News & Information of Interest to State Medicaid Agencies
Articles & Links
Only 44 days left before Version 5010 Enforcement Discretion Period ends
Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012
Version 5010 Enforcement Discretion Period Ends in 44 days. The deadline for all HIPAA-covered entities to upgrade to Version 5010 electronic standards was January 1, 2012. However, the Centers for Me... read more
CCIIO Exchange Blueprint
Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012
CCIIO announced the release of the Exchange Blueprint back into PRA today available at: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/other/index.html#hie.... read more
Brief: Early Lessons from Pennsylvania's SMI Innovations Project for Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health in Medicaid
Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012
The Rethinking Care Program (RCP), an initiative of the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) made possible by Kaiser Permanente, was created to find ways to improve the quality and lower the costs... read more
HHS Seeks comment on Proposed Rules
Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012
Nationwide Health Information Network: Conditions for Trusted Exchange. To read the proposed rules, click here.... read more
CMS Proposed Rules
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Payments for Services Furnished by Certain Primary Care Physicians and Charges for Vaccine Administration Under Vaccines for Children Program, 27671–27691 [2012–11421]. Click he... read more
GAO Seeking Nominations to HIT Policy Committee
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is now seeking nominations to fill a consumer/patient advocate vacancy on the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee. Nominations must be submi... read more
ONC Seeks Comments on Governance for Nationwide Health Information Network
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
ONC is requesting public comments on its Request for Information on Governance of the Nationwide Health Information Network, which was put on public display today by the Office of the Federal Register... read more
New Mexico seeks approval of Medicaid revamp
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The administration of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez asked the federal government to sign off on a proposed redesign of New Mexico's Medicaid program this week. The application, submitted to the fed... read more
Poor, sick and expensive: Colorado's scaled-down Medicaid expansion
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dale Miller spends his days on the streets of downtown Denver selling a newspaper called The Homeless Voice. He's been having some health problems, but he can't afford to see a doctor on the $10 to $1... read more
Ohio wants bids for Medicaid and Medicare
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The state of Ohio is requesting bids from managed-care companies interested in overseeing billions in health-care services to nearly 115,000 low-income seniors and disabled residents covered by both M... read more
New York - Medicaid roll soar, costs down
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's four principal health care and fiscal officials gathered Tuesday in the Capitol's Blue Room to note the efforts of the Medicaid Redesign Team enabled the state to... read more
Hawaii Medicaid fee fix up for a final vote
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Hawaii lawmakers have heard the exasperation of local hospital administrators eager for a change in how they’re paid for providing health-care services to Medicaid patients. Last week, lawmaker... read more
Arkansas - Beebe says Medicaid crisis likely means cuts to services
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Some cuts in services are likely as the state deals with a looming Medicaid crisis, Gov. Mike Beebe said today. The governor said raising taxes also is an option, though he is not planning to propose... read more
Arizona's new KidsCare to help thousands
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
A new version of Arizona's children's health-insurance program opened Tuesday and eventually will cover nearly 22,000 low-income kids. About 500 Arizona children already have signed up for Kids... read more
Wisconsin - State sending letters on Medicaid changes
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The state is sending out letters to 111,000 low-income Wisconsinites warning them that they could see changes to their state health coverage, including premium increases. The letters are being sent a... read more
Connecticut - New budget figures make agreement on Medicaid changes likely
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Key Democratic lawmakers have bristled at the governor's proposal to scale back a Medicaid program that serves some of the poorest adults in Connecticut. But in light of new budget figures released th... read more
Kentucky hospital chain takes Medicaid dispute to court
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
A state official says a Medicaid provider who has said it wants terminate its contract with an eastern Kentucky hospital system must continue to pay for services for at least 30 more days. Neville Wi... read more
West Virginia hospital fights Medicaid reimbursement rule
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
An Eastern Panhandle hospital complex says it could lose $300,000 under new Medicare reimbursement rules, and similar small, rural facilities across West Virginia could lose a total $5.5 million a yea... read more
Texas Lawmakers hear update on Medicaid spending
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Texas' share for providing health care to poor children, the impoverished elderly and the disabled is growing faster than tax revenues to pay for services, creating another state budget challenge next... read more
Alabama Medicaid funding loss would strip billions in US grants
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Top-ranking Alabama state lawmakers are talking with Gov. Robert Bentley about ways to find more state money next year for Medicaid. "I think that we're fairly close to some sort of resolution," Bent... read more
Alabama Senate delays vote on insurance exchange
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Alabama Senate delayed action on a bill to establish a state health insurance exchange after senators raised questions including whether it would give a monopoly to Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Th... read more
NH Executive Council OKs $2.3 billion Medicaid contract
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
On a split vote, members of the governor's Executive Council approved a $2.3 billion contract Wednesday establishing a managed care system for Medicaid recipients. Councilors voted 3-2 to authorize t... read more
Lawsuit challenges Medicaid managed care decision in Missouri
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Which marketplace is better: a crowded one with lots of choices or a streamlined one with just a few options? Those competing ideals are the backdrop of a legal battle playing out this month in Missou... read more
ONC's 'Health IT Dashboard' is Now Available!
Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announces the launch of the Health IT Dashboard (available at http://dashboard.healthit.gov/) today. The Health IT Dashbo... read more
Medicaid Learning Center (MLC) MITA 3.0 Updates
Posted: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
PORTLAND, Maine – May 7, 2012 – The Medicaid Learning Center (MLC) today announced the update of the MLC MITA courseware. On March 28, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (... read more
GAO Releases Report on Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Posted: Friday, May 4, 2012
April 30, 2012: GAO Releases Report on Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs) The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the implementation of the Medicare and Med... read more
ONC s National Health Information Exchange Strategy
Posted: Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a cooperative agreement partner of National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC). On Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. EDT, ... read more
Release of Home and Community-Based Services Rules
Posted: Monday, April 30, 2012
Thursday April 26th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two rules that support State efforts to expand access to home and community based services (HCBS) for people w... read more
CMS Has an Updated FAQ about Attesting with Multiple Certified EHRs
Posted: Friday, April 20, 2012
We want to help keep you updated with information on the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. CMS has recently updated an FAQ on attesting with multiple certified E... read more
HHS seeks comment on National Action Plan to eliminate healthcare-associated infections
Posted: Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted online today an updated National Action Plan to eliminate healthcare-associated infections for public comment. The update confirms progre... read more
Louisiana Issues First Medicaid EHR Incentive Payment to EPs for Meaningful Use
Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Louisiana is the first state in the nation to issue an incentive payment to a Medicaid eligible professional (EP) for demonstrating meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technolog... read more
Creating Seamless Coverage Transitions Between Medicaid and the Exchanges
Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Under health reform, Medicaid will expand in 2014 to cover an additional 16 to 20 million beneficiaries. Due to fluctuations in income, this new population is also likely to "churn" between existing M... read more
Common EHR Incentive Programs Registration Questions
Posted: Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Review Important Questions and Answers about Registration for the EHR Incentive Programs After determining your eligibility for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, you should then ... read more
HHS Announces Rule to Delay ICD-10
Posted: Monday, April 9, 2012
HHS Press Release: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Announces Delay of ICD-10 until October 1, 2014 In a new press release from HHS, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a proposed rule that would d... read more
Announcing The 2012 Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference
Posted: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
For more information, click here.... read more
AHRQ Health IT Update
Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Podcast Highlights AHRQ-funded Study on E-prescribing’s Benefits and Barriers A new podcast highlights findings of a recent AHRQ-funded study on e-prescribing as part of the Agency’s Heal... read more
CMS has Version 5010 Resources for You
Posted: Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Version 5010 Transition Deadline is Only 39 Days Away The transition to Version 5010 is only 39 days away and involves important business and systems changes throughout the health care industry. A... read more