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Lisa Patchner
MUNCIE, Ind. - The two-year budget Gov. Frank O'Bannon plans to sign will freeze money for one of the state's largest and fastest-growing programs, Indiana Medicaid. The health care program serves the poor and disabled and impacts one in every seven Hoosiers.
"We need to decide as a society what type of health care we want for everyone," said Lisa Patchner, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Ball State University. "The Americans with Disabilities Act estimates that 20 percent of the adult population in this country has at least one disabling condition."
Patchner was recently appointed to a nine-person advisory committee for Medicaid Select. It was designed to coordinate and streamline the delivery of health care services for aged, blind and disabled Hoosiers as well as for children receiving adoptive services. Through Medicaid Select, a primary care physician will provide a "medical home" for the individual being served.
Patchner's previous research with Medicaid managed care in Pennsylvania helped to prepare her for an exploratory examination of how Indiana's community partners view their role in serving the Medicaid population.
Patchner is the parent of an adopted son with multiple disabilities who will be served by Medicaid Select once he finishes secondary school and begins living in a community residence. She has been personally interested in how public-funded health care affects those, like her son, who have multiple bio-psychosocial needs.
"Serving individuals with disabilities can be very challenging for state Medicaid programs due to the chronic
nature of disabling disease and illness, the need to provide health care services from multiple specialties, physical access to health care providers, communication barriers, the cost of specialized health services, and case coordination needs for complex health conditions," Patchner said.
Medicaid attempts to service present health care needs, but also strives to provide preventive health services so that individuals will be able to fully participate in society.
"If we can prevent future deterioration and catastrophic illnesses, we can save money in the long run." she said. "The goal is to keep people with chronic illnesses as healthy and productive as possible."
In the classroom, Patchner is able to illustrate to students how Medicaid service delivery is developed, monitored and evaluated. In addition, she uses some examples from her involvement with Medicaid Select in her research and policy classes.
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on this story, contact Lisa Patchner at (765) 285-1014. For more stories, visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
"We need to decide as a society what type of health care we want for everyone," said Lisa Patchner, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Ball State University. "The Americans with Disabilities Act estimates that 20 percent of the adult population in this country has at least one disabling condition."
Patchner was recently appointed to a nine-person advisory committee for Medicaid Select. It was designed to coordinate and streamline the delivery of health care services for aged, blind and disabled Hoosiers as well as for children receiving adoptive services. Through Medicaid Select, a primary care physician will provide a "medical home" for the individual being served.
Patchner's previous research with Medicaid managed care in Pennsylvania helped to prepare her for an exploratory examination of how Indiana's community partners view their role in serving the Medicaid population.
Patchner is the parent of an adopted son with multiple disabilities who will be served by Medicaid Select once he finishes secondary school and begins living in a community residence. She has been personally interested in how public-funded health care affects those, like her son, who have multiple bio-psychosocial needs.
"Serving individuals with disabilities can be very challenging for state Medicaid programs due to the chronic
nature of disabling disease and illness, the need to provide health care services from multiple specialties, physical access to health care providers, communication barriers, the cost of specialized health services, and case coordination needs for complex health conditions," Patchner said.
Medicaid attempts to service present health care needs, but also strives to provide preventive health services so that individuals will be able to fully participate in society.
"If we can prevent future deterioration and catastrophic illnesses, we can save money in the long run." she said. "The goal is to keep people with chronic illnesses as healthy and productive as possible."
In the classroom, Patchner is able to illustrate to students how Medicaid service delivery is developed, monitored and evaluated. In addition, she uses some examples from her involvement with Medicaid Select in her research and policy classes.
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on this story, contact Lisa Patchner at (765) 285-1014. For more stories, visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
