For Immediate Release
Contact: Carol Ann Campbell
cacampbell@njhcqi.org (973-567-1901)
ROAD MAP OUTLINES VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF MEDICAID ACOs NEW REGIONAL HEALTH HUB MODEL WILL ALLOW COALITIONS TO GROW AND INNOVATE
June 18, 2019 — PRINCETON — The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute today released a Road Map to build on the potential of community-based coalitions to improve care for people with complex health and social needs.
The coalitions, originally known as Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), advance innovations that address socials barriers to health and well-being — and enable local governments, non-profit organizations, and health care providers to work together to improve the overall health of a community.
The Road Map creates a vision for the state-certified Medicaid ACOs in Camden, Trenton and Newark, and one “look-a-like” Medicaid ACO serving Paterson to evolve into coordinated Regional Health Hubs (“Hub”). This will enable continued growth, innovation and opportunities to achieve even greater success across the State of New Jersey. The current Hubs are: The Healthy Greater Newark ACO; the Trenton Health Team; the Camden Coalition of Health Care Providers; and the Health Coalition of Passaic County. The Road Map also outlines how other communities can develop Hubs.
“Health and wellbeing are about more than access to health care services,” said Linda Schwimmer, President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. “Good health is also about social supports, housing, safety, and access to nutritious food. This Roadmap outlines how together we can continue to build on the success of Medicaid ACOs through the Regional Health Hub model.”
Medicaid ACOs in New Jersey date back to 2011, when the Quality Institute, with support from The Nicholson Foundation, partnered with many community organizations and health care systems working to improve care and living conditions for people in underserved areas in New Jersey.
The Roadmap for the future of these ACOs is available here.
The Hub model outlined in the Roadmap embraces the successful elements of ACOs: bringing together competing interests, analyzing patient-level data to inform care decisions, and serving as a hub for community organizations and health care providers to work together to achieve the population health goals of the state.
The ACOs were created with state and foundation funding under a demonstration project that is ending. The Hub model builds on the ACOs’ years of experience working with complex patients and will provide strong data analysis that will support patients even if they move to different communities.
Hubs can play an important role in the way state and federal dollars are spent on health care in New Jersey by maximizing resources and improving population health. Hubs add to the value of health care spending by:
- Analyzing regional health data.
- Convening local health care, nonprofit, social service and local government partners.
- Developing a strategic plan for innovation in care management and delivery with community focus.
New Jersey’s Medicaid program spends more than $17 billion of state and federal funds annually and provides comprehensive health care coverage to more than 1.7 million New Jersey residents. Enrollment increased 35 percent as part of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, putting pressure on an already stressed state budget and delivery system and making the need for innovations that both improve care and reduce costs essential to the future of Medicaid.
“These Regional Health Hubs are the future as we continue to find new models of care that value and support individuals beyond just the doors of the doctor’s office or hospital,” Schwimmer said. “I encourage everyone to read the report and support this important work.”
About the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
At the Quality Institute, we believe that collaboration is essential to improving our health care system. That’s why we bring providers, payers, patients and decision makers together to advance health care safety, quality and affordability. We’re the only independent, nonpartisan advocate working in New Jersey to promote accountability and transparency. We have more than 100 unique member organizations— all committed to improving health care for everyone in New Jersey.