• HSC Staff Update: After more than three and half years at HSC, Tracie Robinson, Senior Policy Analyst, will be leaving us on Friday, June 29. Tracie has been an invaluable part of HSC, and her contributions and dedication to our mission and the mission of the sector overall are deeply appreciated. Though she will be missed, we are excited for her new endeavors and wish her the very best.

• ACA Repeal: A group of think tanks has released another proposal for repeal of the Affordable Care Act. This proposal includes giving more discretion to the states. Read More

• Report: A national research study commissioned by Change Healthcare found that value-based care has reduced payer medical costs by nearly 6 percent on average. View Report

• Report: In Building Health Homes for Kids: New York’s Reforms for Children on Medicaid Finally Take Shape, the Center for New York City Affairs looks at the opportunities and challenges presented since the 2016 launch of the State’s Health Homes Serving Children program. Download Report

• Progress Report: Recently released results of NYSDOH's Medicaid redesign efforts show measurable reductions in avoidable hospital use. View Press Release

• Staff Update: Andrew Segal, Director of the Division of Long Term Care in the Office of Health Insurance Programs at NYSDOH, is resigning from his position effective August 1, 2018. No replacement has been announced.

• Measures: NYSDOH has released the VBP Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Quality Measure Set for Measurement Year 2018. The purpose of this document is to make stakeholders aware of the VBP goals for this MLTC plan. View Measure Set

• Video: The recording of the June 19 Upstate public comment session for the Section 1115 waiver is now available. View Video

• Presentation: The slides and webinar recording from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and VBP webinar last week are now available. View Materials

• Reporting Requirements: NYSDOH has updated the 2018 Value Based Payment Reporting Requirements Technical Specifications Manual, which contains the quality measure reporting requirements for MCOs participating in the State's Medicaid VBP program. The contents of this document include an overview of the specific reporting requirements for Category 1 measures for each VBP arrangement, a description of the changes to the measure sets from Measurement Year 2017 to 2018, and detailed instructions regarding additional file specifications required for the VBP program. View Manual

• Request for Ideas: The Bureau of Social Determinants of Health within NYSDOH has extended the deadline for public input in identifying innovative ideas to address the social determinants of health (SDH) for Medicaid members across the state through its "Call for SDH Innovations." Responses are due Friday, June 29, at 5:00 p.m. Submit a Response

• Plan Approval: On April 13, CMS approved New York’s State Plan Amendment (SPA #17-0025). The approval of the SPA will provide Care Coordination Organizations (CCOs) with the authority to provide Health Home Care Management services to people with developmental disabilities beginning July 1, 2018. Read SPA

• Training - On June 26 and 27, MCTAC+ is offering a series of trainings across the State on policy changes and initiatives that will increase access to and utilization of Adult BH HCBS. The trainings will cover the updated SDE policy and guidance; the funds that the State is making available to providers and plans to support innovation, collaboration, and streamlined rapid access of Adult BH HCBS; and what MCOs are looking for in provider proposals and what is need in their catchment areas. View SDE Guidance | Register

• Webinar: On June 27, NYSDOH will host a best practices and lessons learned webinar with participants from the VBP Pilot Program. St. Joseph’s Hospital and SOMOS Community Care will present on their experiences in VBP contracting through the VBP Pilot Program. Register

• Trainings: Throughout June, MCTAC is holding in-person trainings across the State on aligning children's home and community based services (HCBS). Register

• Webinar: On July 12, the American Public Human Services Association will host "Investing In Social Services as a Core Strategy for Healthcare Organizations: Developing the Business Case." Register

• Trainings: Throughout July, MCTAC is holding a series of in-person trainings across the state on the billing rules for the transition to managed care and the new Children and Family Treatment and Support Services and Aligned Home and Community Based Services. Register

• Trainings - MCTAC is holding in-person trainings across the state for providers that serve individuals under 21 and are designated to provide or plan to provide New Children's Health and Behavioral Health State Plan Services (SPA Services). View MCTAC Calendar

• Webinars - Semester 2 of MCTAC's Performance-Driven Academy (PDA) will begin in July. The PDA is a year-long educational series designed to prepare organizations for value-based payment. Semester 2 will address fiscal management practices and maintaining a successful leadership team. Learn More

• Rapid Transition Housing Program: NYSDOH has released a Rapid Transition Housing Program RFA, seeking applications from CBOs to provide rental subsidies and non-medical services to Medicaid members who are either transitioning from a skilled nursing facility or are homeless. Participants in the program must be referred as homeless high-utilizers by a hospital, MCO, medical respite, PPS, or SNF. This program is in effect from 12/1/2014 through 11/30/2018. NYSDOH is seeking to fund up to three projects to provide rental subsidies and supportive housing services. The anticipated amount of funding is $7,000,000 per year, with $2.5M allocated to currently served locations and $2M allocated to one new location. Deadline: June 29 View Solicitation

• NYSDOH Medicaid Redesign Team homepage
• NYSDOH VBP University
• NYSDOH YouTube channel
• NYSDOH Medicaid Redesign Listserv registration
• VBP acronyms and key terms list
• MCTAC webinar archive
• Video series about the CBO perspective on VBP
• Webinar: "Ensuring Your Goals Align with a Potential Partner"
• Adult Behavioral Health Medicaid Managed Care video series
• Previous HSC VBC Newsletters