As part of its Framework for Health Equity, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a 2024 Final Rule that will introduce a Health Equity Index (HEI) reward to their Star Ratings program in 2027. This reward will incentivize Medicare Advantage organizations to focus on closing healthcare gaps for socially at-risk beneficiaries, which can in turn lead to increased Star Ratings.
To maximize their HEI scores, MAOs will need to demonstrate progress in reducing health disparities and improving care quality for at-risk members. LiveWell with Traditions can support your organization by helping you address this significant change and stay competitive with our medically tailored meal program.
What is the Health Equity Index?
The Health Equity Index is a score created by the CMS to incentivize Part C and Part D health plans to improve care for the most vulnerable patients with social risk factors. The index consolidates various Star Ratings measures into one score, on which rewards are based.
Medicare Advantage members who qualify as having social risk factors include:
- Those receiving a low-income subsidy (LIS)
- Individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
- People with a disability
Why is the new HEI rewards system important?
The changes introduced in the 2024 Final Rule emphasize the importance of equitable healthcare delivery to populations with social risk factors, and mark the first time MAOs are being incentivized to close social risk gaps with clear metrics to benchmark their performance. Plans are expected to not just identify these gaps, but also take steps to close them. The CMS will compare outcomes in populations with social risk factors to those without and expects the outcomes for at-risk members to be as good or better than outcomes for other members.
Although the new HEI reward system will affect Star Ratings starting in 2027, it will be based on performance measured in 2024 and 2025. That means plans should start preparing now by leveraging data analytics to identify the areas in greatest need. Addressing these issues will have the biggest impact on your HEI score, which can make your plan more desirable to potential members and lead to financial rewards.
Increase Star Ratings with tailored meals from LiveWell with Traditions
Providing supplemental benefits such as tailored meal programs that address the specific dietary needs of vulnerable populations can help Medicare Advantage plans achieve better HEI scores and, consequently, higher Star Ratings.
As a vendor, LiveWell with Traditions makes it easy for your organization to increase its Star Rating by providing:
- Nutritionally adequate medically tailored meals that are designed to improve health outcomes of members with specific health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.
- Delivery options to improve accessibility for members who may struggle to receive meals due to geographic limitations, lack of transportation, or difficulty navigating the ordering process.
- Ethnically diverse meals that meet the cultural preferences and/or religious requirements of certain groups, encouraging them to utilize the meal program.
- Robust data reporting on how different populations are using the meal program, so informed adjustments can be made.
In short, our meal benefits program helps close the social risk gap.
Prepare for HEI rewards now: partner with LiveWell
The new CMS Health Equity Index rewards system is not only an important step towards equitable health care for all, but a way to boost your organization’s visibility in the healthcare marketplace. Contact LiveWell with Traditions to see how our meal benefits can help your organization meet the demands of the HEI rewards program and boost your Star Rating.
Learn more about how medically tailored meals can help your organization improve Star Ratings; download our white paper Food as Medicine: How Medically Tailored Meals and Home-Delivered Nutrition Enhances Americans’ Health and Reduces Healthcare Costs.
