The Buzz

Better Care Playbook offerings provide information on community-based care. Learn how to optimize the Medicare home health benefit, and impact health care utilization and costs through community-based care management.

Read the latest brief from ATI Advisory and Long-Term Quality Alliance (LTQA) outlining their top three recommendations to Congress for advancing Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) in Medicare Advantage.

Access the full report, watch the related briefing, and review the data brief detailing the growth in nonmedical benefits.

In the latest Forefront article, TSF President and CEO Sarita A. Mohanty and The John A. Hartford Foundation President Terry Fulmer share how person-driven outcome measures benefits patients and likely helps address a multitude of pressing health care issues.

Visit the Better Care Playbook, an easy-to-navigate online resource center that can help you translate research into action. The Playbook provides evidence for improving complex care programs, examples from the field, webinars on implementing innovations, and practical resources for implementation.

Approximately 403,000 California Medicare beneficiaries were served by accountable care organizations (ACOs) in 2020, with nearly 16 percent dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal. A new fact sheet from CHCS published in partnership with the Department of Health Care Services Office of Medicare Innovation and Integration provides a foundational understanding of the state’s Medicare ACO structure and who it serves. Learn more about California’s Medicare population.

As nonmedical supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage (MA) become more widely available, now is an important time to reflect on whether we are meeting the promise of the CHRONIC Care Act. Watch the recording of a recent briefing and remarks from Senator Warren.

Read a related report outlining policy recommendations for Congress to advance the Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill in MA plans.

Read a new blog from Integrated Healthcare Association and Purchaser Business Group on Health that evaluates the relationship of payment to provider organization performance on person-centered care measures.

The quality of person-centered care that an older adult receives is heavily dependent upon race, insurance, and income level. A recent report explores ways to increase the availability of person-centered care.

A new report from Long-Term Quality Alliance and ATI Advisory outlines policy recommendations for Congress to advance the Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) in Medicare Advantage (MA). Based on early research tracking the initial implementation and progress of these benefits, recommendations include modifying SSBCI eligibility criteria, incentivizing plans to report SSBCI utilization, and carefully evaluating efforts.

High costs and an aging population are driving the U.S. health care system to innovate. Watch a recent webinar where our President and CEO Sarita A. Mohanty joined a panel of experts to discuss value-based care and reshaping how the nation delivers health care.

A related Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging report identifies ways technology can support health- and home-care solutions.

Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) across the nation provide services addressing health care and social needs to support older adults living in the community. A Better Care Playbook blog outlines strategies that AAAs use to create and maintain successful partnerships with health care organizations.

A Better Care Playbook article highlights research from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) exploring the experiences of Black patients during serious illness. The work identifies disparities in symptoms management and communications, preferences for hospital and life sustaining treatment, and recommendations for reducing suffering and enhancing equity in America.

Addressing social needs can improve health outcomes and facilitate better use of health care services. Read recent issue briefs from the Institute for Accountable Care identifying key considerations for accountable care organizations (ACOs) to help people access social service resources by using needs assessments and developing partnerships with community-based organizations.

Join Long-Term Quality Alliance and ATI Advisory on May 17 for a virtual briefing on the future of nonmedical supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Featuring new policy recommendations for Congress, this briefing will serve as an important public gathering of influential stakeholders from within long-term care. Register for the event!

A new report from the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging identifies technological opportunities to advance health and home care solutions.

How we talk about complex care is not consistent across sectors. The messaging guide developed by The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs and the Center for Health Care Strategies aims to further the field. Watch the recent webinar.

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) updated roadmap and accompanying brief have recommendations for federal policy solutions to improve care for individuals with complex medical and nonmedical needs. Watch last week’s event recording.

Also, watch TSF President and CEO Sarita A. Mohanty’s related remarks in discussion with the Alliance for Health Policy on strengthening Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities.

More Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans are offering nonmedical supports to older adults with complex care needs. See ATI Advisory’s data brief detailing how many plans are offering these supplemental benefits this year.

Join Long-Term Quality Alliance with ATI Advisory on May 17 for a virtual briefing on the future of nonmedical supplemental benefits in MA plans. Featuring new policy recommendations, this briefing will serve as an important gathering of influential stakeholders from across the long-term care spectrum.

Providing quality care to people with complex needs remains one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Join the Bipartisan Policy Center tomorrow, March 31, for a webinar on potential federal policy solutions.

The quality of person-centered care an older adult receives is dependent upon race, insurance, and income level, according to the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation and Leading Age LTSS Center @UMass Boston. The new report also explores practice and policy solutions to increase the availability of person-centered care.

The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs (see blog) and the Center for Health Care Strategies (see blog) developed a messaging guide and infographic to help providers, advocates, and others talk about complex care. Join today’s webinar to learn more.

Providing quality care to people with complex needs remains one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Join the Bipartisan Policy Center on March 31 for a webinar on potential federal policy solutions. 

The Center for Health Care Strategies has developed a messaging guide and summary to communicate effectively when building support for complex care approaches. Register for the March 16 webinar to learn more. 

Health care providers and payers are increasingly using Social Health Access Referral Platforms (SHARP) to refer patients to community-based organizations (CBOs). The Aging and Disability Business Institute identified key issues for CBO’s to consider when deciding whether to work with a SHARP.