As part of Missouri’s efforts to better coordinate care, the state requires all of its Medicaid plans to enroll in a Health Improvement Plan, and its Medicaid beneficiaries to be provided with a health home.1 In order to evaluate the quality of care provided to the Medicaid population, the state has established a Medicaid Oversight Committee.2  The Committee is responsible for reviewing comparative health plan and delivery model data.  The Committee must also develop new health improvement plans that take into account the changing demographics of the state’s Medicaid population.3  To allow better care management, beneficiaries under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have access to a telephone hotline that provides parents with information on available health care providers.4

        In order to address health care access issues, the state runs a public education campaign to inform citizens with little or inadequate health insurance of the availability and accessibility to federal and state health programs.5  The state has also established the Office of Rural Health within the Department of Health and Senior Services.  The Office of Rural Health’s responsibilities include, educating consumers and providers on quality and cost effectiveness of health care services, promoting innovations in health care delivery in rural areas, and providing technical assistance to rural communities.6  Further efforts to increase access to health care in rural and underserved areas can be seen through the state’s Health Access Incentive Fund, which provides financial incentives for providers, including those participating in Medicaid to locate where the need is greatest.7