The Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) is the primary delivery system for Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program). The ACC was created in 2011 to improve health care access and outcomes for Health First Colorado members. ACC Phase III will launch July 1, 2025.
The Draft Contract outlines the requirements that organizations must follow to serve as Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs) for ACC Phase III. Organizations interested in becoming RAEs will submit bids that outline their capabilities for meeting the requirements within the final Request for Proposal (RFP) which will be posted in May 2024. These bids will be evaluated by a committee before final awards are made. The Draft Contract is posted publicly to allow for stakeholder comment.
This webpage contains the Draft Contract documents as well as other resources to highlight key changes for ACC Phase III. A summary of feedback from January through March of 2024, following the posting of the Draft Contract is available in the Draft Contract Stakeholder Engagement Summary.
Draft Contract Documents
Draft Contract (January 2024): This is a draft version of the contractual requirements for RAEs. Some of the information in this document may contain placeholders, such as performance standards or references to other exhibits.
- Draft Contract Feedback Form Responses (March 2024)
The Draft Contract includes the following sections:
- Regional Accountable Entity
- Member Enrollment and Attribution
- Member Engagement
- Grievances and Appeals
- Network Development and Access Standards
- Health Neighborhoods
- Care Coordination and Population Management
- Provider Support Practice Transformation
- Capitated Behavioral Health Benefit
- Standardized Child and Youth Benefit
- Data, Analytics, and Claims Processing Systems
- Outcomes, Quality Assessment, and Performance Improvement
- Compliance and Integrity
- Compensation and Invoicing
Draft Contract Supplements (January 2024): This document contains many of the standard HCPF contract requirements as well as exhibits with additional detail. Note: not all of the exhibits that will be part of the final RFP are included in this current draft. Key areas to review and provide feedback include:
- Exhibit D – Terminology (this is a helpful reference for all terms used throughout the contract)
- Exhibit E – Contractor Administrative Requirements
- Exhibit I – Care Coordination Tiers
Previous Offeror Questions (January 2024): These are the questions that organizations had to respond to as part of the Phase II RFP. Similar questions will be asked for the Phase III RFP. Stakeholders are encouraged to complete the below survey with any feedback about these questions.
- Offeror Questions Feedback Form Responses (March 2024)
Fact Sheets
We are continuing to post new resources, please check back frequently.
- Draft Contract Review Guide (January 2024)
- Draft Contract Top Takeaways (January 2024)
- Draft Contract Member Review Guide (January 2024)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Draft Contract?
A: The Draft Contract outlines the contractual requirements that organizations must follow to serve as Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs) for ACC Phase III. The final Request for Proposal (RFP) includes the contractual requirements as well as other materials, such as the offeror questions that organizations must respond to as part of their bid. As part of this process, we may use some of the following terms interchangeably:
- Offeror/Bidder - this refers to an organization that responds to the final RFP for ACC Phase III.
- Vendor/Contractor - this refers to the organizations that are awarded the contracts to serve as RAEs for ACC Phase III.
Q: How much will the requirements in the Draft Contract change for the final RFP?
A: The Draft Contract is an evolving document. We continue to work internally to develop the contract requirements on many initiatives. Additionally, we value input from stakeholders and will make adjustments where possible based on feedback we receive. Last, many initiatives may be subject to receiving appropriate state and federal authority. The following sections are likely to see the most change for the final RFP:
- Quality Performance Metrics
- Payment Strategy
- Services for Children & Youth
- Deliverables
- Performance Standards
- Commitment to Quality Program
- Integrated Behavioral Health Care
Additionally, the ACC was designed to be iterative and HCPF amends the contract with the RAEs twice annually to address changes in state and federal policies, clarifications of requirements, improvements in line with best practices, etc. That said, the amendment process is designed for minor modifications to existing requirements, it cannot be used to add completely new areas of work to the contract.
Q: When will the final RFP be posted?
A: We expect to post the final RFP by the end of May 2024, and we will award vendors in September 2024. However, this timeline is subject to change.
For interested stakeholders, we will announce the posting of the final RFP through the ACC Newsletter. To subscribe, select “Accountable Care Collaborative Program Updates.”
For organizations intending to respond to the RFP, we will announce the posting on the vendor self-service (VSS) website. Once the final RFP is posted in this system, you can access it by selecting the “Public Access” button in the lower left-hand side of the page and entering the solicitation number in the search box. Once at the listing, you can click "details" for additional information. Under the "attachments" tab you will find the solicitation documents and appendices.
For questions related to CORE, the CORE Vendor Self-Service Help Desk is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT and can be reached by calling (303) 866-6464 or emailing VSSHelp@state.co.us.
Q: Will organizations be allowed to bid on multiple regions?
A: Organizations will be allowed to bid on up to two regions.
Q: How many regions can be awarded to a single organization?
A: It is HCPF’s intent to award each region to the best offeror based on a holistic review of their proposal’s value, the strength of their capabilities and experience with providers and community partners within their region. This supports the fundamental premise of the ACC that regional communities are in the best position to make the changes that will cost-effectively optimize the health and quality of care for all members and to more effectively build off local systems of care to administer the program.
HCPF's preference is to award one RAE region to an individual offeror. However, there may be instances where HCPF would consider awarding a second region to an offeror to prevent the award of a contract to an entity perceived to possess insufficient capabilities based on its proposal.
Q: Are out of state organizations permitted to bid?
A: This will be an open, competitive procurement process and vendors from out-of-state who meet the required qualifications will be considered. The final RFP outlines specific requirements for offerors that are incorporated outside of Colorado in order to be able to do business in the state.
Q: How are the RFP responses evaluated? Who evaluates these responses?
A: HCPF will select vendors in compliance with C.R.S. §24-103-203(7) which states, “The award shall be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the state, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposal”.
RFP responses are reviewed by an evaluation committee through a comprehensive, thorough, complete and impartial process based on evaluation factors outlined in the final RFP. HCPF will determine the number of individuals and qualifications for serving on the evaluation committee to ensure that all individuals are able to offer a fair and impartial review. The evaluation process is ultimately a value analysis that considers each offeror holistically to ensure that the selected vendors are best able to comply with the contract requirements, achieve the goals of the ACC, and address the unique needs of Health First Colorado members and providers in each region.
Q: What region map will be used for ACC Phase III?
A: In December 2023, HCPF announced the final decision to use the four-region map proposed in the ACC Phase III Concept Paper. More information about that decision is detailed in this fact sheet.
Q: Will the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (BHASO) map match the RAE map?
A: BHA recently announced the BHASO map, which will match the RAE map for ACC Phase III. HCPF and BHA are working closely on both procurement processes to ensure a coordinated behavioral health system for all Coloradans.
Q: How will Denver Health Medicaid Choice and Rocky Mountain Health Plans PRIME plan be incorporated into Phase III?
A: Currently, Denver Health and Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) operate full risk, capitated managed care plans. Unlike RAEs, these Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) are responsible for physical health payments and outcomes. HCPF will continue to offer Denver Health the opportunity to operate a full MCO as part of ACC Phase III. The RMHP PRIME physical health managed care capitation plan is part of legislation for a payment reform and innovation pilot. Because HCPF is reprocuring the vendor for the region that covers the current RMHP PRIME, we will allow potential bidders for that region to propose an MCO similar to PRIME in the counties where PRIME currently exists. This means that PRIME is not guaranteed to continue in Phase III, that will ultimately depend on the vendor awarded for that region.
Q: How have you engaged stakeholders for feedback so far? How is their feedback being incorporated into the RFP?
A: Since November 2022, we have discussed ACC Phase III at over 100 stakeholder sessions for over 4,300 attendees. This has included hosting our own public sessions as well as attending established forums within and outside of HCPF, such as: the ACC Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) and subcommittees, the Member Experience Advisory Council, and each RAE PIAC and Member Advisory Council. Recordings and other materials for many of these presentations can be found on the stakeholder engagement webpage by clicking the “Past Presentations and Materials” blue bar.
Stakeholder feedback has been critical to the design of ACC Phase III. Many of the proposals in the ACC Phase III Concept Paper were developed in response to feedback we’ve heard over the years, as outlined in this fact sheet. Feedback on the concept paper, outlined in the Concept Stage Summary, was critical in further developing the contract requirements for RAEs in Phase III. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to finalize these requirements before the final RFP is released in May 2024.