Hospitals now have until May 18 to submit an application to participate in the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) model, which will test whether screening Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries for health-related social needs can lower health care costs and utilization and improve quality.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will grant up to 44 cooperative agreements, for a total of $157 million, to hospitals and community organizations for the five-year AHC model, which seeks to bridge the gap between clinical care and community services. Selected sites will coordinate and connect patients to services that meet their health-related social needs, such as food insecurity and unstable housing.
Participating collaborations will be split into three tracks featuring different approaches to alignment:
- Track 1: Increase awareness of community services through information and referral.
- Track 2: Help high-risk beneficiaries navigate access to services.
- Track 3: Encourage alignment between organizations to ensure services are available and responsive to beneficiary needs.
Contact Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
