By: Emily Allison, Graduate Assistant, SDSU Social Policy Institute
CalAIM, a five-year plan to transform and strengthen Medi-Cal, is now progressing into its second year. With the goals of transitioning to a Whole Person Care Approach while addressing social determinants of health, CalAIM aspires to create more consistency, less complexity, and more flexibility within Medi-Cal services. This proposal seeks to improve quality health outcomes and steward health care delivery transformation by utilizing value-based initiatives and modernizing ineffective systems and payment reform.
To highlight the ongoing progress of CalAIM, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) recently reported findings from a qualitative research study conducted by the Goodwin Simon Strategic Research (GSSR) firm. Utilizing six qualitative focus groups, GSSR gathered feedback from implementers on the CalAIM initiative and highlighted strengths and opportunities for future improvement.
While a consensus from participants indicated optimism about the future of CalAIM, many still expressed ongoing roadblocks. Some participants believe the goals of CalAIM are incongruent with the realities on the ground, with challenges from a lack of standardization processes and different documentation requirements that could vary across different work settings and roles. Though participants were expecting a rocky rollout, they remain optimistic that CalAIM is the gateway for improving workplace experiences and the health outcomes of the populations served.
To gather more data and build upon these findings, CHCF has launched a statewide survey designed to obtain information from multiple perspectives. The survey is being conducted by GSSR and is intended for both organizational leaders and frontline staff. It is also recommended for organizations where at least 30% of the population receive coverage through Medi-Cal or Medicaid services in the context of CalAIM.
The link for the survey is found below and is only reported to take 20 minutes. Participants are encouraged to complete the survey in a space that provides them with references about client or patient statistics. All responses will be confidential to protect patients’ rights, and any data collected will be aggregated, not at the individual level.
Findings of the statewide survey will be made public to help stakeholders and policymakers further understand the progress of CalAIM and identify potential solutions to challenges discussed.
In addition, a $25 honorarium will be offered to participants at the end of the survey.
Click here to respond to the survey by August 18, 2023.
For any further questions, please contact Dr. John Whaley of GSSR: johnw@goodwinsimon.com
References
Goodwin Simon Strategic Research. (2023, August 1). CalAIM Experiences: Implementer Views After First Year of Reforms. California Health Care Foundation. https://www.chcf.org/publication/calaim-experiences-implementer-views-first-year-reforms/
CalAIM: Our Journey to a Healthier California for All. Dhcs.ca.gov. (n.d.). https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/CalAIM