Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Newsletter

CHASE Overview

The Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) is a government-owned business operating within HCPF. Its purpose is to charge and collect the healthcare affordability and sustainability fee to obtain federal matching funds to increase hospital reimbursement, improve the quality of care, and increase the number of Coloradans eligible for Health First Colorado and CHP+.

The Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board makes recommendations to the Medical Services Board regarding the implementation of the health care affordability and sustainability fee established pursuant to the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise Act of 2017, Section 25.5-4-402.4, Colorado Revised Statutes. These recommendations include the amount of the fee, reforms to hospital reimbursement and quality incentive payments, and the approach to expanding coverage under Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). The CHASE Board also directs the implementation of the Hospital Transformation Program and monitors the impact of the fee on the health care market. Information about the CHASE Board and its meetings is available on our website.

2024-25 CHASE Model Webinar

HCPF held a webinar on May 8, 2025, to review the upcoming CHASE model, which was approved and passed by the CHASE Board on May 13, 2025. The recording of the webinar and the slide deck has been posted to the CHASE Board webpage.

CHASE Board Updates

May CHASE Meeting: The most recent CHASE board meeting occurred on May 13, 2025. The board spent the meeting discussing and voting on the approval of the 2024-2025 CHASE Model which passed. Please access the agenda, slides, meeting handouts, and revised CHASE Workgroup Recommendation.

April CHASE Meeting: The previous CHASE board meeting occurred on April 22, 2025. The Board approved the disbandment of the Hospital Transformation Program Community Advisory Council. Other topics discussed were the CHASE workgroup, current legislation, and a review of the potential impact of federal funding cuts to Medicaid. Please access the agenda, slides, previous meeting handouts, and revised CHASE Workgroup Recommendation.

CHASE State Directed Payments Workgroup Updates

The Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board created a workgroup to explore the establishment of a State Directed Payment (SDP) Program as well as reforms to the existing CHASE hospital provider fees and supplemental payments.

The workgroup will develop comprehensive recommendations for the CHASE program for the CHASE Board’s consideration so HCPF can advance a broadly supported proposal to submit to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for implementation by July 1, 2025.

The workgroup members are:

• Josh Block, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, HCPF
• Nancy Dolson, Special Financing Division Director, HCPF
• Dr. Kimberley Jackson, CHASE Board Vice Chair
• Emily King, Senior Policy Advisor/Deputy Director of the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, Governor's Office
• Annie Lee, President & CEO, Colorado Access
• Shauna Lorenz, Partner, Gjerset & Lorenz LLP
• Tom Rennell, Senior Vice President Financial Policy and Data Analytics, CHA
• Alison Sbrana, Consumer

The workgroup will be facilitated by Government Performance Solutions and assisted by expert consultation and advice from Health Management Associates and Public Consulting Group.

Additional information about the workgroup and its meetings can be found on the CHASE State Directed Payment Program Workgroup website. The workgroup will meet twice monthly beginning in January 2025. Dates and times will be published on the website.

In recent workgroup meetings, members have discussed the project timeline and key points, such as methodology, services to be included in the proposal, types of hospitals to be included, and funding. The workgroup has agreed to use Medicare hospital cost reports for the Average Commercial Rate (ACR) data source, but the group will continue to explore preferred calculation methods and payment designs. The workgroup also discussed quality measures and how to best track the impact of the program.



For more information, please review the agenda and slide deck from the most recent workgroup meeting on May 7, 2025, posted on the webpage.

Please send inquiries about the workgroup to HCPF_CHASE_SDP@state.co.us.

CHASE Report

Annually, the CHASE board produces a report with the assistance of HCPF. The report is due to the legislature each year by January 15. Here is a link to the 2025 CHASE annual report. 

Next CHASE Meeting

The next Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 3 p.m.  

Additional information about the board, as well as meeting materials, are on the CHASE Board website. Dates and times for upcoming meetings are published on the website.

Contacts

Nancy Dolson: nancy.dolson@state.co.us  

Jeff Wittreich: jeff.wittreich@state.co.us