Emergency Notice - Illinois Patient Access and Care Optimization Study

The Illinois Department of Public Health is procuring professional research, policy analysis, and consulting services to fulfill statutory requirements under 20 ILCS 2310/2310-716 by developing a required report for submission to the Governor and General Assembly no later than January 31, 2027, with proposals due August 14, 2026. This is an emergency procurement; the Department has issued an Emergency Purchase Statement and named the Mongan Institute Health Policy Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital as the intended awardee.

The scope encompasses project management, stakeholder coordination, statewide data collection and analysis, assessment of patient access to healthcare including geographic and demographic barriers, evaluation of hospital financial stability, analysis of impacts from federal policy changes under H.R. 1 on Medicaid and provider reimbursement, and development of evidence-based policy recommendations. Deliverables include a Project Charter, Health Care Access Assessment, Fiscal and Policy Impact Analysis, Hospital Stability Assessment, and a final comprehensive report.

The estimated contract value is $1.248 million, funded through state appropriations, with a 28-week project timeline. The Department justified emergency procurement based on unprecedented federal policy changes affecting Medicaid financing that will result in up to 300,000 Illinois residents losing Medicaid coverage by January 1, 2027, combined with increasing financial instability among hospitals and safety-net providers. The compressed statutory deadline and complex statewide assessment work preclude standard competitive solicitation.

The Department selected the Mongan Institute based on its nationally recognized expertise in health policy research, health economics, epidemiology, and complex data analysis; capacity to immediately dedicate qualified personnel; and status as an independent, academically rigorous research institution outside Illinois to reduce conflicts of interest. The Department conducted market research through the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers and determined that no Business Enterprise Program-certified vendors possessed the specialized expertise and immediate capacity required within the compressed timeline.