by David Gorn

California health officials expect to release within a week a fleshed-out proposal for a health home project that could reduce state costs and improve the lives of super users of the Medi-Cal health care system.

It’s a plan that won’t cost the state anything but has the potential to save quite a bit of taxpayer money. By coordinating the care for a small percentage of Californians with multiple chronic conditions, the state hopes to reduce the number of preventable emergency department visits and hospital admissions among that high-utilization population.  

“The Department of Health Care Services is preparing to release the Health Home Program Concept Paper 2.0, an expanded, more detailed concept paper, for stakeholder review in late March,” said Norman Williams, deputy director of public affairs at DHCS.

The federal government would pay 90% of the cost of implementing the program. The California Endowment, a private foundation, is expected to pick up the other 10% of the project’s cost.

Continue reading here: http://www.californiahealthline.org/capitol-desk/2015/3/state-readies-health-home-project