By OPEN MINDS Circle
On October 5, 2021, Medical Home Network Accountable Care Organization (MHN ACO), which serves Medicaid beneficiaries in the greater Chicago area, announced that it was investing its ‘shared savings’ in a “housing first” program in Chicago to care for consumers without stable housing who are at high risk for poor health outcomes. The program is called the Flexible Housing Pool (FHP) program. As of October 20, 2021, the FHP pilot involves four individuals referred by MHN ACO who will receive permanent supportive housing services. During the pilot, MHN will pay the upfront costs for the housing units and supports for the four participants for the first three years. During the pilot, MHN-ACO intends to analyze clinical and cost outcomes to examine the link between stable housing and how well heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and behavioral health conditions are managed.
The FHP is a three-year pilot that started in September 2021. The program underwrites rent subsidies to help a select number of Cook County’s safety net population settle into apartments. Community care coordinators connect consumers with primary and specialty care, employment assistance and social services. One-on-one follow-up is provided to keep residents engaged in their care plans. The FHP program was developed by the Center for Housing and Health in collaboration with Cook County Health, the City of Chicago, and the Housing Authority of Cook County. Funding is through support from foundations and health care and social service provider organizations.
Through its partnership with CountyCare, a Medicaid plan for Cook County, Illinois residents, the MHN ACO reinvests a portion of the shared savings it earns back into the community. CountyCare is also investing, with $1 million for the FHP program. As part of the program, Cook County Health identifies and refers participants by cross-referencing Cook County Health and Cook County Jail medical records, as well as CountyCare claims, focusing on high utilizers of hospital and jail services.
MHN members are referred to FHP by the MHN Behavioral Health Initiatives Committee. A member’s assigned medical home primary care professional and/or care manager refer them to the Committee for consideration. Members are screened for eligibility and the committee conducts a face-to-face interview with them. Eligible members are presented to the committee with pertinent information and selected (via vote) following an open discussion.
MHN ACO is a provider organization-owned and driven approach to consumer-centered health care delivery and population health management for Medicaid beneficiaries. The network includes 13 Federally Qualified Health Centers, three hospital systems, and their physician practices. Within the ACO, MHN relies on shared decisionmaking to implement delivery improvement and collaboration changes. MHN ACO has 160,000 attributed beneficiaries.
For more information, contact:
- Leana Lopez, Director of Behavioral Health & Community Programs (Flexible Housing Pool Program), Medical Home Network ACO, 180 North Stetson, Suite 600-1, Chicago, Illinois 60601; 312-883-8380; Email: llopez@mhnchicago.org; Website: https://mhnaco.org/
- Cheryl Lulias, President & Chief Executive Officer , Medical Home Network ACO, 180 North Stetson, Suite 600-1, Chicago, Illinois 60601; 312-883-8380; Email: clulias@mhnchicago.org; Website: https://mhnaco.org/
- Peter Toepfer, Executive Director, Center for Housing and Health, 200 West Monroe Street, Suite 1150, Chicago, Illinois 60606-5075; 312-334-0913; Email: info@housingforhealth.org; Website: https://housingforhealth.org/
- Don Washington, Executive Director, Chicago Housing Initiative, 710 East 47th Street, Suite 301E, Chicago, Illinois 60653; 630-387-9387; Email: don@chicagohousinginitiative.org; Website: https://www.chicagohousinginitiative.org/