HHS Offers $665M To Spark Innovation

Awards target state-led initiatives for improving quality, lowering costs

The government has divvied up more than $665 million to states for designing and testing ways to improve healthcare quality, accessibility and affordability. The awards will go to 28 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.

Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced the awards Dec. 16. They are the second batch of grants HHS offered to find new and innovative ways improve quality and lower costs. The first round came in early 2013.  The State Innovation Models initiative is aimed at helping states plan and implement proposals capable of creating statewide healthcare transformation.

Examples initiatives include:

• Improving primary care through patient centered medical homes, building upon current accountable care organization models or integrating primary care and behavioral health services.
• Providing technical assistance and data to healthcare providers and payers that are working to advance models of integrated, team-based care or transition to value-based payment models.
• Creating unified quality measure score cards that healthcare payers and providers can use to align quality improvement and value-based payment methodologies...