Twenty Community Partners Selected for MassHealth Accountable Care Organizations
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration announced that 20 community organizations across the Commonwealth have been selected as partners for the 17 MassHealth accountable care organizations (ACOs).
In November, MassHealth selected 17 ACOs for new five-year contracts and is now selecting community partners for the new contract term. Community partners work together with ACOs to support MassHealth members with significant behavioral-health and complex long-term service and support needs.
“Integrating the full healthcare needs of MassHealth members with complex health conditions remains a primary goal in the next phase of the Commonwealth’s healthcare-delivery restructuring,” Secretary for Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said. “Community partners play an essential role in delivering coordinated care for MassHealth members, including individuals with disabilities, mental illness, substance-misuse disorders, and co-occurring disorders.”
The goals of the community-partners program for the next five years include reaffirming MassHealth’s commitment to community-based outreach and care coordination for the highest-risk members, leveraging the expertise of community-based organizations; continuing to incentivize integration of care across physical health, behavioral health, long-term services and supports, and health-related social needs; strengthening community partners’ accountability for outcomes and standardizing expectations for the delivery of care coordination supports; and simplifying and streamlining the relationships between community partners and ACOs.
“The community partners are community-based organizations with expertise in working with members with disabilities or significant behavioral-health needs,” said Amanda Cassel Kraft, assistant secretary for MassHealth. “The organizations selected as community partners will work with ACOs to ensure that members receive the behavioral-health and long-term care supports they need. MassHealth looks forward to our continued partnership with these organizations as a key part of our ongoing efforts to improve health outcomes and advance health equity.”
The selected community partners for long-term services and supports are Behavioral Health Network Inc., Boston Medical Center Corp., Center for Human Development, Community Care Partners LLC, Family Service Assoc. of Greater Fall River Inc., Greater Lynn Senior Services, Open Sky Community Services, and Seven Hills Family Services.
The selected behavioral-health community partners are Behavioral Health Network Inc., Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Inc., Brien Center, Center for Human Development, Clinical and Support Options Inc., Community Care Partners LLC, Community Counseling of Bristol County, Eliot Community Human Services Inc., Open Sky Community Services, Riverside Community Care Inc., and Stanley Street Treatment and Resources Inc.