Upstate N.Y. Partnership to Focus on Social Determinants
To improve the health of vulnerable individuals in Upstate New York, a new partnership will bring together medical providers and community-based organizations to address safe housing, adequate nutrition, employment and other social determinants of health.
Beginning Oct. 1, Healthy Alliance Independent Practice Association (IPA), Innovative Health Alliance of New York LLC (IHANY) and Fidelis Care are partnering to provide funding and coordination of services to Medicaid members insured by Fidelis Care.
Healthy Alliance IPA and IHANY will provide services focusing on Fidelis Care members with at least one chronic health condition who have not had a primary care visit with their provider in more than six months. This initiative aims at improving health by linking the underserved to primary care, reducing avoidable hospital use and increasing preventive care visits to keep people healthy.
IHANY will connect Fidelis members to the Healthy Alliance network of community organizations, who will link Fidelis members to social, behavioral and medical care providers through Healthy Together, a closed-loop referral platform powered by Unite Us. Organizations that participate in this program will be staffed by community health workers who often are from the neighborhoods they serve.
"Aligning with CBOs [community-based organizations], which often are the first defense in providing for the underlying needs that lead to poor health, can best be made through partnerships like this," said IHANY Board President Paul Barbarotto, D.O., in a statement. He practices at Capital Region Family Health Care, a practice of St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates. "A person's health can now be recognized as much more than the medical care individuals seek from doctors and hospitals."
Formed in 2014, IHANY is the first and only network of providers certified by New York State and Medicare as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in the Capital Region., IHANY has worked to transform care, particularly in areas where there is payer support for new models of care that encourage a holistic mind-body-spirit approach.
Healthy Alliance IPA is the first IPA in the nation entirely devoted to addressing social determinants of health. It serves as a central point of contact to connect medical providers, CBOs, ACOs such as IHANY, and managed care organizations such as Fidelis Care.
The structure of this partnership, which is part of a growing movement in the Capital Region to improve the overall wellness of communities, will enable a more coordinated and holistic delivery of health care services, as well as work to prepare CBOs for new funding opportunities through value-based payment contracts, the partners said.
"Through the Healthy Alliance IPA, we are working to proactively address social determinants of health to improve a person's overall health, while also reducing cost of care. But this critical work isn't done in isolation," said Jacob Reider, M.D., CEO of Alliance for Better Health, in a statement. "The IPA's success is a byproduct of the partnerships we have built in the Capital Region. We are proud to work with medical providers, managed care organizations like Fidelis Care, and ACOs like IHANY. Together, we can improve our community members' health by addressing social needs before they evolve into medical problems."
