The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the first recipients of the State Innovation Models initiative awards. Twenty-five states will be working to design and implement improvements to their health care systems that will bolster health care quality and decrease costs.

Made possible by the Affordable Care Act, nearly $300 million in awards will support the development of models of care that will transform health care delivery throughout the states. Over $250 million in Model Testing awards will fund 6 states – Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont – in implementing their plans for health care delivery transformation. These states will use these funds to test multi-payer payment and service delivery models on a broader scale within their state. An additional 19 states will receive nearly $35 million to develop their State Health Care Innovation Plans that will guide for comprehensive health care transformation.

To learn more about the State Innovation Models initiative and view the 25 awardees, please visit innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/State-Innovations/.