Innovative Care Partners (ICP), a partnership among CHD, ServiceNet, and Gandara Mental Health Center, was recently awarded Community Partner contracts by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for ICP’s Behavioral Health and Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) populations.

These contracts allow ICP to continue serving more than 3,000 MassHealth members. Working with these enrollees, ICP will continue to address social determinants of health, provide navigator services in the health care system, and provide care coordination that addresses each enrollee’s integrated health needs.

“This is especially gratifying, as MassHealth reduced the total number of Community Partner programs by 26 percent in this selection process,” said Daniel Quinn, vice president of integrated health services at CHD. “ICP will be a key component in MassHealth’s system redesign plan, including Accountable Care Organizations, Community Behavioral Health Centers, and Community Partner programs.”

Marylou Sudders, who was secretary for Health and Human Services when the contracts were announced, said that integrating the full healthcare needs of MassHealth members with complex health conditions remains a primary goal in the next phase of the Commonwealth’s healthcare-delivery restructuring. “Community Partners play an essential role in delivering coordinated care for MassHealth members, including individuals with disabilities, mental illness, substance-misuse disorders, and co-occurring disorders,” she said.

The goals of the Community Partners program for the next five years include reaffirming MassHealth’s commitment to community-based outreach and care coordination for the highest-risk members; leveraging the expertise of community-based organizations; continuing to incentivize integration of care across physical health, behavioral health, long-term services and supports, and health-related social needs; strengthening community partners’ accountability for outcomes and standardizing expectations for the delivery of care coordination supports; and simplifying and streamlining the relationships between Community Partners and Accountable Care Organizations.