Following its designation by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in 2015, the North Sound Accountable Community of Health (NSACH) incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 2016 and appointed its Board of Directors in 2017. The NSACH is tasked with improving the health of the Medicaid population in the north sound region (Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan, and Snohomish Counties) through practice transformation, how services are paid for, identification and filling of health gaps, health equity, and partner coordination. Participating entities include counties, health care, EMS, service providers, insurance companies, tribes, public health, and others.
NSACH’s initiatives and project plan strategies align well with the Health District’s mandates and program areas. Overlapping work areas include immunizations, maternal child health, chronic disease prevention, oral health, and opioids. In particular, NSACH funding is targeted at the Medicaid population, clients for whom we often do not receive adequate funding to cover our costs. We hoped NSACH might be a funding source that would allow the District to recover some costs as we serve these low-income/high-risk populations. The NSACH is also a well-funded organization, with substantial resources from a State Innovation Model (SIM) grant from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) delivered through HCA.
Since the District entered into the master service agreement (Exhibit A) and initial project-specific agreement, it has received $311,540 in funding for project-related activities. Attached is a scope of work amendment for 2020 that also aligns with the District’s mandates and programs. Additionally, the proposed changes are consistent with activities outlined in the District’s 2020 strategic plan. Those changes are highlighted in green in the 2020 scope of work (Exhibit B). Based on these factors and advice from the District’s legal counsel, staff recommends approval of the 2020 NSACH scope of work amendment.