The Medicaid 1115 Substance Use Disorder Demonstration waiver will introduce a limited piloting of certain services that are currently not directly available to Illinois Medicaid beneficiaries. These additional services are expected to inform the state’s efforts to transform the behavioral health system in Illinois as some beneficiaries will have access to less costly community-based services, which are expected to help beneficiaries improve their health and avoid costlier services provided in an institution.  The demonstration period is July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023 and includes 10 pilots addressing inpatient treatment, clinically managed withdrawal, case management, peer recovery support, crisis intervention, home visiting, community integration, supported employment, intensive in-home, and respite services. The project has six goals:

1. Increased rates of identification, initiation, and engagement in treatment;
2. Increased adherence to and retention in treatment;
3. Reductions in overdose deaths, particularly those due to opioids;
4. Reduced utilization of emergency departments and inpatient hospital settings for treatment where the utilization is preventable or medically inappropriate through improved access to other continuum of care services;
5. Fewer readmissions to the same or higher level of care where the readmission is preventable or medically inappropriate; and
6. Improved access to care for physical health and behavioral health conditions among beneficiaries.

The Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD) will be conducting an overall evaluation of these pilot services using Interrupted Time Series to compare trend data pre- and post-wavier and individual pilot evaluations using Propensity Score Matching analyses to compare groups. The evaluation will be conducted in partnership with the Office of Medicaid Innovation at the University of Illinois and funded by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.