In health care and public health, there are so many acronyms it can sometimes feel like speaking in code. Lately, in New York, we’ve been hearing an awful lot of one in particular – DSRIP (\dis – rip\). What is this mysterious DSRIP?

Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved New York State’s waiver request to the tune of $8 million dollars. The majority of the funding goes to…you guessed it, the DSRIP. DSRIP stands for Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program.

The overall purpose of the funding, as the full name makes clearer, is to reform the health care delivery system. This includes the goal of reducing avoidable hospitalizations by 25%. Collaborative partnerships between hospitals, treatment centers, community-based organizations, and others – dubbed “Performing Provider Systems” (PPS) – will compete for funds to advance innovative projects designed to meet the goals of the DSRIP. The key is that the vast majority of partners must be safety net providers. That is, their patient base must include a high number of lower-income New Yorkers, including those on Medicaid.

Still have questions? Our friends from Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy (SCAA) have the answers! Check out their new, detailed brief about the ins and outs of the DSRIP.