Advancing Accountable Care Organizations in Medicaid, Years 4 and 5

In phase 4, the CHCS team will help up to 10 states design and launch Medicaid ACO programs—six states currently in the collaborative, plus up to four new states that are pursuing ACO development. The project’s primary focus will be to provide peer-to-peer learning opportunities for states that are designing their programs, but CHCS also will expand its one-on-one technical assistance for states that have “graduated” from the collaborative but still require guidance post-launch. The team will also create a Medicaid ACO Resource Center to formally disseminate learnings to nonparticipating states and to federal policymakers interested in Medicaid ACO development. To support project staff’s capacity to adequately assess the impact of their efforts, The Commonwealth Fund plans to provide small-grant support to an evaluation consultant, who will work with CHCS over the course of the project. Because a one-year grant period does not allow the project team sufficient time to assist participating states from program inception to launch, the Fund proposes a two-year grant period for phase 4. The hands-on support CHCS provides significantly enhances the chances of success for the participating states’ new Medicaid ACO programs. At the same time, the project will continue to inform efforts of additional states, and federal policymakers, that also are seeking to bring more effective and efficient care to Medicaid enrollees.