Medicaid Managed Care Organizational Strategies to Address Enrollee Unmet Social Needs Using Community Partnerships

We propose to conduct a mixed methods study of how Kentucky Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are working with local community-based organizations (CBOs) to address unmet social needs. Qualitative, quantitative, and social network analysis methods will be used to gather information on how MCOs are engaging with CBOs to address unmet social needs, the structure of MCO-CBO relationships, CBO perceptions and experiences with the collaborations, and whether/how the various efforts may impact health outcomes. Our study will provide critical and foundational evidence for the development of best practices models that address unmet social needs and improve health outcomes for Medicaid enrollees. Our findings will be of interest to multiple stakeholders, including state Medicaid agencies, MCOs, CBOs and other policymakers, and providers and payers interested in building cross-sector partnerships to address enrollee social needs.