Medicaid and telehealth

Results of Annual Survey of State Medicaid Programs

The Kaiser Family Foundation has published the results of its annual survey of state Medicaid programs for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years. Among the survey’s findings (in language taken directly from the Kaiser report): More than 3/4 of states that contract with MCOs [managed care organizations] enroll ≥75% of all beneficiaries in MCOs Some states reported newly implementing or expanding MCO programs States also report continued use of other service delivery and payment system reforms Two-thirds of states are using strategies to improve race, ethnicity, and language data About one-quarter of states are tying MCO financial incentives to health [...]

admin2022-10-27T06:00:07+00:00October 27, 2022|COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid long-term services and supports, Medicaid managed care, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for Friday, April 1

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund After April 5, this program also will stop accepting claims for administering vaccines to uninsured individuals. See this notice for further information about both deadlines for submitting claims. Proposed Medicare Payment Regulations for FY 2023 CMS has published its proposed inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system and IRF quality reporting program for FY 2023. The agency proposes a 2.8 percent net increase in Medicare [...]

admin2022-04-01T17:09:26+00:00April 1, 2022|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Coronavirus, COVID-19, health equity, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Medicaid as a Tool for Addressing Racial Health Inequities

Medicaid can be an important tool for addressing racial health inequities, the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests in a new issue brief. Among the measures involving Medicaid that might be undertaken to address racial health inequities and addressing social determinants of health, the brief suggests (in words taken directly from the issue brief): One significant action that would help close coverage disparities for people of color is adoption of the ACA Medicaid expansion in the 12 non-expansion states. Other expansions of Medicaid eligibility could also address racial disparities in coverage and access to care. Making it easier for eligible people to [...]

admin2022-03-25T06:00:31+00:00March 25, 2022|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations|

Federal Health Policy Update for Thursday, September 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Provider Relief Fund HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration has posted new information about planned distributions of additional COVID-19 supplemental funding for health care providers through the Provider Relief Fund and for qualified rural hospitals through funding made available through the American Rescue Plan. Included in the new posting is information about: Web events to explain what the agency is doing and what providers must do to pursue [...]

admin2021-09-23T17:39:28+00:00September 23, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, MACPAC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Telehealth|

MACPAC Meets

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met for two days last week in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the sessions. MACPAC kicked off its April meeting with a review of a draft chapter for the June 2021 report to Congress and recommendations on addressing high-cost specialty drugs. Since 2017, the Commission has been working to identify potential models that could help states address the challenges of high prices. The presentation focused on drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the accelerated approval pathway. Such approvals are based [...]

admin2021-04-14T06:00:46+00:00April 14, 2021|MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations|

Telehealth on the Upswing

A number of recent developments suggest that serving patients with the assistance of telehealth services will become more commonplace in the near future. The Medicare MACRA and MIPS payment programs will include new billing codes for telehealth services, according to regulations published earlier this month. Also earlier this month, the House passed legislation, The Vets Act (H.R. 2123), that would authorize the Veterans Administration to make greater use of telehealth. And when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General recently announced plans to audit Medicaid programs for telehealth payments, it cited among its reasons [...]

admin2017-11-28T06:00:17+00:00November 28, 2017|Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare regulations|

Public Schools Using Telehealth

Spurred by 18 states that authorize Medicaid payments for telehealth services and another 28 that require private insurers to make such payments, more public school districts are integrating telehealth services into their school health programs. The schools are using telehealth to diagnose minor ailments, monitor chronic conditions, and authorize emergency administration of medicine in the absence of written parental permission. The use of telehealth in some school districts has reduced student trips to hospital emergency rooms and increased the rate at which children with medical problems return to the classroom. Learn more about how schools are using telehealth services to [...]

admin2017-01-13T06:00:06+00:00January 13, 2017|Medicaid|