Advancing Health Equity (AHE) and Advancing Integrated Models (AIM), two Center for Health Care Strategies’ initiatives, were featured in a series of evaluations of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation programs that address health inequities. The evaluations, conducted by Equal Measure, review the programs’ innovative approaches to equity-focused payment reform and integrated models of care and outline key findings and recommendations to inform future activities.

Following are brief descriptions of the questions posed by the evaluators for each initiative. Explore the full reports for findings and recommendations. Key takeaways distilled from this work can inform program design and provide future lessons for the field.

Download reports at EqualMeasure.org

Advancing Health Equity

AHE, led by the University of Chicago and Institute for Medicaid Innovation in addition to CHCS, is bringing together seven state teams to reduce and eliminate disparities in health care through new payment reforms and practices. The evaluation explores the following questions:

  • What kinds of conditions support the advancement of equity in health care delivery systems?
  • How did the program change relationships between the participant types on each of the teams in the learning collaborative (e.g., Medicaid, managed care organization, provider organization)?
  • How can linking delivery and payment innovations with equity advance health equity and address social determinants of health? And what does the “link” look like (e.g., technical assistance to Medicaid agencies or health delivery organizations, or other kind of technical assistance)?
  • How can equity-focused technical assistance to state Medicaid agencies promote the development of integrated payment and health care delivery reform?

Advancing Integrated Models

AIM supports pilots at eight health systems and community providers and their payer partners to create new people-centered, integrated models of care. The evaluation explores the following questions:

  • How do the new approaches to the health care system change health inequities?
  • Do integrated care delivery models that address medical, behavioral, and social needs lead to better outcomes (e.g., organizational, patient, utilization/cost, and equity)?
  • Does technical assistance provided within the learning collaborative model successfully advance the work of the program?