Effective Partnerships Between Community-Based Organizations and Health Care

Meals on Wheels America is making  a concerted effort to open doors to better integrate community-based senior nutrition provider services with traditional health care delivery. A new initiative with a large health care company via its national Medicare Advantage (MA) plan presented an opportunity for Meals on Wheels to scale service delivery to homebound seniors and for the MA plan to develop a new home-delivered meal benefit in conjunction with other supportive services for its enrollees. This report follows that initiative and explores how community-based organizations (CBOs) can work effectively with health plans to scale their services.

Key Findings

This report examines several of the key themes and issues that surfaced during this effort and that are likely to influence the ability of other community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively partner with health plans or health systems to finance innovation and enhanced service delivery.

• In advance of approaching a prospective partner, CBOs should:
  • Take stock of the regulatory and business environment in which they operate
  • Quantify the value of their service in a clear business case that speaks to relevant audiences
  • Understand requirements for data sharing and demonstrate an ability to meet those requirements
  • Ensure capacity for service to scale

By coming prepared for these types of conversations, the CBO will find a more receptive partner audience.

• There are two key issues related to MA plan regulatory structures and business cycles that introduce complexity: uniformity of benefits and the annual bid cycle. Some of these issues are unique to MA plans and should be considered at early stages of conversation.

Aside from plan type, other important health partner characteristics should be assessed, including organizational size, readiness and sophistication.

This study helped establish a trusting relationship between all partners and resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of the Meals on Wheels value proposition. 

In reproducing any excerpts of this report, please provide a credit that recognizes Meals on Wheels America, such as: Meals on Wheels America. (2019). Effective Partnerships Between Community-Based Organizations and Healthcare: A Possible Path to Sustainability. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/research/effective-partnerships-between-community-based-organizations-and-health-care/