People with complex needs face many challenges, such as chronic health conditions, behavioral health issues, trauma history, food insecurity, and homelessness. When these individuals require medical services, they often encounter a health care system that is poorly coordinated and inefficient. Implementation of promising care models for this population is critical to improving outcomes, reducing avoidable health care costs, and building further evidence for the most effective approaches.

To this end, seven leading health care foundations — Arnold Ventures, The Commonwealth FundThe John A. Hartford FoundationMilbank Memorial FundPeterson Center on Healthcarethe Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The SCAN Foundation — are working together to accelerate health system transformation by helping health care organizations adopt evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes and lower overall costs of care for people with complex needs. The Better Care Playbook (the Playbook), led by the the Center for Health Care Strategies, represents one piece of this effort. This online resource center provides health care stakeholders — including health system leaders, payers, and policymakers — with the best available knowledge about promising approaches to improve care for people with complex needs. It offers a highly curated set of resources, including peer-reviewed journal articles, case studies, step-by-step guides, and practical tips.

To learn more, visit the Playbook at, BetterCarePlaybook.org.