As part of a larger evaluation of CalAIM, the HEER team is currently working on an evaluation of PATH, an initiative that builds up the capacity and infrastructure of on-the-ground partners to successfully provide Enhanced Care Management and community supports and justice involved services under CalAIM.
PATH is a five-year, $1.85 billion (total computable) expenditure authority that provides funding to build up the capacity and infrastructure of on-the-ground partners, such as community-based organizations (CBOs), providers, public hospitals, county agencies, tribes, and others, to successfully participate in the Medi-Cal delivery system as California widely implements Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports services and the Reentry demonstration under CalAIM.
Drawing upon the success and lessons learned from the Whole Person Care and Health Homes Pilots, PATH funding is expected to help address gaps in local organizational capacity and infrastructure that exist statewide, enabling these local partners to scale up the services they provide to eligible Medi-Cal members. Resources funded by PATH - such as additional staff, billing systems, and data exchange capabilities - are expected to help community partners successfully contract with managed care plans, bringing their wealth of expertise in community needs to the Medi-Cal delivery system.
As PATH funds serve to strengthen capacity statewide, particularly among providers and CBOs that have historically been under-resourced, the initiative is expected to help California advance health equity, address social drivers of health, and move towards a more equitable, coordinated, and accessible Medi-Cal system.
A preliminary evaluation report will be published in June 2025 and the final evaluation will be published in May 2027.
Select Objectives of PATH evaluation
Determine if PATH strengthen infrastructure
Measure Growth in ECM and community support providers and services
Assess improvements in Medi-Cal access for re-entry following incarceration