The Care Coordination Work Group

Many organizations in Massachusetts provide some level of care coordination for some segment of children with special health care needs. The ultimate goal of the Care Coordination Work Group is to weave this patchwork of services into a coherent and comprehensive system.

The Care Coordination Work Group worked to:

• develop a unified and operational definition of care coordination for CSHCN;
• create a model for blending the financing of care coordination services across agencies and sectors;
• address the varied responsibilities of different agencies and different levels of the health care system for providing components of care coordination; and
• consider strategies to monitor accountability and ensure that care coordination services remain family-centered.

The History
The Care Coordination Work Group grew out of early Consortium discussions that identified comprehensive care coordination as a critical element of care for children with special health care needs, and a critical gap in current services. The group was charged with defining a strategy to ensure access to care coordination for children, youth and families in Massachusetts.

It began its work in December 2002 by reviewing the literature on care coordination for CSHCN. Under the leadership of Dr. Deborah Allen, the Work Group held a day-long workshop in February 2003 for fifty invited participants to conduct a critical review of expectations and models of care coordination in use within our own state and across the country.

Following the 2003 workshop, the Work Group began drafting a definition for enhanced care coordination for consideration by the full Consortium.

This work was supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the Health Services and Resources Administration, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Chair:

Deborah Allen, ScD
Boston University School of Public Health, Health & Disability Working Group


Reports:
Care Coordination in Massachusetts: Findings and Recommendations of a Three-Year Study Introduction and Executive Summary
June, 2006

Care Coordination: Definition & Principles, October, 2005

Parameters of a Statewide Care Coordination System: DRAFT Financial and Organizational Proposal, October 2005

Achieving Change in Tough Times: Statewide, Comprehensive Care Coordination for CYSHCN in MA, June, 2005

Additional Resources:

For articles, educational materials, and links to further information about care coordination, please visit our Resource Center.

Other Work Groups:

Family Participation

Medical Coverage Decision-Making

Medical Home

Transition to Adulthood