NORC at the University of Chicago to Launch Learning Hub for Managed Care Organizations
MCO Learning Hub aims to improve health equity and advance health care transformation.
CHICAGO, March 3, 2020 — NORC at the University of Chicago has received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to establish a Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) Learning Hub. Under this award, NORC and its partner organizations—Speire Healthcare Strategies, America’s Health Insurance Plans, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Community Catalyst, and Families USA—will identify, develop, and disseminate promising approaches and emerging opportunities for MCOs to improve the health of their members.
“Managed care organizations are increasingly seeking ways to identify and address factors that contribute to their members’ overall health, including physical health, behavioral health, and social needs,” said Scott Leitz, senior fellow in the Health Care department at NORC. “The key goal of the MCO Learning Hub is to serve as a repository of information, resources, and best practices to support MCOs in moving forward with system reform.”
The NORC team will gain this comprehensive knowledge through a series of convening events, information reviews, and informant interviews with key MCO leadership, consumer organizations, and Medicaid leaders. Findings and recommendations will be disseminated on an ongoing basis across various channels that reach MCOs and other key stakeholders, including state Medicaid agencies and community-based organizations.
“MCOs play a pivotal role in incentivizing and advancing care that keeps people healthy,” said Meshie Knight, program officer at RWJF. “RWJF is proud to support this program that aims to help more managed care organizations learn from each other and from other sectors about what works to address their beneficiaries’ physical, behavioral, mental health and social needs.”
NORC and its partners bring strong relationships with MCOs and their leaders, Medicaid directors, and the consumer advocacy community. Together, this multidisciplinary team will provide RWJF, their grantees, and the field with a diverse range of information, insights, and perspectives.
About The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow RWJF on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).