Our history
Our story begins in the 1970s, when visionary healthcare leaders in Massachusetts—including clinicians, advocacy groups, community organizers, philanthropic funders, government agencies, and policymakers—came together to build a statewide community health movement that is still unique in the nation.
Inspired by the values of human dignity, individual empowerment, and fair access to care, this movement built a strong network of community health centers in low-income neighborhoods across Massachusetts. It also introduced care delivery innovations that improved the health, well-being, and independence of people with the most significant needs—including the frail, the elderly, the sick, and those with disabilities.
The core idea was a truly integrated model of enhanced primary care, using an interdisciplinary team to provide and coordinate the full spectrum of services, including primary care, behavioral health care, and social services and supports. For the last fifty years, a number of organizations have been at the forefront of implementing this care model, including:
- Urban Medical Group, founded in the 1970s by the pioneering Robert Master, M.D.
- Boston’s Community Medical Group (BCMG), evolved from the innovative practice begun by Marie Feltin, M.D., to provide primary and preventive care for people with disabilities
- The consumer advocacy organizations Community Catalyst, Health Care For All (HCFA), and the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL)
The leaders of these organizations collaborated to found Commonwealth Care Alliance.
- CCA was incorporated on March 18, 2003, with $2 million in grants for initial capitalization
- CCA launched one of the Commonwealth’s first Senior Care Options plans in 2004.
- BCMG became a wholly owned subsidiary of CCA in 2008 and was renamed Commonwealth Community Care (CCC) in 2013
- CCA launched the Hospitalist program and Palliative Care program in 2011
- CCA launched one of the nation’s and Commonwealth’s first One Care Dual Demonstration Medicare-Medicaid Programs (MMPs) in 2013
- CCA opened two Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs) in 2013–2014
- CCA launched a Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) pilot; this program was branded instED® as it began to expand statewide in 2018
- Winter Street Ventures®, CCA’s healthcare start-up accelerator and venture investment subsidiary, was launched in 2016
- The Center to Advance Consumer Partnership (CACP), CCA’s organization for fostering authentic consumer partnership throughout the healthcare system, was founded in 2018
- CCA One Care has been recognized as a top-rated MMP since 20161 and was selected by MassHealth in 2020 for One Care 2.0 (to begin 2022)
- The Boston Globe named CCA a Top Place to Work and a Top Place to Work for Diversity in 2020
- CCA helped develop and then managed the Commonwealth’s Isolation and Recovery Sites for homeless individuals that launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic
- CCA partnered with the Commonwealth to lead the state’s COVID vaccination program for homebound individuals in 2021
- BCMG dba Commonwealth Community Care was rebranded to BCMG dba CCA Primary Care in 2021
- Commonwealth Care Alliance Michigan, LLC launched the CCA PO, Inc. and the CCA ACO, LLC in 2022
- CCA completed the temporary housing community in Boston on the former Shattuck Hospital campus through city/state partnership in 2022
- CCA Housing Solutions, LLC became the newest and largest Emergency Assistance (EA) Shelter provider in Massachusetts in 2023
Between 2022-2024, Commonwealth Care Alliance Massachusetts, LLC launched two new Medicare Advantage plans in Massachusetts and Commonwealth Care Alliance Rhode Island, LLC launched three new Medicare Advantage plans in Rhode Island. CCA also completed its majority stake acquisition of Reliance HMO, Inc. in Michigan and of Vitality Health Plan of California, Inc. in 2021, launching two new Medicare Advantage plans in California and three new Medicare Advantage plans in Michigan in 2022.
1Based on the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys.