Responding to this solicitation, nine health systems, their employed and affiliated providers, and an experienced payer joined together to form the Illinois Partnership for Health, Inc. (IPH) ACE, a collaboration intended to provide an innovative approach to better managing the health and outcomes of Medicaid recipients across the state. ECG has been with them along every step of their journey.
Today, after only 6 months of being live, the IPH is the largest ACE in the state, often referred to as the “Super ACE.” It spans 64 of Illinois’s 102 counties and currently covers more than 45,000 lives. The IPH’s provider network is inclusive of all primary, pediatric, and specialty care needed to manage the IPH member healthcare needs. To further identify and manage these needs, IPH members are stratified by risk level and managed through the use of care coordinators. The IPH also relies on a robust information technology infrastructure that includes the development of a centralized population health management system to better manage members and improve outcomes.
The IPH is moving toward full risk for the Medicaid population, at which point it will have the opportunity to share in cost savings. In the immediate term, the IPH receives care management fees – $9 per member per month (PMPM) for Family Health Plan members and $20 PMPM for newly eligible ACA members. The nine health systems of the IPH share in the infrastructure costs for population health management systems, quality analytics, and other tools that the entities would otherwise need to invest in individually.
In addition to these early successes, the IPH is poised for growth. Enrollment is anticipated to expand as the program evolves, and additional opportunities for partnerships with other health systems in Illinois have been identified. The IPH represents a true partnership and collaboration between nine health systems and their payer partner, and that relationship continues to strengthen and position the IPH for a successful future.
