Knowledge Management Associates (KMA)

Mission: We educate and empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions in a complex healthcare environment.

Vision: To be the trusted resource for helping individuals and communities maximize their access to healthcare and benefits.

Education/Outreach - We provide training to members of the public and organizations in how to get, keep, and use health insurance. We also participate in various outreach activities to members of the public about how we can help them.

Health Insurance Counseling—We provide free, unbiased, trustworthy explanations to individuals and families regarding their health insurance options, allowing them to make fully informed decisions about what benefit options will work best for their individual needs.

Collaborative Partnerships—We collaborate with a wide variety of organizations and individuals to maximize the outcomes for the individuals we serve.

Leveraging Volunteers - We recruit, train, and support volunteers primarily as insurance counselors. These may be traditional volunteers, or in-kind volunteers who, though not paid by us, contribute to our program on behalf of their employer, providing valuable support and expertise.

The organization's history and foundation is strongly based in the promotion of health care quality serving providers, consumers and communities. Our original organization was established in 1983 as the Missouri Patient Care Review Foundation (MPCRF) by the Missouri State Medical Association and the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons.

In 1984, MPCRF was designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and then known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) as the Medicare Peer Review Organization (PRO) for Missouri. The company successfully renewed the PRO contract non-competitively since 1984. In 2002, PROs were renamed Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) to reflect the multidisciplinary approach of all team members—physicians, nurses, and administration—working together to improve the quality of care. The company’s name was changed to Primaris in 2004. In August 2014, QIOs became regionalized, and we became a part of the regional Quality Improvement Network (QIN,) with TMF Health Quality Institute.
In 2015, Primaris Holdings, Inc. restructured from a 501c6 to a private company. Its nonprofit affiliate continued. Knowledge Management Associates (KMA) originally dba Primaris Foundation but now dba Missouri Connections for Health, established April 20, 2001, to continue the mission to: “Educate and empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions in a complex healthcare environment.”

Since 1993 the MO Department of Commerce and Insurance has contracted with us to deliver the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), once known as CLAIM. We are proud to serve Missouri’s Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers through the Missouri SHIP program. The services are vital to the state, and with decades of experience with this program, we are uniquely positioned to provide continued, uninterrupted services to ensure the needs of Missouri’s Medicare beneficiaries are met. MCH is dedicated to upholding the SHIP mission and supporting the excellent work of our staff, as well as the network of volunteer counselors and scores of locally based organizations as Community Partners. The work of SHIPs has changed substantially over time, but the focus of our activities remains meeting the needs of Missourians.

Although our signature program is Missouri SHIP, we have several other programs and projects that also support our overall mission.

KMA/Missouri Connections for Health is building on a history of more than three decades operating the Missouri State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). On top of this, MCH has proven itself to be nimble in adjusting to the changing environment, having been involved in assisting with Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace/ACA, and assistance programs for those who cannot obtain health insurance.

Our most recently developed program aims to broaden the scope of our mission and fill a gap in providing a specialized service to specific groups of Missourians who need a Coordinated Entry housing assessment to access federal and other housing funds to secure permanent and safe housing. Housing is one of the primary determinants of health.

We anticipate that MCH will continue to build on its history and mission, strengthening its organizational infrastructure as a nonprofit organization, including varying fundraising methods and sources of funding, and adapting to the changing environment. Our commitment to our mission remains unwavering, and we are dedicated to serving the people of Missouri.