Accountable Health Communities Model & Upcoming January 2016 Webinars
On January 5th, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the introduction of a new five-year program designed to determine if certain types of screening and their referrals to community based services will result in improvements to the quality and affordability of Medicaid and Medicare.
The program, called the Accountable Health Communities Model or AHC, will focus on aligning local clinical and community based services by screening beneficiaries’ medical related social needs when they access services at specific participating clinical locations. This program will test three different variables: community referral awareness, community service navigation assistance, and community service alignment on the availability and responsiveness of services.
There is emerging data that suggests improved health outcomes in patients who are connected to community based programs that address social needs and provide resources regarding issues such as housing stability, food uncertainty, and the management of health related out-of-pocket expenses. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will award 44 cooperative agreements from $1 million to $4.5 million to applications who successfully implement the Accountable Health Communities Model with a total of $157 million dollars of potential funding. These applicants will partner with state, and local community providers and will synchronize local efforts to improve coordination between organizations and services. This funding will not be used directly to pay for the housing, food, transportation, or other direct services.
SAVE THE DATE for these IMPORTANT WEBINARS from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
Thursday, January 21, 2015 2-3:30 pm EST REGISTER HERE with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (link below)
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 3-4:30 EST REGISTER HERE (link below)
Follow updates on CMS Innovation Centers’ Twitter account – @CMSinnovates
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