AHEAD Model

Background

Under the federal States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model, Maryland and other states are taking accountability to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and promote healthier living. Maryland will continue statewide efforts to improve healthcare quality and control costs started under the current Total Cost of Care (TCOC) Model agreement with CMS. AHEAD will enable Maryland to build on its unique all-payer hospital rate setting system, expanding its focus on primary care and population health. The AHEAD Model begins on January 1, 2026 and runs through 2034.

Maryland Commission on Health Equity

The Maryland Commission on Health Equity (MCHE) serves as the official AHEAD Model governance body for Maryland. Meetings are open to the public. Meeting materials and recordings can be found on the MCHE website.

AHEAD and Primary Care

Through the AHEAD model, Maryland envisions building a sustainable advanced primary care system that provides high-quality whole person care for all Marylanders and supports strong linkages across the healthcare continuum. Leveraging the success of the Maryland Primary Care Program (MDPCP) established under the TCOC Model, AHEAD aims to improve health outcomes for all people in Maryland, while simplifying the administrative burden for providers through all-payer alignment. Additional detail on Maryland's AHEAD Primary Care Programs can be found on the MDPCP website.

Key AHEAD Documents

AHEAD State Agreement	State Agreement State Agreement Summary State Agreement Summary Meeting Recording
Notice of Funding Opportunity	State Response to NOFO Application Summary Technical Advisory Committee Materials

​​​Modernization

AHEAD Model

Modernization