UMass Medical School health care expert to discuss university-state projects that improve Medicaid in webinar

A UMass Medical School health care expert will discuss university-state projects that improve Medicaid services in a webinar hosted by Public University Medicaid Partnerships April 20.

The webinar, “Beyond Research: What Services Can Universities Provide to State Agencies?,” will be presented by David Polakoff, MD, MSc, chief medical officer and associate dean of UMass Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine division; Dushka Crane, PhD, director of Healthcare Integration at the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center; and Heather Reed, MA, Healthcare Access Program director at the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center.  Speakers will discuss university-state projects that improve Medicaid services. They will present case studies that leverage state-university health care expertise, including clinical supports, infant mortality, behavioral health, and health care workforce access. The webinar will be from 2 to 3 p.m.

Dr. Polakoff previously served as director of the Office of Clinical Affairs, a unit within Commonwealth Medicine, and chief medical officer of MassHealth. In those roles he worked to improve health care quality and access for members of MassHealth. He is an internist specializing in geriatrics and often speaks on policy and clinical care issues.

Public University Medicaid Partnerships is a joint endeavor of Commonwealth Medicine and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC). The collaboration promotes the benefits of partnerships between public university systems and state agencies responsible for administering state health care programs.