HPC Announces Nearly $10 Million in Awards for SHIFT-Care Challenge Initiatives Across the Commonwealth

Innovative, cutting-edge initiatives aim to address health-related social needs and increase access to timely behavioral health services for residents of Massachusetts.

BOSTON — Today, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) announced $9.75 million for investments in 15 innovative care delivery transformation proposals from Massachusetts providers for the highly competitive SHIFT-Care Challenge. Representing each region of the Commonwealth, SHIFT-Care Challenge initiatives aim to reduce avoidable acute care utilization by investing in evidence-based, innovative care delivery models that are community-based, collaborative, and sustainable. A complete listing of awards is located here.

The emphasis of the SHIFT-Care Challenge is to strengthen partnerships among community-based organizations, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and hospitals and health systems. The goal is also to contribute to the emerging evidence that addressing health-related social needs and providing timely access to behavioral health services can result in overall cost savings to the health care system.

“With the SHIFT-Care Challenge investments, we continue the HPC’s commitment to promoting sustainable, transformative care models that reduce the overuse of expensive sites of care, a known contributor to the high cost of health care in Massachusetts,” said David Seltz, HPC Executive Director. “By focusing on social and behavioral health needs in our communities, these innovative projects will enable these patients to receive more holistic person, family, and community-centered care.”

The HPC’s robust review process sought models that had strong organizational leadership, sustainability, and scalability plans and, importantly, a notable impact. Awards are capped at $750,000 and required applicants to propose at least 25% in-kind financial contribution, to help with organizational buy-in and sustainability.

This new investment program provides a unique opportunity for awardees to implement evidence-based models to transform care and advance the HPC’s goal of better health and better care – at a lower cost – across the Commonwealth. Eligible entities, including Massachusetts providers and provider organizations, applied for up to $750,000 to prepare and implement an initiative during a 21-month period of performance. The HPC anticipates programs launching in late fall 2018.

Addressing the health-related social needs of complex patients.

Providing timely access to behavioral health services.

These awards support innovative models that enable timely access to behavioral health services, in order to prevent avoidable admissions, readmissions, emergency department visits, and/or emergency department revisits.

A majority of these initiatives focus specifically on expanding access to treatment for opioid use disorder by implementing models of care that initiate evidence-based pharmacologic treatment in the ED and connect patients to outpatient services for ongoing treatment.

The HPC is funding ten awards in this area totaling $6,467,066. Awards range from $486,000 to $750,000, for a 21-month period of performance.

The HPC issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for organizations to apply for funding in January 2018.