As part of Maryland's HealthChoice §1115 Demonstration Waiver Renewal, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) offered local governments the opportunity to request matching federal funds for two community health pilot programs: (1) Assistance in Community Integration Services (ACIS) for high-risk, high-utilizing Medicaid enrollees who are either transitioning to the community from an institution or at high risk of institutional placement; and (2) Home Visiting Services (HVS) for high-risk pregnant women and children up to age two. The ACIS Pilot was originally capped at 300 individuals annually.
In 2018, MDH submitted a §1115 HealthChoice Waiver amendment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in part requesting an additional 300 participant places for the ACIS Pilot, bringing the total cap to 600 individuals annually. CMS approved this request in April 2019, with an effective date of July 2019.
The application and review process for the HVS Pilot is now closed.
Both pilot programs are required to have a lead local government entity (Lead Entity) with the ability to fund fifty percent of total pilot costs with local dollars, provide leadership and coordinate with key community partners to deliver the programs. Each Lead Entity may also identify other entities that will participate and assist the Lead Entity in providing services in the ACIS Pilot (Participating Entities). Pilot programs must also include performance measures and an evaluation component. The first round pilots were awarded in November 2017 and are scheduled to be funded for four-and-a-half-years of the five year waiver. In May 2019, MDH is issuing a third-round package of ACIS Pilot Request of Applications (RFA). The Round 3 ACIS Pilot Application Package can be found here. Round 3 awardees will be able to provide ACIS Pilot services beginning July 1, 2019 and are scheduled to be funding for the duration of the five-year waiver.
Details of each program's parameters can be found in the CMS Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) for the HealthChoice Medicaid §1115 Demonstration (No. 28 and 29). Attachment D of the STCs provides additional information about the HVS Pilot program, while Attachment E of the STCs provides additional information about the ACIS Pilot program. Details of the ACIS Pilot Program's 2019 expansion parameters can be found here.
For further information about the ACIS Pilot, please visit here.
For further information about the HVS Pilot, please visit here.
Stakeholder Questions: Please direct comments, questions or suggestions regarding the Community Health Pilots to: mdh.healthchoicerenewal@maryland.gov.
