Colorado’s Medicaid Delivery Transformation Saves Millions by Addressing Social Determinants of Health

McCullough B
Publication Year: 2018
Patient Need Addressed: Care Coordination/Management, Financial insecurity, Food insecurity, Homelessness/housing
Population Focus: Medicaid beneficiaries
Intervention Type: Service redesign
Type of Literature: Grey
Abstract

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Insights Results

Overview of article

  • Colorado’s Medicaid ACO model is at the forefront of incorporating social determinants of health into patient care plans to improve care coordination efforts
  • Colorado implemented their Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) in 2011 across 7 Regional Care Collaborative Organizations (RCCOs) in the state. RCCOs must establish communication channels with community organizations that provide resources such as food, housing and job training. According to the Colorado Department of healthcare Policy and Financing, the ACC program saved more than $205M from avoidable medical costs between July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016. Since being implemented in 2011, the ACC has produced $490M in gross savings. It has also led to a 15-20 % reduction in hospital readmissions. In addition to establishing communication channels with community organizations, RCCO’s must promote initiatives that address the social determinants of health within the region and engage with local health agencies to develop strategies to reduce health inequities in the community
  • Overall, the goal of this population health approach is to advance the health of Colorado Medicaid beneficiaries and the entire Colorado community