The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) recently were awarded a grant by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This grant, led by Dr. Dan Rusyniak, is part of their initiative called “Maternal Opioid Misuse Indiana Initiative (MOM-II)”, which focuses on opioid use disorder in pregnancy. Through MOM-II, the FSSA will partner with its Medicaid managed care (MCE) companies (Anthem, CareSource, MDwise, and Managed Health Services) to address this complicated issue through cooperative care coordination, increased provider education, addressing social determinants of health, and extending Medicaid coverage.
It is no surprise to anyone that navigating healthcare is complicated. This difficulty is compounded in pregnant women with substance use disorders. For optimal outcomes they need obstetrical, physical, mental health, and SUD related care. Coordinating this care is difficult for women who also struggle with housing instability, transportation needs, economic hardships, and a variety of other social needs. Pregnancy, however, also provides a unique opportunity. During pregnancy, women with substance use disorders have a high rate of achieving drug abstinence. This success, however, can be short lived during the post-partum period where relapse is high. With our MCE partners and the School of Medicine Echo program, we will provide needed services before, during, and after delivery. It is the goal of this program to get more women on the path to sustained recovery and to reduce the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Dan Rusyniak, MD
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Chief Medical Officer, Indiana Family and Social Services Administratio