CMS Releases Early Results of Medicare-Medicaid Financial Alignment Initiative

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released three evaluation briefs with early results of the Medicare-Medicaid Financial Alignment Initiative. New York is participating in the Financial Alignment Initiative through its Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) and FIDA Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FIDA-IDD) programs. The CMS briefs present findings related to care coordination, beneficiary experience, and special populations:

• Care Coordination: This evaluation brief summarizes care coordination activities in nine capitated model demonstrations and provides early findings on successes and challenges (link). It compares assessment, IDT procedures, staffing, and experience with care management information systems among the nine participating states.
• Beneficiary Experience: This brief describes the experiences of beneficiaries, based on focus groups conducted in six states (not including New York) between May 2015 and April 2016 (link). Beneficiaries discussed their satisfaction with the demonstration; their experience with the assessment process, care coordination, and patient engagement; their relationship with regular providers; access to and quality of services; knowledge of beneficiary protections and rights; and impact of services on health, well-being, and quality of life. Many expressed satisfaction with their care coordinators and obtaining access to needed supports, but identified concerns related to the scope of provider networks and the quality and accessibility of non-emergency transportation.
• Special Populations: Using survey results and focus groups from Massachusetts and Washington, this brief describes feedback from beneficiaries who are users of long-term services and supports and/or behavioral health services, focusing on the experiences of racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities (link). 

Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 124