Home » Kentucky receives $2 million federal healthcare grant

Kentucky receives $2 million federal healthcare grant

State to develop plan to improve healthcare quality, accessibility, affordability

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2014) – Kentucky will receive up to $2 million to design healthcare payment and service delivery models to improve healthcare quality and lower costs, the federal Department for Health and Human Services announced last week.

“Kentucky has been on the forefront of embracing the opportunities presented by the Affordable Care Act to improve the health of our commonwealth over the long-term,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “Building on our success through kynect.ky.gov in dramatically increasing the number of Kentuckians with access to healthcare services, this grant will allow us to work with stakeholders to create an innovative, strategic plan to begin to reshape our state’s healthcare system and delivery models to improve quality, be more efficient and ultimately provide better outcomes.” kynect_logo_4C_300

Nationwide, 28 states, three territories and the District of Columbia will receive over $665 million in Affordable Care Act funding to design and test healthcare payment and service delivery models that will improve healthcare quality and lower costs. Of that $665 million, $43 million will be allocated among the 17 Model Design states, including Kentucky, three territories, and the District of Columbia. Together with awards released in early 2013, over half of states (34 states and three territories and the District of Columbia), representing nearly two thirds of the population are now participating in comprehensive state-based innovation in health system transformation.

hhs“We are committed to partnering with Kentucky to advance the goals we all share: better care, smarter spending, and, ultimately, healthier people,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. “We’re seeing states do some very innovative things when it comes to improving the ways we deliver care, pay providers, and distribute information. These funds will support states in integrating and coordinating the many elements of healthcare – including Medicaid, Medicare, public health, and private healthcare delivery systems – to the benefit of patients, businesses, and taxpayers alike.”

State Innovation Model funds support states implementing a fully developed proposal to create statewide health transformations. Examples include:

  • Improving primary care through patient-centered medical homes
  • Providing technical assistance and data to healthcare providers and payers
  • Creating unified quality measure score cards
  • Expanding the adoption of health information technology
  • Fostering partnerships among public, behavioral, and primary healthcare providers
  • Strengthening the healthcare workforce through education, training, primary care residencies and community health worker training

Kentucky will engage a broad group of stakeholders to support transformation efforts included in this initiative. For more information on the grant awards, please go to: http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/State-Innovations/.