A growing number of Medicaid clients are enrolling in the state’s experimental Medicaid Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). The goal of this pilot project is to improve care quality, provide better health outcomes and reduce costs through payment and care delivery reform. Enrollment began in May 2011 and, although initial enrollment was slower than expected, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) reached its initial goal of 123,000 enrollees by early 2012. More than 125,000 Medicaid clients were enrolled in the ACC by the end of April.
HCPF will measure the change in emergency department visits, hospital readmissions and imaging procedures, such as MRI and x-ray tests, among the ACC enrollees compared to a control group. If the ACC meets its goals, it is expected that the remaining Medicaid clients will eventually be enrolled in the ACC. The state is divided into seven regional groups to administer the program, so best practices will be evaluated from each of them. CHI will analyze the preliminary savings report for FY 2011-12, which is expected to be released this June and may give an early indication of the successes and challenges of the program. The final report for the fiscal year is expected in November.