Accountable Health Communities Model

Administrative and budgetary requirements:
Office of Acquisitions and Grants Management
Louise M Amburgey
OAGM-AHC@cms.hhs.gov

Program Requirements or Technical Assistance:
Preventive and Population Health Care Models Group, CMMI
Susan Jackson
accountablehealthcommunities@cms.hhs.gov

The Accountable Health Communities (AHC) model addresses a gap in the current delivery system by funding interventions that connect community-dwelling beneficiaries with community services, such as housing, transportation, and nutrition assistance programs. The AHC model will test three community-focused interventions of varying intensity and their ability to impact total health care costs and inpatient and outpatient health care utilization. This model will engage community-dwelling Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries of all ages (children and adults).

Funds are available for interventions that address:

• Track 1 Awareness – Increase beneficiary awareness of available community services through information dissemination and referral
• Track 2 Assistance – Provide community service navigation services to assist high-risk beneficiaries with accessing services
• Track 3 Alignment – Encourage partner alignment to ensure that community services are available and responsive to the needs of the beneficiaries

Applicants may apply to participate in one or two tracks, but successful applicants will be selected to participate in a single track only. Each track will run for a five-year period.

Community-based organizations, health care practices, hospitals and health systems, institutions of higher education, local government entities, tribal organizations, and for-profit and non-for-profit local and national entities with the capacity to develop and maintain relationships with clinical delivery sites and community service providers.

Award ceiling, total funds available, and number of awards vary based on track and are as follows:

Award Ceiling:

• Increase Awareness (Track 1): Up to $1 million
• Provide Assistance (Track 2): Up to $2.57 million
• Align Partners (Track 3): Up to $4.51 million

Total Available Funds:

• Increase Awareness (Track 1): Up to $12 million
• Provide Assistance (Track 2): Up to $30.84 million
• Align Partners (Track 3): Up to $90.20 million

Estimated Number of Awards:

• Increase Awareness (Track 1): 12 Cooperative Agreements
• Provide Assistance (Track 2): 12 Cooperative Agreements
• Align Partners (Track 3): 20 Cooperative Agreements

Links to the application and full announcement are available through grants.gov.