Promoting Appropriate Transitions to Home (PATHways)

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) is issuing a Request for Proposals for the Promoting Appropriate Transitions to Home (PATHways) program, a partnership-based procurement seeking proposals from acute care hospitals collaborating with Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) to establish or expand discharge planning services that facilitate patient transitions from hospital settings to home-based care rather than institutional settings such as skilled nursing facilities. Applicants must demonstrate their hospital's capacity to embed ASAP staff within discharge planning processes, describe proposed staffing models and training plans, detail communication protocols between hospital, ASAP, and home and community-based services providers, and provide geographic and population needs analysis for their service areas. Key deliverables include integrated discharge planning models, staff training completion, service tracking workflows, enrollment data reporting, and sustainability plans with return-on-investment analysis extending beyond the performance period. The evaluation framework allocates 40 points to the Proposed Program, 20 points to Applicant Qualifications and Need, 15 points to Budget, 20 points to Sustainability and Scalability, and 5 points to Measurement and Data Reporting. Proposals must be submitted by June 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM through COMMBUYS, with an informational session scheduled for April 29, 2026. The HPC will announce awardees on July 23, 2026, with anticipated contract execution on September 30, 2026 and a contract term of approximately 36 months (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029), consisting of a 27-30 month performance period including up to six months of planning activities plus up to six months of final reporting and evaluation.

Participation is restricted to acute care hospitals listed as eligible under either the Distressed Hospital Trust Fund (DHTF), which reserves seven awards for 24 qualifying hospitals identified in Attachment A, or the Payment Reform Trust Fund, which offers two awards available to all acute care hospitals in Massachusetts. The HPC is investing $1.89 million across up to nine total awards, with individual awards capped at $210,000 per awardee, and all awardees must contribute a minimum 30% in-kind funding toward total project budgets. Reimbursement is provided on a cost-reimbursement basis with the HPC withholding retainage until program completion, with reimbursable expenses including personnel salaries (capped at $228,000 annually per FTE), fringe benefits up to 25%, subcontractor services with fringe benefits up to 25%, technology, and approved training, while indirect costs and travel expenses are not eligible. No pre-contract costs are reimbursable, and the HPC retains the right to deny reimbursement for out-of-scope expenses. Applicants must submit completed operational and budget response templates, a cover letter signed by department heads, the Award Manager's resume, and mandatory contracting forms including the Commonwealth Standard Contract Form, Contractor Authorized Signatory Form, and Commonwealth Terms and Conditions.