Smoking prevalence is approximately 53% greater among Medicaid enrollees than among the overall U.S. adult population.
~Armour, Finklestein, & Fiebelkorn (2009)
Medicaid is the largest health insurance provider in the U.S.--covering over 65 million (more than 1 in 5) individuals across the nation1. Medicaid enrollees are significantly more likely to use tobacco than the general population. In order to reach the expansive Medicaid population, it is critical to engage Medicaid providers to address tobacco cessation with their patients2. In particular, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) are uniquely positioned to reach their providers and to raise their awareness about the need to provide targeted cessation interventions to Medicaid enrollees who use tobacco.
How Can We Reach and Engage Providers to Address Tobacco Cessation?
Maryland TCRC has established contacts at the organizational level of each of the Maryland MCOs and is conducting training with both non-clinical staff and providers to generate awareness regarding tobacco use and cessation challenges, the Maryland Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW), our smoking cessation trainings for clinicians, and our Fax to Assist program.
To promote tobacco cessation among Medicaid enrollees who use tobacco products, Maryland TCRC offers trainings and communications aimed at enhancing health care providers' skills for reaching and intervening with this population. To learn more about the provider trainings available, please see our Trainings for Medicaid Providers webpage.
Maryland TCRC has also created a number of provider-targeted and consumer-targeted "Connect to Quit Corner" messages that address specific topics and populations affected by tobacco. These messages are designed to be included in MCO newsletters or other communications with Medicaid providers and enrollees. Follow the links below to view Maryland TCRC's "Connect to Quit Corner" provider and consumer messages.
Provider Messages:
- Message 1: Change Talk
- Message 2: Combination Therapy
- Message 3: Motivational Enhancement
- Message 4: Expanded Quitline Services for Adolescents
- Message 5: Expanded Quitline Services for Pregnant Women
- Message 6: Trusted Provider
- Message 7: A3C Brief Intervention
- Message 8: Maryland Quitline
Sample Provider Message
Consumer Messages:
- Message 1: Maryland Quitline (Consumer)
- Message 2: Expanded Quitline Services for Adolescents (Consumer)
- Message 3: Expanded Quitline Services for Pregnant Women (Consumer)
Sample Consumer Message
If you would like to know more about the role of MCOs and Medicaid providers in addressing tobacco cessation efforts or would like to obtain the "Connect to Quit Corner" messages in a different format (e.g., Microsoft Word) for inclusion in your communications, please contact the Maryland TCRC at 410-455-3628 or info@marylandtcrc.org.
When looking for solutions and recommendations for designing and implementing a systems change approach to your practice, consider the "Ask and Act: A Tobacco Cessation Program" created by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), published in 2015. This guide is available for download here.
Did you know that the Medicaid population is significantly more likely to use tobacco than the general population? Do you want to enhance your skills at reaching and intervening with Medicaid patients who use tobacco? Maryland TCRC has an online training to teach you the strategies that can be utilized with all patients—regardless of their health insurance status. You can sign-up for this FREE self-paced online training by going to https://HABITSLabTraining.litmos.com/self-signup/ and entering the training code, "medicaid".
1. North American Quitline Consortium. (2014). Medicaid cessation covereage roundtable report. Accessed on 9/24/14 at http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/naquitline.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/medicaid...
2. Armour, Finklestein, & Fiebelkorn (2009).
