RCPA Comments to the PH-MCO Request for Information (RFI) Submitted June 26

Below is the RFI to which RCPA submitted comments, which can be seen here.

From: DHS STAKEHOLDERS On Behalf Of HS, Secretary’s Office
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 2:38 PM
Subject: [DHS-STAKEHOLDERS] HealthChoices RFI Issued

Dear Stakeholders:

Today the Department of Human Services (DHS) is releasing a Request for Information (RFI) and we want your input. We are soliciting information that will assist with the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a HealthChoices Physical Health services procurement. The overall goal of which is to explore new innovative approaches to the delivery and payment of health care services that reward quality and increase access within the Medicaid program.

HealthChoices is the name of Pennsylvania’s managed care programs for Medical Assistance (MA) recipients. Through Managed Care Organizations (MCO), recipients receive quality medical care and timely access to all appropriate physical health services, whether the services are delivered on an inpatient or outpatient basis. DHS has three simple goals for HealthChoices:  improve access to health care services for MA recipients, improve the quality of health care available to MA recipients, and stabilize our MA spending.

As DHS looks to make improvements to Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices program, we are interested in ideas and approaches we should consider to accomplish the following:

• Promote the achievement of the Triple AIM (better health, better care, lower cost)
• Improve care coordination between physical and behavioral health services
• Promote the expansion of value based purchasing of health care services
• Promote the expansion of team based approaches to care delivery (for example- patient centered care medical homes)
• Promote community based public health initiatives
• Increase consumer access to needed services, especially in rural and underserved areas of the Commonwealth
• Improve the efficiency of the HealthChoices program
• Improve the provider experience with the HealthChoices program

I encourage you to provide feedback by close of business on June 26, 2015. Please submit your responses electronically to [email protected], and thank you, in advance, for taking the time to provide your valuable input.

With your unique perspectives and input, we look forward to improving a system that provides quality services for our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

The RFI is available at www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Solicitations.aspx?SID=DHS%20HC%20RFI%202015.

Sincerely,

Ted Dallas
Acting Secretary
Department of Human Services