The sections below detail two different funding opportunities meant to support the implementation of the Health Homes program as well as awarding grant funding to organizations that were positioned to retrain the health care workforce to better prepare for a number of person-centered programs, including Health Homes.
The Department of Health awarded $15 million in Health Home Implementation Grants authorized in the 2013–2014 budget. The Health Home Implementation Grants were awarded in two Stages. In Stage I, $2.2 million in grants were awarded to 22 Health Homes on July 24, 2013. The remaining $12.8 million in grants were awarded on March 5, 2014.
Consistent with the provisions authorizing the allocation of these grants, awards are being funded from savings identified from other initiatives supported under the Global Spending Cap. The grants will help offset the critical investments made by Health Homes to launch the Health Home Program. The Health Home Program is a Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) initiative that provides comprehensive care management and coordination services to manage the complex medical and behavioral needs of high volume, high cost users of Medicaid services. The formula used to allocate these grants considered elements required by the authorizing statute, input from the Health Home Managed Care Work Group, and the desire to allocate a limited amount of grant resources as widely and effectively as practicable.
As shown in the following tables, the formula allocates points based on the lack of access to similar funding resources; Health Information Technology (HIT) connectivity; geographic and demographic factors (i.e., Health Homes serving rural areas of the State or a small population across a large geographic area); and the prevalence of Health Home qualifying conditions (as measured by the prevalence of heart disease and poor mental health and the acuity of Health Home members).
The Department looks forward to working with CMS to advance the State Plan Amendment that will provide additional funding to ensure the success of the Health Home Program beyond its early stages of development.
Did the Health Home participant in a CMMI grant or program?
The NYS Department of Health provided $28.4 in grants that were awarded in late 2011 to help retrain the health care workforce. A total of 143 projects statewide were funded under the State Health Care Reform Act through a competitive process. Some of the grant money is being used to train care managers to provide the more coordinated, patient-centered care called for in New York's health care reform initiatives including Health Homes.
Changes in the health care system are resulting in the reorganization of services and redesign of jobs for many workers. Many of these workers require assistance in developing the necessary skills for new or redesigned jobs. These funds were awarded to assist these workers in enhancing their skills. The organizations in bold type will be positioned to provide training for Health Home case managers. Organizations with specific focus on mental health case manager training are also denoted with an asterisk.
Global Healthcare Financial Services Group, Inc.
Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center, Inc.
Greater New York Hospital Foundation, Inc.