The HPC seeks compelling new ideas from Massachusetts health care providers for reducing avoidable emergency department visits and hospital readmissions, including through models that increase patient access to timely behavioral health services
BOSTON — Today, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) announced the next round of funding through its Health Care Innovation Investment (HCII) Program: The SHIFT-Care Challenge. This $10 million grant opportunity is designed to foster innovative care delivery models in Massachusetts that shift the unnecessary delivery of care for complex patients from expensive, acute care hospitals, to more patient-centered, community-based settings. The HPC issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for organizations to apply for funding. The deadline for eligible proposals is April 6, 2018.
“The goal of this funding opportunity is to accelerate transformation of the care delivery system to better serve patients, families, and communities,” said David Seltz, HPC Executive Director. “The HPC will fund the most competitive innovative care delivery models that have the potential to offer new lessons as we press forward in our efforts to improve health while working to contain health care costs.”
An 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 affording timely access to behavioral health services can result in overall cost savings to the health care system down the line. This investment challenge represents a unique opportunity for Massachusetts health care providers to test leading-edge ideas to transform care and advance the HPC’s goal of better care, better health – at a lower cost – across the Commonwealth.
The SHIFT-Care Challenge offers two funding tracks for competitive applications for innovative care delivery models that:
- Address the health-related social needs of complex patients.
- Provide timely access to behavioral health services.
- Included within this track is an opportunity to focus specifically on addressing the opioid epidemic by implementing progressive models of care that seek to initiate evidence-based treatment in the emergency department (ED) for patients who present with an opioid use disorder.
Massachusetts providers and provider organizations, including HPC-certified ACOs, ACO participants, and CHART eligible hospitals, are eligible to apply for funding. Applicants may apply for up to $750,000 in awards and must provide an in-kind financial contribution of at least 25% toward the total cost of the proposed initiative. This design promotes sustainability of the initiatives following the completion of the SHIFT-Care Challenge.
The HPC will host a webinar on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 2 p.m. HPC staff will review the RFP in detail and touch on important elements of the application process.
Additional information including the Request for Proposals (RFP) is available on the HPC’s website.
