Accountable Community of Health Structures and Cross-Sector Coordination

Washington state’s developing Accountable Communities of Health (ACH), regional health collaborations of public health, clinical care delivery and human services with greater focus on prevention, intend to improve health and quality of care and ultimately reduce costs. Public Health - Seattle & King County will lead this study to assess the association of ACH activities, including shared data systems and care coordination strategies, with improved health and criminal justice outcomes for adults with complex medical and social needs. Investigators will examine each county’s multidisciplinary care coordination system for adults who have been incarcerated and face challenges for housing, medical care, and treatment for serious mental illness. After one year of care coordination, the study will report outcome measures related to jail time and severity of bookings, emergency department use, and time elapsed between jail release and first appointment with primary care and behavioral health providers. The investigators also will study ACH development processes in two counties to assess factors that facilitate or inhibit the local human and health services departments’ (LHHSD) ability to build regional shared data measurement and care coordination systems. Among the partners involved in the study are King County, Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement, the University of Washington, Community Health Plan of Washington, Health Care Authority, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, and the Washington Public Health Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN).