CMS is pleased to announce the availability of a new Research Identifiable File (RIF) for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model.
In 2017, the Innovation Center launched the AHC Model to assess whether identifying and addressing Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ health-related social needs (HRSNs) would reduce health care use and costs. The Innovation Center funded entities called bridge organizations to convene a coalition of clinical delivery sites (CDSs) and community service providers (CSPs) to implement the AHC Model in communities across the country. Under the AHC Model, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries were screened by participating entities for five core HRSNs, and up to 8 supplemental HRSNs.
The AHC Research Identifiable File (RIF) contains beneficiary-level screening and navigation information about individuals participating in the AHC model. Participants included Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, 94% of whom can be linked to other CMS research files.
The file contains data for the entire AHC Model performance period, which began on May 1, 2017 and concluded on April 30, 2023.
For more information on the Accountable Health Communities Model or the data release, visit the CMS Innovation Center website or reference the CCW user guide.