfare case planning with substance abuse treatment planning and monitoring, as appropriate;

(5) effectively systematize screening, collaborative care planning, referrals, and follow up for behavioral and social risks known to be associated with adverse outcomes and known to be prevalent within the targeted populations;

(6) facilitate ongoing continuity of care to include postpartum coordination and referrals for interconception care, continued treatment for substance abuse, identification and referrals for maternal depression and other chronic mental health conditions, continued medication management for chronic diseases, and appropriate referrals to tribal or county-based social services agencies and tribal or county-based public health nursing services; and

(7) implement ongoing quality improvement activities as determined by the commissioner, including collection and use of data from qualified providers on metrics of quality such as health outcomes and processes of care, and the use of other data that has been collected by the commissioner.

Subd. 5.Gaps in communication, support, and care.

A collaborative receiving a grant under this section must identify and report gaps in the collaborative’s communication, administrative support, and direct care, if any, that must be remedied for the collaborative to continue to effectively provide integrated care and enhanced services to targeted populations.

Subd. 6.Report.

By January 31, 2021, and every two years thereafter, the commissioner shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services policy and finance on the status and outcomes of the grant program. The report must:

(1) describe the capacity of collaboratives receiving grants under this section;

(2) contain aggregate information about enrollees served within targeted populations;

(3) describe the utilization of enhanced prenatal services;

(4) for enrollees identified with maternal substance use disorders, describe the utilization of substance use treatment and dispositions of any child protection cases;

(5) contain data on outcomes within targeted populations and compare these outcomes to outcomes statewide, using standard categories of race and ethnicity; and

(6) include recommendations for continuing the program or sustaining improvements through other means.

Subd. 7.

MS 2018 [Repealed, 1Sp2019 c 9 art 7 s 47]