Connecticut AHEAD

Graphic illustrating Connecticut AHEAD model investment in primary care and community health

Total Cost of Care

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) selected Connecticut to participate in a state total cost of care model: Achieving Healthcare Efficiency through Accountable Design Model (AHEAD Model). Connecticut AHEAD (CT AHEAD) is a collaborative effort between the Office of Health Strategy and Department of Social Services focused on:

  • Improving quality
  • Promoting transparency
  • Decreasing costs
Read the Connecticut AHEAD grant application  

Moving AHEAD Together

Total cost of care models, like Connecticut AHEAD, include multiple components to bring healthcare providers and payers into aligned strategies to build high-quality, affordable and accountable service delivery networks in communities. Let's break it down into the basic concepts:

  • Hospital Global Budgets: Voluntary participation in a hospital global budget provides a stable, predictable source of revenue for a hospital based on prior expenditures. Hospital global budgets feature safeguards and adjustments for social risk, quality and other factors and promote a focus on care coordination and outcomes. 
  • Primary Care AHEAD:  Voluntary participation in Primary Care AHEAD provides primary care practices with prospective, flexible and enhanced payments intended to increase their capacity to deliver advanced primary care services.  Model Payments will fund care transformation in care coordination, behavioral health integration and health-related social needs interventions. 
  • Population Health Accountability Plan:  Connecticut will develop a statewide Population Health Accountability Plan to help prioritize community-driven strategies for improving population health by focusing on preventive care and chronic disease prevention.
  • Geo AHEAD:  Geo AHEAD will engage otherwise unattributed Medicare beneficiaries in value-based care and provide a new way to integrate total cost of care accountability across hospital global budgets and Primary Care AHEAD.

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Program Resources

Connecticut AHEAD has exciting developments AHEAD.  Resources and information about different aspects of the total cost of care model and plans for implementation will be added here.

Connecticut AHEAD Advisory Committee 

The Connecticut AHEAD Advisory Committee guides OHS and DSS in development of the Population Health Accountability Plan and the implementation of the AHEAD model in our state.

Connecticut AHEAD Population Health Accountability Plan 

Explore the process of developing a statewide population health accountability plan, learn how you can contribute your thoughts and ideas and learn about related efforts in Connecticut.

Connecticut AHEAD Online Resources 

Explore Connecticut AHEAD and federal AHEAD resources as well as total cost of care model outcomes from other states around the country.

Connecticut AHEAD Frequently Asked Questions 

Frequently asked questions about Connecticut's total cost of care model.
Connecticut AHEAD is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $12 million with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.