Social Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) for Medicaid Managed Care

The linked article in this post addresses the need for "alternative value-based arrangements" within the Managed Care space with entities called Social Accountable Care Organizations. The post was provided by our colleague Amber OHaver, who has significant expertise in health payer contracting. Amber writes, "…this article exemplifies exactly what us folks in Independent Living have been saying for years and presents a potential opportunity for disability-owned and directed entities, like CILs and SILCs", to meet this need:

Social Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) for Medicaid managed care

Value-based care (VBC) is increasingly being discussed as another way of aligning incentives. Unlike traditional fee-for-service, VBC payment models are not limited to “billable services”—hence, VBC programs may offer more sustainable funding and quality measurement to pay for evidence-based non-medical interventions for transportation, nutrition, shelter, and other needs that decrease total cost of care. This report proposes an alternative value-based arrangement: a “social accountable care organization” (ACO) for Medicaid managed care that addresses social needs by placing primarily non-clinical staff at the center of care to maximize the impact on the well-being and health of beneficiaries.