CMS is offering the AHEAD Model Grant for States to Advance Health Equity and Improve Healthcare Outcomes.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is announcing the opportunity to apply to participate in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (referred to as “AHEAD” or the “AHEAD Model”), including availability of Cooperative Agreement funding of up to $12 million per award recipient. State Medicaid agencies, state public health agencies, and other state agencies may apply to participate in AHEAD on behalf of their states.

The AHEAD Model is a voluntary, state-based alternative payment and service delivery model designed to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model will test a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service cost growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes. The Model will include specific components to help each award recipient to achieve these goals, including an initial investment via the Cooperative Agreement award to support planning and implementation activities, Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid hospital global budgets for participating hospitals, and a primary care program for participating primary care practices.

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years (2024-2034). Applicants must select one of three Cohorts to participate in based on their stage of readiness to implement the Model. CMS will select, via a competitive process, up to eight award recipients. Up to $12 million in Cooperative Agreement award funding will be available to each selected award recipient over the course of up to six years. The Model will conclude for all Cohorts on December 31, 2034.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is announcing the opportunity to apply to participate in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (referred to as “AHEAD” or the “AHEAD Model”), including availability of Cooperative Agreement funding of up to $12 million per award recipient. State Medicaid agencies, state public health agencies, and other state agencies may apply to participate in AHEAD on behalf of their states.

The AHEAD Model is a voluntary, state-based alternative payment and service delivery model designed to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model will test a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service cost growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes. The Model will include specific components to help each award recipient to achieve these goals, including an initial investment via the Cooperative Agreement award to support planning and implementation activities, Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid hospital global budgets for participating hospitals, and a primary care program for participating primary care practices.

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years (2024-2034). Applicants must select one of three Cohorts to participate in based on their stage of readiness to implement the Model. CMS will select, via a competitive process, up to eight award recipients. Up to $12 million in Cooperative Agreement award funding will be available to each selected award recipient over the course of up to six years. The Model will conclude for all Cohorts on December 31, 2034.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is announcing the opportunity to apply to participate in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (referred to as “AHEAD” or the “AHEAD Model”), including availability of Cooperative Agreement funding of up to $12 million per award recipient. State Medicaid agencies, state public health agencies, and other state agencies may apply to participate in AHEAD on behalf of their states.

The AHEAD Model is a voluntary, state-based alternative payment and service delivery model designed to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model will test a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service cost growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes. The Model will include specific components to help each award recipient to achieve these goals, including an initial investment via the Cooperative Agreement award to support planning and implementation activities, Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid hospital global budgets for participating hospitals, and a primary care program for participating primary care practices.

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years (2024-2034). Applicants must select one of three Cohorts to participate in based on their stage of readiness to implement the Model. CMS will select, via a competitive process, up to eight award recipients. Up to $12 million in Cooperative Agreement award funding will be available to each selected award recipient over the course of up to six years. The Model will conclude for all Cohorts on December 31, 2034.

Eligible applicants are all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories that have at least 10,000 resident Medicare FFS beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B residing in the state or sub-state region based on the most recent data available from CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment data. U.S. territories include American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Applicants may select to participate at the state level or designate a sub-state region, subject to CMS approval during the application review. Award recipients may have the ability to expand the sub-state region during the Pre-Implementation Period subject to approval by CMS. Approval of such requests are not guaranteed. States in which Making Care Primary Model (MCP) is operating on a statewide basis may not participate in AHEAD. If MCP is operating in a sub-state region of a state, that state would be eligible to apply to participate in AHEAD in a different sub-state region with no geographic overlap.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is announcing the opportunity to apply to participate in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development Model (referred to as “AHEAD” or the “AHEAD Model”), including availability of Cooperative Agreement funding of up to $12 million per award recipient. State Medicaid agencies, state public health agencies, and other state agencies may apply to participate in AHEAD on behalf of their states.

The AHEAD Model is a voluntary, state-based alternative payment and service delivery model designed to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model will test a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service cost growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes. The Model will include specific components to help each award recipient to achieve these goals, including an initial investment via the Cooperative Agreement award to support planning and implementation activities, Medicare fee-for-service and Medicaid hospital global budgets for participating hospitals, and a primary care program for participating primary care practices.

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years (2024-2034). Applicants must select one of three Cohorts to participate in based on their stage of readiness to implement the Model. CMS will select, via a competitive process, up to eight award recipients. Up to $12 million in Cooperative Agreement award funding will be available to each selected award recipient over the course of up to six years. The Model will conclude for all Cohorts on December 31, 2034.

The States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model is a voluntary, state-based innovation model designed to address unsustainable health care cost growth, poor population health, and unacceptable disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model tests a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets (for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes), and specific Model components to help achieve these goals. 

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides cooperative agreement funding to successful applicants, for up to 6 years, to support participation in this Model. A maximum of $12 million per applicant may be awarded. Applicants may apply for funding through either Cohort 1, Cohort, 2, or Cohort 3. Though Cohorts 1 and 2 share the same deadline date to apply, all three Cohorts have different pre-implementation and performance years. Applicants should apply to the Cohort that best fits their timeline to implement the AHEAD Model. 

Cooperative Agreement funding may be used for the following specific Model components:

·  supporting state infrastructure and Model implementation,

·  hospital global budgets to constrain costs and improve population health,

·  a primary care program (Primary Care AHEAD) to provide increased investment and support advanced primary care, and

·  benefit enhancements to expand coverage of post-acute care, behavioral health care, and educational services for purposes of testing this Model.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will evaluate the impact of the AHEAD Model on health care spending and utilization, quality of care, and health equity. 

The States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model is a voluntary, state-based innovation model designed to address unsustainable health care cost growth, poor population health, and unacceptable disparities in health outcomes. The AHEAD Model tests a flexible framework that includes statewide or sub-state accountability targets (for all-payer and Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) growth, primary care investment, and equity and population health outcomes), and specific Model components to help achieve these goals. 

The AHEAD Model will operate for 11 years. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides cooperative agreement funding to successful applicants, for up to 5.5 years, to support participation in this Model. A maximum of $12 million per applicant may be awarded. Applicants may apply for funding through either Cohort 1, Cohort, 2, or Cohort 3. Though Cohorts 1 and 2 share the same deadline date to apply, all three Cohorts have different pre-implementation and performance years. Applicants should apply to the Cohort that best fits their timeline to implement the AHEAD Model. 

Cooperative Agreement funding may be used for the following specific Model components:

·  supporting state infrastructure and Model implementation,

·  hospital global budgets to constrain costs and improve population health,

·  a primary care program (Primary Care AHEAD) to provide increased investment and support advanced primary care, and

·  benefit enhancements to expand coverage of post-acute care, behavioral health care, and educational services for purposes of testing this Model.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will evaluate the impact of the AHEAD Model on health care spending and utilization, quality of care, and health equity.