Governor Doug Ducey bestowed the Good Government award on AHCCCS on April 25, 2019 for the agency’s successful efforts to streamline health care services for the 1.9 million Arizonans who rely on Medicaid for their health care. Jami Snyder, AHCCCS director, accepted the Good Government award from Gilbert Davidson, Chief Operating Officer for the State of Arizona.
Prior to October 1, 2018, most AHCCCS members were enrolled in two managed care health plans with separate provider networks—one for physical health care services, and a second plan for behavioral health care services. Some members with certain chronic conditions were enrolled in a third plan for a portion of their care. This fragmented delivery system was cumbersome for members to navigate and did not contribute to optimal health outcomes.
On October 1, 2018, AHCCCS initiated its largest system transformation to date toward the strategic goal of integrating health care. A total of 1.5 million members transitioned to one of seven AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) health plans. In addition, AHCCCS integrated services for American Indians who choose to enroll in the American Indian Health Program. This transformation effort seeks to streamline care coordination at the health plan and provider level, while creating cost efficiencies and improved health outcomes.
More than two years in the making, this initiative required teams across the agency to obtain stakeholder feedback, issue and score a the largest Request for Proposal in the state's history, successfully award health plan contracts, ensure system and plan readiness and update IT systems to ensure members were enrolled correctly. Additionally, plans and providers were required to adapt to a myriad of policy and contractual changes while providing ongoing communication and education to the community, members, and staff.
Kudos to the AHCCCS team and the larger stakeholder community for spearheading this successful system transformation effort!
