OPEN MINDS & Independent Living Systems Announce Partnership To Strengthen Community-Based Care
GETTYSBURG, Pa. December 7, 2025 – Independent Living Systems (ILS) and OPEN MINDS today announced a strategic collaboration to support payers and provider organizations in improving outcomes for consumers with complex needs across Medicare, Medicaid, and Dual-Eligible markets. The partnership will focus on advancing innovative care coordination, strengthening community-based networks and supports, and promoting person-centered models that empower independence and improve quality of life.
For more than 20 years, ILS has partnered with health plans, social service providers, government agencies, and community-based organizations to address health-related social needs, reducing costs, improving outcomes, and enhancing the consumer experience. ILS also owns and operates Florida Community Care, the state’s only statewide, provider-owned Medicaid health plan, and Florida Complete Care, a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan serving individuals with complex health conditions who require highly coordinated care.
“The needs of vulnerable populations are best met through coordinated care, strong community partnerships, and benefits that address social determinants of health and are simple to navigate,” said Nestor Plana, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Independent Living Systems. “This collaboration with OPEN MINDS provides leaders with practical tools to strengthen home- and community-based services and improve the consumer experience.”
“At OPEN MINDS, we see firsthand the challenges organizations face in managing the complex needs of vulnerable populations,” said Monica E. Oss, Chief Executive Officer of OPEN MINDS. “Partnering with Independent Living Systems combines ILS’ proven leadership in care coordination and community care hubs with our market intelligence, performance analytics, and best-practice frameworks, helping organizations improve outcomes, enhance quality, and achieve long-term sustainability.”
Together, ILS and OPEN MINDS are expanding access and improving care coordination for vulnerable populations, including those in long-term care, the I/DD community, Medicaid Managed Assistance (MMA), individuals with HIV/AIDS, and people living with serious mental illness. By building community care hubs and strengthening networks with local organizations, the collaboration supports payers and providers in addressing social, behavioral, and medical needs through an integrated, person-centered approach.
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About OPEN MINDS
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the high-needs consumer market – mental health, addiction treatment, cognitive disabilities, chronic health conditions, elder services, health-related social needs, and adjacent markets within the health and human service field. The OPEN MINDS mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, pharmaceutical, technology, and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Learn more at openminds.com.
About Independent Living Systems
Independent Living Systems (ILS) is a Florida-based company providing a comprehensive range of turnkey payer services to managed care organizations and health care providers that provide care and social services to vulnerable populations in the Medicare, Medicaid, and Dual-Eligible markets. The company also owns and operates Florida Community Care, Florida’s only statewide Medicaid provider service network, as well as Florida Complete Care, a Medicare Advantage special needs plan for people who live in a nursing home, an assisted living facility, or live at home and have complex health issues that require more coordinated and comprehensive care.