A Provider-Led Shared Savings Entity Program Positively Impacts the Lives of People With Disabilities in Arkansas

by Staff at Anthem

Summit Community Care (SCC) is a Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE) program dedicated to positively impacting the lives of the Arkansas communities it serves by focusing on the medical and behavioral health concerns and independence goals of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and those who provide support for them. SCC, in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Human Services, developed and funded a comprehensive community investment strategy that focuses on three areas of need within the state: crisis and transition support, opportunities for employment, and enhancing provider capacity through quality and training activities. 

Improving Crisis Avoidance and Response and Improving Member Transitions:  SCC developed an approach focused on improving a members’ quality of life by  a) increasing provider training/educational opportunities to help manage and avoid crises, b) helping support successful transitions from hospitals, intermediate care facilities, and other intensive levels of care, and c) improving crisis response for individuals and families. 

Improving Opportunities for Employment Support:  Focusing on SCC’s commitment to improve the overall health outcomes of members, SCC implemented a strategy to expand and improve access to employment skills training and benefits for members. Through access to an online employment skills training system, dollars for workstations across the State, and partnerships with provider and employment advocates, the employment initiative is set to impact the employment needs of hundreds of PASSE members in Arkansas.

Continuous Provider Development through Quality & Training Activities:  As a component of SCC’s commitment to enhancing provider quality and capacity, SCC developed opportunities for providers to access accreditation and quality improvement platforms as well as no-cost access to training platforms for supervisors, Direct Support Professionals, and caregivers.

To develop the comprehensive community investment strategy, SCC established the Joint Community Investment Committee, which conducted a series of listening sessions with members, providers, and caregivers; researched existing health care gaps; and reviewed utilization data to determine areas of support needs. The committee harnessed ‘lessons learned’ from the COVID-19 pandemic to implement open-minded, forward-thinking approaches that were inclusive of all areas of the state (including rural and under-served areas). Finally, the committee targeted initiatives that would be sustainable, applicable at the local level, and focused on growth and expansion of Arkansas’ PASSE Program. The Committee then developed provider-led workgroups that focused on implementing the three chosen initiatives in 2021.

 SCC received approval from the Arkansas Department of Human Services in November of 2020 and began implementation of the Community Investment Strategy initiatives in early 2021.