Yesterday’s Globe included an editorial (“Managing Care the Right Way“) giving well deserved praise to Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) — NO relation at all to Commonwealth Care, health reform’s subsidized insurance program:
MANAGED CARE got a bad reputation in the 1990s. At its best, though, this method of organizing healthcare saves money while enhancing the quality of patients’ lives. In Massachusetts, the Commonwealth Care Alliance, which bills itself as a nonprofit care delivery system, is succeeding in its five-year-old experiment on whether treatment can be coordinated and improved for people with complicated medical histories.
CCA manages care for “dual eligibles” — elderly and disabled who are enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. These are among the most expensive and difficult population anywhere. CCA enrolls duals through community health centers and manages comprehensive care to keep members healthy and functioning well in the community. They save real dollars by reducing hospital and nursing home admissions. They receive capitated payments from Medicare and Medicaid; they have saved the State millions; they have fantastic member satisfaction ratings; and they have a medical trend rate at about 3%.
HCFA and the Boston Center for Independent Living are the two “corporate members” and founders of CCA — meaning HCFA and BCIL Boards must approve all CCA board appointments and by-laws changes.
As we figure out ways to moderate health care inflation in Massachusetts, CCA is worth a look.
