This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, investigates the impact of a novel independent practice association (IPA) formed among community-based social service organizations (CBOs) to address social determinants of health among residents of upstate New York. The Healthy Alliance IPA allows diverse CBOs offering services for housing, transportation, food, and other social needs to join together in a shared-governance association that facilitates referrals, care coordination, and performance-based contracting with health plans and medical providers. A quasi-experimental research design is used to compare patients residing in counties served by the Healthy Alliance IPA with a matched comparison group of patients from other counties, using measures of healthcare utilization, social service utilization, and total cost of care. The study focuses specifically on the outcomes experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations and also examines the roles played by CBOs led by Black, Indigenous, Latino and other persons of color. The research team is led by Stanford University in partnership with the Healthy Alliance IPA, Albany County Department of Health, Rensselaer County Department of Health, and other community partners.

Grant ID: 

11112

Primary Investigator: 

Jonathan Shaw

Applicant Organization: 

Stanford University

Co-Investigator: 

Todd Wagner

Grant Type: 

Individual Research Projects

Award Amount: 

$500 000.00

Start Date: 

Monday, November 15, 2021

End Date: 

Thursday, November 14, 2024