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May 2025 Top of Mind
Massachusetts: Review the MassHealth requirements for post-hospital discharge planning and tracking homelessness
Massachusetts has one of the highest homeless rates in the country.1 In 2024, nearly 18,000 people per night were homeless.2 Many are families and/or suffering from long-term mental and physical health issues.3
To help fight homelessness, MassHealth requires all network acute care and psychiatric hospitals to provide proper post-hospital care, housing and support to Medicaid members who are homeless.
Your next steps: Complete these tracking and reporting actions
- Document all required patient discharge planning activities as noted in MassHealth Managed Care Bulletin 64. This includes transition of care options presented to the patient, any patient refusal of alternatives and any subsequent discharge to the streets or emergency shelters.
- Complete and return the Notification of Homeless/Risk of Homelessness Member Form in a timely manner in order to help identify patient housing resources.
Check out these additional resources
If you need help finding housing options, call the housing support line SAFELINK at 1-877-785‐2020. You can also visit the Helping Patients who are Homeless or Housing Unstable website for resources including:
- Discharge planning toolkit for guidance and technical support documents
- Additional information and resources
Questions? We’re here to help.
For more information, please contact the MassHealth Customer Service Center at providersupport@mahealth.net or 1-800-841-2900.
1-3 Homeless no more. Homelessness Statistics Massachusetts: 2024 Insights and Key Trends. Retrieved April 25, 2025, from https://homelessnomore.com/homelessness-statistics-massachusetts-2024-insights-and-key-trends/
