New Report Shares How States Can Promote Healthy Aging Across Evolving Medicare-Medicaid Models

Funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation, Altarum and Altarum Medicare-Medicaid Services for States (AMMS) investigated the integration of the 4Ms Framework of Age Friendly Systems into evolving models for Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) and Medicare-Medicaid integrated programs, specifically via payers—health plans and managed care organizations. 

The 4Ms Framework (What Matters, Medications, Mentation, and Mobility) uses a person-centered approach to maintain the health of older adults to improve health outcomes and prevent avoidable harm and has been employed to ensure reliable, evidence-based care for older adults in all settings. 

Our research and resulting paper spotlights Indiana’s model of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) coordinating with Medicare Advantage (MA) Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) interdisciplinary care teams to coordinate services and supports for older adults dually eligible for Medicare and full Medicaid benefits. Indiana has worked to leverage the 4Ms Framework as they stand up partnerships across D-SNPs and AAAs to improve care coordination for high-need, high-cost populations. The paper also covers related efforts in Ohio, as well as considerations for states to advance similar efforts with payers to employ the 4Ms Framework in care coordination services across Medicare and Medicaid.