Service & System Innovation | 2025 Annual Report

Innovation across the Easterseals network is driven by Affiliates testing, refining, and scaling new approaches that strengthen access, quality, and sustainability. From operational pilots to value‑based care models, these efforts generate insights that reduce risk, improve outcomes, and inform adoption across the network.

New Service Models

Affinity groups serve as incubators for innovation. Our Affinity Groups serve as incubators—pairing national office funding and partnerships with Affiliate-led work on the ground, and enabling cross-network learning across autism, early childhood, youth transition, workforce development, veterans services, human resources, and IT. 

Through structured pilots, Affiliates test and refine approaches that generate replicable models and shared learnings, reducing risk for others considering adoption. Together, these initiatives show how operational innovation can expand service access and increase workforce participation.

• Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford partnered with Uber Health to enable direct ride scheduling for families, complementing its Abbott‑funded medical van initiative and advancing a coordinated approach to equitable access and continuity of care.
• Easterseals Northeast Indiana in Fort Wayne, supported by a GM grant, laid the groundwork for a long‑term coalition vision for on‑demand transit—expanding accessible transportation and improving access to employment.
• Easterseals FedCap’s APEX Technical Training program connects job seekers with industry‑validated training aligned to labor market demand, offering six technical programs and stackable certifications supported by diversified funding.

Advancing Value-Based Care 

Reimbursement structures are evolving and healthcare financing is shifting from volume to value—a change that directly affects reimbursement, sustainability, and access. Affiliates are advancing care models that tie funding to health outcomes, preventive performance, and cost efficiency, rewarding earlier intervention and coordinated care, supporting long-term financial sustainability and focus on quality.

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