HHS committee adjusts Montgomery Cares reimbursement and approves one-time clinic support for American Diversity Group

The Health and Human Services Committee voted to revise the county executive's Montgomery Cares primary-care reimbursement recommendation and approved a one-time contract to support the American Diversity Group (ADG) free medical clinic serving East County and other areas.

Council staff recommended a modest adjustment to the county executive's Montgomery Cares request: set FY26 primary-care encounters at 77,000 (down 1,000 from the executive's request of 78,000) while increasing the per-encounter reimbursement so the total recommended payment per encounter would be $113.36 inclusive of an indirect administrative fee. The change reduced the immediate net increase requested by approximately $12,751 relative to the executive's draft. Department staff noted they believed 78,000 encounters was feasible and cautioned that approving 77,000 could prompt a supplemental request if utilization reached the higher level; council members said a slightly higher allowance could be prudent given pending changes at higher levels of government. The committee approved the revised number with a minor reallocation (specialty care reduction of $74,300 also agreed to by the committee) and asked staff to monitor utilization and return if supplemental funding is required.

Separately, the committee considered a one-time contract request to support the American Diversity Group (ADG) free medical clinic in East County. ADG had provided details about its 2024 activity (944 patients served that year across generalist and specialty referral activity, weekend hours, and multilingual capacity) and described volunteers and partnerships that supplement clinic capacity. Councilmember Mink, who visited ADG, described the clinic as a trusted community resource that provides weekend hours, transportation for patients countywide, and in-person language capacity in multiple languages (Spanish and several South Asian languages were noted).

Committee members asked how ADG fits into the county's broader safety-net system and requested evaluation requirements as part of any contract. DHHS said it would include performance measures and patient-satisfaction metrics in a one-time funding contract and that ADG refers patients to Montgomery Cares clinics and other county programs when appropriate. Council staff recommended the item as a possible reduction given overlapping services, but the committee voted to recommend one-time funding for ADG, 2 to 1, with the minority member expressing concern about adding a new, ongoing contract line amid a tight budget. The majority emphasized ADG's weekend hours, multilingual staffing and partnership role with hospitals and county clinics.

The committee instructed DHHS to include contract reporting requirements (patient demographics, referral pathways, patient satisfaction and service volume) and to clarify how ADG's services expand county capacity rather than duplicate existing clinics.