The partnership aims to drive coordination of community health benefits that address the social determinants of health.
A new partnership between Alliance for Better Health and MVP Health Care aims to support community-based organizations and address the social determinants of health.
The partnership, which culminates in an $800,000 investment in social services organizations, comes as a part of Alliance for Better Health’s participation in New York’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program.
Alliance for Better Health is a Performing Provider System that is a part of the 1115 demonstration project and works to cut down on unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department admissions, improve quality outcomes, and boost overall care coordination.
Alongside the managed care organization (MCO) MVP Health Care, Alliance for Better Health has formed the Healthy Alliance Independent Practice Association (IPA), which is a group of social services organizations that are going to work together to address the social determinants of health.
Alliance for Better Health and MVP Health Care will funnel most of its investment to the transportation, housing access, and food security programs within the IPA. The funding will also improve provider access to a digital technology from Unite Us that helps providers refer and connect patients to social services.
This partnership comes as the healthcare industry increasingly recognizes the link between the social determinants of health and overall care outcomes. Patients who cannot get to their medical appointments, who experience homelessness, or who cannot access healthy foods tend to have a difficult time managing their own health and connecting with key preventive care services.
In funding these services, Healthy Alliance and MVP Health Care hope to close the loop and drive healthcare and social services coordination.
“Our new IPA is a direct response to the growing body of research demonstrating that addressing social determinants of health more effectively in underserved communities can improve health while lowering costs,” said Jacob Reider, MD, CEO of Alliance for Better Health.
“When people have safe housing, access to healthy food, convenient transportation, and other critical social needs met, they’re far more likely to seek and maintain preventive medical activities, which ends up reducing the frequency of emergency department visits and hospital admissions that cost our health system billions every year,” he added.
Alliance for Better Health and MVP Health designed this programming to meet the changing culture around the social determinants of health, the groups said. Previously, community-based organizations (CBOs) relied on charitable donations and philanthropy to fund their services.
But as the connection between physical and social health becomes clearer, experts predict CBO services will be more in demand. This will likely change the payment landscape. And although few stakeholders actually know what the payment structure for the social determinants of health will eventually look like, these types of partnerships will ideally make some dent in the knowledge base.
Specifically, this partnership will reveal the impact that healthcare payers, specifically managed care organizations, can play in investing in the social determinants of health.
“At MVP, we understand the important role that social factors can have on a person’s overall health and how those influences can effect short and long-term outcomes,” said Christopher Del Vecchio, president of MVP Health Care. “Investing in the underlying social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute to an individual’s health, reinforces our commitment not only to the overall health and wellness of our members, but to the entire Capital Region community.”
Alongside the payment piece, this partnership will contribute to the evidence base for forming social and medical partnerships between payers and community benefits organizations. Collaboration and coordination between numerous organizations will drive success and ensure continuity of care for patients seeking both physical and social health benefits.
“As the benefits of taking social needs into account become clearer, both MCOs and social service providers are looking for ways to work together more effectively,” said Keshana Owens-Cody, Alliance’s Senior Director of Partner Success. “The IPA provides them with a path to create a greater impact on the health of the clients we serve today while also preparing them for the future. We believe it can be a game-changer for how members are supported in New York, and perhaps set a standard that can be replicated nationally.”
Date: August 13, 2019
Source: Patient Engagement hit