On May 30, 2018, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) conducted a Medicaid Accelerated eXchange Series (MAX) Symposium for all PPSs and their MAX action teams in New York City. The state discussed the work around the MAX series to date, how the PPSs have been doing, and what the expectations are as the program moves forward. The expectation is that trainers will be able to apply the MAX methodologies within their own organizations as well as provide training to other staff and other organizations in their communities to enhance the impact of MAX.

To date, the MAX Series has had 87 action teams, and 67 participants in its train-the-trainer (TTT) program, known as MAXny. TTT participants have been trained in the Rapid Cycle Continuous Improvement (RCCI) techniques and frameworks used in the MAX series. MHVC partner participants in the myriad aspects of MAX include Montefiore Nyack Hospital, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Montefiore Mount Vernon, Montefiore New Rochelle, White Plains Hospital, and St. John’s Riverside Hospital.

MHVC and its partners have been using the MAX framework to define cohorts of high utilization patients. Cohort sizes and eligibility varied by site, however all sites were able to reduce avoidable ED visits and readmissions. For some sites reductions were as high as 33% for ED and 88% for readmissions. MHVC will soon be updating this data with new results from the cohort. Stay tuned!

“We have been using the data we gather to drive change,” said Natalee Hill, MHVC Director of Quality and Innovation. “We have used it to look at risk stratification, and to continue to understand the drivers of utilization.” A major focus of MHVC’s effort has been to spread these successful initiatives within the network. That means engaging hospitals, community-based organizations (CBOs) and other key partners to address the drivers of avoidable utilization.