Accountable Health Structures

Community-based approaches to health ideally work collaboratively across stakeholders to integrate care, improve population health, and in some cases address health inequities and/or control costs. Variously known as Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs), Accountable Care Communities (ACCs), and Accountable Health Communities (AHCs), these place-based approaches utilize a backbone organization to coordinate healthcare (including behavioral health), public health, social services, and community-based supports to meet medical and social needs of all individuals living in a specific place.

While evidence is still being evaluated, these approaches appear promising and possibly even critical to transforming the way health is delivered in a region. 

Resources

• Healthcare Value Hub, Community Level, Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Improving Healthcare Value

• Healthcare Value Hub: Local, Multi-stakeholder Collaborations: A Taxonomy and Glossary

• Public Health Study Documents the Power of Strong Community Networks in Improving Health, University of Kentucky

• Amarasingham, R., et al., Using Community Partnerships to Integrate Health and Social Services for High-Need, High-Cost Services, Commonwealth Fund (January 2018).

• Clary, A., Kartika, T., and Rosenthal, J., State Approaches to Addressing Population Health Through Accountable Health Models, National Academy for State Health Policy (January 2018). 

• Mongeon, M., Levi, J., and Heinrich, J., Elements of accountable communities for health: A review of the literature, Perspectives. Discussion Paper, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, D.C. (November 2017).

• Siegel, Beth, et al., "Multi-sector Partnerships Need Further Development To Fulfill Aspirations For Transforming Regional Health And Well-Being," Health Affairs (January 2018).

• Progress Along the Pathway for Transforming Regional Health: A Pulse Check on Multi-Sector Partnerships, Rethink Health (March 2017).