CMS Tweaks Accountable Health Communities Model

• By: USAging
• On: 09/09/2016 17:05:38
• In: Policy & Advocacy

In response to feedback from n4a and other stakeholders, the new model reduces the number of beneficiaries sites are required to screen while slightly boosting the maximum amount of funding available. 

Read on for details provided by CMS, including the opportunity for you to learn more via a Sept. 14 CMS webinar. 

From n4a: March 2016 Letter to CMS re: the AHC Model
 
From CMS: The five-year model, called the Accountable Health Communities Model (AHC), will focus on the health-related social needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, including building alignment between clinical and community-based services at the local level. The model will support up to twelve Track 1 bridge organizations, through cooperative agreements, which will deploy a common, comprehensive screening assessment for health-related social needs among all Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries accessing care at participating clinical delivery sites. AHC Track 1 will test whether increasing beneficiary awareness of available community services through information dissemination and referral will impact total health care costs and inpatient and outpatient health care utilization.

The original AHC Funding Opportunity Announcement requested applications for three different scalable tracks featuring interventions of varying intensity that would address health-related social needs for beneficiaries. After receiving significant interest, inquiries and stakeholder feedback, CMS has decided to make modifications to the Track 1 application requirements and is releasing a new FOA specific to Track 1 of the AHC Model. CMS believes two key modifications to Track 1 will make the program more accessible to a broader set of applicants:

1. Reducing the annual number of beneficiaries applicants are required to screen from 75,000 to 53,000; and
2. Increasing the maximum funding amount per awardee from $1 million to $1.17 million over 5 years.

Please save the date for a webinar to learn more about the Track 1 changes and the AHC Model application process:

• Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 2:00pm EST
• Registration Required: https://publichealthinstitute.webex.com/publichealthinstitute/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee9d9dc87c234f341d2bbefba3aef422a

For more information on the AHC Model and upcoming webinars, please visit the AHC Model web page.