Social Care Networks (SCNs) and the 1115 Waiver in New York.

This fall, New York state is expected to finalize the 1115 waiver. These waivers provide states with flexibility to design and tailor their Medicaid programs to meet the unique needs of their populations. In New York, the 1115 waiver is of great importance due to its potential to transform and improve the healthcare system in several ways:

Expanding Medicaid Coverage: The 1115 waiver can allow for the expansion of Medicaid coverage to more low-income individuals and families, ensuring they have access to necessary healthcare services.

Innovative Service Delivery Models: States can use the waiver to pilot new and innovative healthcare delivery models, such as managed care, integrated care, and community-based care, with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing costs.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health: The waiver can support initiatives that address social determinants of health, such as housing, nutrition, and employment, recognizing that these factors significantly impact overall health outcomes.

The importance of Social Care Networks (SCNs):

SCNs are collaborative networks that bring together various stakeholders, including healthcare providers, social services organizations, community groups, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), and government agencies, to address the comprehensive needs of individuals and communities. The importance of SCNs in New York lies in their ability to create a more holistic approach to care:

Screening for Healthcare and Social Services: SCNs facilitate the integration of healthcare and social services, recognizing that addressing social determinants of health is critical to improving overall well-being and health outcomes.

Coordination and Collaboration: SCNs promote collaboration and coordination among diverse stakeholders, working to address the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) of the most vulnerable. By leveraging a network of organizations and services, SCNs can help individuals access a wide range of support services, including housing assistance, transportation, employment support, and more, improving their overall quality of life.

Health Equity:  SCNs engage the community and empower individuals to actively participate in their care and the design of services, leading to a more patient-centered and community-responsive approach to healthcare. This opens up opportunities for all New Yorkers to access healthcare services.

How Foothold Technology will partner with Social Care Networks

Foothold Technology has an ecosystem of products, services, and partnerships that aim to solve the key challenges that Social Care Networks will face. 

FCM, our Care Management platform, is a platform that is designed to capture, secure, and manage all the data SCNs are going to need. FCM will allow SCNs to track screenings, bill for services, and manage MCOs. FCM also will work your referral management platform to integrate it into the system, so you can have a complete one stop shop for your data needs. 

Easily track screenings: SCNs will need to identify who is eligible for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN). FCM has built-in screening tools that allow you to quickly screen a member and then the services they need. There is also the ability to configure the screening tool to collect additional data points.

Integrated billing: AccuBill is the Foothold billing solution. AccuBill is designed with flexibility in mind to bill for any fee-for-service model. 

Referral management: FCM can integrate with your existing referral management system (for example Unite Us) to streamline the referral process and make it easier for the SCN’s members. 

Case management: FCM includes a robust case management tool to provide full wrap around services. With its strong data capabilities FCM can also better coordinate which services are needed for the member.

FHIR Capabilities: FCM can incorporate Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) capabilities. FHIR allows for connection to SMART Apps or HIE Connections. 

Data and Interoperability: As part of the Foothold ecosystem, there is a data warehouse solution called DataStudio. This will give SCNs complete autonomy of their data and where it needs to flow. DataStudio allows SCNs to connect with other systems through APIs. This includes connections to the SHIN-NY and other key stakeholders who will need to key data. 

Data Visualization: DataStudio includes a data visualization tool called InSights. InSights will allow SCNs to develop and share dashboards and other reports to stay on top of outcome data.

Our New York Roots & Impact