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Community Health IPA Distributes $6.3 million to New York Federally Qualified Health Centers in 2023

Largest Yearly Distribution to FQHC’s in Independent Provider Association’s History

New York, New York (December 12, 2023) – The Community Health Independent Practice Association (CHIPA) announced today that it will distribute more than $700,000 in shared savings payments to its twelve members across New York State by year end, bringing CHIPA’s total shared savings distribution in 2023 to $6.3 million. This is the largest distribution ever paid out by CHIPA to its members.

Founded in 2015, CHIPA works exclusively with federally qualified health centers in New York. Its twelve members provide health services to over 600,000 patients in all corners of the State, including 400,000 Medicaid members. As the State’s oldest and largest IPA, CHIPA is at the forefront of New York’s transition to a value-based payment model.

“We provide a platform for FQHCs to work collaboratively — sharing clinical and care management best practices and improving quality care,” said Meghan Hardesty, Executive Director of CHIPA. “By easing the administrative burden and strengthening the negotiating power of FQHCs, CHIPA allows our members to focus on their true missions of serving communities and caring for patients. The cost savings that result lead to more access and better quality, decreasing costs for the Medicaid system overall.”

This year represents CHIPA’s fourth consecutive year generating shared savings in its value-based contracts. In five years, the association has saved the New York Medicaid program $14.6 million, savings which are reinvested directly into the health centers and the communities they serve, not investors or third parties.

“Primary care is vital to improving health outcomes and driving costs down. Our membership in CHIPA allows us to reinvest in our primary care offerings and better manage our patients with chronic conditions. We are able to spend more time focusing on quality health outcomes and less on administrative tasks. Plus we never have to worry about serving the interests of investors or other entities motivated by profits,” said Anne Kaufmann Nolon, CEO of Sun River Health and Board Member of CHIPA.

In five years, CHIPA has generated significant health outcome improvements across its network. The cervical cancer screening rate among CHIPA members exceeds the 90th percentile of performance for Medicaid in NYS. Postpartum care rates, which are the percentages of deliveries in which women received a postpartum visit 7-84 days after delivery, exceed statewide averages. Finally, improvement in A1C poor control related to diabetes went from 79.54% to 30.28% across the CHIPA network over five years.

About CHIPA

CHIPA serves as a health care delivery transformation hub at the forefront of the health care industry’s shift towards value-based care. Our unique model harnesses the ability of FQHCs to work collaboratively, sharing clinical and care management best practices, evidence-based change management strategies, and a curated set of vendor technologies to amplify in-person services. CHIPA’s management of value-based contracts on behalf of our members has saved the New York Medicaid program $14.6 million over 5 years, savings which are reinvested directly into the health centers and the communities they serve, not investors or third parties.

What sets CHIPA apart from other IPAs is that our FQHC members all share a common legacy and purpose: to provide high-quality primary and preventive services to all individuals in the community. There are CHIPA health center sites that were established specifically to serve migrant communities, homeless populations, residents of public housing, LGBTQ communities, and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Several hold both an Article 28 and an Article 31 license and provide comprehensive primary and behavioral health services.

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