The Commonwealth Fund, Qualis Health, and the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation have initiated a demonstration project to help primary care safety net practices become high-performing patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and achieve benchmark levels of quality, efficiency, and patient experience. The goal of the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative is to develop and demonstrate a replicable and sustainable implementation model for medical home transformation. The Initiative calls for partnerships between safety net providers and community stakeholders to work together towards a new model of primary are delivery that is recognized and rewarded for its holistic approach to patient care. Policy activation is critical in this transformation, and all partners in this Initiative are expected to participate in Medicaid and other policy reform efforts in their respective regions. The Initiative will provide technical assistance and financial support for four (4) Regional Coordinating Centers (RCCs). Each RCC will be required to apply with 12-15 primary care safety net clinics as partners. Up to $125,000 is available per RCC, per year, for four (4) years, for a maximum funding amount of $500,000. The objective of this initiative is to accelerate existing medical home transformation efforts. The funding is supplemental in nature, and should be used to expand and advance existing transformation activities. Applicant organizations will need to devote substantial in-kind resources if the project is to be successful.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Any entity engaged in health or social services that has or can build a relationship with a group of safety net providers is eligible to apply as a RCC. Examples of possible RCCs include, but are not limited to:
- Community clinic consortia
- Professional affiliations of safety net providers/practices
- State primary care associations
- State Medicaid agencies
- Multi-site community health center (CHC) corporations
- Community hospitals with outpatient services
- Management services organizations
- Medicaid managed care plans
- Public health departments
- Regional healthcare alliances
- Area health education centers.
Important Note for Applicants
The Commonwealth Fund and Qualis Health are seeking primary care safety net practices that are committed to becoming high-performing patient-centered medical homes. The Initiative is not appropriate for practices that are not fully committed to implementing the patient-centered medical home model of care. The Initiative is also not appropriate for practices that have not already made some progress towards becoming a PCMH. RCC applicants will be required to submit documentation of partner clinic capacity and commitment.
Deadlines
A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) is requested by 5:00pm PDT on September 30, 2008. Proposals are due by 5:00pm PDT on November 3, 2008. Regional Coordinating Center applications can be downloaded at http://www.qhmedicalhome.org/safety-net/rfp.cfm For more information, please contact Kathryn Phillips, M.P.H., Project Manager, at [email protected]. And for more information about the Commonwealth Fund's Patient-Centered Primary Care Initiative, contact Melinda Abrams at [email protected].