HHSC seeks proposals for “health home” models in Medicaid

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has asked physicians to submit new and creative proposals for pilot projects focusing on providing a comprehensive, coordinated care for children enrolled in Medicaid. According to an HHSC announcement, the commission will fund up to eight two-year health home pilot projects throughout the state that preferably involve a minimum of 5,000 Medicaid beneficiaries under age 21.

Specifically, the commission seeks pilot projects addressing the following topics.

• Patient access
• Quality improvement
• Patient/family centeredness
• Coordinated care
• Team-based approach to care
• Population approach to care
• Enhancing collaborative efforts among providers (especially in rural areas)

Eligible applicants include solo- and group-practice physicians, groups of physician practices, and other health care entities including Federally Qualified Health Centers and rural health clinics. Because of the recommended threshold for child participants, small and mid-sized practices are encouraged to collaborate with other practices.

The goal of the pilot projects is to increase access to care for children enrolled in Medicaid and increase the number of children receiving recommended medical and dental preventive care, each in a cost-effective manner that enables the pilots to be sustainable and replicated throughout the state.

According to the release, HHSC will post the official Request for Proposals on the HHSC Business Opportunities website in early 2010 and will begin the projects in spring or summer 2010. For more information, read the announcement from HHSC (updated Feb. 8, 2010).