Aledade State Policy Team

A proven track record in advocacy

Aledade has a proven track record of success in advocating for the sustainability of independent primary care. While we continue to serve the needs of our physicians at the federal level, we understand there are deeper and more intricate needs within each state that require attention.

The Aledade State Policy Program aims to address these distinct, state-level needs by enlisting the support of dedicated staff and resources

 that will either bolster or build advocacy activities; deepen stakeholder alignment throughout the state; and serve as a convener between physicians, associations and legislators. As of August 2022, the State Policy Program is operating in eight markets (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Oregon) with plans to roll out in two additional markets by end of year. Our goal is to ensure built-in state policy support in every Aledade market.

Core program Components
  • Physician-led policy committees
  • Legislative tracking and reporting
  • Stakeholder engagement and alignment
  • Issue advocacy and education
  • Opportunities for media spotlights, state policy convenings, payer engagement
  • Consultation with Aledade’s policy team available by request
Physician-led state policy committees

Our state policy committees, led by physicians and facilitated by Aledade staff, provide a platform to empower and elevate the voices of independent and community-based primary care clinicians. The committees allow space for the clinicians to share their stories and data that centers their needs in preventive and value-driven care.

Committees meet monthly and comprise staff members across Aledade ACO member practices, including physicians, nurses and office managers eager to remain informed and engaged in state policy development. Areas of advocacy and education include shaping the future of value-based care, primary care investment (focusing on  mandated minimum primary care spend), combatting workforce shortages, telehealth, administrative burden reform, and Medicaid policies including expansion, among others.

Our work shows
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Keeping up to date on not only current bills and legislation, but also who is sponsoring, what is the landscape, who do we need to contract to get our voice heard, that's been huge for us because a lot of these decisions are made while we're busy taking care of patients.
Dr. Phillip Pounders
Recent program outcomes
  • Proposed federal legislation to target rural primary care workforce needs following a practice visit and luncheon with United States Senator John Boozman (R-AR).
  • Committee member(s) participation in statewide Medicaid planning workgroups to represent the voice of independent physicians and value-based care.
  • Priority access to COVID-19 vaccines in February 2021 following a meeting with Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health.
  • Participation in shaping the development of CMS’ Learning and Action Network (LAN) State Transformation Collaborative to increase alternative payment model adoption.

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Caroline Smith

Sr. Policy Specialist - State Policy Program Lead

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Rebecca Cooper

Sr. Analyst - Southeastern Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina)

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John Molera

Sr. Analyst - Western Region (California, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan)

Questions
If you are interested in learning more about the State Policy program or have questions related to your market’s health policy landscape, please contact Caroline Smith (chsmith@aledade.com).